What site could possibly be more likely for lingering spirits that the old site of the County Poor Farm. Cuzzin Rachel and I have had reason to look into two of these establishments, one in western Pulaski County, the other in Pemiscot County, MO. The first was home to a mutual cousin, the second is resting place to Rachel's uncle Horace.
The County Poor Farm in Pulaski County was near Olmsted, off of Old Feather Trail Road. It is private property now, the last residents under the care of the county recorded around the years of the Great Depression.
Generations prior to the 1930's, our shared great grandmother+ Nancy Jane Field Pearson had a 1st cousin on her mother's side, William Staten. His family were also neighbors to the Pearsons in their area of the county. William's wife died in 1880, and though all of their children were still minors, by the time the census was recorded that same year, William is living alone at age 38. His sons George, 16, and Grant, 13, are living nearby with the Brown family, George being enumerated as "disabled" with the box checked for "idiotic" in this record. Almost anything could have been the cause in those days, from birth accident to early illness, to farm accident, to lack of knowledge about learning disabilities. Regardless of what affected young George, the only later record of him is 2 years later, of his death at the Poor Farm. Had the Brown family declined to further care for him? Did his brother begin working and was no longer available to watch over his older brother, or had George become ill? He was only 18 years old, and there is no longer a sign for the property nor any known gravestones to memorialize him or his fellow residents, few though they were (less than 20 in some records). Those at the courthouse weren't even sure exactly where the property was located, so it makes me sad that these souls are not remembered in some tangible way.
As for the former Pemiscot County Poor Farm, perhaps due to its location closer to a thriving (at the time) town, and perhaps due to a larger number of sharecropping opportunities, the Farm was a larger enterprise, and the cemetery reflects this. The lists of those buried near an intersection close to the hamlet of Braggadocio are found at the Caruthersville Public Library, or on Find A Grave, and number approximately 500 souls. The farm building was standing, and possibly in use, into the early 1960's, the last 3 burials were children in 1962. When Horace passed away in a fire and relatives could not be found, his remains were laid to rest. At least he is not alone, and through the work of a local recording and posting to YouTube, there are in fact gravestones for some of the residents, although again, most likely have no idea of the history of that intersection north of town. I've gone through the list and tried to use resources to add identifying details to many of these memorials, as there are likely at least a few families looking for them.
For all of the above, where ever they are, I hope they are at peace.
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