Rev. John R. Scurry (aka J.R. Scurry) was born in Columbus, Ohio around 1837 and moved to Springfield in his twenties.

A pastor at a local Methodist Church, Rev. Scurry was a leader in Springfield's Underground Railroad network in the 1850s and 1860s, helping slaves to freedom in northern states. Rev. Scurry published a series of letters in 1908 that detailed the rich, complex history of local connections to the Underground Railroad.

Locally, Rev. Scurry was active in fraternal circles, including the Eureka Masonic Lodge, the Independent Order of Good Samaritans and the Knights of Pythias, an organization "dedicated to the cause of universal peace.' He was the founding president of American Mystery, an organization composed of former slaves and their children.

He led a musical group named "JR Scurry's Big Four Orchestra," which performed at gatherings across the region in the late 1800s.

Rev. John R. Scurry died in 1914 and is buried in Ferncliff Cemetery. Ferncliff, in collaboration with the Gammon House, is currently in the process of having a memorial marker placed at his grave, which was never formally marked.

Rev. John R. Scurry is buried in Section N-W, Lot 17 of Ferncliff Cemetery.