Jean-Pierre Burr was born in Philidelphia in 1792 (the actual date is unknown) to a woman named Mary Emmons (aka Eugénie Bearhani) who was born and worked in Saint-Domingue, before being taken to America by Theodosia Prevost’s first husband to work as a servant for Theodosia, and also later, her second husband, 3rd U.S. Vice President, Aaron Burr, and Aaron Burr himself. The two also had a daughter, Louisa-Charlotte Burr, just 4 years prior.
Little is recorded of his older sister, though she married Francis Webb, a founding member of the Pennsylvania Augustine Education Society, secretary of the Haytien Emigration Society, and distributor of Freedom’s Journal, later in life. Their son, Frank J. Webb wrote the second African American novel, The Garies and Their Friends in 1857.
In 1818, JP became a barber, an ardent abolitionist and a conductor on the Underground Railroad. His civil activities included organizing the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society, and serving on their Vigilance Committee which directly aided fugitive slaves. Jean-Pierre lived in Pennsylvania during this time, and since slavery was abolished in this state after the Revolution, he used his home to hide slaves that had ran away from the upper-southern states; because he was light-skinned, he was able to travel up north with the runways that he hid and told police that he was taking his servants for a walk if ever stopped and questioned.
The feats above don’t even cover half of the civil activities he took part of in his lifetime. He was also a member of the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, (and assisted in creating the membership, which included many powerful members of the black community at the time) promoted emigration by American blacks to Haiti after its republic was founded, was a spokesman for the abolitionist newspaper, The Liberator, (published by William Lloyd Garrison) protested the disfranchisement of free blacks by the state legislature in 1838, helped raise money along with other members of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society for the purpose of defending men indicted for treason, (for what was then called the Christiana Riot of 1851) was a chairman of the American Moral Reform Society, (and helped publish its journal, the National Reformer.) was involved in the National Black Convention movement of the early 1830s, served as an officer for the Mechanics’ Enterprise Hall, the Moral Reform Retreat, (a refuge for black alcoholics) and the Colored Citizens of Philadelphia, founded the Demosthenian Institute (known as a literary society, helping young black men prepare for public speaking and also conversed about political topics of their time) at his home in 1837, and was one of many who signed Frederick Douglass’ “Men of Color to Arms” poster for recruitment during the Civil War.
In 1817, at the church he was a member of, he married a woman named Hester Elizabeth Emory. Together they had 9 children. The children who survived to adulthood joined their parents in their commitment to abolish slavery and related civil activities. Their oldest son, John Emory Burr became a grand-master of a fraternal organization called Grand United Order of Odd Fellows in America and a few of their other sons became carpenters. In 1860 (presumably after Hester had past) JP became a dressmaker with two of his daughters, Louisa and Elizabeth.
In Philadelphia on April 4th, 1864, Jean-Pierre Burr passed away at the age of 71. The only record of his death states that he ”was born in Philadelphia, a widower and a hairdresser.”
TL;DR: Aaron Burr’s illegitimate son was more interesting and important than he was, and he deserved better.
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