Mt. Stewart

Another interesting cluster of graves is to be found on a farm belonging to the late General Steuart. It retains the name of Mt. Stewart, differently spelled, being after that of
a former owner, Anthony Stewart, whom we shall have occasion to mention later. Here remain in a fairly good state of preservation the Burgess tombs. Col. William Burgess,
who lived here in the seventeenth century, took an active part in the life of the period, holding among other offices, that of councillor [sic], and having also served as deputy governor
and as general of the military forces of the Province. As he married three times, he left a number of descendants, some of whom are interested in having these tombs removed
from the field where heretofore they have been carefully protected to the more certain shelter of St. Anne's at Annapolis.
Colonel Burgess married, first, Miss Elizabeth Robins, daughter of Edward Robins of Accomac county, Va., secondly, Mrs. Sophia Ewen, widow of Maj. Richard Ewen of
Anne Arundel county, who left children, and, thirdly, Ursula, who survived him and became the wife of Mordacai Moore. Madame Ursula Moore died December 12, 1700,
and was buried by the side of her first husband. Among the old Maryland wills, two testators mention the children of Col. William Burgess: George Puddington
makes George, William, Susanna and Edward legatees, while Nicholas Painter leaves property to Charles, William, Benjamin, Joseph, Elizabeth and Anne.
Susanna is also mentioned by Susan Billingsly in her will made December 7, 1663. As this lady, the widow of James Billingsly, alludes also to her brothers Richard and John
Ewen, the sequence of names would lead one to suppose that family loyalty had gone so far as to cause the widow Ewen to name her daughter by her Burgess marriage after her
first husband's sister. The inscription on Colonel Burgess' tomb is:

Here lyeth ye body of Wm. Burgess Esq who departed this life on ye 24 day of Janu Anno Domini 1686 Aged about 64 yrs. Leaving his dear
beloved wife Ursuhla & Eleven children viz: seven sons and four daughters and 8 grandchildren. In his life time he was a member of His Lordships
Counsell of Estate, One of his Lordships deputy Governours a Justice of ye High Provincial Court Collon of a Regiment of the trained Guards and
sometime Generall of all the Military forces of this Province. His loving wife Ursulah his Execut. in testimony of her true respect and due regard
to the worthy deserts of her dear departed husband, hath erected this Memorial.

On the tombs of his son, William, and his daughter, Anne, are the following inscriptions:

Here lyeth the Body of William Burgess the eldest son that coll. William Burgess had by his Dear and Loveing wife Ursella, he departed this life the 28th Day of June
in the . . . year of his age, Anno Domini 1698.
Here lyeth Interred ye Body of Anne the wife of Thomas Sparrow daughter of William Burgess and Ursulla his wife, who was born on Thursday the
7th of Oct. 1680 Married on Tuesday ye 8th June 1697 Sickened the 25th day of ye same month and dyed on Sunday ye 25 of July 1697.
This stone is erected as a Lasting Memorial of the person above Mentioned, by her surviving husband Mr. Thomas Sparrow.

Source:
Helen W. Ridgely;  Historic Graves of Maryland and the District of Columbia; Edited under the Auspices of the Maryland Society of the Colonial Dames of America; Grafton Press, New York; 1908
Submitted by: Candi Horton - 2007 © Genealogy Trails
Note: [transcribers notes] (original authors notes)

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