Barry County Stories

 

Barry County, MO Stories

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Barry County Stories - Page Two

Barry County Stories - Page Three

 

 

Curry Log Cabin - Photo and data from the files of Darla Marbut

Charles Curry is a direct descendant and is the 4th generation to live on this farm. Darla Marbut indicated that he said that Noel Curry, his uncle, was born in the log cabin above. The cabin was in the field in front of its present location near the Roaring River and just up river a short distance from old Eagle Rock. In the later days it was moved to its present location and used as a barn.  The older Charles Curry and Arizona (Skelton) Curry had a white clap board home near the above log structure.

Darla said that she asked if it was possible that it was his Great Grandmother, Julia (Russell) Skelton's log cabin. He said it was possible but he couldn't say for sure. There is an old letter that reads that "Doc" and Julia (Russell) Skelton built a new clap board house across the road from the old Eagle Rock store and that they moved there from their log cabin. Darla said, " I think that the log barn - cabin - above was the log cabin that belonged to them."

Julia (Russell) Skelton was the daughter of Milo and Nicey (Haddock) Russell, and Nicey was the daughter of Zachariah and Chloe (Albritton) Haddock.

Jasper Newton "Doc"  and Julia (Russell) Skelton are buried in Munsey Cemetery and so is their daughter Arizona (Skelton) Curry, Charles' grandmother
.

EAGLE ROCK RACE TRACK


 

 

Descendants of Charles Curry

1 Charles Curry 1873 - 1941 b: January 23, 1873 in Barry Co., Missouri d: February 10, 1941 in Barry Co., Missouri Burial: Munsey Cemetery, Roaring River Community, Barry County, MO  +Arizona Skelton 1876 - 1965 b: March 24, 1876 in Barry Co., Missouri d: November 03, 1965 in Barry Co., Missouri Burial: Munsey Cemetery, Roaring River Community, Barry County, MO m: January 06, 1895 in Barry County, MO

2 Noel Curry 1896 - 1971 b: October 23, 1896 in Eagle Rock, Barry Co., Missouri d: June 14, 1971 in Barry Co., Missouri Burial: Munsey Cemetery, Barry Co., MO  +Jeanetta Jean Ball 1901 - 1993 b: March 02, 1901 in Barry Co., Missouri d: July 09, 1993 in Barry Co., Missouri Burial: Munsey Cemetery, Barry Co., MO m: January 02, 1920 in Barry County, Missouri

2 Charles Ray Curry 1903 - 1984 b: February 07, 1903 in Barry Co., Missouri d: January 09, 1984 in Barry Co., Missouri Burial: Horner Cemetery, Barry Co., MO  +Ada Ellen Beck 1902 - 1994 b: November 28, 1902 in Barry Co., Missouri d: August 08, 1994 in Barry Co., Missouri Burial: Horner Cemetery, Barry Co., MO m: December 31, 1928 in Barry Co., Missouri

2 Florence Curry 1906 - b: December 14, 1906 in Eagle Rock, Barry Co., Missouri d: in Barry Co., Missouri  +Erskine Williamson 1903 - 1990 b: August 05, 1903 in Barry Co., Missouri d: April 22, 1990 in Barry Co., Missouri m: Abt. 1924 in Barry County, Missouri *2nd Husband of Florence Curry:  +Rollie Holcome 1906 - 1971 b: Abt. 1906 d: October 02, 1971 in Barry Co., Missouri m: Aft. 1930 in Barry County, Missouri

 

There was a white two-storied clap board house sitting here with the trees above and around it.  



Darla said, "It had a porch running across the entire front. There was a door on the left that opened into the living room. Then another door on the right - probably opened into a bedroom. This was the new house that "Doc"  Jasper Newton and Julia (Russell) Skelton moved into from the log cabin. It is the house that had the blood stain on the wooden floor that couldn't be washed off. After Doc and Julia died, their daughter Arizona (Skelton) Curry (Mrs. Charles) lived in it then her grandson and his wife lived in it. When my parents owned one of the country stores across the street, I would look up there and think how cool the house looked on a hot summer day." 


EAGLE ROCK, BARRY COUNTY, MO

 

Darla Marbut said that that this photo was taken about 1937. The store was located on the banks of the Roaring River at Eagle Rock. She added, "My sister and I loved to swim in the near by Roaring River on a hot summer day."

Her Great Grandpa Finas Ball helped with the building of it. Finis Ball was married to Dollie Tucker.  Darla said, "My parents bought the store that was to the right of this one."

Darla indicated that her Grandpa Ball loved playing horseshoes in the area that is just to left of the store. He and Tinker Wilson were very skilled at playing the game and often enjoyed winning one over  the other. They said when Tinker made a 'ringer' he'd do a little dance. If they needed horseshoes to play with they weren't above going to over to Cap Bradford's blacksmith shop and getting some of the ones that he'd made himself.  So they said that he kept plenty of old horseshoes handy to prevent that from happening.

 

"In those days", Darla said, "my job was to go to the Curry store and get the mail. Jean Ball Curry ran the post office.  Jean was the daughter of Silas and Jennie (Skelton) Ball.  Silas was the brother of the Finas who was mentioned above.  Noel Curry was the son of Charley and Zona (Skelton) Ball."

 


Deer Leap - Roaring River

 

Photo and data from the files of Darla Marbut

 

[Ref: Roaring River Realities, by Wanda Eve Brewer, Printed in 1962, by The Lowell Press, page 21.] "Of all our Roaring River realities, one of the most interesting perhaps would be the event that took place in the late 1870's high atop that projective cliff known as Deer Leap.  An exciting deer hunt was taking place in the area above and back of the Roaring River spring. The deer hounds owned by J. J. (Jim) Park, J. M. (Bud) Brewer and Jim Brixey, had already picked up the trail that led to the chase. The air was tense and excitement ran high. The dogs were running faster and faster and were getting closer and closer to that scampering deer. Then - all of a sudden their chase was ended.  The deer and one of the dogs leaped into the air from that protrusive bluff and landed in the lake below.  Unfortunately, the dog developed cramps in the icy plunge and was unable to swim out, but somehow the deer managed to survive this sudden and frigid leap. Though the years since that rousing deer chase, Deer Leap has become a highly-depicted scene of Roaring river state Park and a never-to-be forgotten sight for the increasing thousands who visit this resort year after year."

[Ref: "Legends of the Haddock Family" by Hugh Ransom Haddock, page 105]
Ransom Haddock born Dec 19, 1852 in Capps Creek area, Barry Co., Mo.  He was the first child of the 2d marriage of Charles Haddock, Jr.  He grew up on the Capps Creek farm and was often at the Eagle Rock farm.  He loved dogs and always owned a few hounds.   .... Once, after he had moved to the Eagle Rock vicinity, his dogs pursued a deer that jumped off the bluff at the spring that flows from the ground at the head of Roaring River.   Ever since that particular spot has been known as "The Deer Leap".

 


Horner Church and Cemetery

 

 

Does anyone have a photo of this church with a front view?

Darla Marbut says, "This is the only photo of the old church that stood near the Horner Cemetery at Cassville, MO, that I've ever seen."


Photo from the photo files of Darla Marbut

 

McMurty's Spring is located near Cassville, Barry Co., MO.

The Cherokee Indians stopped here on their drive to Oklahoma during the Trail of Tears.

Many years ago when people in the Washburn and Seligman area would go to Cassville to do business, they'd stop here and rest. It was a long trip by horse and buggy or wagon, and so on their way, they'd stop here at the spring and camp for the night or they'd stop and cook. [From the research files of Donna Haddock Cooper]


 

Walnut Grove School Building - located near New Site Cemetery

 

This building housed a school in the early days.  

 

Darla Marbut and I [Donna Cooper] located the deed for it where Spencer Crumley sold the land to the community for a school when we were at the court house a few months ago. Spencer was the sheriff of Barry County for awhile and was married to Charlotte Rumbaugh.

[Charlottte was a daughter of Susan (Meyers/Moyers) and Solomon Rumbaugh. Susan second married Charles Haddock, Jr. Spencer Crumley was the son of Thomas Charles and Susan Crumley. They had two children that married children of Charles and Sarah (Collins) Haddock, Jr.]

 


Photo from the photo files of Darla Marbut

 

Boon and Columbia (Russell) Haddock's house in Barry Co., MO.

Darla has painted this house and has a beautiful painting of it on canvas. That is one good way to save the memory - because the house won't be left standing very much longer. It is in very bad condition.

Boon and Columbia were cousins, she was a descendant of Zachariah and he was a descendant of Charles.  Boon and Columbia are buried at Haddock Cemetery, Barry County, Missouri, which is located inside Mark Twain National Forest, several miles above Carroll County, Arkansas line and near Eagle Rock, MO, and which is now near Table Rock Lake.



The Haddock Cemetery is in southern part of Barry County and can be located by car. One should take Highway 112 south out Cassville, MO, Highway F, out of Roaring River State Park.  And then where Highway F meets Highway 86 at Eagle Rock, turn right on Highway 86. Travel on Highway 86 to Farm Road 2275 and in a short distance then take Farm Road 1180 to the left. Take this road for about 2 miles, and then turn left on Farm Road 2282. Drive down a winding, dirt road for .9 mile. At that point, there is a circle drive on the right. It leads to a new home that has cedar siding. The cemetery is in the woods about 150 feet behind the house. There were 5 stones with these engravings: Haddock, Boon born Dec 12, 1843 died May 5, 1919: C. C. Columbia Jan 14, 1844 married 15 Feb 1866 wife of Boon Haddock died wed 15 Feb 1866. Infant daughter (two daughters of Boone and C. C.); Others known buried there are: Horine, Mary A. died Nov 18, 1878, 63 years old, wife of E. Reed, Narcissus M. Sept. 30, 1847, May 17, 1877, wife of George; and Reed, Armon, b & d 1879, no stone, and also Zachariah Haddock is thought to be buried here.

From the photo files of Darla Marbut

Believed also to have been buried there were Zachariah Haddock, two of his sons and their daughters, and his daughter Teressa Burnett's husband, and also a grandson of Charles Haddock, Jr.


 

Traveling to Barry County and the story of Easley's Ferry

From the research files of Darla Marbut

One can only imagine what it might have been like in Barry County, MO before 1840.  

"Settlers coming to Barry County, MO may have come by way of the Ozark Trail (later to be known as the "Wire Road") or they came by way of the White River. Later arrivals seemed to prefer the Wire Road, but a sizeable number of families came to the Mississippi River, boarded a boat down to where the Arkansas River empties into the Mississippi, up the Arkansas to White River and then up the White River to Barry County." Ref: Emory Melton's book, Cassville, The First 150 Years, page 47.

The Haddock, Hickum, Collins, and Easley families and other families who married into these families all came from Boone Co., MO to Barry County, MO at a very early date and were already in Barry before 1840. They first settled near where Eagle Rock is today and on the White River. Charles Haddock, Sr. and Zachariah Haddock both were living in that area at one time.

These families were probably all traveling together and may have come to what was soon to be Springfield, MO by the old trails. And then they may have used the rivers to get to the south most part of Barry County or they could have come down the Ozark trail and traveled the road trail all the way. Of course traveling by boat was always easier and that would explain why they first settled near White River and were living in that area.

All over rural Mid-America the rivers and streams were important to the settlement of our country. And also all over the United States the pioneers depended upon them to get to where they were going. Water travel was usually quick and it was a safe way to travel and an important means of navigation. 

According to the earliest history we have of Barry County, Goodspeed's History of Southwest MO, 1888, we know that Green Berry Easley applied for a ferry license and was operating one at an early date. In the section of Barry County and under Navigable Streams the following text was located: "In 1851-1852 the county granted some money to be expended on improving the navigation of White River, James M. Hague being superintendent. During the session of the Legislature in 1854-55 a bill was introduced by Senator John Gullett from this district, the title of which was 'A Bill for the Improvement of the Navigation of White River,' asking an appropriation of $10,000 out of the state treasury. Eventually the bill passed. On November 4, 1874, Messrs. Epperly, of Shell Knob, started for Black River, AR on a hunting excursion. After they got through with their hunt they went to the mouth of White River and cut them a raft of ash logs and started for New Orleans; they made the run of 600 miles in 6 days, and realized $800 in cash from their investment. On June 3rd Francis James and Jack Leonard, of the Shell Knob neighborhood, started from the mouth of King's River with a raft of cedar eighty yards long and twenty-two yards wide. Since 1874 rafting has not been unknown here. In February 1860, a ferry license was granted Green B. Easley to operate a ferry on White River at the crossing of the Cassville and Carrolton Roads." 

From this information it is implied that the White River was used to raft and that it was important enough means of transportation that in 1855 the State of Missouri spent $10,000 to improve the channels. [That was a lot of money in 1855.]

It's been really unfortunate to our country and also to Barry County that so many families were torn apart by the Civil War. And as a result of that terrible time in our history, Green Berry Easley died in 1863. His death was the result of an attack by bushwhackers. The ferry that he had been licensed to run was sunk by soldiers at sometime during the Civil War. Many years later, his son, Edward Easley, who lived near where the ferry was first located, recovered it from its underwater tomb. The story is that there was a big flood and the flooding waters brought the ferry up. So Edward dragged it out and put it in his barn yard as a walkway. Many years later, and after Edward's death, Table Rock Lake filled and so once again Edward's ferry was sent back to its under water tomb. At that same time the lake also covered most of Edward Easley's farm.

This photo, given below, was taken where Roaring River joins Table Rock Lake at Eagle Rock, Barry Co., MO. This is where Roaring River once joined White River and was also the location of Green Berry Easley's home and his son, Edward Easley's home was and also the location of the sunken ferry.

Photo from the photo files of Darla Marbut


 

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