The History of the Burchfield Family prepared by Joseph Ray Burchfield January 1968 was compiled from Grandmother's Family Bible, my Mother's Family Bible, a record by Jessie (Whitlaw) Hurlbutt, a record by my Aunt Elsie (Burchfield) Porter, newspaper clippings saved by my Mother and memories told to me by my Grandpa, Joseph T. Burchfield.
This information for this history dates back to 1750.
Grandpa and Grandma were married January 2, 1868. That Spring and Summer Grandpa and two brothers, David and Thomas, left Sherrodsville, Ohio, by covered wagon for Illinois.
Grandma and sister, Mary (David's wife) and Aunt Mary's two children, Elizabeth and James came by train later that year to Taylorsville, Illinois.
There were movers taverns and small houses along the trail about one day's travel apart where they could stop, take care of livestock and stay. These houses were crudely built but did give protection from weather. Sometimes they would stay for days due to weather.
When they got to the Wabash River at Vincennes, Indiana, Thomas who was not married decided to stop.
The information I got about Thomas was from a man in Vincennes, Indiana, Mr. Bierhaus. His father at one time did business with William Burchfield that operated a variety store in Vincennes on corner of Fourth and Main Streets. This building burned in the 1920's. His father's name was Thomas Burchfield.
David and Joseph continued on. They were both married. Their wives were sisters, Mary and Martha.
It took them about three months to make the trip half (sic) north of Pana, Illinois about ten miles south and two and half miles east of Taylorsville, Illinois on what is known as Buckeye Prairie one and half mile west of Buckeye church.
A few years later their father, mother two sisters some nephews and nieces came
At that time wild animals were plentiful deer, fox, wolves, racoon, opossum, squirrel, also game birds ducks, geese, quail, prairie chickens, sandhill crane.
At one time grandpa told me they heard a commotion at the barn. A young pig had been killed and their two dogs that attacted (sic) whatever it was were so badly cut they had to destroy both dogs. They thought it must have been a wild cat other neighbors said they saw one.
There were no roads. They used trees for land marks at verious (sic) places all the way to Pana where they did most of their trading. They would go from one tree to next to get to town and back which was not very often.
Grandpa's house is about twenty rods south of present road. Aunt Elsie and Uncle Ray live there.
After my father and mother were married April-3-1895 father built a house upon the road by a large cottonwood tree one of landmarks.
I was born there May-24-1897.
Grandpa and Uncle Dave cut timber for firewood. Made tallow candles for light, made own shoes, killed and cured own meat, plowed prairie sod, harvested grain with cradel (sic). They would have husking bees, and played games also dancing. Grandpa played fiddle for these dances.
There we sometimes prairie fires which were very dangerous and destructive sometimes hard to stop.
I have perhaps made some mistakes but have endevered (sic) to make as few as possible.
I am revising this history February 1971 trying to get names of and dates of birth of great grandchildren.
Note: Joseph, who hand-printed this history, is deceased. The history was submitted by a Burchfield descendant, Rex Harmon (used with permission). Some punctuation is added but the sense of the history is retained.
Copyright © by Rex Harmon, 2001
Updated .
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