Lock Slave Cemetery, Barry Co., MO

1909 Map of Barry County, MO - Owner Darla Marbut

Lock Slave Cemetery

Story by Darla Marbut and Gerald Haddock

Photo of Gerald Haddock setting the GPS location for the cemetery.

The locality data:

Section 12, Township 24 North, Range 27 West
GPS coordinates: 36 degrees, 48 minutes, 20 seconds north
93 minutes, 48 minutes, 7 seconds west - in abbreviated form: 364820N0934807W

From the photo files of Darla Marbut

Goodspeed, published 1888, from Henry McCary's speech, page 573: "Washburn Prairie was settled first by a Mr. Washburn, in 1828, and Stone's Prairie by John Stone, and King's Prairie by George W. King; Starkey's Prairie by John W. Starkey; Hickam's Prairie, by Jacob Hickam (Research Note: brother-in-law of Green Berry Easley); Jenkins' Creek by a man by the name of Jenkins, who died in his little cabin, in the dead of winter, no one but his wife and little children there. She had to travel all the way to Sudeth Meek's, a short distance south of Washburn Prairie, to get help to bury him, and no road from the mouth of Jenkins' Creek to the John Lock place, eight or ten miles; nothing but a deer or wolf trail to guide her. When I first came to this place there were but a few houses from Springfield to Washburn Prairie; one on Wilson Creek, ten or twelve miles, I believe, south of Springfield. One twelve or thirteen miles of that, and one other, by John Lock, on Flat Creek, and another, by C. J. Corder, on said creek, and one by Col. Littleberry Mason, near where Cassville now stands, on Flat Creek."

From Goodspeed: Township 24, Range 27, was opened for entry September 20, 1847. James G. Lock led in the purchase, buying in November, 1847, on Section 12. (That is the Butterfield area). The Lock house is north of Cassville toward Butterfield.

From Goodspeed - marriages are listed as listed below:

Sarah Lock married John S. Sturdy February 27, 1851, by J. T. Dumport, M. G.

Jonas G. Lock and Sarah Lock were married January 25, 1852, by Elisha Fly, J.P.

William W. Lock and Rebecca A. Lock were married June 4, 1852, by Dr. P. Base, MG

Caroline Lock married W. S. McConnell March 13, 1853, by G. K. Porter, MG

Sometimes the Lock surname is written Locke, but in all these documents it was spelled Lock.

Just down the road from this house, the land was owned by a Marbut family member.

At the back of this house is a slave cemetery. Some of the graves had stones on them but since has been removed. They were removed in recent years because Gary Marbut, Darla's husband, remembers when they were there.

Just to the left of the photo was an old cellar mostly underground.

Some of the cemetery stones were moved from the cemetery to the cellar.

Research by Gerald Haddock and Darla Marbut

From the photo files of Darla Marbut

New England Salt Box House

You can see that the Lock House had lap siding shown under the double windows. We called the siding on top, brick siding and was tar paper with sand stuck on in the shape of bricks. It was good insulation against the cold and several old homes were covered with it even up to the 1950s.

There was a wing off the back of the above building, you can see the edge of it on the left. I expect it was the kitchen and dining area. Notice the door above the porch. I'm not sure it was placed there to walk out on the porch top as it was for ventilation.

We stopped at a neighbor's house and he told us again about the slave cemetery and also that there had been a race track back of the house.

1837

Grant Foreman, Indian Removal, Univ. of Oklahoma Press - The Cherokees on the Trail of Tears were camped on and around the John Locke farm on 21 Dec 1837. Two Cherokee Indians died in the bitter cold that night and were buried on the John Locke place. From the research files of Gerald Haddock.

Census Study by Donna Cooper

1840

In 1840 there were a few Lock families who were listed. They were J. J. Lock, Richard Lock and J. G. Lock given in the records.

J. J. Lock was given as age 40 to 50 with 1 male 5 to 10 and 2 males 10 15; 0120101 - 1210001

Richard Lock was given as 70 to 80 years old with a wife 60 to 70, there was also a 15 to 20 year old female in the house. They were given as 0000000001 and 000100001

J. G. Lock was listed as 40 to 50 years old. He had 0012301 -0001001.

J. G. Short and W. C. Short both lived nearby with quite a number of boys. W. C. was 30 to 40 and J. G. was age 40 to 50.

J. G. Short 0012301 - 0001001

W. C. Short 011001 -010001

Code: 0 to 5, 5 to 10, 10 -15, 15 - 20, 20- 30, 30-40, 40 to 50, 50 - to 60, 60 -70, 70-80, 80 -90, 90 -100, over 100. Slaves listed were separately and there was a column for free colored.

1848

April 13, 1907, Saturday, Cassville Democrat, Barry Co., MO - Historical Facts: In regard to Barry County in the long time ago. Mat Short killed Lock in 1848, near McDowell.

[Research Note: In 1840 there was listed W. C. Short and J. S. Short. In 1850 there was Jonas G. and Susan (Taylor) Short in household #162 with children Elizabeth, age 3 and Mariah, age 3; and David and Mariah (Jones) Short in house #167 with no children listed.]

[Research Note: J. J. Lock was listed in 1840 but wasn't listed in 1850. Richard Lock wasn't listed either but he was pretty old in 1840 so he probably died before 1850. From this assumption, it appears J. J. Lock was killed by Wat Short.]

A closer look at Goodspeed brought facts that the paper did not supply. Goodspeed, pub. 1888, page 629 Wat Short killed Lock in 1848. So it was Wat Short and not Mat Short as the paper reported.

1850

In 1850 Jonas G. Lock had listed that he owned 3 slaves and Sarah Lock had listed that she owned 1 female slave, age 21. Jonas' slaves who were given as a male, age 25, a female, age 25, and a male, age 11.

1850

In 1850 listed on the census was, in household #162, Jonas G. Short who'd married Susan Taylor in 1839 in house # 162. Down the road a few doors away was David Short in house #167, who married to Mariah Jones in 1847 in Barry County. Another neighbor was Samuel Lock in household #177. Samuel was age 45, born in TN, with wife Nancy, was age 40, born in KY. They had several children, including a daughter, Elizabeth, age 17, MO; a son, Larkin, age 12, MO; a son, Frances, age 9, MO; a son, Richard, age 4, MO; and a son, John, age 2, MO.

Also in 1850, in house #181, was head of household, Samuel F. Lock, age 22, born in IL; with wife Rebeca, age 19, born in AR; and also listed was daughter, Sarah, age 12, born in MO, and too, listed were Sarah, age 55, born in KY; James Frazier, age 32, TN, wife Mary, age 31, born in TN; Nancy, age 12, born in MO; Martha S., age 9, born in MO; Mary C., age 6 born in MO; William A., age 3, born in MO; and Flerida E., age 2, born in MO.

In household #182, was Jonas G. Lock, age 51, born in KY; daughter Sarah, age 15, born MO; Elizabeth, age 11, MO; William, age 8, born in MO; Susan, age 6, born MO; and Alfred H., age 2, born in MO.

Next door in household #183 was John Lock, age 21, born in AR; wife Elizabeth, age 21, AL; Zedeck, age 1, born in MO.

Also in household #178 was Joseph Stubblefield with wife Martha Lock. Joseph was age 23, born in OH, Martha, age 20, born in IL, and Samuel, age 1, born in MO.

Household #207 was Richard Lock, age 19, born in MO, Caroline nee Burton, age 22, born in AL, son James M., age 1, born in MO. Next door to Richard Lock was James H. Bowlin and his wife Nancy Haddock.

Henry McCary who gave the speech about early Barry County lived in household #210, just a few doors from Richard Lock. In the year of 1850 Henry was age 40.

1850

In 1850 the mortality schedules for Barry Co., MO, reported these two deaths in the Lock family.

Name: Mary Lock
Age: 39
Gender: F
Marital Status: Married
Birth Place: Illinois
Death Date: May
Mortality Records of 1850 - Barry County, Missouri

Name: Samuel Lock
Age: 16
Gender: M
Birth Place: Missouri
Death Date: Sep
Mortality Records of 1850 - Barry County, Missouri

1860

In 1860, J. G. Short, a federal paid taxes in Barry County, and no Lock families paid taxes that were listed in the Goodspeed, pub. 1888; but on the 1860 Federal Census there was a James Lock listed in household #886, in McDonald Twp., of Barry County, MO. He was age 62, born in KY, with wife Sarah, age 67, born in KY. Children were given as William, age 18, born in MO; Alfred, age 11, born in MO; Zedock, age 11, born in MO; John B., age 10, born in MO, and also in the household was Sarah Vinsant, age 49, born in TN, and Mariah A, age 8, born in IL. They lived between B. H. Shewmake, age 28, born in AR and Pleasant Matlock, age 29, born in TN.

James Lock reported several slaves on the census of 1860, including some mulatto listed ones. They ranged from age 3 to age 60.

age 3, Male, Mulatto
age 60, Female, Black
age 37, Female, Black
age 28, Female, Black
age 25, Male, Black
age 12, Female, Mulatto
age 11, Male, Black
age 6, Female, Mulatto
age 6, Female, Mulatto

Do you know something about this cemetery?

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