David Hugh Rhead married Anna Belle Burton on January 18, 1950. They had two children, Gary Edward and Carolyn Frances. Early in the '90's, Gary became interested in genealogy and started researching the ancestors of Rhead and Burton. Shortly before he passed away, he kindled his sister's interest in family roots. Gary died in 1998 but the research continues and, as those involved in genealogy can attest, is never ending and highly addictive. This website is dedicated to my brother, Gary. Every time I find new information about an ancestor, I can't help but think that Gary has led me to it.

We never know when a loved one will be taken from us because of a serious health problem. Please remember to donate to the American Heart Association and the National Kidney Foundation. Only with continued funding can researchers hope to find treatments and cures for the many illnesses that can end a life too early.

Aden Rhead and his son, George E. Rhead, are buried in Newburgh Cemetery, located in Livonia, Michigan. The other Rheads buried in the cemetery have markers on their graves but Aden and George do not. Apparently vandals destroyed their markers a number of years ago. I'm asking for help in purchasing new markers for their graves. Would anyone be interested in contributing to this cause? I've located a business (www.affordable-markers.com) that will engrave and ship the markers for $295 each. The problem is finding someone to actually install them. I don't know anyone who lives in the Livonia area. If you would be interested in helping purchase markers for these graves or possibly know someone who would be willing to install them, please e-mail me. There are a few other families who are interested in contributing money towards the purchase of markers. But we need more help. Too often our ancestors burial sites disappear over time and are lost forever. We don't want this to happen to Aden and his son. Any help you can give will be much appreciated.

My Roots

As can be seen, the majority of my ancestors came from England but there is also Scottish (Galbraith), German (Lerch), Irish (Mahan) and Dutch (Smock) blood running in my veins. I must admit though that England has always "called me." I do love that country that I've never seen.

The Burton family were among the first settlers in America, establishing residence in the first 50-60 years of this country's history. To the best of my knowledge, my Burton ancestors go back to Francis Burton, who was born about 1590 in England. His son, Richard, traveled to America and settled in Henrico County, Virginia. Including Richard, there were five (5) generations of Burtons who lived and died in Henrico County, Virginia. Allin Burton, who was born in 1729 in Henrico County, died in Mercer County, Kentucky in 1802 and his gr-gr-gr-granddaughter, Anna Belle Burton (my mother), was the last of my Burton line to be born in Kentucky.

My Rhead ancestors have been somewhat difficult to trace but I do believe they originated in England. They go back to Robert Rhead, who was born between 1715-1730 and died in 1770 in Westchester County, New York. Various members of the Rhead family move to different counties within New York but Robert's gr-grandson, Aden Rhead, my gr-gr-gr-grandfather, moved to Wayne County, Michigan where he died in 1874. Aden's son, Truman, moved to Jackson County, Wisconsin which is where my Rhead ancestors settled.

Thus, north (Rhead) met south (Burton) and I was born. I do believe that my 19th century ancestors would likely roll over in their graves at the thought of north meeting south and actually being amicable. My mother has two letters that were written by Burtons' captured in the Civil War. They both fought for the confederacy and were held prisoner in Illinois until the war ended. My father's ancestors fought for the Union and although one was captured (Benjamin Lyons), he was released the next day. I have often wondered how close my ancestors came to meeting each other on the battlefield.

Contact Me

Information contained on these pages has been compiled from many different sources - books, genealogy websites, personal correspondence, family members, etc. Therefore, I cannot guarantee 100% accuracy with regard to family associations or dates. Please keep this in mind as you study the information contained on this site. If you know of a person who has been omitted from a particular family (or perhaps one is listed who doesn't belong in a family), please e-mail me and I will correct the mistake.

Please note that I'm not on the computer during the week, only on weekends. For this reason, please be patient and give me a few days to respond to any e-mails you may send.

E-mail: myroots@rhead-burtonconnections.com

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