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Note: Searches: Have not found birth record. 1880 US Census for Savannah, MO District 41 has no Jacksons listed. Savannah is in Andrew Co. not Gentry Co. as listed in Barker family Bible as the location of Rosa's birth. Recollection of Rosa's daughter-in-law, Dorothy Hinton Barker, is that Rose had a twin that died at birth or shortly thereafter.
Obituary Notice - Kansas City Star, December 11, 1952, page 35
BARKER - Rose E., age 75, of 517 N. Ridgeway, passed away December 9. Services St. Cyril's Catholic Church 9 a.m. Friday. Interment Forest Hill cemetery, Rosary recitations 8 p. m. Thursday, Carson chapel. GEO. C. CARSON FUNERAL HOME.L WINNER AT FULLER. CL. 7900
(Forest Hill Cemetery Records have "Rose" E. Barker instead of Rosa)
Memories of some, indicate that this was a very dysfunctional family. Rose was not a good housekeeper. One remembers when she kept a piglet in the kitchen. There were cats, and birds in cages on the back porch. A son had fond memories of rescuing a baby bird from a puddle and his mother carefully warming it back to life in her oven, also there were a couple of geese that would follow him around the yard. Rose was admired for her beautiful embroidery and crochet work. According to one son, Richard Henson married the only girl he ever dated.
Ginger Rogers lived up the street from "Grandma Rose" who made many of her dancing costumes when she was young. Ginger didn't forget her and came to visit her after she was famous.
Rose & her daughter Ethel "ruled the roost". Rose Barker ran a dime store but couldn't manage money. The family should have been well off, but Richard H. supported her business, which closed after a fire with patrons owing 3-4 thousand dollars. Rose was injured, burned by the fire pulling her son Russell out.
Rose left a will in her sewing basket, leaving all to son Bill who took care of her during her illness until her death. After her death no one knew where a wooden cheese box was that contained some family information. Russell knew, and told his brother Chris, that it was hidden in the wall between the bedroom and the kitchen, and that's where it was found by Chris. There was information in it about Rose's father Nicholas Jackson who had abandoned his wife and fathered several children by an Indian woman in Oklahoma. Rose had kept this information hidden for more than 40 years as it was her mothers wish, and Rose honored that request. Rose's son Bill tried to track down the children of this affair, but got run out of town by the police after a woman on who's door he knocked and revealed their relationship was not pleased with this information.
Another story that has been passed down is that Rose was in a Catholic convent until the age of 16 and that she ran away when the Mother Superior ordered her to sleep with the priests. She ran back to her mother. Rose hated the Catholic Church but had a Catholic burial arranged by son Bill.
Bill took care of his mother before she died. She was diabetic, overweight, had edema, dropsy, and kidney problems. They traveled all over the country to visit relatives, cousins. Rose returned to her Catholic faith before she died and Bill joined the church too. Ethel was so upset she refused to attend the funeral. There is a story that after this funeral Bill was going to confess his sins, but changed his mind when he realized how young the priest was.
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