Justice Defriend "Jesse" Burwell ²⁵⁴

   Cause of his death was Heart Attack.²²⁸

  General Notes:

Mr. Burwell was born Sept. 11, 1883 in Sullivan County, MO, six miles south of Milan to Rev. Marion and Martha Jane (Gable) Burwell who were married in Green Co., PA on Feb. 1, 1868. He was educated in the public schools of Sullivan Co., and the Gem City College in Quincy, IL. As a young man he taught school at the Enterprise School, where he met his future wife, and later was a government mail clerk on the Burlington Route, working the run between Quincy, IL and Milan, MO, laying over at the Depot Hotel in Milan.

The 1915 Linn County Atlas lists Mr. Jesse D. Burwell as a realtor, Notary Public, and insurance agent for Fidelity Phoenix with the telephone number of 40. His offices were upstairs in the Mairs Building. Mr. Burwell was a twenty year member of the Browning school board. In 1917 at the time of the school fire, he was secretary, and in 1934, at the time of his resignation, he was president. Mr. Burwell was an active politician. He was a candidate for state representative in 1914. He acted as trustee and also assessor of Duncan Township. On July 1, 1935, he became Postmaster of the Browning Post Office, the position he held at the time of this premature death in 1949.

Jesse was always a merrymaker and either was the object or the instigator of many practical jokes. Virgil Dodson had saved a prize watermelon for seed, and Jesse lifted the watermelon and asked the Dodson family over for a watermelon feed. Only after the melon was devoured did Virgil (much to Mr. Burwell's glee) discover that he had helped eat his own seed watermelon.

Jesse had one of the first cars in Browning. The family enjoyed all evening car rides around town. When gas lights came out, a gas light stood in the middle of the intersection of Fourth and Main. Jesse, in a hurry in this Baby Overland, hit the pole bending it considerably. He informed bystanders he would see that it was straightened up. Three days later he accidentally hit the pole from the opposite side, thereby keeping his word.

Along with the Era of the Railroad was the Era of the tramp or bum who followed the railroad. These tramps slept in box cars and were dependent on hand-outs. As Mr. Burwell lived only about two blocks from the tracks in a pretentious house, he got them all and he fed them all.

Source: Notes from Browning, Missouri Centennial Celebration
Date: Aug 2-5 1972) Pgs. 93-94
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Justice was born in Sullivan County, Missouri on 11 Sept 1883. When he was a young man his name changed to Jesse through common usage. As a child he injured his hip, being pushed against his porch railing, which resulted in a life long disability and a decided limp. He was a resident common Browning, Missouri for 40 years. Jesse was a Democrat and was Mayor of Browning 1923-1925 according to the Browning Centenial Book, pg 54.

He married Alpha Narcissus Williams in 1907 and had five children, one dying at birth, before her death in 1927. In 1927 he lost his money and home in a forerunner stock dip of the 1929 crash. Following his employment with the US Post Office he bought back the family house. Jesse married Suzie E. Earles in 1930 and she helped raise his two youngest children. After her death in 1943 he married Jeanne Huffine. Jesse was a Southern Methodist and later became a member of the Methodist Church in Browning. He was buried in Jenkins Cemetery, east of Browning, after dying of a heart attack on 17 May 1947.

Source: John William Burwell I ²²⁸

  Research Notes:

Living in Browning, Missouri in 1916. ²⁵⁵

  Life Events:

1. College-Bachelors: Gem City College: Quincy, Adams, Illinois, USA. ²²⁸

2. Occupation: Teacher: Enterprise, Linn, Missouri, USA. ²²⁸

3. Occupation: Government Mail Clerk: Milan, Sullivan, Missouri, USA. ²²⁸

4. Occupation: Realter, Notary Public & Insurance Agent: Fidelity Phoenix. ²²⁸

5. Occupation: Mayor, 1923-1925, Browning, Linn, Missouri, USA. ²²⁸

6. Occupation: Postmaster, 1 Jul 1935, Browning, Linn, Missouri, USA. ²²⁸

7. Church Affiliation: Methodist: Browning, Linn, Missouri, USA. ²²⁸

Justice married Alpha Narcissus Williams on 17 Jun 1907 in Milan, Sullivan, Missouri, USA.²⁵⁴ (Alpha Narcissus Williams was born on 10 Jan 1887 in Linn County, Missouri, USA,²⁵⁴ died on 2 Aug 1928 in Kirksville, Adair, Missouri, USA ²⁵⁴ and was buried in Jenkins Cemetery (Browning, Linn, Missouri, USA) ²²⁸.). The cause of her death was Cancer.²²⁸

Justice next married Susie Elizabeth Earles in 1930 in Browning, Linn, Missouri, USA.²⁵⁴ (Susie Elizabeth Earles was born on 2 Jul 1885 in Unionville, Appanoose, Iowa, USA,²⁵⁴ died on 18 Jul 1943 in Browning, Linn, Missouri, USA ²⁵⁴ and was buried in Unionville Cemetery (Appanoose County, Iowa, USA) ²²⁸.)

Justice next married Jeanne Huffine after 1943.²²⁸