Burroughs Higginbotham, RS

1759 -1812 

Burris Higginbotham was born in Amherst County, VA, in 1759, son of Thomas Jefferson Higginbotham and Judith Burris. He came with other members of his family to Georgia in 1783, about the time of the close of the Revolution, and was granted 287.5 acres in Washington County, Georgia, of bounty land for his Revolutionary War service, by the State of Georgia, May 17, 1784, and 550 acres in Richmond County, Georgia. He went to Florida in the later 1780's and was married there; his wife was named, Isabella O. Incy, thought to be Spanish. The couple had nine children, who presented them with 100 grandchildren. Burroughs was a recipient of one of the first land grants in Florida, which was 700 acres of land on the St. Marys river in East Florida Territory, where he built and owned a plantation, and was a trader in live stock. He also owned and operated a ferry across the St. Marys River. He was a Florida pioneer, soldier and a patriarch of the great family of Higginbotham. Burroughs died in 1812 and is buried in the Higginbotham Cemetery at Evergreen in Nassau County, Florida. Today, Florida is well represented with "Higginbothams," and most of them probably descend from this hardy, Florida pioneer family. 

Burial of Burroughs/Burris Higginbotham, RS 

The story was told by Mr. L. L. Owens, now deceased, of the old Spicer Braddock Plantation, (which was descended to him from his Braddock and Higginbotham ancestors, having been in his family for 150 years at that time,) stated that a kinsman, "Fleeming Haddock", deceased, was fond of telling the story of the burial of the old Revolutionary Soldier. He stated that Burroughs died across the St. Marys River in Georgia. But the roads were all quagmire as it was the flood and rainy season, so the men folk of the area made a log raft and rafted the body of Burroughs Higginbotham down the St. Marys River to the opposite bank of the river to Evergreen. There it was met with a special horse and wagon to be drawn to the Evergreen cemetery, and there among all his kinfolk that gathered from both sides of the St. Marys river, he was laid to rest with honors. 

Ref: Helen B. Hodges