Emily Isabella BURT

     Emily Isabella BURT, daughter of Joel Hurt BURT and Mildred Ann OWEN, was born on 29 July 1841 in Talbot County, Georgia.¹ She was also known as Emmie.

Emily Isabella BURT Emily never married.

Her father died on 8 June 1847 in Pleasant Hill, Talbot County, Georgia, when Emily was 5.^2,3

Emily Isabella BURT appeared on a census, enumerated 1860, in the household of her mother Mildred Ann OWEN in Talbotton, Talbot County, Georgia. She was 18 years old.¹

From "The Ghost Trackers", Isabella Burt, The Georgia Werewolf, Woodland, Georgia: The Ghost Trackers arrived early on the appointed date to meet with writers from the Columbus Georgia newspaper. Having previously investigated reports of the Georgia Werewolf with a consultant with The Learning Channel we once again found ourselves with the opportunity to investigate this incredible legend. Local reports were recently surfacing from area farmers that something is attacking and killing there animals. This makes one think…MMMM Could it Really Be!!

After introductions, conversation and shared information. We found ourselves traveling deep into the foothills of rural Georgia. After seemingly leaving civilization we turned off the black top road unto the rich red Georgia clay then parked cars and walked deep into the seemingly unknown to get to the final or perhaps not so final resting place of Isabella Burt.

The Burt family was a prominent Talbot County family in the 1830s. Mildred Owen Burt was a young middle aged woman with children when her husband passed away. Being industrious and thrifty she was able to send her children to school as well as a European trip when her two daughters had become young ladies.

The Burt daughters consisted of Sarah who was the friendly and out going of the two and Isabella who was said to be introverted and a loner. After returning from Europe Isabella begins to suffer from insomnia and took to roaming the country side at night. It has been said she begin to let her hair grow shaggy and wild and her eye brows bushy. Her teeth became unkempt and pointed from no doubt a dental disease. Soon after these transformations seem to over take Isabella there were reports of a strange cries in the night and farmers sheep, pigs and cows were being killed an uneaten with all the animals blood drained from their bodies.

One night as Isabella creped out of the house her mother Mildred decided to follow her. The farmers had formed a posse to find and kill the werewolf that was killing their livestock with this news Mildred had become quiet worried about Isabella. As the moon rose in the dark Georgia sky Mildred spotted Isabella with her hand held high holding a large knife coming down toward an innocent newborn calf. Mildred called out and Isabella turned toward her in anger just as two shots rang out, Mildred fainted as she heard the blood curling scream coming from Isabella as one bullet struck her left hand. A doctor attended Isabella and Mildred recovered from the shock.

Isabella was carted off to Europe where a doctor whose specialty was in treating people with a psychiatric disease called Lycanthrope. This disease can cause mentally disturbed people to believe they have become werewolves.

Several months later Isabella returned to Talbot County and lived in the family home until she died a lonely old maid at the age of 70 in 1911.⁴

Emily Isabella BURT died on 18 June 1911 in Woodland, Talbot County, Georgia, at age 69.² She was buried in Owen Cemetery, Woodland, Talbot County, Georgia.⁵