Elsie Elmina Burnett (née Cordell) was born in Black Mountain, North Carolina, on February 28, 1860. Burnett was a niece of Jesse Stepp, who at one time owned the peak of Mount Mitchell. During the state's efforts to establish a state park there, Burnett claimed to have title to the peak through inheritance or purchase. She died in Asheville (Buncombe County) on November 27, 1943.