Pulaski County Poor Farm: August 2010

This information was originally posted on Laura Huffman's blog August 23, 2009. Since the original publish date, the Poor Farm Cemetery has been found and the Pulaski County Historical Society is working to restore the cemetery and is conducting further research into the history of the Poor Farm and it's operations in Pulaski County.

In an article written by Adlyn Shelden Willits in History Pulaski County Missouri, Volume II, she states “There is a large cemetery on the grounds where there about a hundred people buried.” Since these people were considered paupers and the County paid for their burial, there are few markers. The exact location of the County Farm Cemetery is being researched (August 2009). The cemetery has been abandoned and forgotten by most residents. The Pulaski County Historical Society published two volumes in 1984. These volumes included recording 124 cemeteries in Pulaski County. The Pulaski County Poor Farm Cemetery was not included. (UPDATE: The Poor Farm Cemetery was included in this volume, on the final page, under "UNKNOWN GRAVESITES and LONE GRAVES".) The following burials in the County Farm Cemetery were determined by searching the names recorded in the Poor Farm Ledger in the Missouri Death Certificates Database 1910-1958. It is doubtful that we will be able to determine burials before 1910, partially due to the fire that destroyed the Courthouse in 1903. Based on the names in the ledger we have positively identified 21 people (UPDATE: We have now confirmed 25 burials) whose final resting place is the County Farm cemetery. Their names are below. The list below only represents 35 years of the Poor Farms 83+ years of operation. Ongoing efforts are being made to determine other burials on the grounds of the Pulaski County Poor Farm. The research is being conducted by Laura Huffman, Terrie Runion, and Jeff Huffman. We wish to Thank Marge Scott and The Pulaski County Courthouse Museum for granting us access to the Pulaski County Poor Farm Ledger. We also wish to Thank Ruby Carter who donated the Ledger to the Museum, Adlyn Willits who authored the 1987 article, and Betty Pritchett who has given us clues as to the location of the cemetery. This list will be amended as we find more people who are buried here. It is our hope that they continue to Rest In Peace and are never forgotten. To learn more about the Pulaski County Poor Farm please visit us on facebook, at www.facebook.com/pulaskicountypoorfarm.

ADMIRE, MARY J. FEB 25, 1820-JAN 11, 1916
ADMIRE, PHILLIP O. SEP 20, 1852-JAN 5, 1916
BALLARD, JESSE FEB, 1843-OCT 27, 1925
BALLARD, LAVINA OCT 1, 1854-NOV 5, 1932
BLACKWELL, SARAH CIRCA 1865-MAY 18, 1936
BRUFF, SAMUEL WESLEY APRIL 30, 1868-DEC 11, 1945
CURLEY, MARGARET MARY CIRCA 1860-JUNE 2, 1926
DUNCAN, JOHN MARSHALL AUG 12, 1854-JAN 12, 1922
FARR, JOHN ANDREW JAN 21, 1861-JULY 18, 1934
MASON, FRANK APRIL 11, 1872-FEB 5, 1944
McCULLOUGH, JOHN M. OCT 10, 1855-OCT 19, 1929
McCULLUM, RICHARD JAN 1860-JAN 30, 1928
McREA, E.M. CIRCA 1856-MARCH 27, 1919
PEEL, JAMES JULY 24, 1837-JAN 17, 1916
RICKERSON, CHARLES H. CIRCA 1833-JUNE 17, 1922
STROUP, THOMAS EDWARD AUG 8, 1877-SEP 8, 1928
SWINNEY, CHARLES EDWARD MARCH 28, 1866-DEC 13, 1948
WILLIAMS, ISAAC M. CIRCA 1847-OCT 20, 1913
WILLIAMS, JOHN FEB 12, 1869-FEB 17, 1918
VANGORDON, JAMES SCOTT APRIL 14, 1867-OCT 2, 1930
ZUMWALT, ZINC CIRCA 1847-OCT 15, 1929

UPDATE #1
BROYLES, CORA BELLE APR 8, 1871-AUG 29, 1951
GATES, ELIAS H. NOV 13, 1866- DEC 24, 1946

UPDATE#2
HENDERSHOT, WILLIAM JUNE 5, 1871-JULY 18, 1942

UPDATE #3
BRYANT, SARAH DIED FEB 12, 1905

The work at the Pulaski County Poor Farm Cemetery has started picking up. Since receiving permission from the land owner, a new access road has been built, a parking area has been bulldozed, and a new gate has been installed. August 14, 2010, we took a huge step moving forward with this project. The staff and students of Fort Leonard Wood's Navy Seabee's Detachment hand cleared the dense vegetation and growth. Thanks to their effort's we can actaully see the area that we are working with now. All four fences marking the perimeter have been located, and the Seabee's helped reposition the original back fence that had been crushed in places by falling trees. Part of our future plans include plotting the graves that are not visible to the naked eye. We hope to find a local organization that has ground penetrating X-Ray to help us with that phase of the project. We also plan on marking each grave with a cross, filling in the sunken graves with topsoil, burning the two large brush piles, graveling the parking area, replanting the grass in the area between the parking lot and the front fence line, placing a new fence, placing a monument marker for those buried here, placing signage of the site's historical significance, among other things. If you wish to donate money, time, or equipment for this project please contact:

Laura Huffman
573-855-3999
Pulaski County Poor Farm Fund
c/o Pulaski County Historical Society
PO Box 144
Waynesville, MO 65583