Uncovering Aunt Emma Burns Emma Burns Roscoe Warren Recent discoveries about my great-aunt Emma Burns (1892–1969), older sister of my great-grandfather, James Lee Burns , have illuminated her place in our family’s story. Through a DNA match with her grandson and records from FamilySearch.org , we’re piecing together Emma’s life and her deep ties to our Burns family across generations and places. Emma’s Origins and Family Ties Emma Burns was born in 1892 in Mississippi according to her death record from Cook County, Illinois. As far as birth order she's younger than Bessie Lewis Butler and James Etta (Jeanette) Smith Brown who were born in 1888 and 1890 respectively. Emma was older than her younger brother Turner Burns . Her story, once unknown to us, has emerged through diligent research and family accounts. Her death record names her father as Steve Burns , corroborated by Turner Burns’ Social Security records and a Hinds County, Mississippi, marriage record for Aggie Andrew...

Ancestry DNA FAQs DNA, Discovery, and the Elusive Burns Lineage One of the last conversations I had with our Tribal Historian (my mother and recognizing her role as the family historian) involved a very special person who was OK with taking one of these AncestryDNA tests. Why is this person, special? They're are as close to Mr. James Lee Burns (who I like to refer to as our Tribal Chief) and the former Ms. Emma Lee Hunter as we're going to get. Out of respect for their privacy, I’ll keep their identity confidential unless they give explicit permission to share. Some DNA matches may already know who they are. Building Connections Through DNA Exploring our family’s genetic history has been thrilling, especially for the Burns lineage. I’ve connected with descendants of James Lee Burns’ brother and sisters (my great-uncle and aunts), who have helped shape my family tree while I’ve shared insights for theirs. These collaborations have uncovered new stories and leads about our Burns...