| Reverend John Burruss 1745-1778 John Burruss was born in 1745 in Caroline County, Virginia. He was the son of Jacob Burruss, Jr., and Martha Harris. His boyhood home, was on his father's plantation along present day US Route 1, and CR 601, between Golansville and Carmel Church. At one time, John's father Jacob Burruss owned over 700 acres. The homeplace was well recognized by members of the community for their grist mill located along Polecat Creek. When John Blair became acting governor of Virginia, he used his position to oppress religious dissenters in the colony. In March of 1768, a grand jury presented a case against John Burruss for illegally preachiing at the home of his father in the Saint Margaret's Parish of Caroline County, and at the home of Phillip Tinsley in the Drysdale Parish. The grand jury presented a case against Jacob Burruss, Jr and Philliip Tinsley for holding unauthorized divine services in their home. John Thompson, James Gatewood, Thomas Terrell, Robert Chandler, George McNails, William Blades, Christopher Terrell, Robert Woolfolk, Henry Terrell and his sister Rachel Terrell, and others were charged with attending unauthorized religious services. This was the first court recorded religious persecution in Caroline County. The Established Church of England was the Established Church of Virginia. The residents of St. Margaret's Parish in Caroline County were mostly homesteaders, removed by just one generation from the original frontier men and women. Being pioneers, most resented restraint of their liberties, including freedom of worship. Members of the Quaker faith were for the most part, left alone to worship freely. This was not true for the first Baptists. The first known Baptist in Caroline County, Virginia was Daniel Stover, who lived in Orange County. In 1744 he appeared in court to reclaim a stolen horse. Though a Baptist dissenter, the justices afforded Daniel the privilege of presenting and then accepting his evidence upon an affirmation, rather than under oath. It doesn't appear that these very early Baptists were persecuted for their beliefs, as were later followers. Members of the Terrell family who attended these early Baptist meetings were Quakers. There is evidence in the Quaker records that they continued to attend their Golansville Meeting House, in addition to their attendance at Baptist meetings. Quaker sisters, Rachel and Susannah Terrell, were the daughters of David and Agatha Chiles Terrell. Rachel Terrell marrid the Reverend John Burruss, and Susannah married William Burruss, the preacher's brother. Both women were excommunicated from the Quakers, for marrying out of faith. About 1765, Reverend John Burruss married Rachel Terrell. The couple lived on property adjacent to John's parents. The couple had four sons, Henry born in 1769 Thomas born in 1772 John, Jr born in 1776 Nelson born in 1777 In July of 1771, John Burruss again came into Caroline Court court and acknowledged that he had preached the gospel contrary to a license granted him by the General Court. He had preached in places other than those specified in his license. For this offense, John Burruss, Lewis Craig, John Young, Edward Herndon, James Goodrick and Bartholomew Chewing were imprisoned. John Burruss was assistant to the Reverend John Waller in Lower Spotsylvanaia County. In July 1775, for love and affection, John Burruss received a gift of 230 acres along Polecat Creek from his father Jacob Burruss, Jr. The property included the Burruss Grist Mill. Jacob Burruss was in his sixties, and must have felt unable to continue the sometimes arduous duties of a miller. The ministry of John Burruss his son, may have, out of necessity become self-limiting. In 1775, John had two young sons, and a pregnant wife. As the court increased its punishment of religious dissenters, John Burruss' time in jail and away from his young family, the expense of defending himself in court, and the persecution by the courts of his father and friends, obviously affected this young minister and his family. His father Jacob, may have deeded the mill and acreage in an attempt to distract his son from the woes and responsibilities of ministering to people in violation of his restrictive license and the law. We do not know if John Burruss embraced the duties of miller, or farming. There is every reason to think he continued to preach. His church evolved from a few members, to the well recognized Carmel Baptist Church in Caroline County, today. His church was first recognized as 'the round-about church' because of the secretive manner of the first years of service were held. Later it was known as Burruss Church, Mount Carmel Church, and today is simply, Carmel Church. The church is located within sight of the Burruss homeplace, on present day US Route 1, in Caroline County, Virginia, where an oil portrait of John Burruss, the first minister hangs. John Burruss died April 8, 1778, at the age of 33. His will was written on the 15th day of September 1777 and proven on Thursday May 14, 1778 in Caroline County court. On the 11th day of November 1779, John Thompson and William Burruss executors for John Burruss, sold to James Gatewood, 230 acres of land on the south side of Polecat Creek for $4,828. This was a great deal of money, and the value of the mill, must have been taken into consideration. One acre of property was laid off, from the 230 acres, for the burial grounds for the Quaker Meeting house, also located on US Route 1, in Caroline County, Virginia. On May 29, 1780, John's widow, Rachel Terrell Burruss married Thomas Hackett, a Quaker. The four sons of John Burruss, were 11, 8, 4, and 2 years old. Rachel and Thomas Hackett were the parents of 4 sons, 3 survived infancy and grew up in the same household as their half brothers, Chiles, Garrett and Pleasant Hackett. The Hackett children were referred to as brothers in all of the Burruss Letters written by Henry, Thomas, John and Nelson. |
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| History of the sons of John and Rachel Terrell Burruss Henry Burruss Thomas Burruss John Burruss Nelson Burruss Go to Home Page Go to Burruss Family History |