Simeon Garrison was the son of King and Sarah Elizabeth (Harrell) Garrison. According to his younger sister, Clara (Garrison) Guthrie, Simeon died of an apparent ruptured appendix. He was buried in Seaton graveyard, according to his obituary.

(Thanks to Contributor K. E. P. (47874613) for this following wonderful story about Sim. You can see a photo of his dancing shoes posted on this memorial.)

The following story was written in 1999 by Stephanie Prichard, age 12, great granddaughter of Clara Garrison (Simeon's sister). It was the story Stephanie heard first hand from her great grandmother.

The Dancing Shoes

It was 1907, in Missouri, life was simple, yet hard. Corkery was a small bend in the Niangua River in southern Missouri. Nearby were two small general stores. If you followed the main road all the way to the edge of the river, it turned into a trail that wound in and out through the countryside. Fifteen miles down the trail was the Garrison farm. King and Sarah (Harrell) were hard working farmers with thirteen children ranging in age from 2 to 25.

On a warm day in May, dust rose as the Garrison children scurried from the log cabin to a small barn. As they were finishing their chores, the sun began to set and they ran inside for supper.
The upcoming dance was the topic of conversation at the table. Nineteen year old Simeon was very excited about going with some neighbors. Dances were very important events in the days before television, movies or even radio.

Sim was up early the next morning to finish his chores before the dance. His friends came by at 5:00 and they had a 10 mile hike to the party. After Sim was dressed in his good clothes, he knelt down by his old trunk and pulled out his dancing shoes. Sim's shoes were his pride and joy. They were made of black leather and had an embroidered design on the tops. Sim had worn them to every dance he had been to. They had been very expensive; two dozen eggs had been traded for them at the general store.

At about 8:00, they arrived at the barn where the dances were held. The night was filled with music, laughter and square dancing. Around midnight, the music died down and the people began to head home. As Sim and his friends left, he felt a pain in his stomach. As they walked along, the pain became worse and when they reached his friend's house he was unable to continue. The friend's mother put him to bed and sent for his parents. His father, King, came on horseback. King was there when Sim died on May 23, 1907. Sarah, who was walking with her other children, was not there and the thought haunted her for the rest of her life. It was believed that Sim had a ruptured appendix. He was buried in the A.B. Cemetery near Lead Mine, Missouri, next to his grandfather Garrison, for whom he was named.

A few of Sim's belongs were lovingly saved by his mother, among which were the dancing shoes. They were passed down to Clara, the youngest of the Garrison children. Clara, who turns 94 in November, passed this story and the shoes to me, her great granddaugher. Because of this, the simple tale of Simeon Garrison will never be forgotten.

Postnote: In August 2014, Clara Garrison died in Higginsivlle, Missouri at the age of 108, she was the last of the Garrison siblings.
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(NOTE: Contributor K. E. P. (47874613) says he was buried in A.B. Cemetery near Lead Mind, Missouri, next to his grandfather for whom he was named.)