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Samuel and Catherine Phariss Memorial Cemetery

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Memorials	:	0
Location	:	Aurora, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate	:	36.9899000, -93.6931000
Description	:	The Samuel and Catherine Phariss Memorial Cemetery was previously known by locals as the "Old Settlers and Indian Cemetery". This cemetery was lost in a grove of trees and weeds for years in a farm field in rural Lawrence County, Missouri. It was re-discovered in 2017 and rescued by descendants of Samuel & Catherine Phariss. Samuel and Catherine are the only people verified to have been buried in this cemetery, however, there appear to be dozens of graves. Unfortunately, no records have been found to identify who else might be buried here. The cemetery currently... Read More	The Samuel and Catherine Phariss Memorial Cemetery was previously known by locals as the "Old Settlers and Indian Cemetery". This cemetery was lost in a grove of trees and weeds for years in a farm field in rural Lawrence County, Missouri. It was re-discovered in 2017 and rescued by descendants of Samuel & Catherine Phariss. Samuel and Catherine are the only people verified to have been buried in this cemetery, however, there appear to be dozens of graves. Unfortunately, no records have been found to identify who else might be buried here. The cemetery currently is on one-third acre, however, burials appear to continue beyond the current boundaries - west into the farm field, and north under the county road. The first mention of this cemetery was found in a letter written by Samuel and Catherine's son, Samuel M. Phariss, about their deaths and burials in 1858. They died just two months apart, in January and March of 1858. Their son wrote, "We interred them in plain raised lid coffins lined with white and covered with black in the graveyard a little north of their late residence. Father selected the burial place for Mother and himself and he lies upon her right side, some three feet apart." (Samuel owned 80 acres of land just to the south of this cemetery.) This land was not purchased through the Bureau of Land Management until 1870, so it appears that early settlers were using government land for burials in the 1850's, maybe even earlier. Although it was known locally as the Old Settlers and Indian cemetery, there has been no evidence found to support the notion that Native Americans were ever buried here. Knowledge of the cemetery continued into the late 1800's and through the 1990's. A descendant of Samuel and Catherine, Bessie (Hillhouse) Young, born in 1896, visited her great-grandparents' graves in this cemetery over the years. As an elderly woman, she told Fred Mieswinkel, Lawrence County Historian, about the cemetery, and he wrote about it and the Phariss family in a Lawrence County Historical Society Bulletin in 1977. In 1998, Mr. Mieswinkel took Raymond Phariss and his family to see the cemetery. By this time, all of the headstones were missing. But, a member of the Don Wrinkle family, who owned the land from 1950 until recently, has verified that the headstones had been there until a few years before. Also, another neighbor told of visiting the cemetery with Mr. Wrinkle about 1980, and said there were still two or three headstones at that time. His son said that Mr. Wrinkle knew the cemetery was there, so never cultivated that area. After Mr. Wrinkle's death, the property was sold, the cemetery grew up in trees and weeds, and the new owners did not know of its existence. After finding each other through Ancestry DNA, Phariss descendants Noralee Faulkner and Barbara Brauch went in search of the cemetery. After finding it, they were able to purchase the land it was located on, and began the restoration process. Replacement headstones for Samuel and Catherine were set in 2020. Because of reports of Samuel and Catherine having had headstones, it is assumed the two base stones found in the cemetery marked their resting place and were used for the new stones. A partial headstone with Catherine's name has been found on the property, and the search for other missing stones will continue. Updates on the restoration are posted regularly on the Phariss Memorial Cemetery Facebook page.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Samuel and Catherine Phariss Memorial Cemetery?
Samuel and Catherine Phariss Memorial Cemetery is located at 20335 Lawrence 2195 Aurora, Lawrence County ,Missouri , 65605USA.
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Where are the coordinates of the Samuel and Catherine Phariss Memorial Cemetery?
Latitude: 36.9899000
Longitude: -93.6931000

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Nearby Cemetories:

1. Old Aurora City Cemetery
Aurora, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 36.9688492, -93.7179413

2. Butler Cemetery
Marionville, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 37.0003014, -93.6536026

3. Grammer Cemetery
Marionville, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 37.0167007, -93.6663971

4. Buck Prairie Cemetery
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Coordinate: 36.9743996, -93.6539001

5. Berry Cemetery
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Coordinate: 36.9658100, -93.7336750

6. Mount Calvary Cemetery
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Coordinate: 36.9552994, -93.7205963

7. Maple Park Cemetery
Aurora, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 36.9530983, -93.7205963

8. Marionville IOOF Cemetery
Marionville, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 37.0021400, -93.6308594

9. Orange Cemetery
Aurora, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 37.0432800, -93.7170600

10. Samuel Family Graves
Barry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.9249300, -93.7015600

11. Dover Cemetery
Marionville, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 37.0615730, -93.6743370

12. Saint Johns German Evangelical Cemetery
Verona, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 36.9625900, -93.7816500

13. Calvary Cemetery
Verona, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 36.9633300, -93.7839200

14. Mount Olive Cemetery
Marionville, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 37.0538712, -93.6266327

15. Zion Cemetery
Mount Vernon, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 37.0402500, -93.7815600

16. Spring River Cemetery
Verona, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 36.9418983, -93.7919006

17. Osa Cemetery
Osa, Barry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.9098200, -93.6297000

18. Woodsland Cemetery
Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 37.0877991, -93.6996994

19. Verona Amish Cemetery
Verona, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 37.0326000, -93.8122000

20. Lee Cemetery
Verona, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 37.0122340, -93.8247440

21. Clay Hill Cemetery
Madry, Barry County, USA
Coordinate: 36.8854000, -93.7330000

22. Roberts Cemetery
Mount Vernon, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 37.0866776, -93.7566299

23. Brashers Cemetery
McKinley, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 37.0950012, -93.6247025

24. Campground Cemetery
Chesapeake, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 37.1063995, -93.6613998

Samuel and Catherine Phariss Memorial Cemetery

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