Near Diamond in Newton County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
What an Orphan Chooses to Forget - and Remember
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., January 22, 2011
1. What an Orphan Chooses to Forget - and Remember Marker
Sometime near the end of the Civil War, a slave was born here in a cabin. His mother, Mary, named the baby - her second son - George. Moses Carver had purchased Mary as an enslaved person back in 1855, when she was about 13 years old.
Years of violence and guerrilla war had terrorized settlers here on the frontier Missouri-Kansas border. According to Moses Carver, when raiders found no cash at his farm, they carried off Mary and her baby. Imagine the fear and hopelessness that must have overcome Mary.
Moses asked a local Union scout, John Bentley, to recover his stolen property. Bentley returned with a very sick George, but Mary had disappeared. Carver rewarded Bentley with a $300 racehorse. In George's later memory of this story, he focused on how Moses had made a special effort to get him back. To George, this seemed the first tangible indication that he was a special person, destined to accomplish much with his life.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Settlements & Settlers • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1855.
Location. 36° 59.225′ N, 94° 21.299′ W. Marker is near Diamond, Missouri
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Birthplace of George Washington Carver (here, next to this marker); Special Moments in the Woods (within shouting distance of this marker); George Washington Carver's Thoughts (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Moses Carver Farm (about 400 feet away); George Washington Carver National Monument (about 400 feet away); George Washington Carver's Birthplace (about 400 feet away); Williams' Spring (about 600 feet away); The Persimmon Tree (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Diamond.
Also see . . .
1. George Washington Carver National Monument. National Park Service website entry (Submitted on April 27, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. George Washington Carver. Famous Missourians website entry (Submitted on April 27, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., January 22, 2011
2. What an Orphan Chooses to Forget - and Remember Marker
Estimated location of the cabin in background.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., January 22, 2011
3. George Washington Carver National Monument
Credits. This page was last revised on March 10, 2022. It was originally submitted on April 27, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 640 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 27, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
