I am looking for their parents. They appear to have been in Texas in the mid to late 1830s, then in Arkansas by the mid 1840s, where they seem to have met their fates.
I have heard that in some instances in early America, if the man of the house dies, the kids are considered orphans even if the mother lives on. Not sure if this is the case here, but they are not with either parent by 1850.
Also, it's possible there are other orphaned Barretts in the Arkansas/Texas areas around the same time frame, base on their separation in ages.