Adventures in Ancestry DNA, part 3

I've been telling a few kinfolks about this since the transition of our tribal historian - and even she agreed. One mission with regards to this blog was to trace as many members of the extended family as possible. Especially the sisters and brothers of our tribal chief James Lee Burns.

Also brief announcement the next edition of the Hunter/Burns Family Reunion is coming up July 24-26 coming to Augusta, GA and that general area. Hopefully the extended family we've been able to place on our tree will be able to attend.

You know let's start with the first family that we can official place on the tree.

Let's see our Roscoe/Warren cousins

I've been elated to discover since about 2024 our relationship to one of our Tribal Chief's sisters a woman named Emma. At least for Bessie Butler and James Etta (Jeanette) Brown we at least know that they each had a child that has been passed down to us. However, we had no lead on Emma - and in fact a number of his known brothers and sisters. As a matter of fact our historian and I discovered another brother - Arthur - that wasn't recorded in the official family history.

So regardless thanks to a DNA match and a little bit of sleuthing I had discovered the family of James Lee Burns' sister Emma — reminder James' beloved wife Emma Lee Hunter Burns. Aunt Emma had married into both the Roscoe and the Warren families. She had children that reflects both names.

What I know from the one cousin (DNA match) I had conversed with back in 2024, is that Aunt Emma Burns Roscoe Warren had sadly perished in a 1969 fire on Chicago's south side. I had further found through research that she was also buried in Restvale Cemetery out in the southwest suburbs — I hope Aunt Emma has a headstone perhaps someone who's visiting Aunt Lucyrene's grave could take a picture of it.

Thanks to further contacts within that branch of the Burns family tree, I have a number of pictures of granddaddy James Lee Burns' nieces and nephews. I want to thank the many members of the family that I had conversed with for sharing these memories. The family and their images really deserve another post.

Emma Burns' daughter Beatrice Roscoe with husband Abraham Thomas (DNA relationship established)

Brothers Turner Roscoe (DNA relationship established) & Prince Albert Warren

Here's another one of Emma's sons Roosevelt Warren (DNA relationship established)

It's amazing to see some of my grandmother's (Gurtine Burns Howard) paternal first cousins. We at least have a few more photos of those cousins in addition to Earnest Butler, Rosie Butler Lilly, Cornelius Brown, and Clorine Brown Hill.

Could we be related to the Hairstons?

There could be a DNA relationship to the Hairston family of North Carolina. What I was told about that lineage is they followed the path of the Hairston slave holding family and one branch found their way to Mississippi. Of course we don't know our exact connection to that family other than probable DNA connections.

The DNA matches that are connected to them are on our special person's (or "Family Sage") paternal side.

Once I got a geographical fix on the North Carolina connection, I had to ask if by chance there is a relationship with Jester Hairston. If you don't know how that was, he was Rollie Forbes on the 1980s TV sitcom Amen - which also featured good ole George Jefferson, Mr. Sherman Helmsley (don't get ahead of yourself there's no indication we're related to him yet).

I was advised to read a book about the Hairstons which covers both the slaveholding family and the descendants of the Hairston slaves. If you're interested you can find the book on Amazon - The Hairstons: Biography of the Hairston Family Legacy

I would also want to alert you to this oral history. Jester Hairston was seen here with a descendant of his white slaveholding ancestors. Had found this years ago, and now it's a bit different given that there is a possible connection to them.

I want to also note I was also told the Hairstons also included members of the musical group Sister Sledge. How many of you are fans of them?

DNA provides other interesting findings

I had gotten a message on Ancestry from a DNA match looking for info on our Willie Burns. Sadly I didn't have much info to give him, I'm still trying to establish his identity - that is Willie might actually be Steve/Stephen. He also had a Willie Burns on his tree, however, that Willie was born in Georgia.

And then as we go through the mutual matches it turns out there may not be a connection to the Burns on his family tree. It's more likely we're connected to the Maupin family that appears to originate in Kentucky.

Looking at the matches to our "Family Sage" (I hope our special person likes that title) I can easily say outside of Mississippi we have matches that seem to point as likely origins of our Burns ancestors to be from Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia.

That reminds me, we may have some connections to the state of Louisiana too. I had been in touch earlier this year with a genealogist who manages one DNA match and discovered possible connections to the Davis and Singleton families. It would be quite amazing that our Burns ancestors may have made their way through the Pelican State.

While DNA testing isn't exactly precise as far as ethnicity estimates - and could be subject to change if there are any updates. I do find it interesting that our Family Sage registers as 2% Quebec, 1% Acadia (or Cajun they originate out of Canada before settling in Louisiana) and 1% Canadian/US Indigenous (or Indian). With those matches of the Singleton/Davis lines we do share the Acadia and Indian ethnicity.

It would be interesting to discover somewhere in James Lee Burns' family tree are some Louisiana roots.

Where do we go from here?

Having started this project in 2023, it's been amazing to see the many twists and turns tracking the Burns family tree. And especially with DNA and the many discoveries that it provided. There have been times where I just had to take a break, however, at times the work pays off.

If you have any thoughts on these findings or even want to share or exchange information you're more than free to e-mail me.