Updated December 25, 2023
Background
Burke was formed in 1777 from Rowan. The act was to become effective June 1, 1777. It was named in honor of Dr. Thomas Burke, a member of the Continental Congress and governor of North Carolina, 1781-1782. It is in the west central section of the State and is bounded by Catawba, Cleveland, Rutherford, McDowell, Avery and Caldwell counties. The present land area is 506.72 square miles. The act establishing Burke specified that the first court was to be held at a place the justices should decide until they selected a permanent place for the courthouse and had the same erected. In 1784 Morgansborough was established and made the county seat. Morganton is the present county seat.
Many of the records of Burke County were destroyed during the Civil War.The Index to Wills 1784-1900 contains the following entry:
Gen. Gillam of U.S. Army burned records on the courthouse lawn in Morganton in April 1865. General Gillem was Alvan Cullom Gillem (29 Jul 1830-2 Dec 1875) who is said to have been born in Gainesboro in Jackson County, TN to Samuel Gillem.
Overview
The orphans of William Gilliam of Charlotte County VA, settled with Harris relatives in Burke County and later McDowell County, NC. Many members of these families removed to Smith County, TX and Clackamas County, OR.
Census
1790
the Burke 1790 census is disorganized and has errors.
1st Company Present McDowell Co. & part of present northern Rutherford Co.
2nd Company Northeastern Burke Co & present southeastern Caldwell Co.
3rd Company Mid & western Burke Co. - Oak Hill area
4th Company Western Burke Co. & portions of present southeastern McDowell & northern Rutherford Counties
5th Company Upper Burke Co. & portions of present Caldwell Co. - Globe, Edgemont, Collettsville
6th Company Western Burke Co. - Bridgewater, Lake James; some in present eastern McDowell Co.
7th Company Mid Burke Co. - Quaker Meadows
8th Company North side of Catawba River in present day Caldwell Co. - Granite Falls
9th Company North of Catawba River in present Caldwell Co.
10th Company Present Mitchell/Avery Counties
11th Company Cut off in 1791 to form Buncombe Co.
12th Company Present Mitchell/Avery Counties
13th Company South & southeastern Burke Co. - Salem; South Mountains; George Hildebrand areas
1800
Manyard Gillam
Free White Males Under 10: 2 [sons Harris and William]]
Free White Males 10 to 15: 1 [son John]
Free White Males 26 to 44: 1 [Minyard Gilliam]
Free White Females Under 10 : 2 [daughters Dicy and Nancy]
Free White Females 10 to 15 : 1 [Unknown daughter]
Free White Females 26 to 44 : 1 [Mrs. Gilliam]
Number of Household Members Under 16 : 6
Number of Household Members Over 25 : 2
Number of Household Members: 8
1800; Census Place: Burke, North Carolina; Roll: 29; Page: 750; Image: 175; Family History Library Film: 337905.
Ancestry.com. 1800 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
1810
Maynyard Gillum
Township: Morganton
Free White Males Under 10: 1 [son Charles]
Free White Males 10 to 15: 2 [sons Harris and WIlliam]
Free White Males 16 to 25: 2 [son John and Unknown]
Free White Males 26 to 44: 1 [Minyard Gilliam]
Free White Females Under 10: 1 [daughter Nancy]
Free White Females 10 to 15: 1 [daughter Dicy]
Free White Females 26 to 44: 1 [Mrs. Gilliam]
Number of Household Members Under 16: 5
Number of Household Members Over 25: 2
Number of Household Members: 9
1810; Census Place: Morganton, Burke, North Carolina; Roll 39; Page: 331; Family History Number: 0337912; Image: 00225.
Ancestry.com. 1810 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
Harris Gillam
Township: Morganton
Free White Males Under 10: 5 [sons Minyard, Robert, Johnson, Braddock]
Free White Males 10 to 15: 1 [son Edward]
Free White Males 16 to 25: 1 [son John]
Free White Males 26 to 44: 1 [Harris Gilliam]
Free White Females 10 to 15: 1 [daughter Dicy]
Free White Females 16 to 25: 1 [daughter Sarah]
Free White Females 26 to 44: 1 [Mrs. Gilliam, said to be Maven Harris]
Number of Household Members Under 16: 7
Number of Household Members Over 25: 2
Number of Household Members: 11
1810; Census Place: Morganton, Burke, North Carolina; Roll 39; Page: 331; Family History Number: 0337912; Image: 00225.
Ancestry.com. 1810 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
1820
William Gilliam
1820; Census Place: Burke, North Carolina; Roll M33_83; Page: 99; Image: 63.
Harris Gilliam
1820; Census Place: Burke, North Carolina; Roll M33_83; Page: 93; Image: 60.
Mainyard Gilliam
1820; Census Place: Burke, North Carolina; Roll M33_83; Page: 91; Image: 59
[Minyard Gilliam in found in the 1830 Rutherford County, NC census]
1830
Charles Gillum
1830 U S Census: Burke, North Carolina, Page: 182; NARA Roll: M19-118; Family History Film: 0018084.
1840
Sarah Gillam
Township: West of North Fork
1840; Census Place: West of North Fork, Burke, North Carolina; Roll 355; Page: 337; Image: 684; Family History Library Film: 0018092.
Court
Miniard Gilliam, fine £1.0.0
Morgan District, North Carolina Superior Court of Law and Equity, Misc. Book 3, March Term 1786. The State vs. Miniard Gilliam
Deeds
26 Oct 1804
Harris Gillum to James Marcus, 100 acres
Rec: Jan 1807
Sullivan, Katherine G. Burke County, NC, Deeds Registered 1804-1813, Burke County Genealogical Society, 1995.
19 Feb 1803
Edward Harris to Harris Gillum, 100 acres, proved by Edward Harris, Jr.
Rec: Jan 1804
Sullivan, Katherine G. Burke County, NC, Deeds Registered 1804-1813, Burke County Genealogical Society, 1995.
10 May 1806
Patrick Sloan to Alexander Porter, 143 acres, proved by Harris Gillum, January Session 1807
Sullivan, Katherine G. Burke County, NC, Deeds Registered 1804-1813, Burke County Genealogical Society, 1995.
10 May 1806
Patrick Sloan to Alexander Porter, 100 acres, proved by Harris Gillum, January Session 1807
Sullivan, Katherine G. Burke County, NC, Deeds Registered 1804-1813, Burke County Genealogical Society, 1995.
9 Sep 1806
John Hardon to Minyard Gillum for 50 acres, proved by Harris Gillum
Rec: Jan 1807
Sullivan, Katherine G. Burke County, NC, Deeds Registered 1804-1813, Burke County Genealogical Society, 1995.
1 Jan 1809
John Jackson to James Hase, 115 acres, proved by Harris Gilliam
Rec: Oct 1809
Sullivan, Katherine G. Burke County, NC, Deeds Registered 1804-1813, Burke County Genealogical Society, 1995.
19 Sep 1812
Amos Jackson to Stephen Souther, 50 acres, proved by Mineard Gilliam
Rec: Oct 1812
Sullivan, Katherine G. Burke County, NC, Deeds Registered 1804-1813, Burke County Genealogical Society, 1995.
Grants
1778 Land Grant
John Gillam
Grant #4055
Minyard Gilliam, 100 acres
Huddleston, Dean, and Collins, Mary. The Descendants of John Gilliam: The Immigrant. Volume I, Revised. Self Published, 1997.
31 Jul 1815
Entry #6454
On Duck Branch and Laurel Creek
Huddleston, Dean, and Collins, Mary. The Descendants of John Gilliam: The Immigrant. Volume I, Revised. Self Published, 1997.
Nov 1817
Grant #3813
Minyard Gilliam, 26 acres
Huddleston, Dean, and Collins, Mary. The Descendants of John Gilliam: The Immigrant. Volume I, Revised. Self Published, 1997.
Legislative Petitions
25 Sep 1790
Legislative Petition requesting the formation of a new county.
Marriages
16 Apr 1813
Nancy Gilliam and Stephen Souther, bondsman William Gilliam, Witness J. Burgin
Ancestry.com. North Carolina Marriage Bonds, 1741-1868 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000.
Original data: State of North Carolina. An Index to Marriage Bonds Filed in the North Carolina State Archives. Raleigh, NC, USA: North Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1977.
Military
1796
Capt. Moore’s Company
Mainyard Gilliam
No Date
Capt [Mont]fort’s Company
Jacob Gilliam, 100 acres
1799, [Company Unknown, likely Capt Robert Kirkpatrick’s]
Mainyard Gillum, 100 acres, 1 poll
Harriss Gillum
Miscellaneous Papers, Promissory Notes and Bills of Sale
1 Apr 1775
Advertisement by John Bowman for any person indebted to him to pay before May 1 or be dealt with: William Bean, Wiliam Rikes, John Batkenson, Dolan R. Rid Dunken, Streng Women, John Cooper, John Gilliam, Joseph Cloud, Arthur Codey sold John Bowman a bay mare on April 30, wit. by Jesse Spears and Robert Been.
Taxes
1796 [?]
Minyard Gilliam, 100 acres
Huddleston, Dean, and Collins, Mary. The Descendants of John Gilliam: The Immigrant. Volume I, Revised. Self Published, 1997.
Wills
Will of Harris GILLIAM
Dated 1814
Burke County, NC
Minyard GILLIAM Administrator,
Sarah GILLIAM and Stephen Souther as witnesses.
Burke County, NC, Will Book ___, Page ___
Sources
- Ancestry.com. Census records.
- Huddleston, Dean, and Collins, Mary. The Descendants of John Gilliam: The Immigrant. Volume I, Revised. Self Published, 1997.
- Sullivan, Katherine G. Burke County, NC, Deeds Registered 1804-1813, Burke County Genealogical Society, 1995.