A case of more than usual interest was before the commission of insanity last week – that of Rev. J. D. Burr, of Pella.

Rev. Burr has been pastor of the Baptist Church at Pella, but resigned about a year ago. Since that time it seems that he has manifested such strong symptoms of derangement that an information of insanity was filed against him last week.

Mr. Burr is a native of Louisiana and about 50 years of age. The present is his first attack. The first symptoms were manifested about a year ago, when he fell in the pulpit while preaching. Lately he has been at times quite profane and violent, has made threats against his wife and is said to have abused his family. Mr. and Mrs. Burr have five children, the youngest five years old.

Mr. Burr and his friends ascribe his derangement to nervous prostration from mental overwork. He has no particular hobby, unless his garrulity upon religion and loyalty could be considered as such. Upon these subjects he is very enthusiastic, and introduces them in a way that would indicate an unbalanced mind. No treatment has been employed except that he has been taking a patent medicine called "Celery Compound.”

He seems to be all right in some respects, but unbalanced and excitable, and the commission ordered lam sent to Mt. Pleasant. To this Mr. Burr readily agreed and will come over in about a week, he said, and place himself in the officers' hands. His wife seemed to think he could as well go at once, but Mr. Burr insisted that he bad affairs to arrange at Pella, and was allowed to return home.

Marion County Newspapers 1894

A telegram from Osceola under date of Feb. 3, tells of the death of a well- known Baptist minister formerly located at Pella: “Rev. J. D. Burr, pastor of the Baptist Church, died Saturday night of pneumonia at his home on Jefferson Street. Rev. Burr in scholarly attainments and as a pulpit orator ranked second to none in southern Iowa. His many Christian graces had won for him the highest esteem from those with whom he came in contact. His funeral will be under the direction of the Grand Army, and will occur on Tuesday.”

Marion County Newspapers 1896

He was born on September 23, 1839 in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana and was the son of Plat Theodore & Frances Elizabeth (Danforth) Burr. His father died in 1849 and John and his family seem to have never stayed in one place for very long. In 1850 John was in St. Genevieve, Missouri, and by 1860 he had removed to Owatonna, Steele County, Minnesota, where he was a cabinet maker. It was there where enlisted as a private and was mustered into Company K of the 2nd Minnesota Infantry. He was promoted to corporal and then to sergeant. He was sited in Col. James George’s Supplementary Report on the Battle of Chickamauga, having specially distinguished himself in the line of duty, on the battlefield at Chickamauga, credited with gallant and soldier like conduct. He was mustered out at the expiration of his term of service on August 26, 1864. By 1870 he had removed to Minneapolis, Minnesota where he was a machinist. He married before 1870 to Imogene J. (--?--), who was born between 1846 & 1848 in Michigan. And together they had 4 children: Dewitt, b. between 1871 & 1873 in Minnesota; Fannie/Nancy, b. about 1875 in Michigan; Edith D., b. about 1882, probably in Creston, Union County, Iowa, and Ralph, b. 1885, probably in Iowa. The 1880 Census shows the Rev. Burr, now a Baptist minister, residing in Creston, Union County, Iowa. South central Iowa must have appealed to him, as in 1885 & 1886 he was living in Greenfield, Adair County, Iowa, and in 1895 in Osceola, Clarke County, Iowa. He died on February 1, 1896, and is buried in Section 5 in Osceola’s Maple Hill Cemetery near the obelisk erected by the Women’s Relief Corps “In Memory of Our Fallen Heroes.”