Aaron Burr, America’s third vice president, is
remembered mostly for killing political rival
Alexander Hamilton in a duel in 1804, as portrayed in
the hit Broadway musical Hamilton.
Not many people know that Burr fathered two
children with a woman from Calcutta, India, named
Mary Emmons (also known as Eugénie Beauharnais or
Bearhani), who worked for his family as a maid and
came to America through the Caribbean.
That Burr produced two children of color, abolitionist
John Pierre Burr and Charlotte Louisa, was
largely unrecognized until Sherri Burr, a law professor
emeritus at the University of New Mexico, and a
descendant of John Pierre Burr, conducted extensive
research, including DNA tests.
In September, she presented her research at the
Aaron Burr Association’s annual
meeting and the association
voted unanimously to officially
recognize John Pierre Burr and
Charlotte Louisa as Aaron Burr’s
children. Both children married
into African-American families,
producing a line of descendants
who can now trace their roots to
Aaron Burr and Mary Emmons.
Thanks to Sherri Burr’s efforts, John Pierre Burr’s
previously unmarked grave now has a tombstone
that reveals not just his relationship to the third vice
president, but also his work as a conductor in the
Underground Railroad.
Sherri Burr told CNN that it was important
for her “to make sure John Pierre got recognized,
because he was such an important advocate for
eliminating slavery.”
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge.
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