NOTE: Obituary and death certificate states Martha's father was GEORGe Maxwell. This is not supported by other documents.

Per death certificate, daughter of George and Martha (Cunningham) Maxwell. Widow of John H. Barnes. Mary was born in Stewartsville, MO [there is a Stewartsville in Clinton and in Dekalb Counties). She died at her home south of Albany, Missouri at the age of 96y 1m 22d. She was buried in Grandview East Cemetery next to her husband.

OBITUARY from the Albany Ledger (Missouri):
Mary Elizabeth (Maxwell) Barnes a pioneer of northwest Missouri who could recall Civil War days, died Monday afternoon at 12:15 o'clock April 4, 1955 at her home south of Albany, Missouri. Death was attributed to a cerebral hemorrhage. Mrs. Barnes, Mary Elizabeth Maxwell, was born at Whitesville, Andrew County, Missouri on February 12, 1859, a daughter of George and Martha Maxwell. Her childhood was spent in the Whitesville community and at the age of three years her father was killed in the Civil War.

She could recall the Civil War days and often told of raiders coming to her family home and locking the family up on the house while they stole all the food and livestock they could find. The death of her father in the Civil War left Mrs. Barnes' mother Mrs. Maxwell with five small children to rear, but her courageous mother kept the family together and reared them, Robert, Allen, Harriett, Ella and the youngest Mary.

Mary Elizabeth Maxwell was married to John H. Barnes January 21, 1879 at Grant City, Worth County, Missouri and the records show that the witnesses were John D. Phillips, brother-in-law of the groom and M. C. Miller.

Following the birth of their fourth child, Mr. and Mrs. Barnes went by covered wagon to Kansas and lived there for twelve years. The remainder of Mrs. Barnes' life has been spent in Worth and Gentry Counties.

Mrs. Barnes was the mother of fifteen children, ten of who survive her. She is also survived by their thirty grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Mr. and Mrs. Barnes moved to Albany, Missouri in 1918 and in 1923 moved to the farm south of Albany where she continued to make her home until her death. Her husband died in September, 1938 at the age of eighty-two years. Since that time a daughter, Mrs. Myrtle Korn has made her home with her mother and tenderly cared for her during her final years.

Mrs. Barne's life was also touched by other wars, in addition to the Civil War. One of her sons, John Edgar Barnes was killed while serving in France in World War I. The American Legion Post at Grant City is named in his memory. Another son Major Roy M. Barnes as did six grandsons, Edsel Barnes, Raymond Barnes, Russell Barnes, J.L. Barnes and Lloyd Cannon, served their country.

Mrs. Barnes was a Gold Star Mother and a member of the Christian Church at Smithton near Oxford, and later changed her affiliation to the Christian Church, Albany. A Christian woman, Mrs. Barnes was an inspiration to her children and grandchildren. She is survived by sons and daughters: Myrtle Korn, Walter, Howard and J. Wesley, Albany; Emory, Ventura, Cal.; Elsie McConkey, St. Joseph; Phoebe Cannon, Parnell; and Roy, Bakersfield, Cal. Services at Brooks Funeral Home by Rev. T.C. Sperditto. Buried Grandview Cemetery, Albany

Thanks to Aaron Elliott for providing paternal link on 22 Oct 2022.