Martha Ursula Hanson

Martha “Mattie” Ursula Hanson was born in Cleburne County, Alabama on July 29, 1880, to Stephen P. Hanson and Martha “Caroline” Durrett. She was the eldest of seven children, with siblings James Petty “Pet” Hanson, George Henry Hanson, Margaret Hanson, Lucious Franklin Hanson, Thomas Jefferson Hanson, and Robert Jackson Hanson. Mattie was married to my 2nd great-uncle, John William “Will” Burnett. We have no common relatives. Will’s brother, Thomas Terrell Burnette, was my great grandfather.

Record of births from Stephen P. Hanson’s Bible
Mattie is on the fourth line. 
(used with permission of Carrie Romoser.)

Due to the 1880 census day being June 1, Mattie, born in July, was not recorded. Around 1896, the Hanson family moved from Cleburne County to near Bear Creek in Marion County, Alabama. Research compiled by Austin Landis Burnette (Mattie’s grandson) shows they purchased land in Marion County in 1896 and sold it in 1906, indicating their residence there for at least 10 years. I have not yet located any online land records or deeds.

On March 21, 1899, John William “Will” Burnett applied for a marriage bond in Marion County. Mattie’s parents signed the bond, giving their consent to the Marion County Probate Judge for the marriage. John, son of Samuel Pride Burnett and Millicent “Virginia” Overton, was born in Georgia in 1868 and had moved to Alabama at an unknown date. Samuel and Virginia are my 2nd great grandparents. 

According to Austin, Will lived with his uncle Jim and aunt Fanny Scott in Marion County before the marriage. While writing this sketch, I realized that uncle Jim was James Harris Scott and aunt Fanny (Fannie) was Frances A. Overton, sister of Millicent Virginia (Overton) Burnett. The 1900 Marion County census shows James H. and Adline Scott as a married couple of 14 years. This new piece of information revealed that Frances’ (Fannie), previously known only Frances A. Overton, had the middle name Adline (or Adeline).

Mattie and Will were married at Bear Creek in Marion County on March 26, 1899. There was a 13-year age difference between them. I have not found Mattie and Will in the 1900 census. It is likely they lived near Mattie’s close-knit family in Goddard, but census records do not show them there. I also checked Walton County, Georgia, where Will’s parents lived, without success. Other online researchers seem to have faced the same difficulty, as no one has attached the 1900 census to their family tree. 

Will and Mattie Burnett (photo provided by Austin Burnette)

Mattie and Will’s marriage bond and license

Mattie and Will had eight children: Samuel Stephen Burnett (1900), Julia Virginia “Virgie” Burnett (1902), Herbert Newton Burnett (1903), Amy Leona Burnett (1905), Jasper Pettye Burnett (1906), William “Ellis” Burnett (1908), Charles “Charlie” Noel Burnett (1911), and Leonard Dixon Burnett (1914). 

Hanson family, minus Leonard (photo provided by Austin Burnette)

In 1908, the Hanson family, except for Mattie and Will, moved to Lawrence County, Tennessee, to the community of Liberty Grove, located south of Loretto. The women and children traveled by train to Loretto, while the men and boys drove the cattle and wagons along narrow dirt roads, carrying their belongings. Mattie, Will, and their children stayed behind for one more year before moving to Lawrence County in 1909.

In January 1909, Mattie’s parents purchased over 500 acres of land for $1,256.46, about five miles south of Loretto, in the southern part of Lawrence County. In October 1909, they divided the land among their children as follows: James received 71 acres, George received 79 acres, Lucious received 75 acres, Thomas received 77 acres, Robert received 56 acres, and Martha received 92 acres. The Hansons kept the remaining acres for their home place. Martha did not receive her land until a year after her brothers did.

Later that year, Will and Mattie moved their family to Liberty Grove, a year after the Stephen Hanson family settled there. Everyone built homes on their land and engaged in farming, except for Mattie’s brother Petty, who became a school teacher. Mattie and her family attended Liberty Grove Baptist Church, where Will was one of the founding members.

By April 21, 1910, Mattie and her family were living on Livington Road in Civil District 2 of Lawrence County. At that time, she and Will had been married for 12 years, and Mattie was recorded as having six children, all of whom were living. Will worked as a farmer on a general farm he owned, with Mattie and their son Samuel both working as farm laborers on the home farm. Mattie would have had her hands full with six children, the youngest being just under two years old. Although at least three of the children were school-age, none of them were attending school at the time. Mattie and John were the only family members able to read and write.

On November 28, 1916, Will suddenly passed away at the age of 48 after returning from the fields in Liberty Grove. While it was said he had a stomach illness, it may have actually been a heart attack. He was buried at St. Truitt Cemetery on November 29, 1916, in Liberty Grove. His untimely death left Mattie a widow with the daunting task of raising their eight children alone.

Just a few months later, on January 13, 1917, Mattie’s mother, Caroline, aged 65, passed away in Lawrence County, after suffering from heart dropsy. She was laid to rest at Liberty Grove Cemetery.

On December 18, 1919, Mattie’s son Samuel married Cora Mae Mashburne in Lawrence County.

On January 9, 1920, Mattie, aged 40, and her children, ranging from 5 to 19 years old, lived in the Second District of Lawrence County. Mattie was surrounded by her extended family, with her brother Frank in dwelling 33, brother Henry in dwelling 31, brother Thomas in dwelling 32, brother Robert in dwelling 35, and her father and his second wife Alice in dwelling 36. Mattie herself lived in dwelling 34. In total, 31 family members, including spouses and children, resided side-by-side in the neighborhood.

Mattie managed her farm, which she owned, with the assistance of her son Samuel, who was listed as a laborer on his mother’s farm. Except for Leonard, all of her children attended school, and everyone except Charles and Leonard could read and write.

On February 5, 1922, Mattie’s daughter Virgie married Hobert E. Plunkett in Lawrence County. Sadly, on June 5, 1925, Mattie’s father, Stephen, passed away at the age of 68 in Liberty Grove. He was laid to rest at Liberty Grove Cemetery on June 6.

Hanson family
Front row: Robert Hanson holding Alice, Annie Hanson holding Nellie,
Stephen P. Hanson, his wife Caroline, Mattie Burnett holding Charles, Will Burnett
holding Ellis. Second row: James Petty Hanson, George Henry Hanson, his wife
Romer holding Loela, Samuel Stephen Burnett, Lucious Franklin Hanson,
Thomas Jefferson Hanson. Third row: Amy Lenora Burnett, Julia Virginia
Burnett, James Ezra Hanson, Pierce Hanson, Eva Hanson, Jasper Burnett,
Herbert Burnett (photo provided by Austin Burnette).

On November 15, 1925, Mattie’s daughter Amy married Fred B. Vanderford in Lawrence County. Fred lived five farms away from the Burnett farm. Tragically, Mattie’s son Herbert passed away on September 9, 1929, at the age of 26, at his home near Liberty Grove Church. According to his death certificate, Herbert suffered from malarial hematuria for 22 days, a serious complication of malaria. He was laid to rest at St. Truitt Cemetery the following day, after a funeral service at Liberty Grove Church, where he had been a member since his 16th birthday.

By April 10, 1930, census records show that Mattie and four of her children—Jasper (23), Ellis (21), Charles (19), and Leonard (16)—continued to live on their family farm in Lawrence County. In addition to attending school, all the children worked on the farm. Everyone in the household was able to read and write. Although the family dynamics and dwelling numbers had changed slightly since 1920, the Hanson family remained closely clustered together in the neighborhood. Mattie’s brother Henry lived in dwelling 113, Robert in dwelling 114, Thomas in dwelling 115, and Mattie in dwelling 116. Mattie’s daughter, Virgie, and her husband Hobert Plunkett, now lived next door to Mattie, where her father previously resided. With wives and children combined, there were a total of 35 Hanson family members living side-by-side in the neighborhood. All her brothers were farmers.

On October 7, 1933, Mattie’s son Charles married Esther Mae Fleming in Lawrence County.

Sadly, on July 14, 1936, Mattie’s son Ellis died suddenly from appendicitis at Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital in Florence, Lauderdale County, Alabama. It is believed his appendix ruptured. At the time of his death, Ellis lived in Loretto, where he was a farmer. He was 27, nearly 28, years old. Ellis was buried at Saint Truitt Cemetery in Lawrence County. He never married.

On April 11, 1940, Mattie, aged 61, and her son Leonard, aged 24, lived in Loretta. Mattie was unemployed, while Leonard worked as a garage mechanic. In 1939, Leonard worked for 26 weeks, and during the week of March 24–30, 1940, he worked a grueling 70-hour week. Despite having no recorded earned income, both Leonard and Mattie appeared to have other sources of income, likely from their farm.

When Leonard filled out his World War II draft registration card on October 16, 1940, he listed Mattie as the person who would always know his address. At that time, Mattie resided at R.F.D. 1 in Appleton, Lawrence County, Tennessee.

Despite thorough searches, I was unable to locate Mattie in the 1950 census, even after checking near her children and siblings.

The photo below is believed to have been taken at a Hanson family reunion in Tennessee, likely in the 1950s.

Believed to be a Hanson family photo.
Front: James P. Hanson and Mattie Burnett.
Back: Frank and Emma, Henry and wife, Tom and wife.
(Used with permission of Carrie Romoser.)

In January 1954, Mattie visited her son Jasper in Knoxville, Tennessee. The following year, in June 1955, she visited her son Sam in the Bluewater community of Lawrenceburg before continuing on to visit another son, Charles, in Loretto.

After being a widow for 41 years, Mattie passed away at the age of 77 in Lawrenceburg on November 11, 1957. She had been suffering from heart disease for six months. Mattie was laid to rest beside her husband Will at St. Truitt Cemetery on November 13.

Photo provided by Austin Burnette

When I wrote the sketch for Mattie’s husband, Will, in 2015, I included the text below. I thought it fitting to share a slightly revised version for Mattie’s sketch.

Anyone who has researched their family history knows you make new friends and discover “cousins” along the way. In late 2000, through the wonders of the internet, my sister and I connected with several researchers working on the Samuel P. Burnette and Virginia Overton lines. We were scattered across five states—Virginia, Georgia, Maine, Alabama, and Tennessee. Each of us could document our direct lines and knew of Samuel and Virginia, but we did not know much more. We shared what we knew, compared notes, and embarked on further research together. It was a wonderful experience, sharing stories, photos, and simply enjoying each other’s company, even though it was all online.

Although our research eventually slowed down, we kept in occasional contact through Facebook. The only man in our group was Austin Landis Burnette, a direct descendant of John William Burnette. Austin was always joking around with us, and I enjoyed his wit and humor. Then he went silent for a while, and I later learned he was suffering from depression and hadn’t been doing much research.

In mid-February 2011, I received an email from Austin telling me he was in hospice care. He did not want to leave this world without “us girls” knowing what had happened to him. Less than two weeks later, I saw his obituary posted on his Facebook page. Austin was a kind, southern gentleman, and it was a pleasure working with him and being his virtual friend and cousin.

The personal details in this sketch were shared with the group by Austin himself. I hope he would approve.

References

• Amy Burnett, Lawrence County Lawrenceburg Tn. County Clerk marriages: Lawrence. Marriage Records December 1924–December 1926, image 173, FamilySearch.
• Blue Water, Democrat-Union, Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, June 17, 1955.
• Burnett, Baptist and Reflector, Nashville, Tennessee, October 17, 1929.
• Chas. Burnett, Lawrence County Lawrenceburg Tn. County Clerk marriages: Lawrence. Marriage Records December 1932–May 1935, image 105, FamilySearch.
• DuBose, MD, F. G., Malarial Hematuria, JAMA, 1899;XXXII(10):539–540. doi:10.1001/jama.1899.92450370025001j; https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/474607.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/16458374/martha_caroline-hanson: accessed February 16, 2025), memorial page for Martha Caroline Durrett Hanson (1 Mar 1851–13 Jan 1917), Find a Grave Memorial ID 16458374, citing Liberty Grove Cemetery, Lawrence County, Tennessee, USA; maintained by J C (contributor 47219112).
• Funeral Held in Pomona for James Hanson, Hi-Desert Star, Yucca Valley, California, October 23, 1969.
• George Henry Hanson, U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918.
• Herbert Newton Burnett, Certificate of Death no. 22613, State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, State of Tennessee, 1929.
• James Petty Hanson and Robert Jackson Hanson, U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918.
• Jasper Pettie Burnett, U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940–1947.
• Leonard Dixon Burnett, U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940–1947.
• Lone Star, Democrat-Union, Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, January 29, 1954.
• Lucious Franklin Hanson, Certificate of Death 66-036347, Tennessee Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Statistics, 1966.
• Lucious Franklin Hanson, Certificate of Death no. 66-026347, Tennessee Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Statistics, State of Tennessee, 1966.
• Mattie Burnett, Certificate of Death no. 57-27685, Department of Public Health, State of Tennessee, 1955.
• Mattie W. Hanson, Alabama, County Marriages, 1805–1967.
• Personal memories, photos, and research of Austin Landis Burnette.
• S. P. Hanson, Certificate of Death no. 417, State of Tennessee, State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, 1925.
• Samuel Burnett, Lawrence County Lawrenceburg Tn. County Clerk marriages: Lawrence. Marriage Records September 1919–April 1921, image 88, FamilySearch. 
• U.S. Federal Census, Civil District 2, Lawrence County, Tennessee, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940.
• U.S. Federal Census, Goddard, Marion County, Alabama, 1900.
• Virgie Burnett, Lawrence County Lawrenceburg Tn. County Clerk marriages: Lawrence. Marriage Records April 1921–February 1923, image 143, FamilySearch.