Ozark County Missouri, Sims Cemetery Headstones ==================================================================== Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm A SURVEY OF OZARK COUNTY CEMETERIES Published by the Ozark County Genealogical and Historical Society, Gainesville, MO 1989 These surveys were done in 1986-1988 and were currant at that time. ______________________________________________________________________________ Prepared by Shirley M. Hassell Henry from the original publication. Used by permission dated 28 Sep 2004. ==================================================================== "Sweet Baby," An Unknown Infant, Was First Burial on Ground Now Sims Cemetery PART I By Dott Luna and Geneva Daniel Sims Cemetery, located one-fourth mile off of old Highway 5, about four miles northwest of Gainesville, became a public burial ground in 1907, when Martha E. (Emeline) Sims, the widow of Thomas P. Sims, deeded one acre "to the general public of the neighborhood for the purpose of a cemetery." Thomas and Martha were the grandparents of P. O. Sims, a retired Gainesville businessman. Much later, an additional five acres were deeded to the cemetery by the late G. W. Rogers. He and his wife, Chlora, are both buried there. The Sims land was once a part of the homestead granted George Dunnegan by President U. S. Grant in the late 1860's. The first burial, an infant, is marked by a stone bearing the inscription "Sweet Baby." The infant, whose name was not known, had been left at the home of Thomas and Martha Sims by its mother, who was traveling through the area, with the promise that she would be back for her baby. But she never came back and the infant sickened and died. Martha Sims prepared the baby for burial and Thomas Sims took the small casket to a portion of the present cemetery that the family called the Devil's Backbone. Here he buried the baby and later the samll grave was marked with a stone with the "Sweet Baby" inscription, for that is what the family had called the infant, not knowing its real name. The cemetery committee is now working toward building a perpetual care fund to provide for upkeep of the cemetery. There is now $2,000 in the fund and the cemetery committee is aiming for $5,000, which should provide sufficient interest to pay for routine care. Persons with loved ones buried in the cemetery, who would like to help with the fund, may send their donations to the Bank of Gainesville, in care of Sims Cemetery Fund, or to a member of the cemetery committee. The committee members are Bob Walker, Harrison Farmer, Murl Daniel and Don Luna, secretary. Here are the inscriptions compiled from the headstones in Sims Cemetery: Anderson, John, (no dates) Bozzle, Lizzie, (no dates) Blacksher, Olivar, 1892-1968 Barger, Jack, 1879-1948 Beasley, Evelyn, (no dates) Beasley, W. A., 1856-1929 Beasley, James Bryan, Missouri Pvt. Co. E, 5 Deployment BN. WWI, 1896-1962 Beasley, Oda, 1901-1976 Beasley, Lucy, 1905-1972 Bragg, Baby, (no dates) Bragg, John, (no dates) Coy, May, 1886-1976 Coy, Hosea, 1886-1944 Cockrum, Edith, M., 1887-1976 Cockrum, John, 1908-1975 Cudtshall, Elfriede E., 1927-1979 Cockrum, Lorenzo S., 1881-1960 Cockrum, Baby, Mar. 1913 Cockrum, Baby, Feb. 1914 Cockrum Baby, April 1915 Cockrum, Toney, 1912-1912 Daniel, Ora, 1882-1962 Daniel, Silas, 1881-1967 Davis, Baby, (no dates) Erb, William A., 1886-1970 Erb., William, 1858-1955 Ebersol, Andrew, (no dates) Farmer, Claude, Dec. 6, 1905-May 5, 1980 Farmer, Leonard, W., 1901-1973 Farmer, D. D., 1867-1934 Farmer, Jesse, 1913-1954 Farmer, Baby, (no dates) Farmer, Minnie, 1872-1951 Gilliland, Careful, 1890-1948 Gaulding, Horace, 1907-1960 Gibson, Cecil, 1908-1977 Gilliland, Charles L., 1877-1951 Hawkins, David, April 5, 1962-May 31, 1980 Hawkins, Kathryn, 1952-1952 High, Adam, 1901-1970 Lytle, Harry L., 1891-1958 Lawrence, Frank R., Missouri Co. X., U.S. Coast Guard Res., WWII, 1921-1958 Lawrence, Harry D., 1880-1947 Lawrence, Woodrow, (no dates) Lawrence, Eliza, 1856-1938 Lawrence, John D., 1855-1943 Lawrence, Isabel, 1893-1899 Landers, Lex, 1903-1935 Landers, Baby, (no dates) Landers, Baby, 1928-1928 Landers, Louise, 1883-1926 Landers, Roy, 1875-1955 Murrah, Mamie C., Dec. 24, 1895-Apr. 15, 1958 MacAllister, Catherine R., 1869-1970 MacAllister, Robert E., 1870-1944 Powers, Johnie W., 1920-1968 Powers, James, A., 1917-1973 Powers, George H., 1885-1957 Powers, Sarah, 1888-1934 Plumlee, Howard L., TSAT, U.S. Air Force, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, May 26, 1924-Aug. 6, 1976 Puckett, Sarah Ann, 1865-1948 Ralston, Clarence, Jan. 28, 1905-July 12, 1949 Rose, Roy, 1893-1961 Rose, Esther, 1898-1979 Rogers, , G. W., 1890-1975 Rogers, Chlora, 1891-1973 Rogers, Sunny, 1945-1963 Rogers, Amy Lorene, 1975-1975 Sanders, Frank, 1904-1962 Sandeson, Robert C., Texas Pfc. 14th Co. Coast Artillery, WWI, April 15, 1891-Aug. 9, 1955 Schmidt, David O., 1937-1974 Schmidt, Michael W., 1960-1974 Scott, Baby (no dates) Seeley, Benj. F., 1885-1956 Sims, Arnold, 1880-1892 Sims, Bobbie Lawrence, 1935-1935 Sims, Bonnie, 1942-1942 Sims, Dony, (no dates) Sims, Edith R., 1868-1916 Sims, Ethel, 1891-1898 Sims, Emeline E., 1834-1916 Sims, Joyce, 1939-1939 Sims, Lena P., 1868-1892 Sims, Nannie, 1893-1954 Sims, Oss T., 1864-1938 Sims, Thomas P., 1838-1898 Smart, Maggie, 1923-1977 Smart, Baby, (no dates) Smith, Wessie, (no dates) Smith, Harry, (no dates) Smith, Baby, (no dates) Stevens, Ethel, 1886-1968 Stevens, Jimmie Frank, 1933-1934 Stevens, Lyman, 1879-1941 "Sweet Baby" (First burial, name of infant unknown) Walker, Deboray M., 1898-1969 Whisnant, Hershel, 1912-1973 Whitwell, Jefferson, 1861-1946 PART II Here are 26 more headstone inscriptions which are to be added to the history of Sims Cemetery published last week. The names from the inscriptions were written on three-by-five cards and in compiling the information in alphabetical order, these 26 additional names got mixed up with blank cards and did not get included in last week's account: Allen, Ellen, 1837-1929 Allen, John T., 1836-1922 Blacksher, Ruby Louise, 1936-1936 Chism, Baby, (no dates) Gilmore, Frank, (no dates) Gilmore, John, (no dates) Graves, Fay, 1911-1958 Graves, Murphy, Missouri Pvt. Co. B 161 Depot Brigade, WWI, 1897-1958 Hackler, Dwain, 1943-1978 Hackler, George, 1868-1944 Hackler, Lonnie, 1909-1965 Hackler, Otis, 1914-1969 Hackler, Sarah A., 1874-1935 Lance, Adline, 1894-1934 Lance, Samuel, H., Co. B, 2 Mo. L.A., 1846-1912 Lance, Samuel Henry, 1899-1972 Layton, Marcie O., 1905-1979 Rice, Nellie, 1882-1957 Smart, Lizzie, 1894-1955 Smart, Luther P., Missouri Pfc. 126 Inf., WWII, 1921-1944 Whisnant, Betty, 1965-1949 Whisnant, Billy Dean, 1950-1950 Whisnant, Cleo, 1933-1978 Whisnant, John, 1962-1937 Whisnant, John Thomas, 1885-1939 Whisnant, William, 1882-1939 G. W. Rogers Gives Land to Cemetery 4-12-1973 The trustees of the Sims Cemetery Association, Arnold Farmer, John Cockrum and John R. Sims, said today that the cemetery area of one acre, given for cemetery purposes in 1907 by Martha Sims, had been increased to six acres by a recent gift from G. W. Roges of five acres of land surrounding the original tract which Rogers had purchased for the purpose of making this gift. The five-acre land gift includes approximately three acres of land usable for cemetery purposes and two acres of land lying on the hillside between the cemetery proper and the access road between new Missouri Highway 5 and old 5. The deed conveying the land to the trustees of the cemetery states "the above described land is being conveyed to the grantees for cemetery use and landscaping in connection with such use. Said land to be under the management of the trustees and governing committees of the Sims Cemetery. This land being donated by the grantor on behalf of himself, his deceased wife, Chlora Rogers, and their children." The trustees said that the original area of the cemetery was becoming crowded and they expressed their appreciation to Rogers for the gift of land, which will permit expansion of the cemetery.