The community of Burke, those with generations of memories and those just making them, objects to the suggestion of renaming our hometown. Primarily because Burke has defined us as community. Throughout this process of trying to understand why the suggestion was made, we have learned a great deal about Silas Burke, the man. Misleading and partial truths regarding Silas Burke have been made to impugn his character. The following is not intended to justify or apologize for any actions of Silas Burke, but to provide additional information, with documentation, so that you have a more complete record of the man.
Claims made by the Fenton Project are in bold below followed by our responses:
(1) “He also seems to have had an obsession with buying and selling children.” (Fenton.org website) "This guy bought children – a lot of them” WUSA9 video by Matt Gregory, 3/4/2024. This is an unwarranted accusation without any evidence. Silas Burke and his siblings inherited their father's Estate. Fenton was an enslaved boy on his father’s farm. Silas specifically selected Fenton from all of the other able-bodied slaves he could have chosen from the Estate. He paid the Estate for Fenton to make the Estate whole for distribution to the rest of the siblings Twenty-two days before he purchased Fenton from his father’s Estate, Silas bought a young woman from a neighboring farm. Could it be that Silas was reuniting mother/son or sister/brother? The Fenton website also notes that at Silas Burke’s death he owned 9 children.There were also two adult females and two adult males. This seems like family units with children. There is no record of Silas Burke buying and selling children, except for Fenton. Read more here: Fenton & Silvia
(2) “So perhaps Silas Burke belongs in a class of historical figures who we can call “super-enslavers” (Fenton Project website) “He was a really prolific enslaver of human beings” (channel 9 interview on Fenton website) “My town is named after an unusually horrible person.” Guardian U.S., Martin Pengelly, 2/28/2024
Evidence reveals that Silas Burke was an active anti-slavery proponent. Silas Burke was a founding member and vice president of the Fairfax Temperance Society. The Temperance Society was against strong drink but was also anti-slavery. See more here. In a discussion with a Quaker and a Fairfax County sheriff, Silas stated he was against slavery. See more here: Fairfax Temperance Society - Silas in his own words, and Slave Tenant Farms Experiment(3) “He signed a Court affidavit in 1845 describing how he took a 12-year-old boy to auction when his “owner” didn’t pay rent on some leased farmland. The boy’s mother was kept in place as a housekeeper and cook while her son went – somewhere.” (Fenton Project website)
We know where he went. He went back to the farm with his mother! Silas Burke bought Alfred Gwinn on behalf of William Henry Fitzhugh and returned him to Ravensworth. Read more here: Addressing Fenton Project Claim ‘Silas Separates Mother from “Slave for Life”(4) “Newspaper advertisements with headlines like “VALUABLE NEGROES FOR SALE” make it clear that he oversaw slave auctions while he was county judge.” (Fenton Project website)
According to Sale Notices from 1796 to 1854 (the year Silas died) published in the Alexandria Gazette, Silas was involved in 4 sales of slaves during that time-period. Silas Burke was a prominent Attorney in Fairfax County. He prepared Wills and Trusts and acted as Executor, Trustee, and Administrator for several prominent people. His sworn responsibility in that position included overseeing the sale of Estate property. Read more here: Silas Burke’s Role in Sales/Purchasing Slaves(5) The proponent for the name change has said at public meetings at the Pohick Library in Burke that Silas Burke “dodged” several subpoenas regarding being sued by an enslaved man.
The proponent has suggested that because Silas Burke was a judge, the U S District Court judge in Washington, DC (where the Case was filed) did not process the Case as a professional courtesy. The will of James Keene clearly shows that George was given as inheritance to James’s brother Oliver. There were no grounds for the Case when the will was apparently presented to the Court. Read more here: Slave Files Suit Against Silas(6) The proponent for changing the name of Burke has indicated that the Silas Burke’s grave is not being maintained and therefore the residents of Burke do not care about Silas Burke and he would not be missed if his name was removed.
His grave is covered in vines and the headstone broken and lying on the ground. In 2011 a community meeting was held and a maintenance plan developed. The Fairfax County Cemetery Preservation Association was involved. However, the ownership and who has control of the right-of-way to the cemetery and the cemetery itself is in question, so the plan has not been implemented. See More Here: Silas Burke’s Grave(7) The proponent for changing the name of Burke has indicated that the Silas Burke was in the higher percentage of slave owners. Meeting at Pohick Library, May 1, 2024. The proponent is only a portion of the report he references “Northern Virginia Slavery: A Statistical and Demographic Investigation” to make his point. Generally only people who owned land owned slaves. A more detailed look at the report provided a different and more comprehensive picture. See More Here: Silas Burke’s Slaveowner Position in Fairfax County
