William Tecumseh Barks (1840 - 1906)

Born 30 Dec 1840 in Bedford, Pennsylvania, United States

Died 26 Dec 1906 at age 65 in Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States

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Biography

William T. Barks (1840-1906)

William Barks is a part of US Black heritage.

William T. Barks was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania on December 30, 1840, the second son of Henry Barks and Mary (Haney) Barks. William's parents were free and had come from Maryland, and raised a large family in Bedford.

The Barks family were strong supporters of the Union during the Civil War, as four of Henry and Mary's sons volunteered for service in the Union Army. Their oldest son, Alfred, was drafted into the 41st United States Colored Infantry and their sons, Moore and John, enlisted together in the 32nd United States Colored Infantry. William Barks traveled to Readville, Massachusetts in 1863 and enlisted in the 54th Massachusetts on March 21, 1863 and was assigned to Company D of the regiment.^[1]

During his time in the 54th Massachusetts, Henry Barks saw action in some of the 54th's most pivotal battles. He fought in the 54th's assault on Fort Wagner in Charleston, South Carolina on July 18, 1863, in the 54th's efforts in the Battle of Olustee, Florida on February 20, 1864 and in the Battle of Honey Hill in Sherman's March to the Sea on November 30, 1864. William was promoted to Corporal on October 27, 1864 and was mustered out of the 54th at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 20, 1865.

After the war, William settled in Pittsburgh at 340 Morgan Street in the Herron Hill District and married Mary Palmer in the 1870s. While the couple did not have any children who lived to adulthood, they remained close with Mary's family and adopted Mary's niece, Grace Palmer, after Grace's parents passed away. In 1884, William joined the City of Pittsburgh Police and served as a patrolman for 22 years until his retirement in 1906. In addition to his work in the police force, William took an active role in the Knights Templar and the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.). William and his brother, Moore Barks, were both active in the Colonel Shaw Post No. 206 of the G.A.R. in Pittsburgh, and William was elected Commander of the post.

William died in Pittsburgh on December 26, 1906 and his funeral was conducted by his comrades in the Colonel Shaw Post. William is buried in a G.A.R. section (Section 33) of Allegheny Cemetery in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh and his grave stone is still intact as of June of 2014.

bio by Ray Jones

Obituary

Policeman-Poet Dies After Long Illness

William T. Barks, Oldest Negro on Force and Civil War Veteran, Has Honorable Career.

William Tecumseh Barks, aged 66, one of the oldest negro policemen on the force, a veteran of the Civil War and known to nearly every resident of the Herron Hill District, which he patrolled for many years, died yesterday morning at his home, 340 Morgan Street. He was retired from the police force on pension on July 1, after 22 years of service.

Barks was born on December 30, 1840 at Bedford, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, but had spent the greater part of his life in Pittsburgh. Soon after the outbreak of the Civil War he went to Boston and enlisted in the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Regiment and served with distinction until mustered out in September 1865. He was appointed to the police force in 1884 and served until last July when he reached the age limit and was retired on half pay. He had been ill for several months.

Barks was past commander of the colored Knights Templar and past commander of Colonel Shaw Post, No. 206, G.A.R., representing the latter organization in the Allegheny County G.A.R. association. He was a man of more than ordinary education and attainments and was a frequent contributor to magazines having for their object the uplifting and betterment of his race. Numerous papers and poems have appeared from his pen, one of the best of which was a description of the famous charge of his regiment at Fort Wagner, July 18, 1863. He is survived by his widow, two brothers and a sister. The funeral will be held tomorrow and will be in charge of the Colonel Shaw Post.

Pittsburgh Gazette-Times, December 27, 1906.

Military Service

Military Pension Application No. 1054919 Certificate No. 1006273 (8 September 1891)

Military Pension Widow's Application No. 862540 Certificate No. 622685

Sources

1. ↑ Emilio, Roster p. 354

• "Colored Citizens Share in Bedford Traditions." Bedford Gazette. March 25, 1948. Page 23. "Henry Barks, born in 1808, was reared in the (Cumberland) Valley by a white family named Strominger. A son, William Tecumseh, was born in Bedford in 1840."

• Emilio, Luis Fenollosa. History of the Fifty-Fourth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, 1863-1865, Boston, Massachusetts: Boston Book Co., 1891 (1st ed.) and 1894 (2nd ed.), p. 354

• Find a Grave: William Tecumseh Barks

• Gancus, Ron. 1994. Fields of freedom : United States Colored Troops : Southwestern Pennsylvania's Black Civil War Soldiers. Pittsburgh, PA : Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum Trust.

• Greene, Robert Ewell. 1990. Swamp Angels: A Biographical Study Of The 54th Massachusetts Regiment: True Facts About The Black Defenders Of The Civil War. BoMark/Greene Publishing Group.

• William T. Barks - PA Veterans Burial Card - 1906. Source Citation: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania Veterans Burial Cards, 1929-1990; Archive Collection Number: Series 1-6; Folder Number: 220. - accessed via Ancestry.com

• William T. Barks - Pennsylvania Death Certificate - 1906. Source: Pennsylvania Death Certificates, 1906-1924 - accessed via Ancestry.com. William T. Barks died in Pittsburgh on 26 December 1906.

• "United States Census, 1900," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MS1K-8MC : accessed 02 Jun 2014), Wm T Barks, Precinct 7 Pittsburgh city Ward 13, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States; citing sheet 2B, family 28, NARA microfilm publication T623, FHL microfilm 1241359.

• "United States General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934", index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KDPR-J37 : accessed 02 Jun 2014), William T Barks, 1891.

• "United States 1890 Census of Union Veterans and Widows of the Civil War", index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K89L-CPB : accessed 02 Jun 2014), William T Barks, 1890.

• "United States Civil War Soldiers Index, 1861-1865," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F9RJ-9MK : accessed 02 Jun 2014), William T. Barks, 1861-1865; citing military unit 54th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry (Colored), Union Soldier, NARA microfilm publication M544, roll 2 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d); FHL microfilm 881871.

• "United States Census, 1860," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MXP6-WV4 : accessed 02 Jun 2014), William Barks in household of Henry Barks, Cumberland Valley Township, Bedford, Pennsylvania, United States; citing "1860 U.S. Federal Census - Population," Fold3.com; p. 2, household ID 822, NARA microfilm publication M653; FHL microfilm 805072.

• "United States Census, 1850," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M44J-V29 : accessed 02 Jun 2014), William Barks in household of Henry Barks, Cumberland Valley, Bedford, Pennsylvania, United States; citing family 184, NARA microfilm publication M432.

Wikitree Civil War Project

Cpl William Barks served in the United States Civil War.
Enlisted: Mar 1, 1863
Mustered out: Aug 20, 1865
Side: USA
Regiment(s): 54th Massachusetts

Ray Jones - Wikitree Civil War Project