Abigail Cordelia Burr (1799-1862)
From Blattman genealogy
| Abigail Cordelia Burr | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | November 22, 1799 Montgomery, New York |
| Spouse | James Clark Owens Sr |
| Children | Rebecca Cordelia Owens Horace Burr Owens Caroline Amelia Owens Levi Benjamin Owens Charles Owens Julia Minerva Owens John Owens James Clark Owens Jr (1832-1901) |
| Parents | Horace Burr Concurrence Hungerford |
Biography
Abigail Cordelia Burr came from an aristocratic and well-to-do family. One of her brothers was a noted lawyer in Washington, D.C. Another brother was a colonel in the Army and was shot through the heel while leading a storming party at the battle of Lundy's Lane in the War of 1812.
Edward Milo Webb II who lived with his grandmother much of the time when he was a child and from whom he learned to read said:
"Grandmother was small and of a pleasant disposition and was a woman of great faith and integrity. Grandmother joined the church close to Kirtland, Ohio, in 1831 and was disowned by all her family for so doing. Grandmother possessed the gift of faith and healing to a remarkable extent and her influence for good was felt by all with whom she came in contact."
Abigail was born November 22, 1799, in Montgomery County, New York, to Horace Burr and Concurence Hungerford. She was one of eight children. She married James Clark Owens, Sr. in 1816 when she was 17 years old and he was 19. They became parents of eight children: five boys and three girls. Three of their children died as youths in unrelated accidents.
Abigail was involved in the persecution and mobbings which took place in the early days of the church. The mob tried many times to get her husband; and at one time in Independence, Missouri, they came when Abigail was home alone. Abigail kept the door to her home locked and bolted but the mob broke the door down. As Abigail heard the mob pounding on the door, she rushed toward the cradle to protect her baby, James Clark Owens, Jr. The falling door struck her as she rushed across the room and knocked her senseless to the floor. The mob thinking they had killed her, fled in confusion.
Later after moving to Iowa to avoid persecution, Abigail's husband left home in search of work and never returned. After a while Abigail left Iowa and went to Missouri with her daughter, Caroline Amelia Owens Webb, and Caroline's husband, Edward Milo Webb.
From here Abigail cross the plains in the company of Captain Hodges in the spring of 1852 with the help of her twenty year old son, James Clark Owens, II. James took his mother into his home and cared for her until she died at the age of 62 on the 27th of November 1861.
Abigail's grandson, Edward Milo Webb II, said:
"Grandmother died in Fillmore, Utah, being worn out with the cares and burdens of life. But through all her troubles, she was never heard to complain against the province of God, cheerfully enduring all for the gospel's sake."
Her son, Francis Adelbert Owens adds:
"Mother was a Latter-day Saint through and through. When she was convinced that a thing was right, she did it regardless of the consequences."
