Claudia Burnette

Claudia Burnette, daughter of Thomas Terrell Burnette and Elizabeth “Lizzie” Jones, was born in Monroe, Walton County, Georgia, on November 23, 1905. The Burnette family had 13 children: Luther Terrell Burnette, Eva Drucilla Burnette, Floria Mae Burnette, Jesse Burnette and his twin, Willie Loyd Burnette, Prince Albert Burnette, Maudie Burnette (twin), Claudia Burnette (twin), Henry T. Burnette, Eleanor Estelle Burnette, Samuel A. Burnette, and Julia Virginia Burnette. Claudia and Maudie were fraternal twins, with Maudie arriving first. Claudia is my great‑aunt, with our nearest common relatives being her parents, my great‑grandparents. Daddy always referred to his twin aunts as Maudie and Claudie—always in that order—so I will use Claudie for the remainder of this sketch.

According to one of Claudie’s grand‑nephews, the twin sisters were named after the two mules their father Thomas kept on the family farm outside Monroe. He fondly recalled his Granny Maudie laughing about the unusual origin of their names. Around 1908, Claudie and her family attended a Jones family reunion in Walton County, where two photographs were taken. In the first, Floria (my grandmother), Eva, and Luther stand in back; mother Lizzie is seated with Henry in her lap; Prince, Thomas holding the twins Claudie and Maudie (though it is unclear which is which), and Willie are also present. The second photo shows the entire Jones family, in which I have identified 39 relatives.

 

On April 28, 1910, Claudie and her family were living in Greshamville, Greene County, having moved from Monroe in a wagon pulled by a horse. Her father was listed as a farmer on a general farm, while siblings Luther, Eva, and Floria were recorded as laborers on the home farm. Claudie’s parents had been married 16 years, and her mother was noted as having borne 10 children, 8 of whom were still living. According to my father, Elizabeth lost a set of twins, which accounts for the two no longer recorded. One of the twins was a boy named Jesse, who appeared in the 1900 census. That record, however, incorrectly states Elizabeth had five children at the time, all living. I have found no records for the other twin, leaving the identity unknown, though Claudie recalled it was a boy. In 1910, Claudie was four years old, and the youngest child in the household was Henry, age two.

The Burnette family felt the impact of World War I when Claudie’s brother Luther entered the U.S. Army on July 24, 1918. His service lasted until August 30, 1919, marking more than a year away from home. By February 13, 1920, the family had moved to the Walkers District of Greene County, where her parents would live out their lives. The 1920 Soundex card recorded her as Claud Burnett. Her father Thomas continued farming, assisted by his 78‑year‑old widowed father, Samuel Pride Burnette, who now lived with them, and 7 of the 10 Burnette children. Claudie’s mother was enumerated as Lizzie. Claudie’s brother Luther and his wife Etta Belle lived next door, both farmers. None of the children were attending school.

1920 Census Soundex cards

Claudie married Jesse “Peek” Bryan, likely in 1929 in Greene County, though I have not located a marriage record to confirm this. Peek was four years older than Claudie. My Daddy once recalled that Peek was a good man, quiet and cheerful. After their marriage, Claudie and Peek settled in Greensboro, Greene County, on Mill Street, according to the April 23, 1930 census. Peek worked as a weaver at the Mary Leila Cotton Mill, a major employer in the area. Mill Street was part of the surrounding mill village, a tightly knit community of about 75 worker houses and an industrial complex northwest of downtown Greensboro. Claudie and Peek likely rented one of these modest homes, typical of mill families during that era. The census also notes that both Claudie and Peek were literate.

Peek and Claudie

Their daughter Lizzie “Ree” Bryan was born in 1930 and Evelyn “Joyce” Bryan in 1936. Claudie had a difficult birth with Joyce and developed epilepsy afterward. Although she underwent extensive testing, doctors were unable to determine the cause, which was likely due to oxygen deprivation. Claudie’s father Thomas died from chronic myocarditis at age 71 on February 6, 1940, in Greensboro, and was buried at Walker United Methodist Church Cemetery. By April 22, 1940, the Bryan family was still living on Mill Street, with Jesse now working as a loom fixer at the mill. He earned $724 in 1939, working 40 hours a week. Claudie maintained the home, and their daughters were ages nine and three.

Peek died in 1941 at age 38 in Athens, Clarke County. Other than his tombstone, I have not found records to determine the exact date, cause, or location of his death. Peek’s siblings helped care for Claudie after his death. He was remembered as fun‑loving and kind.

In April 1945, Claudie married George “Frank” Moore in Greene County. Frank was about 10 years older, tall and slender, with light blue eyes and light hair, and missing a finger on his right hand. He had previously married Anna “Annie” Bertha “Berta” Wright in 1918, with whom he had seven children: George Thomas Moore, Emma Louise Moore, John “Jack” Harris Moore, Edna Fay Moore, Mary “Mae” Frances Moore, Ethel Goodwin Moore, and Charles E. Moore. Annie died in 1936 of pulmonary tuberculosis and was buried at Walker United Methodist Church Cemetery. Frank’s son George served in the Army in France during World War II, when his wife Hazel gave birth to their daughter Anne in 1945. Hazel, who lived with her father at the time, died a month later, and George’s sister Mae convinced Claudie and Frank to take Anne in until George returned. When he did, Anne remained with Claudie and Frank until she married at 18, having been raised as their own. During wartime rationing, Claudie struggled to obtain formula for Anne, but a friend shared ration cards, allowing her to feed the baby. Anne always called Claudie and Frank “Mama and Daddy.”

Claudie and Frank’s son, Claude “Bo” Franklin Moore, was born in 1949. Near the end of her pregnancy, Claudie had a seizure and fell onto a stove, suffering severe burns to her belly and arm. She was rushed to a hospital in Madison, Morgan County, Georgia, where she gave birth to Bo. Her arm healed with scars that left it permanently drawn. Years later, another seizure caused burns to her hand in a frying pan, and she lost her little finger and part of her ring finger. For the most part, Claudie controlled her seizures with medication, though they tended to occur around the full moon.

On April 8, 1950, Claudie and her family lived in the first house on the right of Appalachee Avenue in Greensboro. Joyce, her daughter from her first marriage, was 13 and still at home. Anne, age 4, was recorded as Claudie and Frank’s daughter, and their son Claude was an infant. Claudie maintained the household while Frank worked as a tractor driver at the county convict camp, part of Georgia’s chain gang system. He worked 55 hours a week. Anne later recalled they lived on Elm Street in 1950, so they likely moved shortly after the census was taken.

On December 31, 1955, Claudie’s brother Henry was accidentally killed while squirrel hunting in Putnam County, Georgia. His companion heard a gunshot and found Henry dead from a head wound. Two nearby fishermen helped carry his body out of the woods. The death was ruled accidental by a coroner’s jury and reported as Putnam County’s first hunting fatality of the year. Henry was buried at Pine Grove Cemetery following a service at Oak Street Baptist Church. Claudie’s brother Sam made the emotional trip to her home to share the news.

Claudie’s mother Lizzie died on December 2, 1956, at Minnie G. Boswell Hospital in Greensboro. She was buried beside her husband at Walker United Methodist Church Cemetery. In her final week, Lizzie suffered acute renal failure caused by adrenal insufficiency, following a fractured shoulder. She also had generalized arteriosclerosis, chronic bronchitis, and senility.

Claudie’s sister Eleanor died in 1963 and was buried at Salem Baptist Church Cemetery in McDonough, Henry County, Georgia. Her sister Floria died in 1970 in Greensboro and was buried at Bairdstown Cemetery in Oglethorpe County. Her brother Willie died in 1974 in Monroe and was buried at New Hope Methodist Church Cemetery in Between, Walton County. Claudie’s second husband Frank died on December 14, 1976 in Greene County and was buried beside his first wife Annie at Walker United Methodist Church Cemetery. Her brother Luther died in 1977 and was buried at Greenview Cemetery in Greensboro, and her brother Samuel died in 1983 in Clarke County and was buried at Walker United Methodist Church Cemetery.

Claudie died at a nursing home in Union Point, Greene County, Georgia, on October 8, 1988, at the age of 82. At the time, she was living with her son and his family. She was laid to rest beside her first husband, Jesse “Peek” Bryan, at Walker United Methodist Church Cemetery in Greensboro.

Claudie is remembered as kind and loving, as was Frank. Family members who knew Claudie remember her as sweet, quiet, and soft-spoken—traits she shared with her sister Floria. My Aunt Betty once said she loved her Aunt Claudie like a second mama. 

Maudie, Claudie’s twin sister, lived on for just over 13 more years as a twinless twin. In her later years, dementia slowly reshaped her world. She moved into a nursing home in Watkinsville, Oconee County, Georgia, where she passed away on January 16, 2002. She was buried at Greensboro City Cemetery in Greensboro.

Though twins, Claudie and Maudie were complete opposites. Claudie was gentle and soft‑spoken, while Maudie was fiery, cantankerous, and hard to please. For much of her life, Maudie bossed Claudie around, yet when storms gathered—both in the sky and in life—she sought her twin’s comfort. Living nearby, she often walked to Claudie’s house, especially when thunder threatened, knowing her sister’s presence could calm her fears. Maudie—the elder twin by birth—often assumed the role of leader, but even with her cantankerous nature she leaned on Claudie’s quiet strength, finding comfort in the sister who was always her safe harbor.

Maudie herself was taller by six inches. She was known for dyeing her hair jet black, a trademark look that defined her for decades. But in the nursing home, her hair grew out white as snow. Dementia softened her sharp edges, and the once bossy, hard‑to‑please Maudie became unexpectedly sweet, offering a tender final chapter to her life.

References

• Annie Bertha Moore, Certificate of Death no. 16703, Certificate of Death, Georgia Department of Public Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, 1936.
• Charles E. Moore, Certificate of Death no. 30-16071, Certificate of Death, Georgia State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, 1930.
• Claudia B. Moore, Georgia Deaths, 1919–98.
• Claudia B. Moore, Social Security Death Index.
• Claudia Burnett Moore, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007.
• Eatonton Hunter is Accidentally Killed Saturday, Eatonton Messenger, Eatonton, Georgia, January 5, 1956.
• Elizabeth Jones Burnette, Certificate of Death no. 30983, Certificate of Death, Georgia Department of Public Health, 1956.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/58710640/frank-moore: accessed November 18, 2025), memorial page for Frank Moore (1895–1976), Find a Grave Memorial ID 58710640, citing Walker United Methodist Church Cemetery, Veazey, Greene County, Georgia, USA; maintained by: Find a Grave.
• Frank Moore, U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918.
• George F. Moore, Georgia, U.S., Death Index, 1919–1998.
• George F. Moore, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007.
• Greene County, Georgia, Census Soundex card, 1920.
• Luther T. Burnett, U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850–2010.
• Luther Terrell Burnett, U.S., Lists of Men Ordered to Report to Local Board for Military Duty, 1917–1918,
• Maudie Lord, Oconee County, Georgia, U.S., Probate Death Certificates, 1927–2010.
• Mr. Geo. F. Moore, Georgia, Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1828–1978,
• Personal memories of Sam Lankford, Betty Elrod, Mickey Lord, and Anne Garner.
• Thomas Terrel Burnette, Certificate of Death no. 4275, Certificate of Death, Georgia Department of Public Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, 1940.
• U.S. Federal Census, Columbus, Muscogee County, Georgia, 1950.
• U.S. Federal Census, Greensboro, Greene County, Georgia, 1930, 1940, 1950.
• U.S. Federal Census, Greshamville, Greene County, Georgia, 1910.
• U.S. Federal Census, Walkers District, Greene County, Georgia, 1920.