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John and Margaretta Francis Westcott

John and Margaretta Francis Westcott

According to descendants this is the Westcott that is buried in our cemetery.  His name is John.  The woman is his wife Margaretta Francis (nee Boyer).

He was born Nov 27, 1855 in Bedforshire, England.  He immigrated in November of 1873 to Cincinati, OH
 
He and Margaretta had 1 child.  A daughter Annabell.  She was born only 3 months before John died June 29, 1886.  Margaretta then moved to PA and remarried – possibly twice.  Annabell on some records is using her stepfathers surname of Spencer.

Sims / Price

The Sims/Price Legacy

In the very old section of Union Campground Cemetery a stone box grave reveals the name of Fanny Sims. At the time of her burial the name was scratched onto the surface of the stone. The census of Greene County in 1840 lists the name of Fanny Sims, age 60-70, with a male 50-60 in the household, along with three children.

The Sims family migrated to Missouri from Tennessee in 1832. Numerous aunts and uncles followed in 1837. They came by wagons pulled by oxen and felt fortunate to travel as much as ten miles per day. When the family reached what is now Greene County the area was sparsely populated and almost a wilderness. A stopover was made southwest of Springfield to visit the Rountrees before continuing on through what is now the public square, wagons and oxen cautiously dodging trees and stumps along the way. Progress was slow as they lumbered toward the community of Hickory Barren, some 10 to 12 miles north of the village of Springfield and well to the north of what was later to become Union Campground Cemetery.

They settled in a rustic home, and the story is told about how the beds were checked each night for the presence of rattlesnakes. After almost 12 years the family moved to a larger hone south of Pleasant Horne Church and were living at this location at the outbreak of the Civil War. Worried about his family and better to protect them from the possibility of marauding soldiers, Mr. Sims had notches carved into the windowsills of the upstairs rooms. These notches would hold rifles, if and when the occasion demanded.

Nancy Ann Sims Price, niece of Fanny Sims, often mentioned about an upsetting time during the years of conflict when her husband, Terry Griffin Price, failed to return home from a trip into town. People knew the troops of both sides were ever present because evidence of campsites had been found in the nearby woods. When neighbors heard of his disappearance they set out to find him. Just about a mile from the house he was found, left for dead. None of his belongings were near him and he was carried home. He was alive and soon recovered from a terrible beating. He could only recall the immediate capture and the extreme pain he endured before losing consciousness. Nancy Ann would speak of the dreaded sound of the cannons to the south and murmur, ••It was a terrible, feaarful time.” And she would tap her cane and softly hum a hymn of reassurance.

Excerpts from an interview with Vera Kathleen Price Chandler, August 12, 1996. Interview conducted by Jean Gaffga Rayl, member of the Greene County Historical Society.

Mary E. Sage

Research on Union Campground Cemetery was at an all-time high during the summer of 1994. We were attempting to discover all we could in a short period of time. Contacts were made with families, either through telephone conversations or personal interviews and from these contacts many interesting and colorful stories emerged about “what-us ed-to be.”

 More than one family mentioned that years ago an old wagon road ran along the western edge of the cemetery. To verify this story, a few photographs were taken. One of the photographs revealed traces of tracks made by the passage of wagons. No evidence, however, of where the road began and ended. A few people believed it started on Valley Water Mill Road and threaded its way along the western edge of the cemetery, leaving the boundaries in the northwest corner.

The ground to the western edge is uneven and overgrown. Small rocks are scattered and embedded in the soil. One rock seemed to be a little unusual. After a bit of prodding, prying and digging around the rock, a perfectly preserved tombstone came to light. The leaves and dirt and protected it from the elements for untold seasons. Lettering on the stone reveals:

At the top of the tombstone is a dove.

MARY E. SAGE
Dau. Of W.W. and S.A. Sage
Died: Feb. 8, 1884
3 Y,1 M, 28 D
“Suffer Little Children Come Unto Me”

The Springfield Land Office Sales Book (1833-1892) does not show a Sage family owning farmland. By 1904, the sales book lists an E.A.Sage, E.W. Sage, O.B. Sage and Martha Sage as owners of acreage in Franklin Township, but no W.W. Sage. Searches were made of probate, tax and census records with no results. Marriage Abstracts (18711893) show a William Sage married to Lucy Haslip on 4 October 1871. The name Lucy does not match the initials of S.A. Sage on the tombstone. The Springfield City Directory and Greene County Gazetter (1890-1891) lists W.W. Sage as owning property in Sec 22, Taylor Township, with a post office address as Ozark, MO.

An account of Mary’s death is to be found in the Greene County Missouri Archives Births and Deaths (1883-1890), p. 186: “Mary E. Sage – death registered by Dr. J.A. Brown – died of typhoid state of system with thrush – suffered 3 months.”

Typhoid, an acute highly infectious disease, is associated with contaminated food or water. Thrush is an oral infection with a fungus, characterized by white eruptions in the mouth. The doctor could not have done much more than keep Mary hydrated and as comfortable as possible. She probably did not take much water of food at the end of her life. How young to die, suffering untold misery, with little medical care because it simply was not available.

 Mary Sage needs to be remembered. We can help do this by replacing her tombstone on its base. The base is nearby and in good condition.

No other Sage burials have been found in Union Campground Cemetery.

Prepared by: Jean Rayl 2004

Rebecca Roper

 Her tombstone leans heavily to one side. The years have taken a toll…after all, it has guarded her resting place since 1846. The grave has caved in leaving a depression surrounded by remnants of a stone box burial. Read the words inscribed on her stone:

Sacred to the Memory
of
Rebecca Roper
B: 6 Jan 1795
D: 4 Dec 1846

Rebecca was the wife of David Roper, a gentleman who came to Greene County, MO. Ca 1831 (Holcombe’s Historv of Greene County, p. 143. “Opening the Ozarks: First Families in Southwest Missouri 1835-1839” says he was married to Rebecca Cannon on 10 Sep 1813 in Blount Co., Tennessee. His name appears on the 1833 Greene County Tax List. He obtained his parcel of land by the Preemption Act of 1834.

Children of David and Rebecca (Cannon) Roper:

  1. Elizabeth Roper b: 2 Sep 1818 in TN
  2. William Roper b: 1820 in TN
  3. ?Ann Eliza Roper b: ca. 1822 in TN
  4. ?Jane Roper b: ca. 1824 in TN

In the 1840 Census of Greene Co. MO, Rebecca is listed only as white female, as 40-50 years.

 The above scant details are all we know about her life. But, as we walk through the oldest section of Union Campground Cemetery, we observe her tombstone and pay tribute to her life.

Submitted by Jean Rayl 2008

The Looney Family

(African Americans)

The Looney family graves are located near the eastern edge of Union Campground Cemetery. The tombstones of Carie and Mary have been vandalized. The tombstone for Benjamin is missing.

Research has produced only a few facts and these are listed below.

LOONEY, Benjamin- birthdate unknown – died 27 Oct 1907 at age of38. Tombstone missing.

Springfield, MO Republican Tuesday 29 Oct 1.907. “Benjamin Looney, colored, dIed Sunday at this home on George Street. Aged 38 years. The funeral was held at 10 o’clock Monday morning with interment at Union Campground Cemetery, nine miles northeast of the city.”

Greene Co. MO 1900 Census, North Campbell Twp. E.D. 61 sheet 18, lists Ben Looney born May 1871, age 29, farmer, wife Lilly, born Jul 1874, age 25, married 6 years. She has had 3 children: Gela 5, Ray 4 and Lena, also 5. This family is next door to Nathan Bedell.

 LOONEY, Carie – born 1827 – died 6 Oct 1894. Tombstone standing in front of a tree. See Greene Co MO 1880 Census p. 139, has C. Loona, age 47; M. A. 35; Amanda 15′ Jane 13′ Netta 12; Matty 11; Benjamin 9; James 7; Adia 5; and Seth 2. This family is black. Looney, Mary A. – born 1836 – died 13 Oct 1899. Stone broken about onethird way up from the base. Paxson Funeral Home Records 1871-1900 “James C. Looney and Mat Fulbright, #2 box damaged $20.00 and shroud $3.50.”

by Jean Rayl

William C Layton

An email was received summer 2012 from Gerald Lyon of Westland, Michigan.  He wanted to know if William C Layton was buried in Union Campground Cemetery.  This young man fought at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek and was later buried in Union Cemetery.

Realizing this could mean the Union side of the National Cemetery in Springfield, Missouri, contact was made to the superintendent of the facility, and upon searching their records, he could only find the name of William J. Layton of Arkansas.

Mr. Lyon’s family has an old, handwritten letter stating that William C. Layton is buried in Union Cemetery.  No death date was given.  The letter has been misplaced and the family is conducting a search.

Since William Layton property is near the Jeffries and Ellison families (and not too far distance from Union Campground), it is entirely possible that the family had him buried in the nearest graveyard.  Stories from different families in the area have often mentioned that soldiers are said to be buried on the hill above the Little Sac River.

By Jean Gaffga Rayl 2012

The Johnson Family

Ida Johnson

B: 18 Jul1891 D: 4 Aug 1911

The tombstone for Ida Johnson is easily read and is in fairly good condition, although it has a crack across above her name. At the bottom of the stone are the words “At Rest”.

Death Certificate #26072 gives her mother’s name as Nettie ** Looney, Polk County, Missouri and her fathers name as Ed Johnson, Greene County Missouri.

Ida was listed as female, single, colored, and housework as her occupation.

Dr. Sumner of Strafford, Mo was the attending physician and certified cause of death as “pulmonary tuberculosis following measles”. Death certificate also verifies burial in Union Campground Cemetery.

On the death certificate date of death is 4 Aug 1912: however, on her tombstone the inscription reads 4 Aug 1911. Her date of birth also differs: on the certificate it is recorded 18 Jul 1892 but on the tombstone the lettering has 18 Jul 1891. A tombstone for her father is nearby; no stone can be found for her mother.

By Jean Gaffga Rayl 2010

**Note: In the 1900 census of Greene Co. MO. In the household of Edward Johnson and wife Nellie (not Nettie) and listed is 2 daughters, Ida & Ollie.

The Gollnick Family

During the early years of researching Union Campground Cemetery, a mystery surrounded a concrete enclosure in the southeast portion of the cemetery. It resembled a foundation for a building, although upon close inspection, it was determined the walls could not support any kind ·ofstructure. Was the purpose to enclose burials? If so, where was the entryway? No headstones or footstones were visible. Photographs were taken and then research continued in other sections of the graveyard.

Sometime later, while talking with Vera Chandler, a descendant of Fannie Sims, she mentioned that a teenage Gollnick girl by the name of Leona was buried in Union Campground Cemetery. Not to long after conversation, Beatrice Taylor, a descendant of W.W. & Elmira Jeffiies, said that another daughter named Beulah was also buried in the cemetery.  (Note:  It has not been discovered that Buelah did not die, but moved to Florida with her family and lived a long life)

Interest returned in the concrete enclosure. A little sleuthing turned up these facts: E.M Gollnick operated the Spring Valley Stock Farm situated to the north and east of Union Campground It was a large operation involving some 286 plus acres. He purchased the farm around 1897 and sold it in 1917. ~ While operating the daily :farm, he built a large concrete barn and to concrete silos along with a concrete foundation to enclose the graves of his children. It is reported that he and his wife lost three children during the time they lived on the farm.

The Greene County, Missouri census of 1910 lists the following: E.M. Gollnick age 44 born in Germany. Wife Annie age 38, manied 19years. She has had 10 children and 9 are still living. Leo, son age 18born in Minnesota; Leonie, dau age 16born in Minnesota; Lenard, son 14 born in Minnesota; Buela, dau 12born in Missouri; Blanche, dau 9 born in Missouri; Teddy, son age 7 born in Missouri; Mary, Dau age 5 born in Missouri; Lottie, dau age 4 born in Missouri; Eugene, son age 9/12 born in Missouri. A one year old son that died 4 Oct. 1900 would fit between the 12 and 9year old

The burial of their 17 year old dau., Leona has been documented. Her birth date is unknown. The following article appeared in the Springfield, MO Republican, Thursday, January 12,1911:

“Miss Leona Gollmick (name should be Gollnick), aged 17 years, dau of Mr. and Mrs. E.W. Gollmick (initials should be E.M) died of pneumonia at ten yesterday morning at the home of her parents, five miles northeast of Springfield, after a short illness. Funeral services will be held at the family residence at two o’clock this afternoon, and interment will take place in the family burying ground” Note: Her death occurred in 1911 at age 17, making her birth year ca 1894. The daughter named Beulah was 12 years old at the time of the 1910 census, making her birth year cI898. Her burial in the cemetery remains “-undocumented. A Gollmick infant died 4 Oct. 1900. The Springfield. MO. Republican 5 Oct. 1900: “The one year old child of E.M. Gollmick died yesterday of inflammation of the bowels at the home of his parents, five miles northeast of Springfield, and will be buried in the neighborhood this morning. (It is now known that his name was Jonny – CD 2020) ” The Gollnick family left Missouri in 1917. They became successful fruit farmers in the State of Florida, and would often return to Missouri to visit old acquaintances.

Prepared by: Jean Rayl 2006

James N King

No tombstone found for this gentleman.  The only information we have is copied from a newspaper article:

Springfield, MO. Republican, Hall’s Abstracts, p. 65, Thursday, November 16, 1899.

“James N. King, 65 years old, who was stricken with paralysis, Tuesday afternoon near this city, was buried at 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon at the Union Cemetery.”

Birth: Unknown  Death: November 14, 1899  age 65 years

A search of the 1833-1892 Springfield Land Office Sales Book found no property listed for a James N. King.  Note:  Since a Peter E. King purchased 48.88 acres of land in North Campbell Township in September 1857 (some distance west of the Union Campground Cemetery), the question comes to mind if he was related to James N. King, the subject of this article.   

Peter King was Collector of Taxes for Greene County in 1856, according to a handwritten note in probate of Joshua Davis #2370, and at one time served as sheriff of Greene County.  (Personal Reminiscences and Fragments of Early History of Springfield and Greene Co., MO., p. 20)

By Jean Gaffga Rayl 2013

J E Davis

Who was this young man?  A weathered, uneven stone gives only a few clues.  As with so many tombstones in Union Campground Cemetery, the lettering has almost disappeared.  The birth date is legible as December 10, 1921 (this should probably be 1821), but his death date is in question.  The month of September emerges but the exact day of death could be the 9th and the year 1843, however, this is uncertain. 

The Greene County Archives does not have a federal census for 1840 and a check of the 1850 census only reveals a James Davis, age 33, and married in Kentucky.

If the death date on the tombstone is 1853 instead of 1843, then this could possibly be J.E. Davis.

Below the lettering on his tombstone is this epitaph:

Remember as You Pass By
As You Now Are So Once
Was I, Now You Must Be
Prepared for Death, Follow
Me

In April 1997, as Dan Price (a member of our association) was looking over the photographs of tombstones in our cemetery, he said his mother used to sing a song as she passed tombstones in a cemetery.  These were the words she sang:

Remember friend,
As you pass by,
As you now are,
So once was I.
As I now am,
You soon may be,Remember, Friend
Remember Me.

By Jean Gaffga Rayl 2012

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