married Mary A. Rothacker, probably in Ohio or PA. They moved from Ohio to Jennings Co Indiana about 1850, bought land there, and had at least 7 children; one of which, a twin named Louisa (1849-1911) was born in Carroll Co OH and married Richard A. Conner upon his return from the Civil War in 1865.
[FindaGrave Bio]
John Springer Burge's burial at Beekman Cemetery near Fisher, Champaign County, Illinois, is a conjecture. His wife may be buried here. Note on his wife's memorial are the following:
Her death notices in local newspapers incorrectly reported her first name as "Sarah," possibly confusing her with a daughter-in-law in whose home Mary Burge and her husband had resided.
Mary E. Payne was born in May 1824 in Ohio. Her parents are not identified. Her father was from South Carolina; her mother from Maryland.
Mary "Pain" and John S. Burge, a blacksmith, were married on 3 November 1842 in Noblesville, Hamilton County, Indiana. The couple were enumerated in 1850 and 1860 in neighboring Clinton County's Michigan Township, where their six children were likely born. (Five sons and a daughter. One son died in infancy.)
The Burge family moved in 1868 to Piatt County, Illinois, and about 1876 John S. Burge opened the first blacksmith shop in the newly created town of Fisher, Champaign County, Illinois. Mary and John S. Burge, with two unmarried sons, were enumerated in 1880 in Fisher. (The father and son William blacksmithing.)
John S. Burge died on 19 February 1895 in Staley, Champaign County, where he—and presumably his wife Mary—had been living with their son Aquilla T. Burge.
A March 1900 newspaper notice indicated that Mary Burge was residing with her daughter in Monticello, Piatt County, and she was enumerated in June 1900 with her son Aquilla in Ivesdale, Champaign County.
"Grandma" Mary Burge suffered a broken hip from a fall at the home of her son Aquilla in March 1903, and in September was reported to be "confined to her bed." In February 1904, Mary Burge was transported on a cot from Ivesdale to her son Jasper's home in Fisher; reported to be very ill. Mary Burge died on 5 November 1904 in Fisher.
Burial
Mrs. Burge's death on Saturday, 5 November 1904 at her son Jasper Burge's home in Fisher, and her funeral service there on Monday, 7 November, were reported on: 9 November in Champaign's Daily News, County News, and Daily Gazette; and on 11 November in Bloomington's Weekly Pantagraph. None of these four newspapers reported her burial. Willowbrook Cemetery is immediately south of Fisher, but Beekman Cemetery, about 3½ miles north of Fisher, is where Jasper Burge's son (who died in 1896) and daughter (who died in 1897) were buried. Jasper Burge and his wife Anna were later buried there, too.
John S. Burge's death notice similarly notes the location of his funeral service, but not the burial place. ("Death [of] an Aged Citizen," The Champaign County News, Champaign, Illinois, 23 Feb 1895, p. 1.)
Son Aquilla T. Burge's 1884 Illinois marriage license return reports parents: John S. Burge, and Mary Payne. Aquilla T. Burge's 1928 Indiana death certificate: John S. Burge, N. J., and Mary Payne, Pa. (Aquilla identified as "Albert" on the certificate.) Daughter "Charelette" J. Blacker's 1922 Illinois death certificate: Sidney Burge, and Mary Payne, both born in New Jersey.
"Indiana Marriages, 1811-2019," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DCVS-...62975001%2C963004201 : 21 January 2016), Hamilton 1833-1843 image 175 of 191; Indiana Commission on Public Records, Indianapolis.
• License dated 2 Nov 1842. 3 Nov 1842 marriage ceremony performed by Justice of the Peace Samuel Dale of Noblesville. Earliest known record of Mary.
1860 U.S. Census, Michigan Twp., Clinton Co., Indiana; dwelling 16, family 16, lines 38-40 & 1-4, pp. 2-3 (written), 1 Jun 1860. (Post Office: Michigantown)
38. John S. Burge, 45, Master Blacksmith ($500; $250), N. J.
39. Mary E. -----, 36, Ohio.
40. Jasper -----, 16, farmer, Ind.
1. Charlotte Burge, 10, Ind.
2. William -----, 8, Ind.
3. Francis M., 4, Ind.
4. John -----, 1, Ind.
Move to Illinois in 1868: "Mrs. Jennie Blacker Dies [...] Resident of Illinois Since 1868," clipping from unidentified newspaper, 25 May 1922.
1870 U.S. Census, Sangamon Twp., Piatt Co., Illinois; dwelling 96, family 96, lines 6-10, p. 15 (written), 2 Aug 1870. (Post Office: Monticello)
• Married daughter Charlotte Blacker on p. 28 (written). Son Jasper not found in 1870 U.S. Census.
"The first dwelling house in Fisher was erected in the spring of 1876 [...] and J. S. Burge established the first blacksmith shop." ("Fisher Facts," The Champaign Daily Gazette, Champaign, Illinois, 13 Feb 1891, p. 1.)
"Wm. Burge is at home visiting his parents. He has been absent for more than a year. He looks as though the Hoosier state [Indiana] agreed with him." ("Fisher," Champaign County Herald, Urbana, Illinois, 9 Jun 1880, p. 5.)
1880 U.S. Census, E.D. 1, Fisher, Brown Twp., Champaign Co., Illinois; dwelling 176, family 187, lines 28-31, p. 22 (written), 15 Jun 1880.
28. Burge, John S., 67 [head], Blacksmith; self and mother born in New Jersey, father in England.
29. ----- Mary, 57, Keeping house; born in Ohio, father in South Carolina, mother in Maryland.
30. ----- William, 27, son, single, Blacksmith (10 months unemployed), Indiana.
31. ----- Aquilla, 19, son, single, works in brickyard (8 months unemployed), Indiana.
• The long periods of unemployment may be lasting effects of the Panic of 1873 and the Long Depression that followed it.
"J. S. Burge is building a new house on the Amer lot at the east end of Sangamon street." ("Fisher," The Champaign Daily Gazette, Champaign, Illinois, 25 May 1886, p. 1.)
"—Grandma [Mary] Burge and Mrs. William Blacker [née Charlotte Jennie Burge] of Monticello [Piatt County] spent Sunday in this city with Al [Aquilla] Burge and family." ("Ivesdale," The Champaign County News, 10 Mar 1900, p. 5.)
1900 U.S. Census, E.D. 23, Ivesdale, Sadorus Twp., Champaign Co., Illinois, dwelling 332, family 344, lines 80-88, p. 16B (written), 26 Jun 1900.
80. Burge, Aquilla, head, May 1861, 39, married 18 years; born in Indiana, father in New Jersey, mother in Ohio; Black Smith.
81. ----- Sarah, wife, Aug 1861, 38, married 18 years, 6 children (6 living); self and parents born in England.
[...]
88. ----- Mary E., mother, May 1824, 76, widowed, 3 children (1 living); born in Ohio, father in S. Carolina, mother in Maryland.
• Mary's reported age, and thus date of birth, track closely with the 1850 through 1880 U.S. Censuses.
• Of Mary's six known children, five were living in 1900.
"—Jasper Burge and family entertained the former's mother, Mrs. Burge of Ivesdale and sister-in-law, Mrs. Quill Burge, and children, also of Ivesdale." ("Fisher," The Champaign Daily News, Champaign, Illinois, 6 Jan 1903, p. 3.) The former Sarah Jane Jervis was the wife of Aquilla T. Burge.
"—Grandma Burge is still confined to her bed at the home of her son, A. T. in this city. Grandma Burge last winter fell on an icy walk, breaking her hip and has since been confined to her bed." ("Ivesdale," Urbana Daily Courier, Urbana, Illinois, 3 Sep 1903, p. 2.)
"—Mrs. Burge, mother of J. Burge of this place [Fisher], was brought from Ivesdale to Fisher on a cot. She is very ill." ("Fisher," The Champaign Daily News, Champaign, Illinois, 28 Feb 1904, p. 7.)
"Fisher," The Champaign Daily News, Champaign, Illinois, 9 Nov 1904, p. 6. "Sarah" Burge is an error for Mary Burge, Jasper Burge's mother.
Further evidence that this was the funeral of Mary Burge: "—Frank Burge has returned to his home at West Lebanon after attending his mother's funeral." ("Fisher," The Champaign Daily News, Champaign, Illinois, 16 Nov 1904, p. 6.)
In the 1830 and 1840 U.S. Censuses for Clinton, Fayette, and Hamilton Counties, Indiana, the only Pain, Paine, or Payne was Nehemiah Payne in 1840 in Hamilton. The only female in his household was aged 40 thru 49, and the 1850 U.S. Census shows that he was born in North Carolina.
Gravesite Details
No known marker.
Family Members
Children
Jasper Burge
1842–1928
Jennie Burge Blacker
1848–1922
Francis M. Burge
1856–1922
John Burge
1859–1860
Aquilla T. Burge
1861–1928