William Henry Barnes Sr (abt. 1736 - abt. 1824)

Born about 17 Nov 1736 in Lancashire, England

Ancestors

Descendants

Died about 1824 at about age 87 in Tygart District, Wood, Virginia, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Lee Lowder [send private message]

Biography

Some sources site his father as James Barnes (Barnes-1420).

Birth: 1735 Lancashire, England Death: 1824 Marion County, Virginia (now West Virginia)

William Barnes was born in 1735 in Lancashire, England, where the Barnes family originated. He came to America with two of his brothers, Richard and David, in 1758. Since William, Richard and David were younger sons of the family, they would not have received a substantial family inheritance (which usually went to the oldest son) under the laws of primogeniture. This undoubtedly motivated this migration to America inasmuch as by 1758 the Quakers were no long a persecuted sect. So they set out by boat on the near by Mersy, sailed the 30 miles to Liverpool, where they engaged passage to New York. William, at first, stayed in New York while Richard first settled in Pennsylvania. In a few years, both William and Richard followed David, who had bought a small plantation in Baltimore County, Maryland, about 30 miles west of Baltimore City, near what is now Frederick, Maryland. Richard settled and married in Baltimore. William went on to Georges Creek, Allegany Co. Maryland.

In 1762 he married Mary M. Marietta, a lady of German origin. They had 9 sons & 1 daughter Mary. The sons were John, Francis, William, Henry, George, Jacob, Joseph, Abraham, & Isaac. William was a mill-wright by occupation. The area the family moved to is today known as Marion Co. West Virginia, following changes in county & state lines. On the east bank of the Tygarts Valley River, near the town of Fairmont, William built a mill, and for a number of years ground corn for the settlers. The mill continued to run for many years until the coming of the railroad which divided the garden into two parts. He enlisted in the colonial army out of Maryland during the Revolutionary War. He died in 1824 & military records show him buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Fairmont, West Virginia.

Family links: Children: John Barnes (1762 - 1834)* Jacob Barnes (1779 - 1852)* Abraham Barnes (1784 - 1872)* Isaac Barnes (1788 - 1862)*

• Calculated relationship

Burial: Maple Grove Cemetery Fairmont Marion County West Virginia, USA

"The Barnes Family in West Virginia" (1920) says "WILLIAM BARNES, the progenator of the Barnes family in Western Virginia, came from Georges Creek, Maryland to what is now Marion County, West Virginia, some time before 1782. The first census of the United States, taken in that year gives the name of William Barnes living in Monongalia County, Virginia (Marion County was then a part of Monongalia), whose family consisted of six white persons. As our ancestor was the only Barnes living in this part of the country at that time, it is very evident that the family mentioned in the first census was ours. William Barnes was a mill-wright and had operated a mill on Georges Creek, Maryland, and it was but natural, that he should seek a location near a stream of water, as this was the only power available for mills at that date. The site chosen for this dwelling was almost ideal for a pioneer home. It is a small level plat of some five or six acres on the east bank of the Tygarts Valley river and at the mouth of a small branch which rises at the Fairmont city reservoir and drains the Pleasant Valley basin. A short distance above the mouth of this branch is a water fall of about forty feet. Here William Barnes built a mill, and for several years ground corn for the early settlers. His house, which was constructed of hewed logs, was located well above high water and the garden sloped gently down to the river. With plenty of fish at his front door, and game in the woods behind the house, and a mill to grind his grain, what more could be desired for a pioneer homestead. The coming of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad divided his garden into two parts, and the building of river mills at Fairmont (Middletown) and the Hayhurst mill, just above his home on the river, made his little mill no longer necessary and it was abandoned. It is to be regretted that we could not have a picture of this old mill, but it has long since gone the way of all things earthly. The large plant of the Fairmont Chemical Company now occupies the spot where the old house stood and the tipple of the Robinson mines is located in the old garden, while the Fairmont Brick Company plant is located in the old orchard. The family of William Barnes consisted of nine sons, and as one of the boys once remarked to a friend, each of them had a sister. John, b. Feb. 3, 1763, Francis, b. Mar. 12, 1766, William, b. Nov. 3, 1769, Mary, b. Oct. 16, 1771, Henry, b. May 17, 1773, George, b. July 15, 1775, Jacob, b. May 29, 1779, Joseph, b. Oct. 9, 1781, Abraham, b. Oct. 13, 1784 and Isaac, b. April 23, 1788. John Barnes never came west of the Allegheny mountains. Francis married a Miss Jacobs at Georges Creek, Maryland. William went west. Mary married John Fancher and afterward went west. Henry died, date not given. George married a Miss Moran and they went west. Jacob married Mrs. Hannah Lambert Hull (see later chapter), Joseph married a ·Miss Brumage of Marion County. Abraham married Mary Ann Hall, daughter of Jordan Hall of Marion County (see later chapter). Isaac married a Miss Carpenter, and after her death he married a Miss Nutter, and after living on Bingamon creek for a while they went west. The wife of William Barnes was a well-educated German lady. Her maiden name was Mary Marietta. Whether she was related to the family after whom the oldest town of Ohio is named, or not, we do not know. This name is still to be found in the western counties of Maryland. The family register which is in her hand writing shows her to have been a beautiful penman. The records of the Colonial army for Maryland ,show that one William Barnes enlisted Jan. 22, 1777, under Capt. James Pendelton Company 5. But whether this was our progenator or not, we have no record. Virginia and Maryland together furnished enough Barneses to constitute a company 5. William Barnes ·was a member of the Protestant Episcopal Church, which fact is evidence of his English ancestry."

Sources

• WikiTree profile Barnes-2812 created through the import of Lowder Family Tree.ged on Jun 19, 2012 by Lee Lowder. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Lee and others.

• http://wvancestry.com/ReferenceMaterial/Files/The_Barnes_Family_in_West_Virginia.pdf

• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L41S-8WQ

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 30 October 2020), memorial page for William Barnes (1735–1824), Find a Grave Memorial no. 132091399, citing Maple Grove Cemetery, Fairmont, Marion County, West Virginia, USA ; Maintained by Kajyal (contributor 47130326) .