Mary Louis Burrows (maiden name: Stewart) married William Burrows in slavery in Howard County, Missouri, on August 1, 1856. She and William had eleven children: John H., born around 1856; George, born around 1858; Belle, born around 1859; Annie, born around 1861; Willie, born around 1865; Lula, born around 1872; Warren, born around 1873; and four children whose names are unknown.

Following her husband's death, she moved to Yerba, California. She lived there for several decades until relocating to Wyoming with her grandaughter, Ada Young. She began receiving a pension of $8 per month in 1893. The government increased the amount to $20 per month by the time of her death. She died on November 20, 1916, due to complications of appendicitis at the home of her granddaughter Ada in Xenia, Ohio.