Kentucky: A History of the State, Battle, Perrin, & Kniffin, 6th ed., 1887,
Shelby Co.

THOMAS KANE BARBEE was born in Louisville, July 20, 1846, a son of John
Barbee, who was born in Oldham County, September 16, 1815.  John's mother
died when he was only three years old, May 18, 1818.  January 28, 1819,
his father married May Miller, widow of Henry Winlock.  His father died
August 7, 1826, in the fortieth years of his age.  His estate was settled
by an administrator, and the property equally divided among the children.
John being too young to choose a guardian, the courts appointed one to act
for him.  His guardian, much against his wishes, put him to work in a
tanyard, where he remained until old enough to choose for himself, which
he did, and was at once sent to school by him.  After passing all grades as
then taught in county schools he determined to go to Louisville, which he
did in 1831, and entered the dry goods store of Elisha Athy as a boy
salesman.  The city of Louisville contained at that time about 12,000
inhabitants, and only three years before secured its charter as a city. He
continued a salesman in the retail dry goods business until 1837, when he
accepted a situation in the wholesale dry goods house of J. & J. W.
Anderson, successors of Anderson, Bill & Co., the largest dry goods house
at that time in the city, and received a larger salary than any other
salesman on the street.  He continued with this firm until 1840, when from
the stringency of the times, growing out of the suspension of specie
payment by the banks in 1837, J. & J. W. Anderson closed their business.
This for a time threw him out of business.  He was married, December 2,
1841, to Eliza, daughter of Thomas Kane, an old and highly esteemed
citizen of Louisville.  By her he had five children: Alice Osmond, wife
of Col. John B. Castleman; Charlotte Mahon, wife of Bishop J. N.
Galleher, of Louisiana; Thomas Kane, married, residing on the old family
homestead, fourteen miles from Louisville; John, Jr., residing in
Crossville, Cumberland Co., Tenn.  Shortly after he was married Mr. Barbee
was elected by the general council of Louisville collector of city revenue
for the western district.  After serving about eighteen months he resigned
to go into business with his old employers, J. & J. W. Anderson.  The
record of the general council shows the adoption of a highly complimentary
preamble and resolution, crediting him with having made better tax returns
than any previous collector.  On January 1, 1845, the wholesale dry goods
house of Anderson, McLane & Barbee was established, which continued for
five years.  He then, in July, 1850, found a partnership in same business
with A. O. Brannin, under the firm name of Barbee & Brannin.  The business
of this firm was closed up in 1853, when he entered under the firm name of
Tucker, Brannin & Co.  Retiring from this firm at the expiration of one
year, he was elected mayor of Louisville, in April, 1855, retiring at the
expiration of the term, although urged to stand for re-election.  He put
in force many reforms in the several departments of the city government.
As mayor and as member of the general council, from 1846 to 1861, many
important measures were introduced by him, among them the ordinance giving
city aid to the Jeffersonville & Indianapolis and Louisville & Nashville
Railroads.  The water works and house of refuge grounds, which were
secured by his efforts for $10,000, are now worth over $100,000.  He also
secured the building of Portland Avenue, then and still a work of paramount
importance.  He is entitled to honor for suggesting a plan by which the
money was raised for completing the courthouse.  He was a trustee for
about twenty years of the University of Louisville; director in
Jeffersonville & Indianapolis and Louisville & Nashville Railroads, and
president of the board of trade.  He was secretary for about thirteen
years, of the Merchants Insurance Company, one of the most successful
institutions of the kind ever organized.  He is now senior partner of the
Insurance Agency firm of Barbee & Castleman, manager of the Royal, London
and Lancashire Insurance Companies in the Southern States, and agent for
several first-class American Insurance Companies.  Mr. Barbee's
great-great-grandfather and great-great-grandmother came from England and
settled in Culpeper County, Va.  They had six sons, all of whom were in
the Revolutionary war.  He removed with his family to Kentucky in 1780,
and settled on a farm near Danville, Ky.  Five of the six sons came to
Kentucky with him: John, born May 5, 1735; Daniel, July 30, 1757;
William, September 14, 1759; Joshua, August 13, 1761; Elias, June 14, 1765.
His great-great-grandfather married a second time.  By this last marriage
he had two sons, Andrew and Ezekiel, and six daughters.  John, the
great-grandfather, was married to Martha Gaines, a relative of Major Gen.
Gaines of the United States Army.  He settled on a farm in Shelby County,
near Shelbyville, where he raised a large family of children, all of whom,
with the exception of his grandfather, and one of his sisters removed
with them to Illinois about 1822, locating in Crawford County.  Mr.
Barbee's great-grandparents died there in 1824.  Daniel and Joshua settled
in Danville.  Daniel was, for a great many years, postmaster there.
Joshua had one son, Thomas, who after a long life of usefulness retired
from his farm a few years ago, and is now living in Danville.  Elias
settled on a farm in Green County, near Greensburg, was a very popular
citizen, represented his county many years in the General Assembly, and was
chiefly instrumental in establishing the institution at Danville for the
education of deaf and dumb children.  He as several times appointed the
Democratic elector for his district, the last time on the VanBuren ticket,
in 1840.  He died about 1842.  The grandfather of Thomas K. Barbee, James
Barbee, was born in Shelby County, October 13, 1786, and was married, June
10, 1809, in Middleton, to Jane Sherrard, of Winchester, Va.  He then
bought the land upon which Thomas Barbee now resides, where his five
children were born: Strother Gaines, November 22, 1809; Martha Gaines,
March 22, 1811; Thomas White, October 10, 1813; John the father of Thomas
K., September 16, 1815; Eliza Jane, April 26, 1817.

Barbee Miller Winlock Athy Anderson Kane Castleman Galleher Brannin
Gaines Sherrard
=
Louisville-Jefferson-KY Oldham-Ky Danville-Boyle-KY Green-KY Crawford-IL
Cossville-Cumberland-TN Culpeper-VA Winchester-Frederick-VA England

http://www.rootsweb.com/~kygenweb/kybiog/shelby/barbee.tk.txt