The Borums of Burnt Hill
The Borums were a big happy middle-class family who lived on
Dutchtown Road otherwise known as Route 628 in the Haytokoh District of
Nottoway County, Virginia. This home is located four and a half miles
north of Burkeville.
Charles Edmund (Edmond) Borum married Mildred Haynie Carter on July
16, 1890. They had ten children, all of whom lived to be grown and with
the exception of Rob, had children of their own. This is the family of
twelve whose descendants I wish to make acquainted. Charles Edmund was
called Papa by his children and Mr. Borum by his wife. Mildred Haynie
was Mama and Millie. I shall refer to them as Papa and Mama.
Pictures are scarce. One picture of Mama and Papa has hung in the
same place for the forty-one years that I've been in the family. There
are large pictures of each of them made when Papa was twenty-one years
old and Mama was nineteen. Papa usually wore a hat, even when pictures
were taken, so one learns little about his features. He was about 5 ft.
8 in. tall and weighed about 155 pounds. Mama was a little woman. She
was quick of step. Her family said that she ran about her duties. She
taught school before she was married.
All of the children had nicknames except Florence who sometimes was
just called Flo. Albert was nicknamed Sigh, Haynie - Jiggs, Bernard -
Duck, Asa - Shine, Rob - Giles, Louise - Rya, Jeffress - Flip, Walter -
Hawk, and Emily was Mary Ann.
The farm where they lived was and is called Burnt Hill. Just how if
got that nickname is somewhat vague. The most reasonable explanation is
that farmers used to burn over their land, especially if broomstraw was
prevalent, and if sheep had been pastured.
Grandpa owned large acreage, even to Flat Creek. This farm was a
part of that homeplace. Papa bought additional acres from his sister,
Mrs. Walter Johns, Aunt Jenny. The average price per acre for that
purchase was $1.80. That land now belongs to Robert Asa Borum and is
called the Clover Lot. At the present time Burnt Hill consists of one
hundred seventy-three acres. This acreage is in two tracts although
there is no separation. At Papa's death he willed Mama one hundred acres
and the house her lifetime. An auction was held in 1939 to make it
legal, that the property would be Rob's and Jeffress'. The family had
already agreed to this arrangement as Jeffress was the only one who
remained at home and Rob contributed financially.
The dwelling built in 1890 consisted of four rooms and a hall. This
structure was a story and a half high. One daughter remembered an
entrance which is now the south window of the dining room. There was a
front door at the end of the hall. The kitchen was a separate building
located ten or twelve feet from the house on the north side.
Mr. Louis Cook, a neighbor, built a kitchen adjoining the house in
about 1909. Mama inherited some land from her aunt. Today that land is
part of the City of Roanoke, Virginia. She sold the land and with the
money the front part of the house at Burnt Hill was built in 1912. It
consisted of a living room with a full story bedroom over that, a hall,
and another small room upstairs. The walls of the older structure were
not disturbed so that today the house has distinctly a back portion of
five rooms and a front portion of three rooms. A fifteen inch door
facing shows this add on. Separate stairs lead to the front upper level
and back upper level. Three porches were built, too, one south, one
north and one east. This addition was built by Emmett Toney and Joe
Berry.
Changes have been made in the interior of the house but the floor
plan has remained the same. Rob and a friend, Harry House, replaced
plastering with (gypsum board) in the back portion of the house in 1932.
Plastering remained in the front portion until 1956 when (gypsum board)
was installed, one window was added and a wall removed to include the
hall; thus making a large living area. Parrish Construction Company
began this project on December 26, 1956. Since that time, new windows
and storm windows have been installed, and some new flooring has replaced
the original. A bathroom was made from part of the north porch in 1951.
The house was totally insulated and vinyl siding added in 1985.
Rural electrification came into the area in the 1940s. The house at
Burnt Hill was wired in 1944. Rob drew up a plan for ceiling lights and
outlets. This soon brought the blessing of the refrigerator. The old
smokehouse still stands where ice was packed before there was available
electricity.
When Florence moved here she had a washing machine. This house had
not been wired for electricity at that time. Albert put a gas motor into
the electric machine.
The blessing or curse of the telephone reached Burnt Hill in 1963.
It began as a four-party line.
When I came to live at Burnt Hill seven stately oaks shaded the
house and yard. Other family members remember as many as eleven. Many
reunions have been held in their shade. Sometimes more than a hundred
relatives and friends attended. Lighting has struck all the oaks at one
time or another. Only three large ones remain. In 1984 we lost the
biggest one, which was located on the north side of the house. The
County Forester, Mr. Starnes, who came to assess the damage, estimated
the tree to be four hundred years old. There is a small young oak at the
front that came up voluntarily in a flower bed. In 1979 that measured 13
inches in circumference at 14 inches from the ground. It will be
interesting if some reader measures it fifty years hence. Jeff planted a
pine seedling in 1969. At this time, it towers above the house. There
is a black walnut tree in the back yard. Most years there is a bumper
crop of walnuts.
Each lady of the house planted flowers and shrubs to suit her
fancy. At the present time there is one pink dogwood. There are several
large hydrangeas near the porches. These were potted plants given to me
as Mother's Day or Easter gifts.
Papa had apple, peach, pear and damson trees. Asa planted two fig
bushes which flourished for many years. Louise remembered that relatives
would come for a week at a time in the summer to can and preserve fruit.
The road into the house from Dutchtown Road came by the Cook home
until 1949 when a more direct driveway was built. It has hills but many
of my readers will remember getting stuck on the old red hill, or rather
than to take that risk, they walked in. In May 1989 part of the driveway
became a dam for a newly constructed farm pond.
The first automobile at Burnt Hill was a 1939 secondhand Chevrolet
named Luxurious. Even after Jeffress made that purchase, travel was
often on horseback or foot in order to conserve gas.
As adults, the family represented many religious denominations.
However, while at Burnt Hill they attended a small Presbyterian Church,
Fairview, located within sight of the house. Preaching was held on
Sunday with summer revival services lasting a week. Bethel Methodist
Church was in buggy distance, also. Some of the family sang very well
and their voices were an addition to the congregational singing. Church
attendance not only provided worship experience but sometimes social ones
as well. On one occasion Louise helped Jeffress to dress as a woman and
he attended a box supper as Louise's cousin.
All of the children attended a little one-room school located on the
farm about a half mile from the house. When this was closed, several
neighbors together provided transportation to Burkeville by horse and
wagon. One family furnished horses one week and another family furnished
horses the next week. Louise and Emily graduated from high school. It
was Haytokoh Agricultural High School, which had become Burkeville High
School when Emily graduated.
As in all families, the Borums had their heartaches. Albert, Haynie
and Asa served in World War I. Although they returned home without
physical injury, Asa's death was believed to have been a direct result of
gas in the war. Walter served in World War II and six grandsons were in
World War II. They were Dick Webster, Jack Howell, Jr., George Webster,
Jr., Carter Borum, Jr., M. J. Borum and Haynie Borum, Jr. Haynie Jr.
lost his life at Anzio beachhead.
All of the stories that I can relate were handed down by children
and grandchildren who lived here. It seems that summer, when school was
out, brought many of the grandchildren "to help" Uncle Jeff or "Flip."
The usual fun of damming branches, skinny dipping and playing pranks made
the work day a fun day.
Papa liked to play pranks. A schoolteacher, Gladys Garnett, who
later married a cousin, boarded here. She and Florence roomed together.
One night, Papa met visitors at the front door. They were invited in and
a fire was made in the living room. This was done because Papa knew that
Gladys and Florence were listening. They dressed and came downstairs to
receive beaus, who turned out to be Duck and Shine.
Once a traveling eyeglass salesman came by. At the time, glasses
were little more than poor magnifying lenses. When asked if a pair
improved his vision, Papa replied, "Well, yes! I can see a gnat over
there on Henry Cook's barn!" It is not known if a sale was made.
Mama got into the fun times too. She loved to throw water on
unsuspecting people. This was from the bucket and dipper which were
always on the back porch. The water had been brought from the spring.
Watermelons used to be pulled and left in the upstairs hall until it
was time to feast on them. When Albert was small, he pushed several
melons down the steps.
Walter teased Emily one day until she took action. She was busy in
the kitchen with a rolling pin in her hand. She threw the rolling pin
and hit Walter in the middle of his back. He said that his back always
hurt after that.
Each child had assigned chores. The front walk was to be clean,
meaning bare. Louise had to see that no grass grew there. Emily and
Walter had to clean under the porches which were not underpinned. Robert
Asa remembers scrubbing the kitchen floor every Saturday. He came here
to live in 1936.
One by one all married and/or moved from home. Death claimed some
family members at an early age. Seven children, two grandchildren and
Mama and Papa are buried in Sunset Hill Cemetery in Burkeville. Rob is
buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery, Maryland. Louise is in Fort Hill Memorial
Park Mausoleum, Lynchburg. Of the family of twelve only Emily is living.
By 1943 only Mama, Jeffress and Robert Asa lived at Burnt Hill.
Mama's health was poor. She died in 1945. Florence was widowed. So,
Florence and two of her children, Wrenn and George, Jr., moved here from
Victoria, Virginia. In 1948 three things happened to change this
arrangement. Wrenn graduated from high school and she and her Mother
moved to Richmond. Robert Asa married and moved. Jeff and I were
married. The house stood empty for twelve months except for an
occasional week-end when Rob and Laura camped here. In 1949 Burnt Hill
became home to me.
I appreciate the memories contributed by Louise, Emily, Jeffress and
Robert Asa. My thanks to each of you who sent data on family members and
to my daughter, Anne, for encouraging, typing and editing.
This paper is dedicated to Jeff's memory. He loved his family
dearly and he loved Burnt Hill almost as much.
Julia Smith Borum
February 1990
I dedicate this to my parents and to all the descendants of Charles
Edmund Borum and Mildred Haynie Carter who were lovers of good character,
devoted to God and who claimed a place called Burnt Hill in Nottoway
County, Burkeville, Virginia.
A loving daughter -
Emily Borum Anderson
February 1990
"Charlie Borum was known for his gift of gab. The blessing uttered at
the table would not even be punctuated by a period. "Lord bless the
bounty we are about to eat Shirley what's your Pa paying for hay?"
[Roxanna Rosel, research, 13 Feb 1999]
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