The Life and Times of Governor Thomas Burke
by Stewart Dunaway, Secretary, Gen. Francis Nash Chapter, NCSSAR
The Early Years
As I researched the life of Thomas Burke, I was impressed with his character traits, and they remained the same despite his many careers or personal situations. He was opinionated, but not brash, he was as articulate in writing as he was orally. Although he would take a stand on a particular issue, he did not lose sight of the bigger picture nor upset the apple cart, so to speak. He was caring towards his fellow man and the trait that I found the most interesting was his selflessness. He would always leave himself either out of the equation or at the end of the list.
Now let’s take a very brief overview of this man’s multi-faceted, yet unfortunately short life.
Like most people of that time, Thomas Burke was an immigrant, born in Ireland to a fairly well-to-do family. Unfortunately the death of his father caused intense fighting over inheritance issues and ultimately drove him to leave his native country to seek a new and fresh life in the 13 colonies. He arrives on the eastern shore of Virginia around 1762 at age 15. As best that can be determined he quickly pursued his first career, that of medical doctor. In a letter he wrote to family members back in Ireland we learn that he was self-taught, and that “within a few months I was licensed by the examiners, upon the first trial, and with very great applause.” The first document that shows his medical work was a dated receipt from a pharmacist for chemicals and medicine dated in 1767; young Burke is now 20 years old.
Thomas was not satisfied with the income from the medical line of work. He complained that it was not comparable to that of Europe and decided to change careers, so Thomas went into the legal business, and in the 18th century there was no shortage for the need of lawyers. Once again, we assume self-taught, he appears in the Virginia Gazette advertising his services, as well as receiving some positive press on his court cases, and was already well-respected. He now resides in Norfolk and is very busy with all sorts of legal work, from wills, to law suites. It is in Norfolk that he meets Mary Wilson Freemen whom he marries in 1770 at age 23; she is 18.
Shortly after marriage he decides to move, as the winters seemed to bother him, and he finds the town of Hillsborough, NC to satisfy his wishes. He wrote a client about this situation – “…I found myself under the necessity of removing from Norfolk to a place where I should not have both fatigue of business and an unhealthy climate to encounter. I accordingly fixed my residences at a little country seat in North Carolina near a small inland town where the lands are fertile the water good and the climate remarkably moderate and healthy.” He continues that he “..regained a vigorous and happy state of health ….. I hold my business more extensively tho’ not with so much danger to my health as before..” It is interesting to note his fragile constitution at such a young age, as this will be a problem as he gets older. He receives his license to practice law in North Carolina March 1771 and begins his legal career in his new home state.