He was the son of William B. Burtis, a civic leader in San Francisco and at one time the California State Adjutant General, and Dollie Ruth (Sterrett) Burtis. After the death of his father, the family moved to New Jersey and lived there and in New York City, spending their summers in Stamford-in-the-Catskills. Erl was a photographer. Erl's sister Edith M. Burtis was a fashion editor for Ladies Home Journal and his brother, Eric, was a sculptor. In 1926, Erl became a resident of Miami, Florida.
He was the son of William B. Burtis, a civic leader in San Francisco and at one time the California State Adjutant General, and Dollie Ruth (Sterrett) Burtis. After the death of his father, the family moved to New Jersey and lived there and in New York City, spending their summers in Stamford-in-the-Catskills. Erl was a photographer. Erl's sister Edith M. Burtis was a fashion editor for Ladies Home Journal and his brother, Eric, was a sculptor. In 1926, Erl became a resident of Miami, Florida.
