BERRY CEMETERY ASH GROVE
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William H. Berry  
August 10, 1848 - January 31, 1917

Picture
William H. Berry, ca. 1880s (Photo courtesy of the Berry Family)
Picture
William Berry wedding photo 1866 (William H. Berry, ca. 1880s (Photo courtesy of the Berry Family)

William Huston Berry's early life is difficult to trace. His death certificate states that he was born on August 10, 1848, in West Virginia. Census records variously list his birthplace as Arkansas, Tennessee, or Virginia. Though his consistently Southern origin and his birth year would tend to suggest he was born a slave, Berry family tradition says that William was always free, and that he arrived in Ash Grove from parts unknown, driving a team of matched Percherons with brass-studded harnesses. The first known record of William is the 1870 Greene County Census. In that year, he was living near Ash Grove in the house of African-American farmer Jackson Robberson. 21 year-old William was employed as a farmhand. He claimed no real estate but valued his personal estate at $250. On November 24, 1872, in the town of Stockton, William married Caroline Boone of Cedar County, Missouri. In 1875, he purchased 10 acres of land on the southern boundary of Ash Grove from Ransom Perryman. In 1880, William was listed as a farmer, living within the village of Ash Grove with his wife, mother-in-law, and three young children. One year later, William purchased 40 acres west of Ash Grove from the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad for $300. William and Caroline had seven children together before her death in 1914 at age 64. William died of pneumonia at his home on January 31, 1917, at age 68 (Russel 2012).

Grave marker: The Grave marker for William H. Berry is a pulpit style marble monument on a marble upper base and limestone lower base. Excluding the two-part base, the monument is 41 x 18 x 8 inches in size. The two-part base is 18 x 28 x 18 inches in size. Text and an image incorporating palms, pillars, a gate, a walkway, and an anchor symbol are engraved on the west face of the monument. A relief of an open bible forms the top of the marker. An image of a dove is engraved on the upper south side and north side of the monument. By 2010, the upper part of the monument had detached from the lower part. In 2017, through a grant from the Phenix Marble Company, the upper part was re-set on the base. The marker is now in relatively good condition. 
PictureWest face of monument

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​ Text on west face of headstone:


WM. H. BERRY
 AUG. 10, 1848
 JAN. 31, 1917

Picture
The monument for William Berry in 2010, before repair.
Picture
Image engraved above text on west face of monument. Drawing by Allison Tiller.
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Footstone engraved "W.H.B."
Picture
Fr. Moses Berry stands between the monument for William Berry (left of Fr. Moses) and Caroline Berry (right of Fr. Moses).
William H. Berry Death Certificate
Berry Family, Ash Grove, MO; Ozarks Afro-American Heritage Museum; Dept. of Sociology and Anthropology, College of Humanities and Public Affairs, Missouri State University
  • Home
  • Interred Individuals
    • Fannie (Herron) Allen
    • George Allen
    • James Allen
    • Birtie Berry
    • Caroline Berry
    • Della May Berry
    • Helen Drucella Berry
    • Charles Frank Berry
    • Hubert W. Berry
    • Infant (Kyle?) Berry
    • Kenneth Berry
    • Luther D. Berry
    • Mamie T. Berry
    • Millard W. Berry
    • Sarah E. Berry
    • William H. Berry
    • Maria Boone
    • A Boyd
    • Peter Boone
    • John Bray
    • Bobbie Darnell Carlock
    • Evaline Coleman
    • Nelson Danforth
    • Elizabeth Decks
    • Mollie Ellison
    • Sip Ellison
    • Sampson Farley
    • Mary Harrison
    • Lulie E. Harvey
    • Maude Lee Harvey
    • Rev. Harrison Harvey
    • Sarah A. Harvey
    • William E. Harvey
    • Maggie Hendricks
    • James Aaron Herron
    • Clara Herron
    • Della Lorine Herron
    • Louise Herron
    • Ross Herron
    • Susan V. Herron
    • Rachel A. Huddleston
    • Charity James
    • Martha Jane (Robinson) Jones
    • R. S. Jones
    • John Mason
    • Fanny Murray
    • Joseph Flem Murray
    • Alma L. Oliver
    • Jocy Bell Peryman
    • Cassie Reaves
    • Leo Reaves
    • Mary Reaves
    • William Harvey Reaves
    • Isaiah Rice
    • Enoch Simmons
    • Jasper Simmons
    • Ralph Simmons
    • Baby Walls
    • Bob Walls
    • Charles Walls
    • James Aaron Walls
    • Joe Walls
    • Press Walls
    • Levina "Vine" Walls
    • Grace White
    • Harrison Wilson
    • Effie (Reaves) Yokum
    • Frank Yokum
  • Monument For Unmarked Burials
  • Family Trees
  • Maps
  • History
  • Visit
  • Additional Information
  • Contact Us
  • Sources & Credits