>This doesn't seem to be the present day Pierce City cemetery where, if I remember correctly, Sampson Looney and so many others are buried.< The Pierce City cemetery was established about 1870, shortly after the town, Peirce City, named for Andrew Peirce, a railroad vice president who offered land for the town in exchange for it bearing his name. The town prospered for the next three decades, the railroad transported natural resources and farm products from the area and the town becamed the trade center and postal district for folks who lived in rural Barry County. The spelling was changed to ‘Pierce’ about 1920 and efforts to change it back to the original spelling were thwarted. A marker at the cemetery entrance reads: ‘Pierce City Cemetery 1864’ is in error. Present day spelling of Pierce indicates the marker was installed after 1920 and the date, ‘1864’ may have been mistakingly taken from Sampson Looney’s tombstone, July 12, 1864. Per family tradition, Sampson was killed by bushwhackers and first buried on the farm of his son in law, Charles Shipman, in Section 25 which is in the very southwest corner of Lawrence County. When the cemetery was established, or shortly thereafter, Sarah Brown Hunt Looney, had her husband’s remains moved to the new cemetery. She had some MONEY. The money came from the sale of Sampson’s land in Sections 30 and 25. He accumlated 240 acres in section 30 through government purchases and another 120 acres through a 1858 purchase from Elisha Landers who, in 1852, paid Jesse LeGrand $600 for the 40 acres in Section 30 and 80 acres in section 25. Sampson paid Elisha $800 for the land. Section 30 was the place of the first Barry County court which met at the home of William Capps. A court house was built at the place was known as Mt. Pleasant and served the county until 1840 when it was relocated to McDonald or McDowell. In April 1870, William Robert Wild paid Sarah Looney $20,602 for the 360 acres. He also gave Sarah the right to remain in her ‘double log cabin’ for the remainder of her life. Mr. Wild had some of the land plotted and named his new town ‘Saint Martha’ in honor of his wife. Why Mr. Wild would take this gamble has been a major puzzle, he surely knew the train would stop at Peirce City, only two miles to the east. In July 1870, the body of Mr. Wild was found on his newly acquired land, with was was later determined to be a self inflicted shot. Martha Ann Wild spent the next seven years settling the affairs of the estate. In the end, the land was sold for pennies on the dollar on the courthouse steps. Members of the Looney family purchased acreages. John, do you recall finding the graves of Charles Walker Ross and wife Elizabeth Williams Ross. They lived in Mt. Pleasant Township, Lawrence County and both died in 1863. May have been related to John?? Thanks for reading this far, bill