On the 1860 census of Jefferson County, Pennsylvania Peter was shown at the age of 23 with wife, Susannah, age 26 and child Mary C., 1 year. (M653-Roll #1118, line 1344-1332) (There were two children born to the couple before Susanna died. What happened according to an affidavit by his sister, Nancy Jane (Gere) "Just prior to (Peter's) enlistment in the army" Susanna, #1 wife of Peter died in 1861, he stated on one of the documents including in pension applications. Many hardships were recorded in his application which declared he was in the Battle of Gettysburg. While hospitalized, letters were written to his family to inform them of his condition. He served in the Union Army during the Civil War, in Co. E. 148 Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry from Winslow Twp. Pennsylvania. He enlisted in the Union Army on 2 September 1862 and was discharged on 1 June 1865. (National Archives Pension Record #531180)
Peter was assisting the widow of his deceased half-brother, Abraham to finish paying for land. On the 14th day of July 1865, he loaned Lavina Hawthorne Burkett, his brother's widow three hundred and twenty seven dollars to pay out a tract of land, which consisted of one hundred and sixty three acres, (Vol. 18 page 16, Jefferson County Pennsylvania Article of Agreement) On 17 December 1869, a deed is recorded whereby Peter Burkett appealed to the Jefferson County Court to be allowed to buy the land left to Lavina Hawthorne Burkett's children. It is believed that this document was made before his third marriage as he was the lone signer on the legal instrument. (Deed Book 23 page 119 Jefferson County Pennsylvania)
Trying to get definite birth dates on Peter Burkett proved elusive. Various dates have been found on all documents. The 1850 census of Jefferson County, Pennsylvania shows him at 15 years of age (b:1835), another shows him born in 1825, another ,1832, another 1834 and his tombstone has 1828 carved upon it. The same was true with his dates of death. His widow gave three different dates, November, 9 or 10th and December 10, 1911 These facts seem to further point out what a controversial character was our Peter Burkett.
By 1870 Peter had taken his 3rd spouse. She was Barbara NYE. On the census of Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, he was shown with his wife, Barbara, the three children of his half-brother Abraham & Lavina (Sarah Jane age 16, May Elizabeth age 11, and John Wesley age 9), in addition to Lydia age 1, the child born to Lavina & Peter during their year of marriage. By the 1880 Census, peter Burkett had left Jefferson County, Pennsylvania. According to family members, he ran away with the young girl who worked for the family abandoning the lot. His brash action caused the necessity of the various children to work as servants in homes of the area. Lydia found employment with the McConnells, a farm family while her half sister, Mary Elizabeth (Lizzie) found a home with the McFarland family. In his pension application, he stated that he was living in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania. Some of Lavina's children were located in different homes in Jefferson County working as servants. Later, we were to discover there were other circumstances that may have had an influence on the departure of Peter Burkett from Jefferson County. Sarah Jane Burkett, oldest daughter of Lavina & Abraham was married to Michael Reitz. In their household were listed the following:
Page 20 Enumeration District. 10 line 160-163
REITZ, Michael 30 M
" , Sarah 26 F wife
" ,William F. 7 M step-son
" ,Lavina C. 3 F daughter
" Anna M. 1 F daughter
(Micro-copy # T 9-Roll #1136, 1880 Census Jefferson County, Pennsylvania)
On a claimant's affidavit filed for pension, Peter Burkett stated he had lived in Coolspring, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania until 1873. Then, he was in Penfield, Elk County, Pennsylvania. (Note Penfield is on the line of Elk and Clearfield) from 1873 to 1879 when he returned to Jefferson County. On 24 May 1898, Peter made a list of his children by Barbara Krise. The last child on that list was #9, Manuel E. Since the 10th child, Charles P. was listed later by family members with the same birth date as #9, it is more likely Charles was born the following year of 1898. So there is a question on date of birth for Charles P. Burkett.
Peter D. Burkett remained a widow until 1 February 1908 when he choose his fifth wife. She was Mary Jane Cochran, daughter of Elizabeth & Mathew Cochran. Mary Jane was the widow of Jessie Miller, She is also a sister to Angeline Cochran who married Peter's half-brother, Jacob. In a special dispatch to the North American News, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania dated 13 February 1908, the marriage of Jane Cochran to Peter Burkett was heralded with headlines: Marriage date for couple is supposed to be 1 February 1908
"FATHER OF 33, 81 YEARS OLD, TAKES ANOTHER BRIDE"
"Peter Burkett, the grand old man of Penfield, Pennsylvania, 81 years of age and the Father of 33 children was married this week to Jane Cochran, age 67 of Sandy, Pennsylvania. Father Burkett is a Civil War veteran and the father of 33 children, 22 of whom are alive and well. His health is excellent for a man of his years and he has from appearances, a fair chance to become a centenarian. "Another of the veteran's claims to distinction is his insistence on being a "powwower." He tells of one occurrence as proof of his powers in that line. Lillie, the four year old daughter of Harvey Keller, farmer, he says, was burned badly by the overturning of a lantern. The child had best medical attention, but suffered great pain and could not sleep. He says he has a certain secret incantation made up of words taken from the Bible that will 'take the fire out of a burn' or stop bleeding. "Father Burkett says when he arrived he at once 'powwowed" over the suffering child and in less than ten minutes the girl became quite seemingly free from pain and went peacefully asleep."
Peter Burkett and Mary Jane Cochran Miller were married in Brookville, Pennsylvania. The ceremony was performed by Albert Bauer, J.P. There were no children born of the fifth marriage for Peter Burkett. And it is unknown how many children Mary Jane had, the only two we have identified are: a son, Edward Miller who was named in a deed when his father died intestate on 20 August 1906 (Deed Book, 128, page 276 Jefferson County, Pennsylvania), and another son, Courtes Miller, who was 35 years old on the 1910 census in the household with Peter & Jane Burkett. (1910 census T624-Roll 1331, Huston Twp., Clearfield County Pennsylvania.) Jane Miller Burkett's children could be the remainder of the total of 33 children to which Peter Burkett laid claim. Married 5 times, Peter claimed to have 33 children, although that number has not been verified. (It is believed he counted step-children of his various wives for the total.) It was evident, he took pride in his prowess as a father.
Peter Burkett died on 9 November 1911 with an acute attack of gastritis. According to the death certificate, the indigestion was "caused by eating canned wild cherries caused an obstruction of the stomach."{Death Certificate, File No. 103487-Clearfield County Pennsylvania-Registration # 399)
On 20 December 1911. Jane Miller Burkett applied for the pension which had accrued to her husband at the time of his death. The last day of application for a pension for the widow of Peter Burkett was 5 June 1918 and stamped on 10 June 1918.