Woosley, Woolsey, Oosley, Oursley, or Awsley..What's in a name?

During my summer of 2007 run-about I had some good luck looking for the Woosley’s Station. As noted in the original blog entry Woosley Station was also called Oosley Station by the Conklings and Woolsey by Phillip Steele. Along the way I have also seen it printed as Ousley’s.

Conkling was however very specific about the location and they agreed with Mincke in locating it 2 miles south of Cedarville on Highway 59. Further the Conklings do admit that it was sometimes called Woosley’s as well and give the site as opposite the home of Mr. Calvin Bassham. (1930).

Arriving in the general area I was directed across the street from a convenience store to a relatively modern house. As I knocked on the door, a window nearby opened up and a disembodied and rather off put voice came out of the opening. “What do ya want?” was the no nonsense inquiry. I introduced myself from a distance and began to engage in a conversation through the window with the lady of the house.

Mrs. Tom Mowrey was her name and after she had determined that I was relatively harmless she was glad to share with me what she knew, (which was considerable), through the open window.

Turns out she and her husband had bought the old Bassham place in the late 40’s and lived in its somewhat airy spaces through several winters before building the present structure. She commented that she remembered well being able to count the stars beyond the rise of her steaming breath through the holes in the roof above. While we were talking she got a phone call and her daughter had called to ask if she knew there was a strange man standing at her window. Apparently she had driven by and could see me but not Mrs. Mowrey.


She also knew about the Butterfield and understood the location of the station to be immediately across the highway and pointed it out to me in the field north of the drive way beyond. “Nothing there now though, she assured me. They had a big garden there for awhile and drug everything off to put in the vegetables.”









She had strong feelings as well, about the correct spelling of George Woosley’s last name and mentioned that his daughter and son were buried back in Sarah’s Grove not far from there. Seems George had a daughter, (Sarah), that died quite young and they laid her to rest in the pine grove. Some say she was the very first of many to follow and that her grave is a tiny unmarked stacked stone cairn near the center of what is today a good size cemetery. Mrs. Mowrey is not so sure.


She was sure though about the son’s grave. Captain W. W.Woosley was killed in the Civil war and buried there. She had heard that after his death George had moved away to Greenland, Arkansas and never returned. She gave me directions back to Sarah’s Grove and told me to check the spelling on the headstone for W. W. “ That, she said should clear up any confusion.”



If you should decide to visit this cemetery be aware that it is now located directly behind a Speedway and the bucolic ambiance suggested by these pictures may not be as tranquil if viewed during an event.


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