John Burgess, Sr. was born c1740 probably in Eastern VA. He married Mary Davis and they started a family in Kingston Parish, Gloucester, VA (now Mathews County). They moved to Henry County VA around 1780 and began accumulating land on what is now Burgess Creek on the Smith River. According to Burgess Deed and Will Records they accumulated as much as 500 acres. Their plantation appears to have included a mill and many structures to support independent living. At one point it may have had its own post office named Rugules. The following map shows the known features of the area. Note that a click on the map will open a larger image that shows other features.

The accumulation and eventual dispersal of the land is documented, in part, in Burgess Deed and Will Records of Henry County. John and his oldest son Davis accumulated land. Both John and Davis divided their holdings for their sons and wives. According to Aunt Cherie Shendell's Autobiography the original plantation house was on Smith River. Note that Cherie, her brother John (later of Yellow House Farm) and sister Mary Jane were the last Burgess children, in our line, born on Burgess Creek. Our ancestor John Burgess III, oldest son of Davis died of the fever. According to Aunt Cherie the house was burned to stop the fever. The location of the burned house is currently unknown. Several years ago, we set out to determine the history of our Burgess ancestors in Henry County. By then, all of our family who lived there had deceased. We had Aunt Cherie's writings and a few old photos. With these and much help from Bobby Craddock, who now lives on the property, we have made many discoveries. The following are evidence of the Mill.
	Left is a c1900 family photo showing a mill building. The mill wheel is at the left end of the building. Above the wheel and to the left is a trough in which water flowed from the mill-pond onto the wheel where gravity rotated the wheel. An earthen bank of the mill-pond is shown above the water trough. Referring to the above map, it is believed that this photo was taken from a location on the hill of the existing cabin about halfway between the Mill and the existing cabin. The cabin in the photo in the left background may be at the location of the Old Home Ruins.
Right is an edited 2002 photo facing in the opposite direction from the above mill photo. The mill-pond area is in the bottom center and right. The remaining earthen bank for the pond is beyond the flat area of the pond. Burgess Creek is to the right of the grass area. The existing Old Cabin is on the hill beyond the pond. Note that an exiting home adjacent to the cabin has been edited out of the photo.

Two family cemeteries have been found on Burgess Creek. They are shown on the map as Davis Burgess Cemetery and John Henry Burgess Cemetery.

Bobby led visits with several neighbor’s. There was some speculation and one potential house visit. This house was in the Nunn family, which could have been a part of JHB’s Great Grandmother Elizabeth Nunn’s family (Elizabeth Nunn was Davis Burgess’s wife Lucy Pace’s Mother).

Bobby then suggested a spot that he had a hunch was the place. This spot was not far from the cemetery and was on Burgess Creek. We found the owner, Henry Hardy, showed him the photo and he said that this was the place. He said his Grandfather bought the place in 1918 from John Abe Burgess (who we knew sold it on or after 1914). This transaction was later confirmed by John A. (Abe) Burgess - Deed 19 Jan 1918. Henry said the old plantation house burned down and showed the foundation of the chimney. The old house site was just behind an existing house. He also showed us the spot of a two story slave quarters, which he said that he personally helped demolish. He said the plantation had a post office. The JHB property was less than 200 acres and on the south side state route 642. This rocky and hilly terrain is not currently cultivated, and so was probably not suitable for economical farming in the 1910s. The house was located at N36 degrees 36.4’, W79 degrees 49.0’, south of 642 and east of 640 as shown on the above map. Another view of the home site is shown in wider view of home site. Other 1999 photos of the area follow:

The October 16, 1999 group that made the trip to Henry, is shown in the photo at right. The group included Charlotte daughter of John Abe Burgess, Margaret daughter in-law of John Abe Burgess, Charlotte E., Johnny M., Charlotte’s Cherie and Althea (Charlotte’s Mary Jane’s toddler), Carole and John (photographer).

There is still some research required to complete the Henry County history. The deed records and maps should be further researched to determine the property lines. The original John Burgess III home site should be located.