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Below is a family biography included in The History of Barry County, Missouri published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1888.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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Marcus L. Abernathy, clerk of Barry County, Mo., was born in Giles County, Tenn., in 1830, and is a son of John Y. and Matilda (Alexander) Abernathy. John Y. Abernathy was born in North Carolina in 1806, of Scotch parentage. When a small boy he was taken by his father, David Abernathy, to Maury County, Tenn. It was here that he grew to manhood and married. He chose farming for his life vocation, and soon after his marriage he removed to Giles County, Tenn., where he resided until his death in 1849. He served in the Seminole War. His wife was born in Maury County, Tenn., and died in 1854. They were the parents of nine children, six of whom are living. They are Ann (wife of Jacob Yokley, who resides on the old Abernathy homestead in Giles County), Marcus L., Miles T. (a real estate agent, of Barnum, Tex.), Louise J. (wife of John W. Story, of Williamson County, Tenn.), Sarah C. (Mrs. G. Dupree) and Milton S. (a saddler of Rock Comfort, Mo.). Marcus L. was educated in a pioneer log school-house in Tennessee. He grew to manhood on a farm, making his home with his parents until he was past twenty-one years of age. In 1851 he left his native State for Greene County, Mo., where he purchased land and resumed farming. In 1854 he married Nancy J. Sims, a native of Greene County, Mo., born in 1836. She became the mother of eight children, viz.: Mary (wife of Archibald Hessee, a hardware merchant of Cassville), Ophelia M. (deceased wife of W. T. McClure), William A. (a farmer), Ida (wife of J. B. Hessee, a farmer), Fanny, Frank, Minnie and Walter. In August, 1861, Mr. Abernathy enlisted in the Confederate army, joining Company A, Third Regiment of Missouri Cavalry. During the battle of Pea Ridge on March 7, 1862, he was severely wounded by the bursting of a shell. It was necessary on account of the wound to amputate his left leg near the hip. After the war he clerked in a store at Ebenezer, Mo., until 1871, when he removed to Cassville. Soon after he became deputy clerk of the county, and in 1874 was elected clerk. He has served his constituents so faithfully and well that he has been re-elected at each succeeding election, being the present incumbent. He is a man of the people, universally respected by all parties, and is an adherent to Democratic principles. He is a consistent member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and is a member of the I. O. O. F., and A. F. & A. M. His wife died in 1879.

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This family biography is one of 103 biographies included in The History of Barry County, Missouri published in 1888.  For the complete description, click here: Barry County, Missouri History, Genealogy, and Maps

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