Pettis County, Missouri
SOUTH FORK Cemetery
Blackwater Township - Section 27. About 1/2 mile east of 127 on the south side of South Fork Road, probably about 3 miles south of Sweet Springs (in Saline County). The cemetery is currently attended. Fenced. Limited burials, basically inactive. TYPE: pre Civil War rural family, became a Baptist church cemetery, then private after church destroyed. Expanded from original 1847 plat of 40 X 60 feet. [Can't tell how/where this plat is today.]
To add to the readings below, record in afternoon sunlight and take a nylon bristle scrub brush for the moss. In summer, lots of poison ivy. We have about 85 names below, which puts us at 1/3rd of this cemetery's readable markers (given the right light & time of year). I paced it off, but scribbled the dimensions on a piece of paper in the rain that I subsequenty lost...a guess would be 50 yards by 30 yards.
Clay Parsons writes, "I am on the board for this cemetery and have had it cleared of brush this year (2006/7). This cemetery was built by a man named Spurgeon in 1847 who wrote, 'I have just made a burial ground 40 by 60 feet.' This cemetery is built on the original prairie, and the tall grass east of the chain link fence contains big blue stem and Indian grass. The sharp drop off 3 to 4 feet around all sides of the cemetery shows how much top soil has been lost in farming. The current road by the cemetery was built in 1920s when a bridge was put across South Fork. There are foundation stones of the Primitive Baptist Church visible 150 feet north of the chain link fence."
Anderson, John S.; Sept 3, 1820 - ___(no data)
Anderson, Mary A., wife of J. S.; Jun 15, 1824 - May 28, 1885
Anderson, Frank M.; Mar 4, 1861 - Oct 19, 1886
Ayres, Eliza C., wife of James H.; d Mar 15, 1880 - 35y, 2m, & 9d
Bell, Phebe, wife of H. C.; Apr 18, 1841 - Nov 26, 1892
Berry, Lawson F.; Aug 2, 1853 - Sept 2, 1907
Blank, Charles W.; 1891 - 1968
Blank, Charles William; Mar 13, 1914 - May 15, 1993
Blank, Margaret W.; 1897 - 1981
Bobbitt, Dexter; 1870 - 1960
Bobbitt, Cartie; 1883 - 1952
Bright, George R. 1858 - 1937
Bright, Sarah A.; 1860 - 1938
Bright, Robert L.; 1881 - 1959
Brown, Dr. J. A. C.; died Dec 7, 1888 - aged 54y [masonic emblem]
Brown, Mattie, wife of J. A. C.; died Oct 2, 1893 - aged 54y
Crews, Ella Cooper, wife of L. L., Apr 6, 1861 - Oct 30, 1894
Daniel, Carrie L.; Apr 13, 1871 - Apr 24, 1969
Daniel, Diane E.; Oct 10, 1941 -June 11, 1976
Daniel, Hannah, wife of W.; Sept 15, 1801 - __(stone broken at this point)
Davidson, Lillie M., dau of S. & J.; b&d Jan 20, 1880
Dennis, Loretta, wife of G.(?) A.; d Dec 24, 1878 - 24y, 8m, & 25d
Duck, Lulu J., wife of W. L., dau of W. C. & E. D. Riley
June 21, 1861 - Sept 20, 1890 - aged 29y & 3m
Folkerth, Charles; Oct 23, 1867 - Oct 18, 1877
Folkerth, Harvey; Oct 2, 1830 - July 19, 1878
Folkerth, Elizabeth; June 20, 1837 - Feb 20, 1889
Folkerth, Rosa Lee; Dec 26, 1874 - Jan 22, 1958
Franklin, Ralph Earl; June 24, 1920 - Dec 24, 1987; [+mil] AD2, US Navy, WWII
Franklin, Betty Jo Williams; July 1, 1924 - ___(no data) [married 5/24/45]
Gallagher, Nancy A., wife of P.B.; d Jan 10, 1862 - 25(?)y, 11m,__(broken at this point)
Gray, Alex H.; died Dec 26, 1912 - aged 54y [IOOF emblem]
Guinn, Bettie, dau of Bartholomew & Margaret; d Apr 13, 1883 - aged 18y, 5m, & 1d Photo
Gwinn, Bartholomew; 1832 - 1912
Gwinn, Margaret; 1888 - 1912
Idol, Ransom H.; Dec 10, 1832 - Jan 17, 1901
Jones, James A.; Nov 23, 1848 - July 8, 1905
Lamm, George H.; Oct 30, 1921 - ___(no data)
Lamm, Virginia L.; Aug 24, 1926 - Nov 21, 1996
Lane, Melvin Leroy; May 11, 1918 - ___(no data)
Lane, Mary Lou Daniel; Aug 24, 1908 - July 23, 2001 [married 5/29/43]
Miller, Eliza; July 11, 1824 - June 23, 1911
Miller, Everett C.; Feb 15, 1861 - Feb 12, 1914
Miller, Sidney M.; 1852 - 1901
Miller, Laura; Oct 12, 1855 - Aug 21, 1910
Myers, Clement E., son of J. & E. W.; June 7, 1867 - Aug 15, 1899
Myers, Joseph; July 4, 1819 - Nov 8, 1898
Myers, Eleanor W.; Feb 24, 1827 - Mar 16, 1881
Payne, John; Jan 7, 1807 - May 3/8, 1884 - aged 7_y, 2m, & 25d (error, math doesn't work)
Payne, Junieus C.; Mar 28, 1848 - Sept 5, 1903
Pitman, George T.; d June 30, 1877 - aged 32y, 5m, & 8d
Ray, Rosamond F. Lond, wife of J. W.; May 17, 1852 - Feb 22, 1909
Ray, Sarah Estelle, dau of J. W. & Rosa F.; d Sept 16, 1899 - 8y, 11m, & 16d
Ray, William Claud, infant son of J. W. & Rosa F.; d July 5, 1887 - 8m & 21d
Reavis, Angeline; Nov (?) 28, 1864 - June 18 (?), 1885
Roberts, Lecy; Feb 3, 1817 - Aug 3, 1883 - aged 66y & 6m
Robinson, Marie N.; d Nov 17, 1879 - aged 16y, 3m, and 12d (marker down)
Sleeper, George L.; Aug 15, 1878 - July 25, 1954
Smith, Alvius; 1843 - 1905
Smith, Marinda; 1855 - 1903
Smith, Byron Duncan, Apr 4, 1898 - May 16, 1959; Ill, Pvt, Stu Army Tng Corps, WWI
Smith, Ida E., dau of Wm. M. & M Vickrey, wife of Charles O.;
Feb 14, 1871 - Dec 15, 1894 - aged 23y, 10m, & 1d
Smith, infant son of Eli & S.; June 15, 1882 - July 7, 1882
Smith, Sylvia Williams, wife of Byron; 1894 - 1980
Spratt, W. A. (need sunshine to read)
Spurgin, Joseph; Nov 14, 1825 - Aug 24, 1900
Spurgin, Mary A.; Feb 24, 1836 - Mar 8, 1882
Spurgin, Samuel; 1862 - 1907 (on back of marker)
Spurgin, Orleana C.; Apr 16, 1848 - Aug 29, 1883
Spurgin, Solomon; Oct 10, 1822 - Feb 5, 1907
Spurgin, Eliza M. Haynes, wife of Solomon; July 5, 1825 - Apr 2, 1896
Vickrey, Mary J., wife of Wm. M.; Jan 25, 1850 - May 26, 1903
Vickrey, Wm. M.; 1830 - 1917
Waddle, B. C., dau of C. & A. E. (then this figure) LL D: III6I [hand carved stone]
Wakelin, Harold G.; Dec 16, 1923 - May 23, 1989
Wakelin, M. Jeanette; Mar 1, 1929 - June 30, 1986
Williams, Caroline C., wife of D. L.; Dec 12, 1832 - Feb 6, 1854
Williams, Demps Brown; Sept 8 1903 - July 7, 1969
Williams, E. Hampton; July 31, 1899 - Mar 6, 1965; Mo, PFC, Co B, 140 INF, WWI
Williams, Flavius S.; Nov 7, 1863 - June 1, 1945
Williams, Cora B.; Nov 19, 1865 - Sept 12, 1913
Williams, J. L.; d Mar 7, 1876 - aged 28y, 2m, & 19d (marker down)
Williams, Larkin F.; Nov 14, 1830 - Nov 6, 1903
Williams, Elizabeth, his wife; Dec 5, 1833 - Jan 20, 1905
Williams, Lois Annetta, wife of E. Hampton; Aug 20, 1910 - Feb 1, 1974
Williams, Marguerite Elliott; Dec 25, 1905 - Apr 25, 1999