EARLY FAMILIES OF ST. CHARLES COUNTY written 1876 BURDINE - General Amos Burdine, as he was called, was a native of KY., where he married JENNIE DAVIDSON, and came to MO. in 1811. He settled in Dog prairie, St. Charles Co., and built his cabin on the JAMES MACKEY claim. Soon after he came to MO. the earthquakes at New Madrid occurred, and the shaking of the earth caused the boards that composed the roof of his cabin to rattle so, that he imagined there were Indians up there trying to get in. so, arousing his sons (for it was at night), they secured their guns and began to fire through the roof, which they so completely riddled with bullets that it would not turn the rain anymore. He was a believer in witches as were many of the early settlers, and used to brand his cattle in the forehead with a hot shoe hammer, to keep the witches from killing them. He had a flock of geese, and several of the birds died of some disease peculiar to the goose family. The General imagined that the witches had been at work; so he built a large log fire and commenced burning the dead birds, one by one. When the 3rd bird was thrown on the fire, it gave signs of life, and the general always declared that all the others came to life and flew around the fire and drove the witches away. On another occasion, he imagined that he had been shot in the hip with a hair ball, and called on a physician to have it extracted. But of course, no such ball could be found. Burdine was a great hunter, and killed more deer than any other half-dozen men in the vicinity. He used the skins of the animals that he killed for beds and bed clothing, which was a common thing among the people of that day. He had a habit of naming the trees in the woods where he killed deer, and his sons knew the woods so well, and the names of the different trees, that when he went them to bring the game in, they never had any trouble in finding it. His little pony, Ned, was so well trained that he knew when to run, walk, or stand still by the simple motion of the bridle, and, being as fond of hunting as his master, he never failed to obey commands. The general could mimic the cry of any animal or bird, and often imitated wolves or panthers for the purpose of scaring deer out of the brush, so he could shoot them. a party of hunters heard him one day, screaming like a panther, and imagining they were in close proximity to one of those ferocious animals, they put spurs to their horses and rode away for their lives. He gave names to nearly all of the streams in his vicinity, and Chain-of- rocks, on Cuivre, owes it appropriate title to him. Burdine was a man of medium size, but his wife was very large and heavy. One day he undertook to weigh her with a pair of old-fashioned steelyards. They were fastened to the rafters of the porch in front of his house, with a grape vine, and he tied another grape vine to the hook on the under side of the steelyard for his wife to sit in. Mounting on a barrel, so as to be high enough to handle the beam, he signaled to his wife that he was ready, and she took her seat. But immediately the beam ascended to the roof, carrying the general with it; and he hung suspended in the air until some members of the family came to his assistance and helped him down. ATKINSON - John Atkinson moved from Louisville, KY., and settled in St. Charles about the year 1843. Prior to that time, he was extensively engaged with his brother in the milling business at louisville, KY., and Richmond, VA. He bought the large stone mill on the river bank in St. Charles from GEORGE COLLIER, and operated it successfully for many years. The flour manufactured by him attained a high reputation, in the south, and in New York and Liverpool; and it might be said with propriety that he was one of the first millers in the west who helped establish the reputation of St. Louis and St. Charles flour, and gave it that high standing it has since enjoyed, both at home and abroad. Contemporary with him, were EDWARD WALSH, A. W. FAGIN, and DENNIS MARKS, prominent millers of St. Louis, who, with him, may be said to have been the founders of the present immense milling business in St. Louis and St. Charles; an interest that has grown to such gigantic proportions and which has contributed so largely to the wealth and commercial prosperity of the two localities. About 1830 Mr. Atkinson purchased a large mill in Pekin, Illinois, intending to carry on both establishments, and had just completed thorough and extensive repairs on the property, when it was destroyed by fire, inflicting on him a severe loss from which he never fully recovered. He returned to St. Charles, and operated the mill there till about the breaking out of the war, after which he did not again engage in active business. During his business life in St. Charles, his operations were on a large scale, and gave employment to a great number of men in his mill and in connection with it. He was one of the most prominent and highly esteemed citizens of the place, and his memory is held in kind remembrance by the older people here, who knew him, and esteemed him in the highest degree or his sterling qualities as an upright, honorable business man, and for his genial and social traits. He married his first wife, VIRGINIA DAVIDSON, of Petersburg, VA., in Louisville, KY. She bore him 8 children, of whom only 3 are living: Robert and John, well known and prominent merchants of St. Charles, and Virginia, wife of E. E. CHASE, ESQ., an extensive hardware merchant of Edina, MO. His 2nd wife, formerly MISS LOCKWOOD, of Binghampton, N. Y., survives him. Mr. Atkinson was a gentleman of the old school, with the strictest sense of honor, a man of warm and generous impulses, charitable and kind hearted. He was a public spirited citizen, contributing liberally to all deserving enterprises, and taking a warm interest in all undertakings tending to advance the interests of his section of the country. He was one of the original projectors and a strong friend of the North Missouri Railroad, and lent his aid and influence toward securing its success.