William J. "Billy" Burkhalter

Notes:

Ruth Ann Price indicates that he appears on the census in 1860 in Franklin County, Mississippi, and was buried in the Jones-Burkhalter Cemetery in Walthall County, Mississippi. They name of his wife or wives is not known, but he had a large family. Seven of these children were listed on the 1860 Franklin County, Mississippi census, Camillin (born 1837 Mississippi), John (born 1842 Mississippi), Jasper Smylie (born 1844 Mississippi), Rosanna (born 1848 Lousiana), Mary (born 1850 Lousiana), Daniel/David (born 1857 Mississippi) and Sarah (born 1859 Mississippi). He is also shown as the father of Sam Burkhalter.

Notes:

Copied from the website, Burkhalter Family History
http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~oespiers/Burkhalters.html

Daniel Burkhalter is the earliest proven ancestor. He was born about 1783 in South Carolina and died about 1855 in Pike County, Mississippi. Daniel was an early pioneer to Mississippi and was in Marion County prior to May 8, 1818, when he served on a Jury (Marion Probate Records 1825-1831, page 68) also his brand "ear mark and underslope in the left and underslope and hole in the right" was registered and recorded on November 22, 1818, Book A, page 60. His name appears on the Personal Tax Rolls of Marion County for the years 1819 to 1822, where he is assessed with 1 poll and 1 slave.

The 1820 census for Marion County shows Daniel Burkhalter as head of household with two males under 10, 1 male 26 to 45; 2 females under 10 and 1 female 26 to 45. The males under 10 will prove to be sons Henry and William and the females under 10 will prove to be daughters Eliza and Cynthia Burkhalter. Daniel Burkhalter signed marriage bond in 1820 for James Clark and Mrs. Agnes Kinesly.

Connerly's History of Pike County, 1798-1876, published in 1909, shows that Daniel Burkhalter and his wife, Mary Palmore, came from Georgia to Mississippi, quoting in part as follows: "In this neighborhood Daniel Burkhalter and his wife, Mary Palmore, had settled on Varnal, which empties into Magees Creek just above Sandifer's. Their settlement was on the hill near the ford where the Holmesville and Columbia Road crosses. They owned a negro slave woman who had some children. One was a child just sitting alone, and was left in the yard with a larger child to mind it while the grown people were out at work. A large fat coon came up in the yard, caught the child by the cheek and held on to it. Screams of the children brought the mother to the house to learn the cause and the coon refused to let go. The master had to come and choke the coon to death to make it let go the childs cheek."

The foregoing would place Daniel's homestead somewhat southeast of the present Salem Church. County land records show that Daniel Burkhalter patented land #4169, in Section 21, Township 3, Range 11 East, in what is now Walthall County. The 1829 tax rolls show he owned 160 acres on Magees Creek. Pike County Tax Rolls show Daniel paid poll tax through the year 1831. Record for 1832, 1833, and 1834 are not available, but in 1835 he paid no poll tax but was taxed with 5 slaves; 7 slaves in 1837; and 8 slaves in 1839 and 1840.

Under territorial laws this would show that Daniel was above the age 50 in 1835. The Marion-Pike line placed Daniel's homestead within the boundary of Pike County, where he is shown in the 1850 census as age 67, place of birth as South Carolina, and wife's name as Sarah. This would place his date of birth about 1783, which can be approximated by the fact he ceased to pay poll tax before 1835.

The name of the wife as Sarah in the census could mean that Mary had died and Daniel had remarried or there could have been a discrepancy on the part of the enumerator or the informer.

The next available tax roll after the 1850 census is for the year 1856, and Daniel is not listed thereon, leading to the assumption that he died between 1850 and 1856. It is not established that Daniel Burkhalter served in the War of 1812, but there is an indication that bounty land warrant #291730 was issued to him. At any rate, he was married and living in Georgia prior to 1812, when his first son was born. According to the History of Pike County supra, Daniel Burkhalter and Mary Palmore were parents of nine children, order of birth not known.

The Burkhalters are of German extraction and the name has many spellings, including Burkholders, Buckholtz, Buckhalter, Birkholder, Buckaltz, etc. Published records indicate that the Burkhalters moved out of South Carolina into Georgia, thence to Mississippi and Louisiana, but additional research is necessary to identify the line in Georgia and South Carolina and the immigrant ancestor. Some sources identify the progenitors of this family as Rudolph BURKHALTER and Anna Moschberger of Luetzelflueh Bern Switzerland.

Daniel married Mary "Polly" Palmore before 1812. Mary was born before 1794; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]