MONUMENT FOR THOSE IN UNMARKED GRAVES
Above: section of quilt made by Berry women in the 19th or early 20th century
 Fr. Moses Berry stands beside the monument consecrated at a gathering on Juneteenth (June 19), 2017.
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A monument, installed in 2017, recognizes 35 African Americans buried in unmarked graves in the Berry cemetery. All of these individuals were either born into enslavement or were the children of people who were enslaved. Death records, other historic documents, and oral histories confirm that these individuals are buried in the cemetery, but the specific locations of the burials are unknown. The new monument commemorates these individuals, serving as a visible reminder of their lives and contributions.
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The new monument is made of a massive block of marble procured several miles away at the historic Phenix Marble quarry. Moses Berry, in collaboration with Freddie Flores of the Phenix Marble Company, selected the piece of stone for the monument. In 2017, the large piece of stone was transported from the Phenix Marble Quarry to the Berry Cemetery. Specialists from The Monument Shoppe of Springfield, Missouri then engraved the text and images. Moses Berry designed the inscription, including the text and images. Technically a type III limestone, this material has been known commercially as a marble for more than a century due to a variety of qualities including its high density and distinctive appearance. Historically, this stone was used in the construction of numerous historic buildings, for example in the New York Stock Exchange trading room.
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Specialists from The Monument Shoppe of Springfield, Missouri engrave the new monument in early June of 2017.
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Funding for the creation and installation of the monument was generously provided by the Phenix Marble Company. The Monument Shoppe of Springfield, MO also donated materials used in the installation. Elizabeth Sobel of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Missouri State University coordinated the project. Moses Berry made all key decisions during the project.
The Inscription:
Memory Eternal With the Saints Give Rest, O Lord, to the Souls of Your Servants Who Have Fallen Asleep Fannie Herron Allen (June 23, 1884 – February 26, 1933) George Allen (May 24, 1874 – December 16, 1949) James Allen (October 6, 1919 – November 1, 1945) Birtie Berry (May 2, 1882 – January 10, 1902) Drucella Berry (January 26, 1918 – July 26, 1947) Frank Berry (1876 – sometime after 1910) Kyle Berry (January 6, circa 1961) Luther D. Berry (April 27, 1893 – October 21, 1951) Mamie T. White Berry (July 13, 1889 – February 5, 1967) Peter Boone (1850 – November 25, 1913) John Bray (February 20, 1880 – April 25 1958) Bobbie Darnell Carlock (April 19, 1951) Evaline Love Coleman (May 1826 – December 13, 1912) Nelson Danforth (1852 – March 7, 1938) Mollie Robinson Ellison (October 31, 1865 – December 16, 1932) Sip Napoleon Ellison (1846 – November 29, 1926) Mary Yaeger Farley (1843 – January 14, 1923) Sampson Farley (January 1, 1865 – July 18, 1915) Mary Harrison (February 22, 1877 – April 8, 1915) Maggie Coleman Hendricks (February 1865 – September 24, 1918) Aaron Herron (1849 – September 1, 1928) Clara Trotter Herron (January 25, 1826 – March 8, 1911) Della Lorine Herron (July 5, 1910 – May 30, 1911) Louise Herron (August 16, 1905 – March 6, 1914) Ross Herron (January 25, 1878 – February 4, 1910) Jane Robinson Jones (August 30, 1859 – May 16, 1928) |
Fanny Stafford Murray (August 24, 1856- June 22, 1946) Joseph Flem Murray (1839 – October 18, 1919) Cassie Thompson Reaves (April 1, 1860 – November 9, 1946) Leo Reaves (April 23, 1911 – August 6, 1978) Mary Oliver Reaves (1837 – May 9, 1919) William Harvey Reaves (February 5, 1859 – March 19, 1925) Isaiah Rice (January 9, 1849 – January 17, 1920) Harrison Wilson (1847 – May 13, 1914) Effie Reaves Yokum (March 12, 1890 - May 22, 1967) Relatives of Chief Joseph Two Bears Native Americans, names & dates unknown May They Rest in a Place Where There is No Sickness, No Sighing, No Sorrow but Life Everlasting. Amen. 
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A Gathering to Consecrate the New Monument on Juneteenth, 2017
A ceremony was held on June 19, 2017 at the Berry Cemetery to consecrate the newly installed monument. Father Moses Berry and fellow priests in the Orthodox Church of America led the ceremony. Clarence Brewer, a relative of several individuals listed on the monument, played country blues on his steel guitar. Father Moses Berry wrote about the ceremony on his web site:
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My family has always celebrated the “Negro Emancipation Day” – that Saturday in June which falls in the middle of the month, commemorating the day on which slaves in Texas were told they were free. This year, I celebrated Juneteenth by joining with neighbors, parishioners, and fellow clergy in blessing a beautiful new memorial stone donated to us by Andrew Baird, President, Conco Companies. This large stone, made of local marble, lists all those buried in the Berry Cemetery (now consecrated as Holy Resurrection Cemetery) who don’t have headstones. Our cemetery was dedicated in 1875 for the burial of “Slaves, Paupers and Indians,” none of whom could be buried in the town cemetery at the time and is on the National Register of Historic Places. (Father Moses Berry, Juneteenth 2017, Father Moses Berry, June 18, 2017. Accessed February 2022 at https://frmosesberry.com/page/3/)
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Fr. Moses speaks at the consecration ceremony on June 19, 2017.
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Father Moses Berry (right) and fellow priests in the Orthodox Church of America lead the ceremony.
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Moses Berry (second from left) and brother Kieth Berry (far right) at the gathering on June 19, 2017.
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Clarence Brewer or "King Clarentz" plays country blues on his steel guitar at the gathering.
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After the ceremony, Rob Baird and Clarence Brewer chat beside the new monument.