My Burns ancestors, from Boyle, County Roscommon, Ireland, was originally BEIRNE, which was also spelled BERNE, BEIRN & BERN back in the old country. I can only trace this family as far back as 1812, when my great-great-grandmother, Elizabeth BEIRNE, was married at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Boyle. When her son Robert, my great-grandfather, married Mary LYNCH in Boston, MA in 1859, Elizabeth's maiden name appeared on his marriage certificate as Elizabeth BURNS. From that, I'm assuming that other Irish families with the surname BEIRNE also adopted the Americanized name of BURNS. Does anyone know anything about this? Fran Weeks