This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: franciskeenan Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.burch/2334.4.1.1.1.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Only one piece of circumstantial evidence existed that goes to the idea that Thomas Burch's first wife was and Indian. I said that this information was supplied by a Miss Lydia Melinda Earl. She provided no documentation but claimed that her "proof" was "War Department." No such proof was found there. I think that her claim: "Proof - War Department" pertained to the military service of Thomas Burch and not to his marriages. Her data was published as a Genealogy.com Family Archive Image and the source was cited as GENEALOGICAL RECORDS: MIDWEST PIONEERS, 1600S - 1800S SOLDIERS OF THE REVOLUTION BURIED IN INDIANA, RECORDS OF REVOLUTIONARY SOLDEIRS SURNAMES, a-b, P. 60. There were errors in the listing of issue for Thomas Burch in the records submitted by Miss Earl. I certainly would enjoy a conversation with her. I do not know whether she is yet alive. I have proven that the Thomas Burch, born 1751, son of Jonathan Burch, and who resided in Hardy County, VA, (now WVA)at the time of his death while visiting his family in Fountain County, Indiana, was the father of William Burch of Muskingum County, Indiana. Here is an excerpt from a personal copy of a document related to the intestate estate of Thomas Burch. It involved the necessities of the distribution of the estate to his heirs-at-law. "This indenture made the 7th day of September, 1842, between Jesse Burch and Elizabeth his wife, Jonathan Burch and Catherine his wife,Thomas Burch and Eleanor his wife, late Deborah Burch, Benjamin Burch of the County of Fountain and State of Indiana and William Burch and Elizabeth his wife, of the County of Muskingum, State of Ohio, they being heirs at law and legal representatives of Thomas Burch, late, of Hardy County, Virginia, deceased of the one part and John Burch (he was the executor) of the County of Hardy, Virginia, witnesseth that all parties of the 1st part ... " etc., etc. . , Deed Book 17, p. 278, Hardy County, West Virginia. Family trees are noted for their inauthenticity and Ancestry.com issued a stipulation that these trees are not reviewed by that business for their validity and leaves that to users of the website. Most family trees are unsourced and merely 'pass around' data copied from the work of another who also provided no source material. As such, these trees should be used as clues for further investigation until they are proven to be truthful or not. I do not know where the notion that the Clark woman was a Deleware Indian originated. I had only seen the claim that she was an Indian. No such data was found at NARA. There seems to be a penchant among some who start family tree research to claim when hitting a roadblock in their research, that the reason must be that an Indian, usually a woman, was involved in their family history. These claims have proven difficult to document because the Indian cultures were based upon values radically different than those of the settlers encroaching upon their lands or living among them. Indians viewed property much differently than European settlers and white people born in America. Written records were extremely scarce among most tribes and some records were destroyed. Yet there are some records available. I have not seen any that pertain to the matter at hand, the first wife of Thomas Burch whose name allegedly was CLARK. It may be that Clark died in childbirth. She also could have been a common law wife since no marriage record has ever been found. Thomas Burch's first born child with Clark was Jesse Burch, born in 1778 in Prince George's County, Maryland. This was during the Revolutionary War. Then, Thomas Burch married for the second time to Susanna Talbert and their first child, Jonathan, was born October 27, 1782, also in Maryland. This was a very short time after Thomas Burch's first child with the Clark woman was born. Perhaps Clark abandoned Thomas Burch or he abandoned her. But, this is mere speculation. Then, Thomas Burch married for the third time to Verlinda Harvey on September 7, 1794. Maybe Thomas was a "womanizer." But now I am merely providing some humor to this discussion. Thomas Burch did not apply for a military pension and neither did any of his wives. This was unfortunate for pension application records were very helpful. They often included sworn affidavits, names, places, dates, wives, and other relatives as information in them. I think that Thomas Burch's last military service may have been about Jan. of 1776, the last time that his name appeared on the muster roll at Camp Middlebrook. Hope this helps. Thomas Burch was buried in the BIRCH Cemetery, Fountain County, Indiana. Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.