Burris, Bill

Mary T. McBride, Don Masquelier, Benjamin J. Hindson, Anthony J. Makarewicz, Steve Brown, Keith Burris, Thomas Metz, Richard G. Langlois, Kar Wing Tsang, Ruth Bryan, Doug A. Anderson, Kodumudi S. Venkateswaran, Fred P. Milanovich, and Bill W. Colston, Jr., Anal. Chem., 75 (2003) 5293-5299. 

Another white man was named old Jeff Miller. He owned two or three plantations in Mississippi, and one on the Louisiana side. Then there were Bill and Jim Burris. They lived around Franklinton, and the family had always run a big plantation and a big store there. It was said that the Burrises were white Indians, and they laid claim to being part Choctaw. Bill and Jim Burris were young men when the surrender came. ... 

Bill Burris also had two children by Puss Crane, another half-white girl. Puss was almost a common woman, even for those days. One of his children by Puss, a boy, died a young man. The other was a girl, Candace. ... 

After he had lived with Margaret, Bill Burris married a young white girl from New Orleans. He never had much luck with his white children, and it was said that he and his wife could never agree on anything. She was reputed to be well learned in that country. Perhaps his troubles with her are why he took up with Puss Crane. The oldest boy, Byron, is dead now. Edward makes a fair living with the contract to feed the prisoners at the jail. Robert got killed, and a girl died a few years ago. ... 

Lewis Miller was one of the few colored men among the old timers to establish a regular family, in addition to all of his carryings-on with other women beside the one he hit on at last as his lawful wife. Eli Graves was another. Eli was slave to old man Nat Graves. After the Surrender old man Nat set Efi up on a forty acre tract, and he married Margaret. Margaret had already had two children by Bill Burris, the white man of whom I ve told you. 

---