Household #183: Burney, William Wirt
Back to the 1900 Census & Household Index
In the 1900 Barney census, William Burney headed a one-person household. The table below preserves the exact names, relationships, ages, birthplaces, and occupations recorded for the household.
Household Snapshot
William Burney appeared as a one-person household in the 1900 Barney census; the snapshot rests on the head's age, birthplace, work status, and place in the census order.
William Burney's listed occupation was Day Laborer Farm.
All listed household members were reported as born in Georgia.
Newspaper and Public-Record Trail
This section flags public-record leads separate from the census table. The detailed discussion stays in the family narrative, research status, and source citations below.
1900 Census Household
| Name | Relation | Age | Birthplace | Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Burney | Head | 30 | Georgia | Day Laborer Farm |
Children and Later Trails
No child-tracking items are open for this page because the 1900 table lists no children in the household.
Family Narrative
William Wirt Burney was born 7 April 1869 in the Boston, Thomas County, Georgia area and died 19 March 1942 in Thomas County. His parentage is supported by the 1870 and 1880 census trail in the William James Burney and Rachel Foreman household and by his death record, which names his mother as Rachel Freeman or Foreman. The Foreman form is supported by the 1856 Glynn County marriage of William James Burney and Rachael Foreman.
The 1900 Barney entry appears to be a temporary Brooks County residence. William is alone in the household, listed as married for five years, and working as a day laborer. By 1910 he was back in Boston, Thomas County, widowed and working as a city policeman. He married Mary Gertrude Gaskins in Thomas County on 30 May 1912, and later census records place him in Boston through 1940.
The first wife remains only partly identified. FindAGrave lists Georgia E. Burney as a spouse, and the 1900 census indicates a marriage about 1895, but no direct marriage or death record for Georgia E. has been located in the current entry. Known children are Frank Burney, supported by FindAGrave, and Margaret "Peggy" Burney Willis, supported by census and Social Security Applications material from the second marriage.
Connections to Other Barney Families
This household is not a long-term Barney family cluster. Its strongest network is the Thomas County Burney-Gaskins family. The Barney appearance may reflect temporary farm labor, a short residence tied to the first marriage, or work away from the Boston household.
Research Notes
- A direct record is needed for the first wife Georgia E. Burney: marriage, death, burial, probate, or obituary.
- Frank Burney's parentage and adult trail are currently secondary-heavy if based only on FindAGrave; direct census, death, or vital records are needed.
- The 1900 "married five years, wife absent" issue needs image-level review and a search for Georgia/first wife in nearby households.
- The 1941 vs. 1942 death-year conflict should keep the Georgia Death Index date primary and FindAGrave date secondary unless the grave image proves otherwise.
Online exhaustion update
The June 2026 pass located no direct online marriage, death, burial, probate, or obituary record for first wife Georgia E. Burney and no direct parent-naming record for Frank Burney. William Wirt Burney's parentage, second marriage, later life, and death are closed by direct records; Georgia E. and Frank remain unresolved after available online sources were exhausted.
Open Research Questions
- Resolve the open items flagged in Research Notes above with direct records before expanding this household narrative.
Research Status
Source-exhausted for available online sources. William's parentage, second marriage, later census trail, and death are well supported. The first marriage and son Frank remain open because the online record set did not produce direct proof beyond secondary/cemetery leads.
Sources
- 1900 US Federal Census, Barney, Brooks County GA, Willie/William Burney (Ancestry 7602:52873624)
- 1870 and 1880 US Federal Census, William J. Burney household, Thomas County GA
- 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 US Federal Census, William W. Burney household, Thomas County GA
- Georgia Marriage Records, W. W. Burney and Gertrude Gaskins, 30 May 1912, Thomas County GA (Ancestry 4766:725922)
- Georgia Death Index, William W. Burney, 19 Mar 1942, Thomas County GA, Certificate #9135
- Social Security Applications and Claims Index, Peggy Will Burney / Margaret Willis
- FamilySearch death record ark:/61903/1:1:QG48-54X2
- FindAGrave Memorial #33832270, William W. Burney; secondary for family details unless corroborated
- June 2026 online exhaustion search for Georgia E. Burney and Frank Burney; no direct marriage/death/parentage record located.
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