Mattie Belle Moore

This blog post is another in a series connecting the dots in my tree to the souls buried at Bairdstown Cemetery in Bairdstown, Oglethorpe County, Georgia.

Mattie Belle Moore was born on October 6, 1886, in Polk County, likely in Cedartown, Georgia. She was the daughter of George William Moore and Margaret E. Hogg, both originally from Greene County, Georgia. Mattie was one of several children in the Moore family, including her siblings: Margaret “Maggie” Moore, Bettie Moore, Nellie J. Moore, Charles Howard Moore, Lula E. Moore, William Henry Moore, Helen O. Moore, and George A. Moore.

Mattie Belle Moore (photo from Rebecca Brightwell)

Though we share no common ancestors, Mattie is connected to my family as the mother-in-law of the niece of the husband of my 2nd great-aunt, Lillie “Della” Lankford. Della was the sister of my great-grandmother, Alice Beman Lankford, and the wife of Hayden Edgar George.

Mattie’s life was touched by loss early on. Her mother, Margaret, passed away on April 4, 1900, when Mattie was just 13 years old. Margaret was laid to rest at Lime Branch Cemetery in Polk County. She left behind 30 ¾ acres of land, part of an inheritance from her father. However, the property had to be sold by George, Mattie’s father, to settle debts associated with Margaret’s estate.

On June 21, 1900, Mattie was living with her widowed father in the Blooming Grove community, District 88 of Polk County. The household included her siblings Maggie, Bettie, Nellie, Helen, and George, ranging in age from 3 to 20. George worked as a farmer on land he owned. At the time, Mattie, Bettie, and Nellie were attending school. All members of the household, except for the youngest children, Helen and George, were able to read and write.

On January 5, 1902, Mattie’s father, George, remarried. His second wife was Emma S. Burgess, and the ceremony took place in Oconee County, Georgia.

Later that same year, on December 31, 1902, Mattie married William Henry Arthur, the son of George Hugh Arthur and Mary Caroline Johnson. Their wedding was held in Polk County, Georgia, officiated by a minister named G. B. Bowman. At the time of their marriage, there was a seven-year age difference between Mattie and Henry.

Marriage certificate from Polk County, Georgia

Mattie and Henry had a large family, welcoming nine children: Mary Arthur, George Hugh Arthur, Emily E. Arthur, Sue Belle Arthur, Nellie Arthur, Frances Arthur, William Arthur, Roy Mell Arthur, and one child whose name remains unknown. Interestingly, Mattie’s obituary notes that she was known as Sue Bell Moore prior to her marriage—possibly inspiring the name of her daughter, Sue Belle. Despite extensive searching, I have been unable to locate any record of the ninth child beyond a mention in Mattie’s obituary.

By April 15, 1910, the Arthur family was living on a rented farm along Lexington Road in Bairdstown, Georgia. The census that year recorded that Mattie had given birth to five children, all of whom were living at the time. Also residing in the household was Henry’s 22-year-old brother, John “Johnnie” Arthur. Both Henry and Johnnie were listed as farmers on a general farm. All three adults—Mattie, Henry, and Johnnie—were noted as being able to read and write. At that point, Mattie and Henry had been married for seven years.

Mattie’s family faced another loss when her sister, Lula, passed away on June 2, 1914. Lula was laid to rest at Leila Cemetery in Colquitt County, Georgia.

By 1918, Mattie and Henry had moved to Stephens, another small community in Oglethorpe County, Georgia. That year, during World War I, Henry registered for the draft and listed his occupation as a farmer working for John W. Moody.

By January 2, 1920, Mattie and Henry had purchased a farm in the Falling Creek district near Maxeys, in Oglethorpe County. Henry worked the land as a general farmer, while their eldest son, Hugh, contributed as a farm laborer on the home place. Eight of their children were living at home, ranging in age from 16 to 5. All but their youngest, Roy, were attending school. Everyone in the household could read and write, except for the three youngest—Frances (8), William (7), and Roy (5).

Tragically, Mattie passed away suddenly on December 30, 1922, in Maxeys. Her death certificate simply noted the cause as “sudden,” offering no further explanation. She was buried the next day, December 31, which marked her and Henry’s 20th wedding anniversary. Her funeral was held at Bairdstown Cemetery, where she was laid to rest.

Her passing was announced in The Oglethorpe Echo on January 5, 1923, which wrote: “The sad death of Mrs. Henry Arthur, of Maxeys, occurred last Saturday night. She was just in the prime of life, thirty-seven years of age. She was before her marriage twenty years ago to W. H. Arthur, Miss Sue Bell Moore of Cedartown. She was the splendidly good mother of nine children and her fine tender care of them was marked with the finest of motherly love. Her body was laid to rest here (Bairdstown) Sunday afternoon at 2:30 o’clock. She leaves her husband and nine children.”

References

• Charles Howard Moore, State of Texas, Certificate of Death no. 10830, 1966.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24210892/george_william-moore: accessed June 17, 2025), memorial page for George William Moore (28 Jul 1851–29 May 1927), Find a Grave Memorial ID 24210892, citing Lime Branch Cemetery, Polk County, Georgia, USA; maintained by Áine Ní Donnghaile (contributor 47214861).
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24210912/margaret_e-moore: accessed June 17, 2025), memorial page for Margaret E. “Maggie” Hogg Moore (25 Mar 1855–4 Apr 1900), Find a Grave Memorial ID 24210912, citing Lime Branch Cemetery, Polk County, Georgia, USA; maintained by HistoryGeek (contributor 47373780).
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/51665693/lula_e-watson: accessed June 18, 2025), memorial page for Lula E. Moore Watson (16 Oct 1876–2 Jun 1914), Find a Grave Memorial ID 51665693, citing Leila Cemetery, Colquitt County, Georgia, USA; maintained by Brenda Arnett Darbyshire (contributor 47229861).
• Mattie Bell Arthur, Georgia State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Standard Certificate of Death no. 33357, 1922.
• McRee Jr., Fred W., Oglethorpe County, Georgia Deaths: 1874–1938, p. 293, (The Oglethorpe Echo, January 5, 1923), 2006.
• Miss Mattie Belle Moore and W. H. Arthur, Georgia, Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1828–1978.
• Mr. George W. Moore and Miss Emma Burgess, Georgia, U.S., Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1828–1978.
• Personal visit to Bairdstown Cemetery, Bairdstown, Oglethorpe County, Georgia.
• Polk County, Georgia, Court Minutes 1899–1910, image 61, FamilySearch.
• U.S. Federal Census, Bairdstown, Oglethorpe County, Georgia, 1910.
• U.S. Federal Census, Blooming Grove, Polk County, Georgia, 1900.
• U.S. Federal Census, Falling Creek, Oglethorpe County, Georgia, 1920.
• U.S. Federal Census, Hutchings, Polk County, Georgia, 1880.
• William Henry Arthur, U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918.