McMullin Cemetery,Scott County Signal newspaper in Chaffee, MO.
*******************************************************************
USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free
information on the Internet, material may be freely used by
non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all
copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of
the file. Submitted by

These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit
or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations
desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST
obtain the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal
representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb
archivist with proof of this consent.

Return to the NCGenWeb Archives Table of Contents
http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm#NC
******************************************************************

                McMullin Cemetery, Forgotten History
                        1st in a Series

        Exit the interstate highways of America and you find her heart and
soul.  When you travel north on Highway 61 out of Sikeston about eight
miles, you find the old McMullin or Grant City Cemetery on the right
side of the road.  It is just across the highway from the McMullin Mini
Mart.
        The names on broken and half-buried headstones spell out Scott
County's pioneer past.  Names like Marshall, Matthews, McMullin, and
Winchester. Twenty years ago there were more than eighty headstones visible
from the highway.  Sadly, there are less than thirty headstones remaining
today.   Have we forgotten these ancestors?  These people lived active
lives with hopes for the future and who suffered from the difficulties of
pioneer life.
        In November of 1814, County Surveyor Joseph Story laid out the town
of Winchester.  They named the town in honor of Col. Henderson Winchester
who lived in the vicinity.  Stephen Ross and Moses Hurley donated fifty
acres of land for the town of Winchester.  The money obtained from the sale
of lots was used to build a jail.
        Pioneers Daniel Sparks, Edward N. Mathews, Samuel Phillips, Stephen
Ross, Thomas Phillips, John Shields, Sr. and Moses Shelby bought early
lots in Winchester.  Thomas Bartlett opened a general merchandise store
and Hartwell Balwin opened a tavern in the young town.   David Hunter,
Mark H. Stallcup and Christopher Houts were also engaged in business at
Winchester until 1822.  Then, Winchester ceased to be the seat of
justice for New Madrid County and the town failed to survive.  In 1860,
John Sikes laid out the town of Sikeston about one-half mile north of
the cite of the old town of Winchester.  Sikeston is thriving.
McMullin Cemetery
        Like the town, the name of Winchester has faded with time from its
importance back in the 1800s.  William Winchester was a judge in the
Court of Common Pleas between 1812 and 1815 and Col. Henderson
Winchester was a county judge in 1856-58 and again 1864 and 1865.
Colonel Winchester's son, Greer O. Winchester, who was born in 1853 and
died while serving as Scott County Sheriff in 1885, is buried in the
McMullin Cemetery.  Near his grave is the half- buried headstone of his
wife, Sara C. Winchester, who was born in 1855 and died on August 30,
1879.  Their six-week-old son, Benjamin A. Winchester, was also buried
there just five months earlier.  Did she die of a broken heart or
perhaps of a dread disease ?  Records reveal that there was a yellow
fever epidemic that spread up the Mississippi River in late July of
1878.  About fifty died in Cairo and there were 180 deaths confirmed at
Hickman, Kentucky.
        The experiences we have today are the direct  result of the efforts
made by our ancestors.  There is a power of connection to our past when
we walk in a cemetery where the names are familiar.  For those of us who
have lived here for two, three or more generations we are the caretakers
of our past.  It is to our spiritual benefit that we stay in touch with
those who touch our lives with love - both those from yesterday and
today.