James and Mary (Hammet) Flaherty

James Child Flaherty was born on October 26, 1816, in Botetourt County, Virginia, to Adam and Harriett Flaherty. He was the son of an Irish immigrant and grew up in a large family that remained in that area of Virginia. At the age of 27, he married 17-year-old Mary Ann Hammett, who also came from a large family in Botetourt County. James worked as a carpenter, and together they began a family. When James was 32, his father Adam passed away, and three years later, his only sister died.

The Civil War ravaged Virginia, prompting James and Mary to decide to leave the state and move west to Missouri after the war. Their journey involved traveling by covered wagon and occasionally loading their wagon aboard a barge or river flatboat. They likely followed a route along the Ohio River to the Mississippi, then up the Mississippi to the Missouri River, continuing to St. Louis, and finally heading south to settle in Barry County, Missouri. Throughout their journey, they would have stopped at supply camps and towns for provisions.

James and Mary resided in Barry County for three decades, where they owned a farm. James passed away on April 27, 1894, at the age of 77, and he was laid to rest in the Quaker Cemetery in Cassville, Missouri. Mary lived for another 28 years after his death. Unfortunately, she remarried a much younger man who seemingly exploited her, leaving her destitute. Their marriage ended in divorce after a brief period, and Mary reverted to her married name, Flaherty. She moved in with her daughter Paulina and son-in-law Al Bush, who cared for her until she passed away in 1922 at the age of 96. Mary is buried in Sparks Cemetery.

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