Conrad Burns

Conrad Burns arrived on the ship “Halifax” which sailed from Rotterdam under Captain Thomas Coatman. His name appears as Conrad Bornn on the passenger list. It may have actually have been Börn or Börner. The name of family was spelled “Buen” in Germany per Anne W. McAllister.  He owned land in Lincoln Co. NC (now Catawba Co. NC near Hickory), inherited by his son, Phillip Burns, Sr. [Taken from Rootsweb World Connect site, Noel Family Tree from 1530 France to Mercer Co., Kentucky, Jim Gayheart]

 Hannah Fry, wife of Conrad, left him around 1744 and ran off with Sebastian “Bostian” Cline, Jr. She had 3 illegitimate children with him. One of them being Jacob Cline, when Jacob became the age of 21, he changed his last name to Burns.

 On 10 February 1774, Conrad Burns filed the following petition in Rowan County, NC as follows:

 To the worship Court belonging to Tryon County. Hoping you will be serious spectators and judge the character of Bostian Cline, Jr., of Rowan County. Where we the undersigned subscribers will with much veracity endeavors to inform you as if thou we were upon qualifications, whereas divers oathes and information hath made to Captain Blackburn when he was in the commission of the peace, setting forth, that the said Bostian Cline, Jr., a vagrant Jude fellow, several times feloniously took away and seduced the wife of Conrad Burns from him, the lawfull wedded husband, and with her, carried off divers goods and chattalls, the property of said Burns. The said Cline, himself, himself has a lawfull wedded wife and a family of small children.

 There is no stop or premade in reguard to their malignant carried practices, but still hankering after that lewde woman, said Burns wife, and makes no industry for a living to support his small comers at home. Said Cline has run off with Burns’ wife into Georgia Province and left his own poor distressed family to vindicate their own course as well as they could, and staying with said lewde woman between one and two years. During that time she became pregnant with child, which he, the said Cline, had one Bastard child with her before he had the instigation or motive of breaking the bonds of matrimony between Burns and his wife and himself and his wife. We humble petition, Gentlemen, that you will circumspect students in relation to the whole above written for such practice and carrying on must of consequince be pernidious and malignant in the sight of God, and you yourselves may be the judge what it is in the sight of man.

 Given under our hands this 10th day of October 1775. Witness Ch.

Beckman, Peter Moll, Frances Palmer, [illegible German name] and Rudolph Conrad.

 In 1784 Conrad decided to leave his adulterous wife and move out west. He sold most of his personal property at that time. Records indicate that on the first night out (about 25 miles from home) the team of horses broke loose from his wagon. Conrad may have been thinking that the horses would return home and he decided to search for them. He became lost and died of a heart attack….” His son, Phillip Burns, Jr., served a 3-month draft enlistment for him while he was serving another drafted term to fight the Cherokees.

 Hannah Fry was baptized on the “14th Sunday after Trinity” in 1745 at Moselem Lutheran Church, Berks County, PA. She is believed to have been buried in the Old Hauss Cemetery, near Newton, Lincoln County, NC. Estate settled 13 November 1818 by her son, Jacob Burns, alias Cline, who was the product of an affair with Sebastian “Bostian” Cline, Jr. which began about 1772. In 1776 Hannah and Sebastian “Bostian” Cline, Jr left North Carolina and moved to Georgia, where there son Jacob was born. After their affair ended, they removed to Catawba County, NC, and to their spouses.