Priscilla (sometimes spelled Pricilla in different censuses) H.(Harriett?) Burkhart was one of eleven children born to Peter Burkhart (amended from Burkhardt) (1785-1868) and Rachel (Owen) Burkhart (1793-1832). Priscilla was born, according to Burkhart family records, in 1818 in Sullivan County, Tennessee, the 3rd daughter and 4th child that Rachel would bear during her 21 years of marriage to Peter. She would die, the year following the delivery of her 11th child, in 1832. Priscilla was devastated at the loss of her mother. She was only 14 years old when her mother passed away and although many women died at an early age, it nonetheless would have upset her daughters, sons and husband terribly as she was only 39 when she died. Priscilla's father didn't remarry until four years later, in 1836.
His new wife, Priscilla's stepmother, Anna (Gillum or Gillian) Burkhart, would go on to give Peter five more children. It was after this new union that Priscilla married John Franklin Brown (b.1816) on March 7, 1839 in Knox County, Tennessee. John started out life as a carpenter in Knox County, according to the 1850 Census, one of only two that I was able to find. The happy couple remained in Knoxville until after the birth of their 7th child in 1852. They immigrated to Illinois, following Priscilla's sister Harriett to Williamson Co., Illinois, initially, where she married Thomas W. Swann on Oct 28, 1852. They then settled in Mulberry Grove, Bond County, Illinois, where they would live out the rest of their lives. Priscilla delivered two more children, in 1854 and in 1855, a total of nine children, as follows:
1. James F. (Franklin?), b.1840, Knoxville, Knox Co., TN
2. George M., b.Nov 4, 1841, Knoxville, Knox Co., TN
3. Milas Hamilton, b.Jan 3, 1843, Knox Co., TN*
4. John L., b.1845, Knox Co., Tennessee
5. Margaret E., b.1846, Knox Co., Tennessee
6. William Thomas, b.Oct 8, 1849/52, Knox Co., TN**
7. Morgan E., b.1852, Knox Co., TN
8. Phillip G., b.1854, Williamson Co., Illinois.
9. Malinda J., b.Apr 20, 1855, Williamson Co., Illinois.+++
*Milas Hamilton--Headstone shows date of birth as June 8, 1843. He was married 3X. There is a question regarding when his divorce was final from wife #1 as they had a child together after he had supposedly married wife #2.
**William Thomas gave his year of birth as 1849 & 1852. He also used many middle initials, He had been a farmer & may have had unsatisfied debts. His father gave his name as William A.,age 8 months, in 1850 census, taken Oct 12, 1850.
+++Malinda's memorial provided me with her mother's exact date of birth of Jan 9, 1820. At this time, all I had for Priscilla's date of death was that she died between 1880 and 1887 and is buried at Mulberry Grove Cemetery, Bond County, Illinois, in an unmarked grave. However, when I located her youngest daughter, Malinda, her mother's date of birth was on the memorial. I contacted the person who cares for the memorial and was able to obtain Priscilla's actual date of death, as well, thanks to the person who cares for her memorial, "Anonymous". Her husband remarried, to a widow, name unknown, but he then died on July 13, 1894, also in Bond Co., Illinois and was also buried at Mulberry Grove Cemetery in an unmarked grave. This information has been provided by Carol Nygren, 3rd great paternal granddaughter, a newly found cousin to me (!), who has generously shared the "descendants of Priscilla Burkhart" history with me. I owe her a great deal, as I could never have written this without her, as I didn't know Priscilla and John didn't have any cemetery markers, so I had no idea as to where they were or even when they had passed away. May they both Rest In Peace. Thank you to "Anonymous" for Priscilla's dates, too. I appreciate their assistance so very much.