James L Burns - June 18, 1898 Our Tribal Chief was born on this day in June 18, 1898. And he transitioned  ✝ well into the 20th Century in May 1988. Imagine all the things going on during his lifetime. Two World Wars, the Spanish-American War, Korean War, Vietnam War, the Cold War (and he just missed the conclusion), Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassination of two US Presidents, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights Movement, the Jim Crow South, men landing on the moon, I could go on. Here's his one connection to the 2nd World War. As you may recall his two older brothers Turner and Will had served in the 1st World War, however, James himself never served in the military. However, he still at 43 years of age had to register for the draft during that very awful global conflict. It's amazing what is found online when you're looking for information on your ancestors

Have you bought a kit? In April, our Tribal Historian and myself ( The Custodian ) spoke with a DNA match over the phone. I won't identify him at this time unless he says it's OK to do so. It was the first time we had spoken with a grandson of Arthur Burns.  As a reminder Arthur Burns is a younger brother to our Tribal Chief James Lee Burns. In my ongoing research I found out about him through the obituary of their older brother Will Burns . Arthur Burns (1900-1979) We learned through my 2nd Cousin that my late grandmother Gurtine and her living brother & sister has one paternal first cousin that's still alive. She won't be identified at this time as well. We had a nice chat over a relatively short period of time talking about their roots and they have their own "tribal historian". And it's exciting to reach out to other members of this extended family. One thing I have noticed over the years, is that for our reunions we've never really had anyon...