For those of you who have been following my account to the history of Barry County, I know that I said I would talk about some of the people of Barry County and this article will be about people, but not yet about the important historical people of Barry County.

To start with, I’d like to give a shout out to some of the people of Barry County, starting with the Cassville High School FFA students who helped the Cassville Rotary Club have one of their most successful Rodeo events ever. There were over two dozen students who sold pre-event tickets, who worked at concession stands and who helped park cars on Friday and Saturday night at the rodeo. 

I would like to give a special shout to four students who helped park cars on the West side – Hale, Cricket, Cooper and Dakota. If you need someone to park cars in a straight line, Dakota is your man. Great job, Dakota.

A second shout out goes to the Barry County Commissioners, who have rehabilitated and remodeled the courtroom at the Barry County Courthouse where the Commissioners hold their meetings. An item of historical interest is that they re established the upper deck viewing area of the courtroom with the old-style railing. It looks like a movie set from a 1920’s movie trial. 

I encourage everyone to go take a look, and I especially encourage the history teachers in our area high schools to bring their students to or to encourage their students to come and visit an authentic 1920’s courtroom. 

Talana Hinson, maybe your speech and debate classes could have a mock trial there, something like, “The Remarkable Incident at Carson Corners.” Thank you Steve Blankenship, Gene Robbins and Gary Schad. It is beautiful.

I promise I will get back the people who were involved with the history of Barry County, but first I would like to also talk about some Barry County residents that we recently lost. First is my former 1964 classmate Becky Chaney Henningson. Becky is/was a Barry Countian who came back home to Cassville after attending college and was a teacher, a coach, a ladies golf champion and such a lover of the Cassville school system that she was on or head of the Cassville School Board for many years.

The second Barry Countian that I would like to talk about that we recently lost is Jill LeCompte, or Jill Holman LeCompte. Of course, the LeCompte name goes back in Barry County history to the 1850s, but Jill in her own right was a teacher, assistant principal, a principal, an assistant superintendent, and County Clerk. 

She poured her heart into supporting and strengthening her community, serving on the Cassville School Board, continuing her lifelong commitment to education and the people of Cassville. My family and historical connection to Jill was then my great-grandmother was Mary Holman Hilburn, who was Jill’s great-great-aunt.

Another Barry Countian that we’ve recently lost is Roger Brock, who attended college and came back to Barry County. He was Administrator of the County Health Department, coached several baseball teams and was an adviser to the Cassville High School fishing team. We lost Roger way too soon. 

Another family and historical connection to Roger is that my great-great-grandmother was Morcana Brock Hilburn. So, somewhere up the line, Roger and I were distant cousins. Aren’t history and ancestry amazing and interesting? Also, Roger’s grandmother is Georgia Hart, who is a charter member of our Barry County Genealogical and Historical Society and has stories about almost every family in Barry County.

Getting back to the history of Barry County, we’re up to the 1830s which, of course, brings in the timeframe of the “Trail of Tears.” Isn’t it amazing that the Trail of Tears, the Butterfield Stage Line and the Old Wire Road went right through the middle of Cassville. Talk about Cassville and Barry County being tied to history. 

The Trail of Tears came about because in 1830 President Andrew Jackson developed the Indian Removal Act. This was the federal government’s way to provide more land for settlement by Europeans coming to America. They were moving the Indians to be West of the Mississippi and really to be West of Missouri and Arkansas into what was to become Oklahoma. 

Between 1830 and 1837, The various tribes and groups of Indians located, generally in eastern Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia were encouraged to move to “Indian Territory” (Oklahoma) on their own. From 1837 to 1839, the Indians who had not moved West on their own were required to “force march” from their eastern locations to Indian Territory. 

The trail bosses or ‘conductors’ were given but a few cents per day per person to keep them alive and get them to the Indian territory, a trip of approximately 900 miles (more about the removal trails later).

It was called the Trail of Tears because no matter which group and which route they took, 10-20% of the Indians did not make it. They died from lack of nourishment, fatigue (Imagine walking barefooted across some of our Ozark mountain ranges — in the wintertime), bad weather, and there were some, like my great-great-great-grandfather, who just took his family and left the “train” in southwest Missouri. Grandma Nettie Smith Taylor was half Cherokee, and I am an eighth, and very proud to be, because I hardly ever get a sunburn.

Historical notes, as related to the Trail of Tears, President Andrew Jackson, because of the Indian Removal Act, was very well responsible for the Trail of Tears. How did President Jackson get famous? 

He won the Battle of New Orleans in January 1815 after the Treaty of Ghent had been signed (Dec. 14, 1814). What was the Treaty of Ghent? The Treaty ended the hostilities between Great Britain and the United States from the war called the War of 1812. Rétablit le statu quo ante bellum  –  The Treaty of Ghent restores the pre-war status. It stated that each country had to give back the land and warships that they had conquered during the war.

What caused the war in 1812? Generally, it came about because Great Britain tried to create a blockade around France during the Napoleonic Wars. They also “impressed” our seamen (taking our seamen away from American vessels and making them serve in the British Navy), and Great Britain was also supplying arms and money to the Indians to continue the fighting against the American colonists (those pesky Indians!). 

Also, there were many imperialistic Americans who thought all of North America, north of the Rio Grande, should be part of the United States (Isn’t it amazing how history repeats itself? 

Didn’t someone just the other day think that Canada and Greenland ought to be part of the United States?) The US troops had succeeded in winning some battles in Canada, but the War of 1812 was also the war in which Britain took over Washington DC and burnt down our capital. 

After the War of 1812, the more civilized of the American Indian Tribes were forced into southeastern Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida. This is why they were there in the 1830s and why Andrew Jackson needed them to move out.

A couple of oddities about the Napoleonic wars and the War of 1812. Napoleon and France had control over most of Europe, except for England. Why, because England had the best Navy in the world. France had no shipyards and no Navy so they wound up commandeering the American vessels to try to make fighting vessels out of them. 

Another thing that happened around this time was that American ships, to avoid the British blockade on the western side of France, started going around Gibraltar to enter the southern side of France. 

Have you ever heard of the Straits of Gibraltar? This is the location where Europe is separated from Morocco, Africa and the Barbary Coast by only about 9 miles. The Barbary Coast was the northwestern coast of Africa along the Mediterranean Sea consisting of the countries of Morocco, Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli. These countries are/were part of the leftover of the Ottoman Empire that had a bunch of angry broke men and sailors who needed a livelihood. So, they would stop the virtually defenseless American trading vessels and charge them a toll for safe passing through the Strait to France or other ports (does this ring a bell with anyone?).

Sometimes, the vessel would be stopped more than once and by the time they were through paying their tolls, they had no profit. United States merchant vessels were getting it from three sides, Britain, France and the Barbary pirates.

Tripoli, being the eastmost Barbary country, did not seem to be getting its fair share the tolls, so they demanded more tolls. The United States had finally had enough and decided they would not pay Tripoli their requested tolls or fees. 

Tripoli declared war upon the United States. The US Navy and Marines landed on Tripoli and overtook the city. This was the only the second time that US troops had landed on and invaded a foreign country, and it also marked the first time the American flag was raised in victory on foreign soil. This is famously referenced in the Marines’ Hymn: “to the shores of Tripoli”. Isn’t history fun and amazing? The other countries didn’t want to be attacked by the United States, so they all came to a peace treaty. 

I know it seems that I am rambling here, and I promise that one of these days I’ll be talking about Littleberry Mason, Price McMurtry, the McConnells, the LeComptes, the Stubblefields, the Baylesses, the Rays, etc. and so forth on the beginnings of Cassville and Barry County.

Come and join us at the Historical Society and share a story about your family.

Lynn Hilburn is an officer in the Barry County Genealogical and Historical Society, and invites all to come and join meetings, to provide information about their families or to look up information about their families. Hilburn may be reached at [email protected].