Thomas Burney was born January 7, 1906, in Macon, Georgia. By 1925, he had moved to Plattsburgh, New York, where he lived with his uncle, James Savage. In 1927, he married Bertha Mae Scott, and they raised two sons. Thomas worked in the paper industry as a laborer and paper cutter. By 1940, he owned a home on Boynton Avenue. He later relocated with his family to Buffalo, where he died on December 5, 1964, and was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery. His story reflects African American migration, industrial employment, family life, and economic advancement in the North Country.
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