John Houston Burnett was born east of Crab Orchard, Illinois on September 19, 1844 to Thomas Houston Burnett and Nancy Caroline (Parks) Burnett.
May 13, 1864, John enlisted in the Union Army at the Carbondale, Illinois recruiting office for a 100 day hitch. He was mustered into service on June 9, 1864 at Camp Butler near Springfield, Illinois and assigned to Company F of the 145 Illinois Infantry. He was mustered out of service on September 23, 1864.
On March 21, 1867, John married Mary Ann Davis, a native of the county and daughter of Thomas D. Davis, reported to have owned the first hotel in Williamson County.
The couple’s second child, Minnie Burnett, born in 1869, died at age 7 on October 5, 1876.
In the 1880 census, John is a 35 year old farmer. His wife, Mary is 32 and they have four children living at home. They were Cordelia Burnett 12, Eliza Burnett 10, Herman Burnett 8 and Lilly Burnett aged 2. They were living in Rock Creek Precinct. Rock Creek in that time represented the eastern half of Crab Orchard Township on the east side of the county.
John served as sheriff for Williamson County for the period of 1886-1890.
Charles H. Denison went into banking in 1890 with Mr. Searing, opening a private bank under the firm name of Searing and Dennison with $30,000 capital. A little later Mr. J. H. Burnett came into the firm and afterwards bought out Mr. Searing’s interest. On July 24, 1902, the present Marion State and Savings Bank was incorporated with a capital of $60,000 in which Mr. Dennison is the largest and Mr. Burnett the second largest stockholder.
On May 1, 1891, he was appointed by President McKinley to the position of Special Agent of Internal Revenue, with headquarters at St. Louis, and served the duties of that office through 1905.
In 1898, the Williamson County Board of Education was organized and its first members were: W. H. Bundy, its first president, W. W. Clemmens, Judge W. W. Duncan, Dr. A. M. Edwards, John M. Cline, William J. Aikman and John H. Burnett. John served several terms on the board.
J.H. Burnett served as City Alderman for the City of Marion in 1889, 1890, 1895 and 1900. He also served as Mayor of Marion in 1895, 1896, 1911 and 1912.
In the 1900 census, the Burnett family had moved to Marion and John lists himself as a grain dealer. The couple is now in their fifties, daughters Cordelia, Eliza and Lilly have married and son Otis Herman Burnett has a career in politics and the legal profession. Cordelia, now 32, has divorced and returned to live with her parents along with her daughter Lillian, aged 3. In addition, the Burnett’s have added three more children to the home. They are Amy Burnett 19, Estelle Burnett 15 and Bertha Burnett aged 10. Estelle and Amy will both marry in this year.
When Charles H. Denison died on June 26, 1908, while serving as president of the Marion State and Savings Bank on the square, J. H. Burnett became president and held the office until his death.
By the 1910 census, the couple is occupying a new home built for them at 210 W. Boulevard St. John is 65 and serving as a bank President. Mary is aged 62 and reports having had eight children with six living. Present in the home are divorced daughter Cordelia Capron 42, widowed daughter Eliza Spiller 50, temporarily separated daughter Estelle Colp and Cordelia’s daughter Lillian aged 13. Delia and Estelle are both employed as milliners (hat makers).
In the 1920 census, the family is still living at their home on Boulevard St. and the couple is in their seventies. John at the age of 75 is bank President. Present in the home, living with their parents are daughters Cordelia 52 (divorced), Bertha Cline 30 (widowed), Eliza Spiller 50 (widowed), John H. Spiller 14 (Eliza’s son) and Burnett C. Cline 7 (Bertha’s son).
On January 11, 1923, Mary Ann (Davis) Burnett died leaving John a widower; she was buried at Rose Hill Cemetery.
In the 1930 census, John is now 85 and still actively working as bank President and living on Boulevard Street. He claims a value of $8,000 on the family home. Daughters Delia 62, Eliza Spiller 60, Bertha Cline 40 and her son Burnett Cline aged 17 are in the home. Bertha is listed as a high school teacher.
On July 13, 1934, John H. Burnett passed away at age 89, following a fall which broke his hip, in Marion and was interred at Rose Hill with his wife on the 15th of July. He was a Republican and active in politics all his life and a member of the Missionary Baptist Church of Marion.
Sam’s Notes:
Cordelia Burnett Capron, born in 1868, married Fred C. Capron December 12, 1894. They had one child, Lillian Capron born in 1897. The couple divorced after the birth of their daughter. Cordelia spent most of the remainder of her life living with her parents on Boulevard Street into her sixties. Her daughter Lillian married Henry Raeder (sic?) and they moved to Hinsdale, Illinois at the start of the depression in the 1930’s. I found them living there with Cordelia in the 1940 census which is the last record I was able to find on her.
Minnie Burnett, born in 1869, died at age seven on October 5, 1876.
Eliza Burnett Spiller, Born in 1870, married John W. Spiller on March 29, 1899. They lived at 107 W. College St. They had two children, Pauline Spiller in 1901 and John Herman Spiller in 1904. In 1904, after the birth of John Herman Spiller, John W. left the marriage, leaving Eliza to file for divorce in September 1907. The 1907 street directory listed her on W. College St. and widowed. (Obviously, not true.) In the 1910 census, she was living with her sister Amy’s family at 107 S. Van Buren St. and supporting herself as a milliner. In the 1920’s and 1930’s she was living with her parents on Boulevard. I believe she died in 1954, burial at Rose Hill.
Otis Herman Burnett, also known as Herman Burnett was born on January 7, 1872. He married Lizzie Hargon from Miss. on April 16, 1895. They had one boy named John Burnett. Attended Yale Law school and became a Marion lawyer. Member of Illinois State Senate 50th District from 1901 till his death which occurred in Marion on August 10, 1906 at age 34. Interment at Rose Hill Cemetery. See also Burnett, Otis H.
Lillian Burnett Haeberle, born in 1881 and married to Fred J. Haeberle around 1900. Fred operated Haeberle Pharmacy at 200 N. Market Street and apprenticed Delos Duty before selling him the drug business. The couple lived at 800 N. Market Street. After selling the pharmacy to Duty, they moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado and appear to have been there by 1904. Fred died there in 1907. No death record found on Lillian was found.
Amy Burnett McIntosh, born 1881, married Harry Richmond McIntosh in 1901. The couple had one child named Harry R. McIntosh Jr. in 1907. In the 1910 census they were living at 107 S. Van Buren Street. Amy’s widowed sister Eliza and her daughter Pauline were living with them. Harry was a clerk for the Coal Belt Electric Line and Eliza was a milliner. The couple had a 36 year old, live-in housemaid named Rose Ozment. In the 1920’s the couple was located in St. Louis, Missouri. Harry was an advertising manager. They were still there in 1930 but shortly after the start of the depression moved to Kansas City, Missouri. By 1940, they were living in Insummit, New Jersey with their son and his wife Katherine. No death records were found on either one of them.
Estelle S. Burnett Colp, born June 3, 1885. Married Paul R. Colp in 1900 at the age of 15 and began living together in Carterville, Illinois. The couple appears to have separated around 1910, she was living with her parents and he was living in a boarding house for a period of time. In 1918, he was a mine manager for a Johnston City Coal company and they were living together at 903 N. Monroe Street. In the 1920’s the couple lived at 903 W. Main Street and appear to have remained there up to Paul’s death in 1939. This home was owned and lived in previously by Estelle’s brother Herman and his wife Lizzie and their son. After his death, Estelle returned to living in the family home on Boulevard and shared it with her younger sister Bertha. Estelle worked as manager of a millinery shop. She died in 1971 and no children were detected.
Bertha Burnett Cline, born August 1, 1890, married around 1912 to an unknown Cline. They had one child by the name of Burnett C. Cline, born in 1913. She listed herself in census records as divorced. Bertha spent most of her life living at her parents’ home on Boulevard Street. She was a Marion High School teacher all her life and died in December 25, 1970, burial at Rose Hill.
(Data from 1905 Souvenir History, WCHS; Federal Census Records; Marion City Directories; Marion City Cemetery Records; compiled by Sam Lattuca on 04/25/2013)