Corsicana Cemetery
AKA Old Corsicana
Gadfly

---

---

Directions: Take highway #37 from Monett to Purdy. Turn right onto highway B, go 4.2 miles, turn left onto fm#1035. Go about 1 mile, at bottom of hill is Joys Creek. Cemetery is located on your left at top of hill.

It is surrounded by privately owned land. Owners are Mike and Mary Fenske. The gate to the cemetery is keep locked in an attempt try to discourage vandalism. For access to the cemetery you should call Mike or Mary at 417-442-3882 to make arrangements for a visit.

Mike and Mary and they have taken on the task mowing the cemetery so cemetery donations go the M. Fenske, Rt. 1, Box 229A, Purdy, MO 65734.

All the stones in this cemetery were photographed by Jay Trace.

---

---

November 16, 1916, Thursday, Cassville Republican, Barry Co., MO
Cemetery Association Organized
The people of Corsicana neighborhood, on Nov 11, 1916, met at the Corsicana Cemetery and formed the Corsicana Graveyard Association by electing C. B. Campbell, president; John Blankenship, vice-president; John Swindle, secretary; Mrs. Nannie Overton, treasure. Will Dixon, Tom Autry, Lee Howerton, Sherman Francis and Robert Davis were chosen as a board of directors. They then adjourned to meet again Nov 25, 1916, at the Corsicana school house and devise plans to improve the cemetery. All who are interested are invited. John Swindle, Sect.

---

Jack Fly stated that the 1888 Goodspeed refers to the spring as Joys Spring. He has a transcribed deed between Jeremiah Nicholas Fly and William R. Sooter, which mentions JOYS Spring. However the USGS website refers to it as Joyce. I would think that Joys would be the correct spelling since early documentations have it that way.

And then Bill Landers told us that both of the Goodspeed's references are taken from Henry McCary's 1876 address and both refer to him as Mr. Joy. From Historic Spots in Old Barry County, by Nellie Alice Mills. "Mr. Joy was the first settler at the head of Joy's Creek, sometimes written Joyce's Creek. This is a very strong tributary of Shoal Creek." In the 1833 Tax Assessor's list of Greene County it lists George Joy. The 1834 Tax Assessor's list also names George Joy as paying tax on 1 horse and 6 cattle. (The 1833 tax list is in alphabetical sequence but the 1834 list is in near location order. Since George Joy is surrounded by Haddocks, Meeks, and Samuel Washburn it is likely that George Joy was the man who the stream was named for.) He must have moved on before the 1840 census.

---

---

Research Note: In 1997 - Today there are no houses or signs of a town. It's a place where there once was a village of activity in the time period of 1850 to possibly 1910 or so. The cemetery is fenced but - not in very good care. The grass is often times high but there are no cows running in the cemetery. It seems like several years ago that the gate was not locked but now it is has a pad lock on it. So one has to walk into the cemetery area and can not drive up into the area where the graves are.

Corsicana may be one of the oldest cemeteries in the county. One of today's problems with this cemetery is that it sits on a hill hidden in the trees and is in a remote location. It is located where there is absolutely no vision of it from the rural dirt road down in the valley.

There may have been a lot of other cases of vandalism and destruction at Corsicana but those that are familiar to the writer of these lines. On several occasions vandalism has occurred and a number of times and stones have been completely destroyed or missing. About twenty years ago, a lot of the stones disappeared and some of them that was left were broken and left on the ground, and others were found laying across the fence in a pasture. There have been stones removed and broken - even some thrown across the fence.

About ten years ago, someone had broken up a number of the stones. About six or seven years ago someone had taken down a number of the foot markers and laid them in a pattern on the ground as to make a patio out of them. They were near where George and Sarah F. (Smith) Long are buried, but the Long family grave marker appeared not to have been tampered with and none of the graves appeared to have been vandalized. It appeared that, for some reason, kids had been going to the cemetery - drinking and perhaps doing other mischievous acts. A long time ago there were many more tombstones located at Corsicana than there are today. It's pretty obvious when you stand at the gate and look at how many graves appear to be there that are not marked. It's possible that only about 25 or 30 percent of the graves have markers.

Buried here were many of Barry County's early pioneer families. The very prominent Corsicana early day settlers such as the Fly and Swindle families carried their dead up the hill and left them there to rest. Also buried here are George and Sarah (Smith) Long, my great-great grandparents. Julia (Waller) (Collins) Ferguson was the second wife of William Collins. Wm. was my 3rd great grandfather. He is probably buried here, but his first wife, Elizabeth Graham, may not be buried here. William and Juliette lived near here, and he was prominent in the New site community. If William is buried here, it is in an unmarked grave and most likely by his wife Juliett. - Donna Cooper

---