Col. Joseph Barnett

A Patriot of the American Revolution for VIRGINIA (Soldier). DAR Ancestor # A006472

COL. JOSEPH BARNETT 1730?-1795

Col. Joseph Barnett, born about 1730, probably in Pennsylvania, removed with his father Is family to Virginia prior to 1750. To briefly summarize the history pertaining to him related on previous pages, Joseph and his younger brother, Robert, were in the Braddock Campaign against Ft. DuQuesne in 1755, Robert being killed Joseph was also with the expedition which marched against the fort some two years later and which resulted successfully. He remained at the fort, then called Ft. Pitt, as a member of the garrison, thus becoming separated from his father’s family He married there Abigail Mills, and when the Revolutionary War came on some twenty years later he entered the northern wing of the army. He was in the Battle of Yorktown (October, 1781) and there met up with his brother Alexander. After some discussion they made arrangements to come to Kentucky. The following year "they met at the fort where Elizabethtown now stands, made a crop there that seasons and in the winter following journeyed to Ohio County and began a fort there before Christmas, completed it," and Joseph moved his family into it in February, 1783 (19). Apparently Joseph’s family had accompanied him as far as Rogers Station, Nelson County, Ky., for one of his sons was born at that Station October 1, 1782.

The Judge Baird record mentions that Joseph had been to Kentucky prior to the meeting at Yorktown. That this is true is evidenced by an old deed which indicates that he marked a tree in Ohio County in 1779 (p. 14). In an early suit it is mentioned that Cal. Joseph was one of the "early adventurers" to the state.

Joseph was a Justice of the Peace in the state in an early day. The earliest record I have found showing him to have held that office is paper dated August 26, 1786, in the Nelson Circuit Clerks office (20). The archives of Nelson County contain but meager records prior to 1792 and I was unable to learn if Joseph was a Justice of the Peace at the time of the organization of the County in 1784. Practically all of the records of Jefferson County were destroyed by fire some years ago and it has been impossible to ascertain if he was a Justice of the Peace during the period that county embraced Ohio County, but I am inclined to believe he was. His appointment, of course, came from Richmond, Va., and I have hopes of being able to locate record of his appointment in the Virginia State archives.

The office of a Justice of the Peace was of more importance in that day than it now is. The nearest higher tribunal was at Bardstown, about four days journey away, and it is no doubt true that the major portion of the litigation arising in the extensive though rather sparsely populated territory over which he held jurisdiction was handled in his court.

At the first term of the "Quarter Sessions Court" of Hardin County, held in February, 1793, Joseph was sworn in as one of three Justices or Judges of that court ‑- this according to Haycraft's History of Elizabethtown, which also states that all of these judges were Calvinistic Baptist preachers. This latter statement we feel sure is not true as to Joseph (later findings indicate he was a Baptist preacher), for we have no tradition that he was a Baptist preacher, all of our traditions being to the effect that the family were Presbyterian. There was a Baptist preacher of the name of Joseph Barnett, contemporary to our Joseph, who worked throughout the north central section of the state, a brief history of whom is given in Spencer’s "History of Kentucky Baptists." According to that history, Rev. Joseph Barnett resided in what is now Nelson County. It is our opinion that Haycraft, knowing of Rev. Joseph Barnett and simply took it for granted that he and Judge Joseph Barnett were one and the same, but we feel pretty sure that was not the case. As has been previously mentioned, there were many persons of the name of Barnett in the state, and they ran largely to the same given names.

To quote from Haycraft’s History "Honorable Judge Joseph Barnett . . . lived near Hartford, and traveled upwards of seventy‑five miles to sit in court. He possessed a large landed estate . . . " He did indeed possess a large landed estate ‑-27,934 acres at the time of his death. He was a dealer in lands on a large scale, Jefferson County (then Virginia) entries alone totaling 155,370 acres, and the early records of Nelson and Hardin Counties are full of land transactions to which he was a party.

I again quote from Taylor Is "Ohio County in the Olden Days":

"Among the early settlers of Ohio County were two celebrated land speculators and holders, Joseph Barnett and Ignatius Pigman. Joseph Barnett was the first of these two settlers, and being a deputy surveyor made early entries and surveys of the best por­tions of the lands lying in the neighborhood of Hartford.” (21)

I have been able to collect from the court records but little in regard to Joseph, for he died in 1795, prior to the date of the organization of Ohio County. And the earliest records of Nelson and Hardin Counties are but poorly preserved, though I believe something more can be obtained from the latter county.

That Joseph was a man who was held in high regard is evidenced by the fact that he was called "Colonel" (22), a complimentary title, in that day bestowed only upon men of large landed estates and who were held in high esteem. In recent years Kentucky governors have taken it upon themselves to bestow the title, and upon all and sundry, so that it no longer has any significance.

What is now the Joseph Shultz place near Narrows, Ohio County, Ky., is said to have been the home place of Col. Joseph Barnett. If so, he moved there sometime between 1790 and 1795, and I have wondered if it was not the home place of his son Joseph instead, and if Col. Joseph was not still re­siding at the Station at the time of his death in 1795. His daughter in‑law, Rachel (wife of his son, Joseph), lies buried on that place, and it is said there was at one time a considerable graveyard there, but only the one marked grave remains.

To quote from the final paragraph of the Judge Baird records:

"Of the two brothers, Joseph died and lies buried near Elizabethtown, where he had gone to attend court, took sick and died suddenly."

He apparently had some affliction which he was aware would soon take him away, for in an old lawsuit it is mentioned that his son Robert had promised him that he would look after the interests and education of the younger sons, Jacob and Alexander. An old lawsuit shows Col. Joseph died in November, 1795. If he was born in 1730, then he was 65 years of age at the time of his death. An old account book of the commissioners who handled his estate, on file in the Ohio Circuit Clerk's office, contains an entry covering expenses at Elizabethtown attending to the payment of funeral expenses. I have attempted to locate the place of his burial, but without success. It is likely that he was buried in what is now the Elizabethtown Cemetery, which had its origin as the churchyard of the Severn's Valley Baptist Church. There are many very old graves in that cemetery. I made out some inscriptions showing date of death in the 1820’s, but there were a number of stones apparently much older with inscriptions indistinguishable, and other stones almost completely disintegrated.

Col. Joseph left no will. Some of his children were minors, and at that early day there was no law providing for the handling of an estate under such circumstances. Consequently it was necessary that an act be passed by the Kentucky Legislature vesting his estate in commissioners. The opening paragraphs of that act, which was passed December 14, 1796, are as follows:

"Whereas, it is represented to the General Assembly that Joseph Barnett of Hardin County died intestate, leaving a con­siderable estate in lands but very little personal property, and that he sold lands in his lifetime to a large amount, and was otherwise indebted; and, "Whereas, no person has administered on his estate, and those of his children who are of age refuse to concern themselves either with the real or personal estate, whereby some of his claims of lands are in danger of being lost and his grantors are suffering for remedy whereof;”

As for Abigail Mills Barnett, Joseph's wife, we know nothing. The full name of one of their sons was Jacob Mills Barnett, and it therefore seems likely that her father's name was Jacob Mills. The Judge Baird record says Joseph and Abigail were married at Ft. Pitt ‑ probably called Pittsburg at the time of their marriage, which was apparently in the late 1760’s. I am suspicious that Abigail did not for long remain a widow. I draw this conclusion from a deposition in an old lawsuit in the Ohio Circuit Court records. In this suit the sons Jacob and Alexander were plaintiffs, and being minors at the time were represented by their guardian, one Samuel McGrady. Abigail McGrady, wife of the latter, gives her deposition, in which she mentions that her marriage to Mr. McGrady had taken place after the death of the father of the plaintiffs. She showed an intimate knowledge of the family affairs, and it was brought out that Jacob was residing with her. She stated she was 45 years old. m e deposition was given in 1801, and she was therefore born in 1756. But for the age she gives this sounds very much as though she were Joseph’s widow, and of course it could be that she did not confine herself to the exact truth about her age. If as young as 18 at the time of her marriage then Nancy Ann was born 1767, at which time Abigail McGrady was but eleven years old, if, as stated in the deposition, she was 45 in 1801.

That Joseph's wife did survive him is brought out in the Act appointing Commissioners.

The children of Col. Joseph Barnett and Abigail Mills Barnett were as follows:

Children: Birth: Death: Marriage: Spouse: Birth: Death: Robert

1799 1796 Rachel Barnett 1774 1803 Nancy Ann

1835 1785 Robert Baird

Joseph 1777 1823 1799 Jane Barnett 1772 1828 Hannah 1779

1802 Elijah Myers 1783

Jacob Mills

1812 Martha Lewellen

Alexander 1782 1844

Unmarried

These names are given in the order in which they appear in a court record, excepting as to Robert who was not living at the time of the entry of the record.

There is confusion as to whether Nancy Ann or Robert was the older, and also as to even the approximate years of their birth, for apparently they were much older than the other children. In an old suit it is mentioned that Nancy Ann was the only one of Joseph's children of age at the time of his death in 1795. But as that suit was filed after Robert's death it may have meant that of the children then living Nancy Ann was the only one of age at the time of the father's death. The act appointing commissioners to handle Col. Joseph's estate, passed Dec. 14, 1796 contains the phrase "those children who are of age", which would seem to indicate that more than one of the children were of age at the time of the father’s death. Robert was one of the organizers of Ohio County in 1798 and was appointed Justice of the Peace of that County in July 1799. If he was not of age at the time of his father Is death then he was rather young for such responsibility. This is one of the riddles I hope to clear up by further research, but until then I shall show Robert as the eldest of the family.

I may say here that in an old letter it is stated that Col. Joseph’s family record was taken to Schuyler County, Ill., at about the close of the Civil War. We have endeavored to trace this record, but without success. I have no idea which member of the family could have taken it there.

COL. ALEXANDER BARNETT 1745-1819

To briefly summarize the events of his life as related on preceding pages:

Col. Alexander Barnett was born in 1745, probably on Hat Creek, in now Nelson County, Va. He married, also probably in Virginia, Jane Montgomery (later information indicating apparently her maiden name was Barnett), on January 26, 1769.

According to the Judge Baird paper, he served in the Revolutionary War, in the Southern Wing of the army. Tradition says he was in the Battle of King’s Mountain, and was with Boone in Kentucky. For a full discussion of these matters see pages 12 and 13.

According to the Judge Baird paper, Alexander and his brother Joseph met at the Battle of Yorktown (October, 1781) and there laid plans to move to Kentucky, "they met at the fort where Elizabethtown now stands, made a crop there that season, and in the winter following journeyed to Ohio County and began a fort before Christmas, completed it and moved their families into it in February, 1783." This is incorrect as to the time Alexander brought his family to Kentucky, which was not until 1788 (see p. 15).

How long Alexander and his family resided at the fort we do not know, and the earliest record we have of his place of residence is contained in an old lawsuit which indicates he was residing in Hartford in 1799. By deed dated May 16, 1798, he purchased a 2000 acre tract of land lying north of Hartford, to which he moved probably in 1800. His home on this land was located at a point about 2 ½ or 3 miles from Hartford, just off the Owensboro Road. The first I remember of the place, it was owned by Reuben Anderson. The field back of this house was said to be the first field to be cleared for cultivation between Rough River and the Ohio. The 6‑acre plot of which Alexander Cemetery is located was taken out of this 2000‑acre tract, and the description in the deed to that plot shows it is located at the west boundary line of the original tract.

Col. Alexander also owned other lands in Ohio County, and many lots in Hartford.

On the 2000‑acre tract lived the descendants of Col. Alexander Barnett for several generations. In fact, some of them still own small portions of this land. The 300‑acre farm owned by my maternal grandfather was from this tract, inherited by him from his father, Robert Barnett, who was a son of Col. Alexander. Robert lived with this son, my maternal grandfather (or I believe the reverse may have been true) and my mother remembered him quite well. When I reflect upon the fact that my mother remembered so well her grandfather who was a son of Col. Alexander, the pioneer period does not seem so remote. In fact, during my early recollection that the country was still well wooded and roads were entirely unimproved, except for some grading, and I believe that something of the spirit of the pioneer times may have carried over into that period.

There is an incident in which Col. Alexander played an important part, the story of which is from the pen of none other than the immortal Washington Irving. William P. Duvall, Governor of Florida, at one time owned lands in Ohio County and frequently visited Hartford. In his later years he was a friend of Washington Irving, and many of his anecdotes of the Green River country were collected by Irving in his sketches, and, according to a foot­note, entirely without embellishment. The adventure in which Col. Alexander figured, known as the "Wolf Trap Incident", is in Irving sketch, "The Early Experiences of Ralph Ringwood," and is as follows:

"Bob Tarlton was a rowdying, idle scamp, only fit to fight Indians and hunt coons and such like sports; still, Bob had a streak of love in his soul and was fond of the company of Miss Calloway. So Bob, late one evening, shouldered his axe, called his dog, and struck a bee line for old Chesley Calloway’s, where he prolonged his visit until the small hours of the night. But the joys of courting must at least have a recess, if not an end, and Bob had again to shoulder his axe, whistle for his dog, and depart. "Now Col. Alexander Barnett had constructed in his woods a very ingenious wolf trap by digging a deep square hole in the ground, and fixing a balancing door or lid that would tilt and let the game fall in. Bob had an excellent coon dog, but he had treed so often when Bob would not come to his relief, that he had undertaken to teach his master that excellent business qualification of being prompt, and if his master did not make his appearance very soon he stopped barking and went his way. "So on this dark night, as Bob was wending his way and thinking of his charming love, his dog treed and Bob started in a brisk run in that direction and soon landed in Col. Barnett's wolf pit where he was greeted in the north corner by the champing and rattling of a hog's tusks, and in the opposite south corner by the growling of a wolf, so Bob was glad to take his stand as close as he could possibly squeeze into the western corner, still leaving the east corner unoccupied. But in a very short time it too had its occupant, for Bob’s dog left his tree and came hastening after his master’s trail and fell in the unoccupied corner. There he was compelled to stay, for every whine he gave or move he made towards his master brought forth a growl and clatter of tusks that drove him back to his own corner, and never were kings more jealous of their own territory and less disposed to encroach on the territory of their neighbors than were the four occupants of that pit. "Next morning, after breakfast, the old man shouldered his gun and with his little grandson Jo, started to the pit. Jo, of course being most anxious to see what was in the pit, ran ahead, and, to his utter astonishment, saw Tarlton's chestnut bur reaching near the top and cried out, 'Grandpa! 0, Grandpa! Here's Bob Tarlton in the pit!' 'Why surely you are mistaken, Jose,' the old man said. But Jose was right, and the old man had almost as difficult a puzzle as the ferryman with the fox and the goose and the corn, but finally resolved on shooting the wolf first in order that Bob might have a chance to lift out his dog, then with the old man's aid Bob got out, and then with the aid of a noose made of hickory switches, pulled out the hog."

This wolf trap was located on the 2000 acre tract, and the grandson, Jo, was the son of Col. Alexander's daughter, Rachel. He had been left an orphan at the age of five and Col. Alexander had taken him to raise. Assuming that he was about ten at the time of this incident, then it occurred in 1808. This story has always been well known in the family, and is one of the many ex­cellent stories which my father used to tell when we as small children would gather about him in the evening.

Col. Alexander Barnett was a surveyor, and there are many records in the Circuit and County Clerks' offices of Ohio County of surveys made by him. His instruments were in possession of my mother’s family until 1911 when they were destroyed at the time my grandmother’s house was burned. As late as 1796, while the county was still a part of Hardin County, he was Justice of the Peace. As has been previously noted, that office was then of much more importance than now (23).

Col. Alexander's name heads list of ten men who petitioned the Kentucky Legislature to grant a charter for the establishment of an ‘academy' at Hartford, and by act approved December 22, 1798, these ten men were com­missioned by the Legislature to organize the academy. As has been mentioned elsewhere, Joseph and Alexander were rather well educated for the day, and this is a matter in which we have reason to take pride, for, according to the Harrison Taylor writings many of those old pioneers were entirely illiterate, including some of the most substantial of them. Hartford Academy was later known as Hartford University, and still later as Hartford College. It still carries the latter name, though now it is but a grade and high school. Until about the turn of the Twentieth Century it was an important educational in­stitution, and the only one higher than the common school within a radius of many miles.

In depositions in an old lawsuit it is mentioned that Col. Alexander was a man whose honesty was above question, and further evidence that he was held in high esteem is the fact that he was called Colonel, a compli­mentary title, bestowed in that day, as has been mentioned, only upon those highly regarded. There are several instances in the Ohio County records where he is called Colonel, and it will be noted that he is so referred to in the story of the wolf trap incidents

A desk which belonged to Col. Alexander, now in possession of a descendant, has inlaid in lead, ‘A B 1802’. This desk he is said to have made, and it is an excellent piece of work, showing him to have been a craftsman of rather superior ability. Another member of the family has the sword he is said to have carried in the Revolution.

As for Alexander’s wife, who was Jane Montgomery, (later information indicates apparently that her maiden name was Barnett) born in 1748, I know nothing. The only clue I have as to her possible identity is that residing in Amherst County, VA (Nelson County, VA was cut off of Amherst) at the same time as Jane Montgomery, were a sister and brother, Mary (p. 7) and John Montgomery, apparently contemporary to Jane, whose parents, it was thought, were James and Nancy Robinson Montgomery. Jane may have been a member of this family, but I do not know, and doubt if I ever shall. The DAR paper on Col. Alexander states Jane was a granddaughter of Stephen Hopkins, Governor of Rhode Island and signer of the Declaration of Indepen­dence. The Filson Club collection of data pertaining to the signers and their descendants does not bear this out, and I do not believe it is a fact. I can say of Jane that she must have been a good housekeeper and homemaker, for the daughters of her daughters were that.

Col. Alexander died February 16, 1819, and his wife in 1825. They lie buried in the cemetery plot which he set aside by deed dated October 14, 1809. Seven of their nine children lie buried there, also three of the children of Col. Joseph Barnett, and that cemetery contains the remains of members of the Barnett family to the seventh generation.

The children of Col. Alexander Barnett and Jane Montgomery Barnett were:

Children: Birth: Death: Marriage: Spouse: Birth: Death: Mary 1770 1814

Unmarried

Jane or Jean 1772 1828 1799 Joseph Barnett* 1777 1823 Rachel 1774 1803 1796 Robert Barnett*

1799 Rebecca 1777 1858 1803 James Baird 1781 1868 Elizabeth 1779 1796

Unmarried

Sarah 1782 1862

Unmarried

Robert 1784 1865 1816 Elizabeth Conditt 1794 1830 Lucretia 1786 1854 1810 M. S. Bennett 1786 1837 Joseph 1790 1795

• These men were brothers, and were sons of Col. Joseph Barnett, hence first cousins of their wives.

ROBERT BARNETT 1784-1865

• *Robert Barnett b March 24, 1784, d August 29, 1865, m March 26, 1816,
• Elizabeth Condit b August 6, 1794, d September 6, 1830

Children: Birth: Death: Marriage: Spouse: Birth: Death: Alexander Montgomery 1817 1892 1838 Sally M.A. Bennett* 1819 1840

    Second marriage

1841 Martha Timmons 1819 1893 Joseph Condit* 1818 1893

Frances Bennett* 1821 1878 Elvira Theodotia* 1820 1859 1838 Allen Benton* 1818 1859 Lucinda Jane 1822 1890

Lindsay Woodward#

Robert Emmett* 1825 1874 1850 Amanda Phipps* 1830 1910 Morris Harper 1830 1873 1851 Ellen Stevens 1831 1911 Elizabeth C. (called Caroline) 1828 1852

Steven Woodward#

Alexander Montgomery moved to Valley Mills, Texas, as result of dispute over the division of the estate of his father.

• * Following information from U. S. Adjt. Gen. McCain: "Robert Barnett served in Indian wars in 6th (Barbour's) Regiment of Ky. Militia, from Sept. 1 to Dec. 23, 1812". Following from War Dept.: "The records of this office show that one Robert Barnett served in the Company of Infantry, 6th (Barbour’s) Regiment of Kentucky Militia from Sept. 1 to Dec. 23, 1812".

Robert was married the second time in 1834 to Mrs. Elizabeth Bennett, who is buried beside him in an unmarked grave in Alexander Cemetery. There were no children by this marriage.

Robert's old home place was inherited by my mother's father, the above Robert Emmett, and "Grandpappy Bob" and "Grandmammy Betsy", as the grandfather and step-grandmother were called, lived with Robert Emmett and family. Have heard Mother speak of them often, and never heard her or anyone else say anything in the step-grandmother's praise. She didn't seem to make herself very agreeable. The old house as I remember it was not the same house in which the above family was reared. That house it seems was across the road from the place I remember, the latter place having been built by Grandfather Robert Emmett when his two oldest children were quite small. (?) It burned about the year 1911.

Elizabeth Condit was a daughter of Uzal and Theodotia Prudden Conditt, was born in Morristown, N. J., and prior to her marriage was a schoolteacher. Her death was quite sudden and it was always thought she had been poisoned by one of the slaves. There is a Genealogy of the Conditt family and I understand a copy can be obtained from Edward I. Conditt, 27 Lincoln Avenue, East Orange, N. J. I have seen a copy in the Newberry Library, Chicago. The Condits are of Welsh extraction and the genealogy is quite an interesting work. The line is given as follows: Peter, Peter again, Joseph, Uzal, Elizabeth. John Condit, father of the first mentioned Peter, came from Wales, settled in New Jersey in 1678. This genealogy includes the above family and states that Elizabeth's husband, Robert Barnett, was born in Virginia.

Robert Barnett was County Surveyor of Ohio County for thirty years.

1. These two men were brothers.

U. S. Census records for year 1820 shows this Robert Barnett as farmer between 26 and 45 and wife between 16 and 26, 2 sons under 10 and 1 daughter under 10, and two slaves.

• Buried at Alexander.

Robert’s second wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Allen Bennett, was a granddaughter of Col. Ethan Allen. (This from LAB.)

Robert’s tombstone inscription shows he was born in Amherst County, Va. March 24, 1784. He came to Kentucky from Virginia in 1788 with his father’s family, according to record of his son Joseph appearing in Battle’s, &c., History of Kentucky. (This history was prepared by J. H. Battle, M. J. Perrin & G. C. Kiffin, and is entitled "Kentucky, a History of the State". There were 3 issues of this work, copyrighted in 1885, 1886 & 1887.)

From the writings of Harrison Taylor as contained in volume entitled "Ohio County in the Olden Days":

"Besides several small parties and companies who joined the cavalry expeditions into the Indian Territory, Ohio County raised three companies during the war (1812). One accompanied General Samuel Hopkins up the Wabash River and the other Governor Isaac Shelby to the Battle of the Thames, and another was under General Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans.

"The company under General Hopkins, commanded by Captain Robert Barnett, was thought to be one of the most reliable and well‑disciplined in the army. It was selected and prepared for critical and dangerous occasions, but never met the enemy."

In History of Kentucky published in 1883 by J. H. Battle, W. H. Perrin, and G. C. Kniffin, the record pertaining to Joseph Barnett (1818-1893) contains the following;

"Robert came with his father's family from Virginia in 1788, was in Captain Hopkins' campaign against the Indians in the War of 1812, and afterward County Surveyor of Ohio County for twenty years."

The last-mentioned record said in regard to Elizabeth Condit Barnett that she "was a thorough scholar, having been educated in the East." She was a schoolteacher. U.C.B. said his mother told him Elizabeth Conditt's mother’s name was Theodotia Pruden.

ROBERT EMMETT BARNETT 1825-1874

Robert Emmett Barnett b October 4, 1825, d December 25, 1874, m March 24, 1850 Amanda Phipps b April 5, 1830, d September 28, 1909

Children: Birth: Death: Marriage: Spouse: Birth: Death: Elijah Phipps 1851 1915

Unmarried

Pauline 1852 1907 1874 John Barnett 1850 1913 Alexander (Alex) 1854 1909 1895 Ollie Anderson 1869

Nestor (Nes) 1856 1930 1886 Madeline Brandon, widow 1857 1952 Junius B. (June) 1858 1937 1895 Lillie Smith 1868 1963 Ledru rollin (Drood) 1861 1943 1899 Sallie Hamilton

Victor Grant (Vick) 1863 1944 1917 Melissa May 1874 1962 Andrew Morris (Sol) 1865 1938 1898 Susan May 1867

Harriett Robertson 1867 1868

Robert John 1869 1912

Unmarried

Alzien 1871 1951 1890 Joseph B. Rogers 1867 1934 Uzal Conditt 1873 1958 1904 1911 Frances Foster Alma Daniels 1879

1908

Robert E. Barnett (1825‑1874), son of Robert (1784‑1865), whose father, Alexander (1745‑1819), of Scotch‑Irish descent, served in the Revolutionary War from Virginia, and afterward emigrated to Ohio County, Ky., where, with his brother, Joseph, he established Barnett's Station, near Hartford. Alexander took up a 1000‑acre tract of land north of Hartford and on it built his home (Alexander Cemetery is located nearby). In the division of his property at his death his son Robert acquired that lying on either side of the Livermore Road and abutting the Hartford‑Owensboro Road, extending westward into the No Creek community. The portion immediately on the Hartford‑Owensboro road was inherited by the son Robert E., and there the above family was born and reared.

Robert E. Barnett revered learning, and had a hobby of reading ancient history, which accounts for the names of three of his sons, Nestor, Junius Brutus, and Ledru Rollin. He was anxious that his children be educated, and he sent his eldest son, Elijah, to the State University at Lexington. All of the children, after attending Alexander school, were sent to Hartford College. Four other sons went away to school -- Nestor to medical school at Louisville, Junius to a college at East St. Louis, Ill., as I recall, and Uzal to Purdue. Ledru also attended college, Purdue, I think.

Elijah was of a peculiar temperament. Never tried to do anything, although at one time was county surveyor. He was thrown from a horse and his knee was injured and he went about with the aid of a crutch and a cane.

Pauline, my mother, was staunch character. One of her teachers said of her that she had the mind of a man. A friend of long ago in a recent letter referred to her as "a dear good mother". She was that and much more. John Barnett was born and reared at Beda, where his father, David Lowry Barnett, had a log tobacco factory, where his sons learned to be excellent tobacconists The well in the front yard of the Lowry Barnett home was a stopping place for the refreshment of man and beast. The family moved to Owensboro in 1889.

Alex was a printer on the Hartford Herald for many years. In his earlier years he was quite a wit. He made much over his nieces and nephews and they all loved him His wife was the daughter of Reuben Anderson.

Nes located at Caneyville where he practiced medicine for many years. He was lovable, and we children loved him. His wife was of that community, maiden name Whittinghill.

June did railroad work in Kansas, married his wife at Winfield, and soon moved to Los Angeles, Calif., continuing in railroad work. He was a good man.

Drood became an ordained Methodist minister and preached around at various churches in Ohio County. He went to Arkansas in the late 1890’s and homesteaded some land in the southwestern corner of the state, near Foreman. Besides farming he preached and taught school. He returned to Ohio County and married Sallie Hamilton, daughter of Garl Hamilton, of near Adaburg. She was a stalwart character and lots of fun. During the last 25 years of their lives they operated a hotel at Batesville, in north Arkansas.