Request Material
Dunlap-Burge papers
Descriptive Summary | |
| Title: Dunlap-Burge papers | |
| Creator: Burge, John L. | |
| Creator: Burge, Chester, 1904-1963 | |
| Inclusive Dates: 1939-1968 | |
| Language(s): English | |
| Extent: 2 Linear Feet 1 box, 1 oversize box | |
| Collection Number: ms4203 | |
| Repository: Hargrett Library | |
Collection Description
Historical Note
Chester A. Burge (1904-1963) was from Macon, Georgia. Frequently in trouble with the law, Chester was institutionalized for his violent behavior during his first marriage. He married his second wife Mary Kennington in 1924 and had a son named John. Chester was involved in illegal activities and schemes throughout his life, including loan sharking, bootlegging (for which he served prison time), and disreputable real estate and rental practices. Being a distant cousin of the Dunlap family and finding the elder Dunlap sisters in need, he developed a friendship with Clara Dunlap Badgley. This later created great suspicion over his involvement during the rewriting her will in which she gave her property to Chester's son John Burge. The 1945 trial contesting the will was well covered in the local press and public opinion was never settled. He was tried in 1960 for the murder of his second wife, Mary, and though acquitted was widely seen as guilty through extensive press coverage. He eventually married again for a short period of time and moved to Florida, where he died in an explosion at his home.
John Lee Burge (1925-1972) was a U.S. Navy submariner during World War II, and received his Master of Business Administration from the University of Georgia in 1952. He held various teaching positions in Georgia colleges. John was the son of Chester Burge, and had two children with his second wife Jo Lynn Scott.
Clara Dunlap Badgley (1869-1945) was from Macon, Georgia. She is a daughter of Samuel S. Dunlap, and sister to Nellie Dunlap and Ilah Dunlap Little.
Scope and Content
This collection contains Burge family correspondence, a scrapbook, deposition transcripts from the 1945 dispute over Clara Dunlap Badgley's will, including the photographs of signatures that were analyzed. Also included is an engraved portrait of Samuel S. Dunlap.
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Dunlap-Burge papers, ms4203, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries.