Burkett Family Pictures and Stories

What a marvelous invention, this computer! I have found the most wonderful cousin's that anyone could have because of it. . . Cuzzie Arnold and his family. What a sense of humor this man has and by looking at him you would think that he is a shy, warm person. Well, warm he is, but shy? Think not!! Wait until you see some of the pictures that he has sent me and you will understand that statement.

This man writes the most beautiful poems which shows the warmth I talked about, but we need to add the words caring, compassionate, and daring plus being a Christian all at the same time. His sense of humor never ceases to amaze me.

I hook up to the Burkett family through my great grandfather, William Irving Straitiff (my mother's grandfather) who married Rebecca Jane Burkett.

Follow along with me as I tell you Arnold's stories, share his genealogy and his wonderful life. Nothing will be in any particular time line, just as I pull them from my files from all of the information received from him and our cousin Valerie. I can't take any claim to any of this with the exception of keeping it and putting it here for you to enjoy!

But first I want to "DEDICATE" these Burket pages to Nina Deeter Ellis, the author of the Burket "Family Tales and Trails" books shown below with Arnold.

Nina and Arnold going over the manuscript of the books..

Left to right: Arnold's sister, Bobbi, Arnold, his mom, then his
sisters Aurea and Linda.

This is Arnold's home. He frequently talks about his "Rotweiller" dog but if you look really good, I don't think you could classify what is on his right side as a scary dog, do you? Or is it on his left?

Another view of his home, I thought for a minute that big thing now on
his right maybe could be THAT dog, but it's not, just one of those things
he has in his yard. ( I think!)

Burkett Hollow in PA
Now if this is a Hollow, where are the hills or
Mts. for it to make a Hollow? Val told me that
the pictured didn't do the area justice as she said
it was beautiful with the rolling hills and trees.

This is the United Methodist Church of Burkett Hollow, near
Coolspring, PA. The cemetery is behind it. The house to the
right of it is where Samuel Burkett Senior's house stood. That
is Arnold Burkett in standing in front. (picture from Valerie)

Burkett Hollow Cemetery
(Note from Patty: This is a beautiful shot of the rolling hills that make the hollows!)

SAMUEL BURKET SR. WAS THE FIRST SETTLER IN BURKET HOLLOW, HE PURCHASED 165 ACRES OF LAND FROM THE HOLLAND LAND COMPANY OUT OF AN 1100 ACRE TRACT, HE PAID $247.50 FOR IT AND THE MAN THAT SIGNED THE DEED WAS WILHELM WILNEK FROM THE KINGDOM OF HOLLAND, BOUGHT IT 1838, CHIEF CORNPLANTER KEPT HIS RESERVATION IN TACT TILL HE DIED IN 1836, HIS FATHER WAS A WHITE FUR TRADER, CHIEF CORNPLANTER'S WHITE NAME WAS JOHN ABEEL, SUMMERVILLE AND NORTH OF BROOKVILLE WAS ALL INDIAN RESERVATION AND THEY LIVED THERE.

BURKETT'S ARE GERMAN/SWISS TYPE PEOPLE, THEY LOVE THE MOUNTAINS AND YOU CAN USUALLY FIND THEM IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, A RIDE FROM PUNXSUTAWNET TO BROOKVILLE, PA IS A BEAUTIFUL SCENIC JOURNEY, AND ONCE YOU PASS COOLSPRING ON RTE 39 NORTH TOWARD BROOKVILLE, YOU CAN TURN LEFT ON A ROAD THAT WILL LEAD YOU TO SUMMERVILLE, ITS CALLED ROLLER COASTER ROAD, JUST UP AND DOWN LIKE ITS NAME IMPLIES.

IN BLAIR/BEDFORD COUNTY AT CLAYSBURG TURN ONTO A ROAD THAT TAKES YOU UP POLECAT HOLLOW AND BOB'S CREEK, THEN MAKE A LEFT OR RIGHT AT THE END, LEFT TAKES YOU UP OVER BURKETT HILL AND ITS STEEP, THIS AREA WHEN ON THE NEW FOUR LANE FROM ALTOONA TO BEDFORD YOU CAN SEE BLUE KNOB, THE MOUNTAIN ALWAYS HAS A BLUE HAZE AND IN THEM HILLS AND VALES ARE A LOT OF BURKETT RELATIVES, I HAVE TRAVELED ALL OF IT MANY TIMES, THIS AREA IS ALSO KNOWN AS THE SWITZ, OR SWITZERLAND AS THE TERRAIN IS SIMILAR AND THE GERMAN SETTLERS LOVED IT, IT WAS LIKE BACK HOME.

This is what Valerie wrote under the picture. "This is your fifth cousin, Valerie, (nee Ford, granddaughter of Marjorie Mariah Burkett and Fred W. Ford) at the Jefferson County Courthouse in Brookville, PA, with my first REAL discovery.....All my prior discoveries had been from the kindness of strangers on internet sources like your web site"!

Just a note here about Valerie. I just found out that she lives in
a town that was about 20 miles from me when I lived in So.
California! Small world or what! But she is down there and I am
up here now. I can't feel too bad though, as she said that they
moved there the same year that I moved up here. <smile>

Or should I say Howdy Cousin! I think we might be fifth cousins on the Burkett line...I checked out this website and the beginning part of this is my line...From Jorg and Apolonia Meyer Burkhardt to Jacob and Barbara (Babs) Fisher Burkett...From there we branch off to their son Jacob Burkett Jr and his wife Julian Weyandt...then to Samuel who married Sally Hatfield and later Mary Magdalene Dunmire. Then my Cousin Arnold's line goes down to Peter (son of Dunmire) and my line goes down through his half brother, Samuel Burkett Sr and his wife Mary Jane Colbaugh...and their son George Burkett, born about 1856 and his wife Eliza Jane Barr...They were my great Grandparents. Their daughter Marjorie Burkett married Fred W. Ford, my grandparents...So I'm related to the Burketts on this website...and if you're related to him; we're cousins! And I think that you are.....

The following is my reply to Valerie. . . . .

"Hi Val, Oh thank you, thank you , for being so kind to send my information on to maybe some solutions to my puzzle pieces. I haven't been able to find any more information on the Burkett's to my Straitiffs (eleven different spellings) in all the years that I have been doing genealogy.

Rebecca Jane Burkett was married to my great-grandfather, William Irving Straitiff. They had a son, Charles who was my mum's father. Rebecca's father was Jacob Burkett but that's all the information that I have on the Burkett's. . . . . . . . . ."

I had already looked for Straitiffs in the Burkett book that my cousin co-authored and came up empty handed.....But since you have been so sweet, I figured you MUST be related, and decided to give it one more try! I still didn't see any Straitiffs in the Burkett book but I went back and checked all of the Rebecca Burketts in the book....One of them was a Rebecca J (Maybe for Jane?) Her father was Jacob Burkett born in 1828...Son of Samuel Burkett Sr....My ancestor who married Mary Jane Colbaugh...So if she is YOUR Rebecca Jane...that would make us fifth cousins.....And we are both fourth cousins, once removed, from Arnold Burkett....the expert on Burketts who co-authored the two Burkett volumes, "Burkett Tales and Trails." Do you have a birth date for your Rebecca Jane Burkett? That would help tie her into our line...I hope she's yours! Your cousin, Valerie

TODAY IS A SPECIAL DAY, 11 NOVEMBER, 2003, ANOTHER LONG LOST COUSIN REPORTED IN TO OUR WEBSITE, YOU HAVE HEARD OF SARGEANT PRESTON AND HIS DOG KING OF THE ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTIES?

WELL, TODAY TOM BURKETT OF THE MOUNTIES, THAT MEANS ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE SENT A PICTURE OF HIMSELF IN FULL DRESS UNIFORM, THAT IS A GREAT HONOR FOR TOM AND PATTY AND MYSELF, ARNOLD TO WELCOME TOM ABOARD OUR BURKETT FAMILY WEBSITE, ALL BURKETT'S ARE OF GERMAN ORIGIN, AND CAME OUT OF DEUTSCHLAND ( GERMANY ) CENTURIES AGO AND SPREAD OUT ALL OVER THE WORLD, TOM IS OF THE BURKETT'S THAT SETTLED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, BRITISH ISLES, THERE IS A LARGE COLONY OF BURKETT'S IN LINCONSHIRE, ENGLAND. A SHIRE IS A COUNTY IN ENGLAND, A PARISH IS A COUNTY IN FRANCE AND LOUSIANA. THERE ARE BURKETT'S IN IRELAND AND SCOTLAND, MANY IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND.

RUTHERFORD BIRCHARD HAYES IS OF GERMAN/ ENGLISH ANCESTRY, HIS MOTHER WAS SOPHIA BIRCHARD/ BURKETT, BURKETT'S WERE HERE IN 1607 WITH THE VIRGINIA COLONY, WE DON'T KNOW TOM BURKETT'S/ BURKHARD'S LINEAGE GENERATION FOR GENERATION, BUT WE DO KNOW THAT HE COMES FROM A BRANCH OF THE ORIGINAL BURKHARD/BURKHARDT FAMILY THREE CENTURIES AGO.,

HERE IS A LETTER FROM TOM AND A PICTURE IN HIS ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTIE DRESS UNIFORM, WE CAN SEE HE HAS BURKETT BLOOD FLOWING IN HIS VEINS, A HIGHLY INTELLIGENT STRONG ROBUST YOUNG MAN, YOU MUST BE ALL THAT TO BE CONSIDERED FOR ACCEPTANCE TO BE A MOUNTIE. WE KNOW THE ENGLISH ARE TEA DRINKERS, BUT TOM COMING OUT OF THE NORTH WOODS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA WITH ALL THE ICE AND SNOW MUST BE AN ICE TEA DRINKER.

I came across your site while researching my branch of the Burkett family tree. My family came from Dover, UK in the early 1900's where my family had been in the butcher and bakery business for generations. You have an interesting site, and read how you have come across other relatives by your posting this information on the internet.

Here's Another One!

Hi, My name is Myron Morgan. My Grandfather Was William, the son of Elias Burkett, 1838 to 1890, my Great Grandfather and his wife was Mary Rebecca Read. After seeing your web pages and going through our book and the information you have given, I find many things alike and many thing different.

I just returned from the Elias Burkett family reunion. It was held in Monroe, Michigan. Not far from the Elias homestead. My Mother was Clara, the second girl of William and Nettie Burkett. My Father was Dallas Morgan. He was born in Findlay, Ohio.

Somewhere along the way we may be related. I will pass this info along to the family historian. Very interesting. I would be happy to share what info I have. It goes back to the 17th. century and Andrew Burkhardt and Margeret Schneider.

Myron Morgan

Here is Arn's response. . . .

THAT WOULD BE THE REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIER, JOHN GEORGE LINE. AND YES THEY WOULD BE DISTANT COUSINS,

THEY COME OFF PIONEER JOHN JACOB BURKHARDT AND WIFE SABRINA NAEGLI,

HE WAS BROTHER TO OUR ANCESTOR JOHANNES, JOHANNES SON JOHAN DEDRICK BURKETT BROUGHT OUR FAMILY TO AMERICA IN APRIL, 1741, HIS UNCLE PIONEER JOHN JACOB BURKHARDT BROUGHT HIS FAMILY TO AMERICA IN 1755 AND SETTLED IN BERKS COUNTY, READING, PA. TRINITY LUTHERN CHURCH HAS HIS RECORDS.

SO TO PUT IT ANOTHER WAY, REV SOLDIER JOHN GEORGE, SON OF PIONEER JOHN JACOB AND OUR JOHAN DEDRICK BURKETT WAS FIRST COUSINS.