Sample Genealogical Records
Sample County Family History 
Sample County Census Records 
Sample County Marriage Records 
Sample Cemetery Records
| Sample County Family History |
| Sample County Census Records |
| Sample County Marriage Records |
| Sample Cemetery Records |
Sample Taney County Family History
There are several families in Taney County who have already shared their genealogy with others. If your family is from a different area and you have no relatives in this county, you can still learn from the types of information some people choose to include in a family history.
For instance, take a look at this sample family history of the Casey/McHaffie family. The history has been prepared by Gerald McHaffie, 606 N. Lone Pine, Springfield, MO 65802. Tammy Roberts, a member of the McHaffie family, supplied the history in the following form. We have retained the exact form of the original, except for inserting the family photos that Tammy provided, so that you can get a clearer idea of one family's research endeavors:
The Caseys and McHaffies of Missouri
The Missouri Compromise provided for the admission of Missouri to the Union as a slave state on August 10, 1921. Missouri was the 24th state to be admitted to the Union and the 2nd state west of the Mississippi River. A special act of the State Legislature carved Greene County from existing Crawford County. These events paved the way for the invasion of pioneers from the east. One such pioneer was John Casey.
John Casey was born in South Carolina but spent the early part of adulthood in the state of Georgia. In the early part of his life, John Casey had worked hard and had prospered. Just prior to coming to Greene County, Missouri, John Casey and his family resided in McMinn County, Tennessee. McMinn County exists in the southeastern part of Tennessee just south of Knox County.
John Casey's family accompanying him on the trip to Greene County consisted of sons Levi and John A. and daughters Hetty, Francis Marie, Clarissa, Susannah, and Elizabeth. Daughter Jane had married Henson Ellison in Roane County, Tennessee, on March 27, 1824, and did not accompany the group. The John Casey group arrived in Greene County prior to the 1840 Census. Hetty had married James Ellison in Roane Countv, Tennessee on April 11, 1829. Upon arriving in Missouri, James and Hetty Ellison settled in Taney County, Missouri.
John A. Casey married Susan Cardwell in Greene County on April 22, 1841. Francis Marie married Hugh McHaffie in Greene County on March 2, 1843, and to that union one daughter was born on February 9, 1844. Upon Hugh McHaffie's death, Francis Marie married John Wilson of Greene County. Clarissa married Benjamin F. Mitchell, while Susannah married Alvis Ruyle.
John Casey died on October 29, 1856, and is buried in the Simpson Cemetery. The cemetery is located just east of the present city limit of Springfield, Missouri. John Casey wrote his will on the 17th day of June 1885. In his will John Casey named beloved wife Anne Casey, who was to have as her dower, one Negro boy and one Negro girl. The balance of his slaves were to be sold to lawful heirs, not allowing any other person to become a trader or purchaser.
Levi Casey, eldest son of John and Anna Casey, was a pioneer in his own right. Levi was born on April 23, 1805, in the state of Georgia. On February 4, 1830, Levi married Mary (Polly) Haggard in Roane County, Tennessee. Four children, Francis Marion, Sarah, William D. and Amanda J. were born while Levi and Polly Casey resided in Tennessee.
Immediately after arriving in Missouri, Levi and Polly Casey made Greene County their home, but soon afterward moved to Taney County. In about 1843, Levi, with the help of slave labor, built a home on the banks of Swan Creek. This home is now preserved at Silver Dollar City. Two more children, Isaac Newton and Belveritta, were born after the move to Taney County.
Francis Marian Casey, eldest son of Levi and Polly Casey, married Rebecca Frances Brandon; William D. married Missouri Catherine Cook; Sarah married Henry Laughlin; Isaac Newton died when young; Belveritta married Benjamin P. McKinney; and Amanda married Andrew McHaffie.
David, John, and Hugh McHaffie, sons of Andrew and Catherine Harless McHaffie of Knox County, Tennessee, arrived in Greene County, Missouri, prior to the John Casey's group. Three other sons of Andrew and Catherine stayed in Tennessee; however, two sisters, Julie Braden and Lockey Jane Brazeal, with their families joined the brothers in Missouri. David and John had married sisters, daughters of Simon Sherrod, prior to leaving Tennessee.
David and Catherine Sherrod McHaffie had two children born while living in Tennessee. These two youngsters accompanied their parents to the new frontier. The eldest was the first son born in the family. In Scottish tradition, the first male born was named in honor of the paternal grandfather, Andrew McHaffie. Some years later and after settling in Missouri, the second son was born to David and Catherine McHaffie. Again, in harmony with Scottish tradition, the new son was named in honor of the maternal grandfather, Simon Sherrod.
Hugh McHaffie died in October of 1843. He is buried in the McHaffie Cemetery in Christian County, Missouri. His grave site is the oldest marked grave in the cemetery. Hugh McHaffie and Frances Marie Casey's only daughter, Catherine Jane McHaffie, was the wife of Adam May of Polk County, Missouri.
David and John McHaffie settled in the Greene County area. David purchased a 160 acres in Section 13, Township 29 North, and Range 22 West from The Springfield Land Office. The family lived on this farm for over a year before selling the land and moving to the Finley River area where David took up land and built a home. The land that David sold in Section 13 is now within the city limit of Springfield, Missouri, and includes Silver Springs Park as well as a portion of Drury College campus.
John McHaffie built a mill on the Finley River in about 1850. It was reported that this mill was burned during the Civil War. Until recent times, hand-hewed logs that were part of the mill's dam could be seen extending from the mud bank of the river.
Andrew was about 5 years old when he traveled with his father, David McHaffie, from Knox County, Tennessee, to Greene County, Missouri. Born in the Bull Run Creek area in Knox County, Andrew grew up on the banks of the Finley River. Andrew selected as his bride, Amanda J. Casey, daughter of Levi Casey. They were married on December 25, 1859. There were three children born to this union: Leonard Harrison, Artelia Cubine, and William Manson.
The shot fired in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina on April 12, 1861, deeply affected the lives of many families through the country. The lives of the Caseys and McHaffies were no exception. The McHaffie's sympathy were with the North, while the Casey's embraced the South's cause. Andrew McHaffie wore the blue uniform as did his brother Simon and two cousins, James D. McHaffie and Francis Marion McHaffie, sons of John McHaffie. Francis Marion Casey, eldest son of Levi Casey, wore the gray. It must have been a depressing time for Amanda Casey McHaffie to see her husband ride off in pursuit of soldiers of the Confederacy while simultaneously observing her older brother ride off to defend the Southern cause.
After the war, Andrew and Amanda Casey McHaffie committed themselves to making farming and stock raising a success. In addition, Andrew served as President of the Bruner Telephone Company. Andrew and a brother, George M.D. McHaffie, participated in the organization of the Bank of Rogersville, Missouri. Andrew was the bank's first president. This position he held as long as he was physically able and served as a director for the remaining part of his life. It is interesting to note that at about the same period of time a younger brother, J.K. Polk McHaffie, was elected president of the Taney County Bank at Forsyth, Missouri.
A greater portion of the Levi Casey's farm was acquired by Andrew and Amanda Casey McHaffie. The farm was always kept in the family until the federal government purchased land to provide for Bull Shoals Dam. Through the years various family members called the home that Levi Casey built home. Leonard Harrison McHaffie, eldest son of Andrew, was living in the cabin when the 1900 census was recorded. Leonard's only daughter, Opal McHaffie Parnell, was born in the cabin on Christmas Oay in 1897.
The Herschends of Silver Dollar City moved the cabin to the city in the early part of the city's life. It was reported that as part of the move each log was numbered and marked so that the cabin could be reassembled exactly as it had stood on its original site and perhaps identical to the cabin that Levi Casey built in 843.
Gerald McHaffie 606 N. Lone Pine Springfield, Missouri 65802
Bibliography
A Reminiscent History of the Ozark Region. Originally published by Goodspeed Brother, I894.lngenthron, Elmo. The Land of Taney. The Ozarks Mountaineer, Branson, Missouri, 1973.
1840 and 1850 Federal Censuses of Greene and Taney Counties.
Springfield, Missouri Land Office Abstracts 1935-1846.
Greene County, Missouri Probate Records compiled by Marsha Hoffman Rising.
White River Valley Historical Quarterly, Spring 1964.
Taney County Times July 9, 1891
State Historical Society of Missouri
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Sample Taney County Census Records
The census records in your county are another good place for your students to look for information on family members. As you can see from the Taney County reproduction below, you should be able to tell everyone who was registered in a given county, the person's age, gender, occupation and state of birth.
The Forsyth Library has the census records available for every decade since 1840. The library is in the process of getting these lists internet accessible. For now, though, your students could visit the library and search through old census records for their families. Bob Miley, the genealogy specialist, is happy to help you use their materials. If the students' families do not have roots in Taney County, again, they might research some other family, developing foundational knowledge and skills to conduct their own family searches when they are able.
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Return to Top of PageSample Taney County Marriage Records
The marriage records in a given county are also useful in tracing a family's history, especially if you are searching the paternal side of a family. As you can tell from the sample record, most lists are alphabetized according to the groom's last name. So searching the maternal side of a family is a little more difficult.
Every county courthouse keeps records of applications for marriage made at that location. Other counties have historians who take the county census list and cross-reference it with the marriage records, trying to discover who married whom and who did not marry.
The Taney County Marriage Records from 1885-1900 were printed in the White River Valley Historical Quarterly (spring 1968), compiled by members of the Taneycomo Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Efforts are underway to make these records internet accessible.
Your students might benefit from searching through the Quarterly. The publication in indexed by the Ozarks Periodicals Index and by The Springfield-Greene County Shepard Room at <http://www.198.209.8.166/sheproom>. A key-word or subject search should allow your students to access various records that have appeared in the Quarterly.
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Sample Taney County Cemetery Records
Another place to search for clues about your family history is to visit local cemeteries and study the headstones. Of course, you can do it the hard way, as Tammy had to do: She visited all of the cemeteries listed here and recorded the information from every headstone. Then she organized the information, assembling complete cemetery listings for all four cemeteries.
What that means, of course, is if you or your students are unable to actually visit one of the cemeteries here, you could save some time by contacting her to get the complete listing. She is happy to share the information with anyone who needs help. The Forsyth Library's Genealogy Department also has an extensive listing of cemetery records. Bob Miley, bmiley@trilakes.com, can assist you in finding out what is available there.
In the meantime, your students might benefit from knowing a little about some of the area cemeteries. Tammy has provided a brief overview of the cemeteries that she has studied:
Casey Cemetery
Casey Cemetery is located northeast of Forsyth, Missouri, down Casey Road. This cemetery is across the road and up the hill from the old Casey Homestead cabin that is now preserved at Silver Dollar City. It is on land still owned by the Casey family and is maintained by the Casey and Biggs families. When I visited this cemetery, I was reminded of one of the reasons you need to be careful when walking around in old cemeteries: snakes. A small king snake was curled up guarding the grave of Ress Casey. This cemetery is in fairly good condition, probably due to the fact that it is somewhat hidden above Casey Road. Some of the tombstones are hard to read and the slab-covered grave of I.N. Casey is beginning to cave-in.
In this cemetery you will find the graves of Levi and Mary (Polly) Casey, some of the first settlers in Taney County. They settled on this land by way of a government grant in the 1 840's. You will also find the grave of Missouri Catherine Cook Casey who gained famed with the Sunken Forest area of Lake Taneycomo. When Powersite Dam was built, Missouri Casey would not sell her land for the price being offered and held out until she got the price she wanted. By this time, it was too late to cut the trees, as the dam had already been built and the lake was starting to fill up. The trees stand as a reminder of Missouri Cook Casey.
Here you will also find the graves of two young brothers who died on the same day in I 928. I was curious about this and was told by Jerry Gideon and Gladys Biggs Wolf that the two boys were ice skating when the ice gave way and the boys fell through, drowning.
Take a look at the complete listing of the marked graves in the Casey Cemetery if you'd like to know more.
Cook/Hodge Cemetery
This cemetery was the family burial plot of the James Cook family of Taneyville. Here you will find members of the Cook family, their descendants, and even some of the slaves owned by the Cook family. To find the Cook/Hodge Cemetery, go through Taneyville (east highway 76) and take county road AA to AA10. Turn left on AAlO and go about three miles to the John Hodge place. The cemetery is about 400 feet in back of the house above Swan Creek.
Old Forsyth Cemetery
This cemetery is located near the end of Panther Way (the Forsyth School Road) above the banks of Swan Creek. On December 12, 1910, William C. and Martha S. Gibson deeded approximately 112 acre to the Forsyth Cemetery for the sum of $1.00. Other land has since been added to make the cemetery its present size. Although the land was not actually deeded until the early 1900s, this land was used as a cemetery before that time.
The oldest tombstone still standing is that of Sylvanus Groom, dated 1877. Other graves of interest include that of Nathaniel Kinney, captain of the Baldknobbers, and his wife, Maggie. They are buried in the shade, under some large cedar trees. Recently, Douglas Mahnkey put up a new headstone for Maggie Kinney, who is a relative of his wife.
Close to the Kinneys is the grave of an infant that died recently. The child's parents were new to the area and did not have a family cemetery plot. The child now rests under the cedars, with only a funeral home marker on his grave. The cemetery caretakers are in the process of raising funds to purchase a permanent tombstone.
In the cemetery you will also find several graves without any markers of any type. No one knows who is buried in these places, but there is some speculation that they may contain the bodies of Civil War soldiers who died in the battle of Forsyth in 1861. According to the Springfield National Cemetery, several graves of Civil War soldiers were removed from Taney County and relocated in the cemetery in Springfield. There is no record of this in Taney County.
In the past several years the cemetery has had problems with vandalism from young people. If you look closely, most of the old tombstones have been broken and repaired. When one of the young men who broke several tombstones was caught, the juvenile office said they shouldn't or couldn't do anything about it as the boy did not understand that what he was doing was wrong.
In 1984 a perpetual care fund was set up with Irene Reynolds, Jim Biggs, and Gladys Biggs Wolf in charge. This association has held fund raising drives and most of the funds are kept in the bank and the cemetery is maintained off the interest of this money. But none of this money can be used to repair the broken tombstones. In the Spring of 1998, a new chain-link fence was placed around the cemetery for protection. This is one of the best maintained cemeteries in Taney County and continues to be a source of research for local history classes in the area.
Ragsdale Cemetery
The Ragsdale Cemetery, also known as the Wood Cemetery, is located on Casey Road on the farm of Elias Ragsdale. This farm is currently owned by Keith and Cubine Wood. Cubine is the daughter of Elias and Martha Ragsdale. This land was originally owned by the Everett family who sold it to Andrew and Amanda Casey McHaffie, and it was then passed on to Artelia Cubine McHaffie and her husband, Ulysses Sidney Grant Ragsdale.
The land then passed on to Elias Ragsdale and his children: Dewey Short, Cubine Wood, and Eva Jo Jenkins. When Elias and Martha Ragsdale first took over the cemetery it was grown up with briars. It had to be cleared to find the tombstones. Elias told his children not to ever let anyone be buried near the front gate as this section was where the Indians were buried. Apparently, according to the legend, there was an Indian encampment in what is now the Wood hayfield and the Indians were the first to use this section of land for a burying ground.
In this cemetery you will find the graves of the Ragsdale, Morton, and Everett families. Everybody who is buried here is related to or neighbors of the Ragsdale family (except the Indian graves). The cemetery is maintained by donations from the families of those buried there. As with most older cemeteries in the area, there is a problem with old tombstones breaking and there is no money to replace or repair these monuments. It is up to the families to maintain the tombstones.
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