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Remembering the
Dead . . .
Written By: Lisa Schlichtman
Making sure the dead are remembered is one of the reasons Jack Fly and Ted
Roller have spent days pouring over pages of county court records to find
the names of Barry County paupers buried in one of two Barry County Poor
Farm cemeteries.
From the last quarter of the 19th Century through the mid-1950s, many of
Barry County's poor were buried in unmarked graves on property located near
the county's two poor houses.
"Back then, the county would bring poor and indigent people to one place
where they housed and cared for them," said Fly. "A lot of these people were
disabled and mentally challenged, but those who were physically able
actually farmed on the property to help support themselves."
Fly, who is an active member of the Barry County Cemetery Restoration
Project, has taken on the challenge of identifying those who were buried at
these cemeteries because he would like to have their names engraved on
monuments that will be erected at both cemetery sites.
"It is our goal to place a single monument at both cemeteries to commemorate
the burials of the paupers and poor of our county who are buried there and
so long ago forgotten," said Fly. "They lived in disrespect and they lie in
disgrace. It is time to right that wrong."
Fly was been joined in his research on the Barry County Poor Farm cemeteries
by Roller, a fellow genealogical enthusiast. Through their research and
efforts, both cemeteries were located.
The original cemetery, which dates back to 1874, is located in the Mineral
Springs area where the first Barry County Poor Farm once stood. It is
located on private property and was completely unmarked. Fly was able to use
dowsing rods to locate 28 unmarked graves, and those graves were staked out,
platted and photographed for historic record.
The second Poor Farm cemetery is located on the hill behind the Barry County
Care Center, which was once known as the Almshouse.
The cemetery is fenced but has fallen into disrepair over the past several
decades. Recently, members of Cassville Boy Scout Troop #76 were recruited
to help clean up the site and more work days will be scheduled in the near
future.
Once the site is cleared of overgrowth, Fly will dowse for graves and then
stake their locations within the cemetery. Although individual grave markers
will not be erected, Fly said he would like to see simple white crosses
marking each grave site.
The Almshouse on County Farm Road was built in 1906 after the poor farm in
the Mineral Springs area fell into a deplorable condition.
In addition to locating the original poor farm cemetery and cleaning up the
second, Fly and Roller continue to search county and state death
certificates and records to compile a list of people who were buried in the
Poor Farm cemeteries. To date, the men have documented 29 burials at the
Almshouse Cemetery.
The names of those
buried there include: Mrs. Frederick Schuman, died Sept. 20, 1911; John A.
Bowman, died Feb. 6, 1912; Harvey Martin, died Dec. 20, 1912; L.
Kirkpatrick, died Nov. 6, 1913;
Mary Jones,
died Sept. 7, 1914
- death certificate has Sept.
6, 1910 as her death date cause of death TB; George W.
Jackson, died Nov. 3, 1914; W. H. Crowe, died March 2, 1916; Lillian May
Wheeler, died March 3, 1916; Lottie Jane Shaffer, died Feb. 10, 1917.
Isreal Grover, died Oct. 5, 1853; Samuel Harris, died May 27, 1919; Tressie
Perkins, died Oct. 21, 1921; Ross Woodward, died Oct. 27, 1924; Fannie
Dodge, died Jan. 29, 1926; Henry Baker, died April 18, 1928; Charles
Williams, died Sept. 26, 1929; Tommy Williams, died Oct. 19, 1929; Bartley
Cook, died May 5, 1931; H. E. Weber, died Jan. 28, 1932.
King Rhodes, died July 16, 1933; Edward Detty, died, July 16, 1933; John
Perkins, died Dec. 6, 1933; Charles Foster, died June 8, 1935; John Wilson,
died Sept. 29, 1935; Samuel Ellsworth, died Nov. 2, 1935; George Wesley
Pope, died April 13, 1939; infant Hawk, died Dec. 5, 1940; Joel Alfred
Martin, died Aug. 14, 1948; and Audie Hayes, died Feb. 9, 1952.
Each of these names will be placed on a monument, which will be erected at
the Poor Farm cemetery sites. As more names are uncovered, they will be
added to the monument.
Currently, donations are being sought to pay for the two monuments. Anyone
wishing to contribute to the Poor Farm Memorial Stone Project can mailed
their donations to: The Barry County Genealogical and Historical Society,
P.O. Box 291, Cassville MO 65625. The notation on the check should read Poor
Farm Memorial Stone.
"I want to get the nicest monument possible for the money we can collect,"
said Fly. "I also want to list as many names as we can document.
"I think everyone should have a monument," said Fly. "It's your mark in the
world to say you were here. I think people should be remembered."
This one
below was added by Jay Trace
COOLEY, Golden Marie
Birth: Jan. 12, 1915
Cassville, Barry Co., MO
Death: Mar. 1, 1915
Cassville, Barry Co., MO
Research Note: Cause of death "not known, may have been pneumonia, judging
from history given." Father listed as Linn(?) Cooley of Greenfield, MO.
Mother listed as Amanda Lee Ayers of Greenfield, MO. Informants were the
father, and someone with the last name Bayless, which may have been listed
as a midwife(?).
Resource: Missouri Death Certificate
Jay Trace
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