Russell Cemetery

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Directions: From Butterfield take 37 south to FR2140 and turn left (east). Go about 1.2 miles then turn left (north) on FR1102, the cemetery is .4 miles down this road on the left (west) side.

Well kept cemetery, several unmarked graves, fenced and mowed.

Transcribed from existing stones, Jan 13, 2000 by Mary Homesley.

All the stones in this cemetery were photographed in July 2006 by Diana Cope.

Donations may be made to the Russell Cemetery Account, Security Bank of Southwest Missouri, Hwy Jct. 37 & 76-86, Cassville, MO 65625

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Rick Horn is standing in front of the gate holding a photo of the Cabin that apparently was the home that the Russell family lived in about the time this cemetery was started.

This cabin is often referred to as the Savage Cabin because the last people to live in it was W. C. Savage. It was moved to the Greenway Trail in Cassville near 13th Street.

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The 1909 Plat Map has a J. A. Russell farm in Section 8, this must be near where the cabin was located.

The 1930 map has a Rausch family living near the Douthitt family on the plat map in Section 7.

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"Butterfield Community, Then & Now", page 276:
By 1920 Willis and Sarah were deceased and Thomas Jefferson Russell, age 49, and Catherine N., age 32, were living the log cabin raising their family: Josie was age 8, David W. age 6, Lacey M. age 4, Rhoda J. age 3, and William L. was 6 months old.

Willis Russell's father was Asa Russell. The W. A. Russell could have been Asa? He was buying land North of the Russell Cemetery in the 1850s. Willis was found in 1870 in Newton Co., MO, living at Newtonia. Children were Carian 18, George 16, John A. 16 David W. 13, Thomas J. 9, born in Indiana William R., age 5, born Indiana.

In 1880 the Willis Russell Family was Household #67 with wife Elizabeth, son Thomas born 1862 in Indiana and son, William born 1864, in Indiana. In 1894 Willis was living in the Butterfield Village.

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From Darla Ball Marbut: The Savages bought the cabin from Dave Russell in 1945 (page 278 of Butterfield Community Book). The information there is difficult to follow but may go like this: W. A. Russell lived on land north of the Russell cemetery in 1850. On April 1, 1878 Willis Russell was listed in Mortgage Deed Book C, page 506 for land in Section 6, North 1/2 of S/E 1/4 in Township 23 and Range 27. It reads like Dave's father was Willis Russell.

In 1900 Atlas it lists a T. J. Russell living at that location ... North and West of the cross that marks the Russell Cemetery. F. Rausch is in that Section 6 as well.

Ira Nickle - now deceased in 2013 said there is an old story that was told about this cemetery. At a dance a fiddler and another man got into a fight over a girl and the fiddler was killed. It was told that you could hear his ghost playing the fiddle in the Russell cemetery. Goodspeed, P. 73. Thomas Brattin was killed at a dance at Russells three miles from Cassville, in 1883 or 1884 by James Roberts. Latter was defended by W. W. McConnel, who won his acquittal. The quarrel resulting in this murder arose entirely from jealousy, both loving the same girl. Bob Banks has this very interesting item from the Neosho Times, 1884 newspaper on his web site about the Roberts trial. It mentions that the girl was a Miss Utter.

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