Bio - James Martin
BARNES, Owen
Submitted by: Jim Cruth on 20 November 1997
Source: Written by Joseph's daughter, Luella Barnes Hall 1961
This is a story about my GGgrandfather, Owen Barnes, Grandson of Leven Barnes who was a cousin of James Barnes, the first proprietor of Barnesville.


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My Father and Mother's Families I am Writing this for my grand and great children

by ELLA BARNES HALL
I will commence with my mother's family first. James Jesse Duncan was born in Kentucky, and grew to manhood in his native state. He was educated in a private school. He met Catherine Cardwell. She was born in Kentucky too. They married and were parents of nine children; two sons and seven daughters. after the war they sold their farm and went to Brown Co. Indiana. They bought a farm. Their oldest daughter was Mary Elizabeth, she married Dave Taylor, they had one son Willie.

Daughter no 2 was judith Ann, she married Jim Hague. They had three daughters and one son. The son married and had two sons and one daughter. This name was Alza. Elizabeth married Jom Pamlee, they had several children. Eva married Charley William, they had three children. The sons were Paul and Almo. Sadie married Joe Williams, they had one son, Harley. Daughter no 3 was Sarah. She married Joe Peterro, they had one daughter, Rhoda. Rhoda married Claud R. Urich, they had three sons.

Daughter no 4 America died in her early twenties, never married

Daughter no 5 Amma June died in her thirties

Daughter no 6 Minervia married Porter Graves, they were the parents of three children, Nellie, Courtland and James.

Daughter no 7 was my mother, Martha Jane, she married Joseph Barnes and they were the parents of eight children.

1 William Owen was born Sept 8, 1873 in Brown Co. Ind
2 James Jesse was born Aug. 22, 1875 in Brown Co. Ind
3 Luella Kathryn was born March 26, 1878 in Douglass, Ks
4 Florence Mae was born November 13, 1880 in Douglass, ks
5 Emma D. Was Born March 29, 1882 in Douglass, Ks
6 Clarence Glenn was born Feb 28, 1885 in Douglass, Ks
7 Aaron Everett was born Nov 6, 1887 in Douglass,Ks
8 Hazel Elizabeth was born March 19, 1890 at Douglass, Ks

Sarah was the oldest child of Owen and Catherine Barnes. She was only 14 mo. old when Jane was born.,Jane was only 13 mo. older than William. Then John who was too young to get in the army.He thought he was too old to be bossed by his mother and two sisters. Phillip Shanks had married Sarah and they had two children, Flora and William. He had enlisted in the army the last two years.

Jane married Will Sprauge, and he had signed up with a wagon train going to California, they had two children, Maggie and James. He was going to send for his family when he got rich. He wanted to get his share of the gold, but it was a good many years before he sent for them. There were 13 under the same roof, and John thought that was one too many. That was why he signed up with the surveying party. Owen and Will had returned from the Army, and John had returned from Wichita, Ks. They had finished their work. The Barnes family had decided to come to Kansas, Wichita was their goal. William was staying in Ohio and married Martha Ward. John told the folks he would come to Kansas and drive one team. They had 4 covered wagons. Owen Barnes, with his wife and Etta; Phillip , Sarah and their children, Flora and Will Columbus has Jane and her children, Maggie and James; Joe, Aaron and Neal the other wagon and saddle horses. Joe road the horses across the rivers before they drove in.

When they got to Brown Co. Indiana, the folks were all tired and their money was getting low, so Owen rented a farm for three years. The farm they rented joined the Duncan farm. John went back to Ohio and he told the folks he would come and drive one team to Kansas as soon as they were ready to go on. Grandmother Barnes didn't like the Duncan Family. They were from the south and had always had colored help. But the young folks thought a lot of each other. Grandmother Duncan had 4 lovely girls at home, and Grandmother Barnes had 4 boys and a little girl. There was nothing between the farm, only a rail fence, and they all went to the same school, church and spelling bees, and taffie pulls. My dad picked the third of the Duncan girls, Martha. She had big brown eyes and black hair. She was 16 then. Aaron took the next one, she was 14 and a blond. Grandmother just couldn't stand the girls and wanted to get on the way to Kansas. They didn't stay on the farm the full three years, they sold the crop to Grandfather Duncan, but Joe told them he was staying in Indiana and marrying Martha Jane. Dad was 21 on the 17 of Oct. and Martha would be 18 on the 18th of Dec. When the Duncans found they couldn't talk them out of it, they gave them a nice home wedding. All the Barnes were there and John came to drive a team on to Kansas. Joe rented the farm his father was living on and the Duncan place. They told his mother they would come to Kansas in a year or two. They were married Oct 27, 1872/73 and the rest of the Barnes started for Kansas the next morning. John only came with them to Ottowa,Ks then he returned to Ohio.

After a few days rest they started on to Wichita. At Topeka or Emporia they learned about the high water of the Arkansas and Whitewater rivers, they changed their route and went south and east. They came to El Dorado, Ks then on south and at last landed on Rock Creek. They had heard about the Big Walnut River, so they went east then south. Phillip Shanks pitched his tent joining the Joe Hall farm. Owen Barnes went two miles west of Shanks. That was in Dec 1873/73 so they all got busy and soon had a house to live in. There was no school. The neighbors got busy and soon had a school built. Mr Joe Hall furnished the logs and Mr. Ernest Wadsack, Neal, Aaron, Shanks, and Owen built the school. Neal Barnes named it Hard Scrabble. Then they had to find a TEACHER. They found one and paid her $15 a month. The parents had to take week about boarding her. I can name 8 of the children that went to school. This has all been told to me, that was before my time. Jannie and Ora Wadsack, Maggie and Jim Sprauge, Flora and Will Shanks, Etta Barnes and Katie Woodruf. Flora Shanks told a lot to me.

I will write some now about my Father's family. Owen Barnes was born at Belmont County, Ohio on Nov 13, 1822. He was educated in his native state, and he was a Mason, Republican, and a Methodist. He was a wonderful man. He met Catherine Young, she was born in Noble Co. Ohio on March 18, 1825. They were married and the parents of 10 children. They were Sarah, Jane, William, John, Joseph, Aaron, Columbus, Cornelious, Etta, and Maretta, she died young.

Owen Barnes was a worker in the Methodist Church, and a wonderful man. He was good looking, and I loved him very much. Shanks and Sarah lived on the farm for 4 years, then moved into Douglass. Sarah had an eating house and Shanks had a store in Douglass. Jane Helped Sarah in the eating house and Maggie and Jimmie stayed with her mother.

In Sept 1877 the Shanks had a baby girl, they called her Minnie Myrl. Will stayed in Ohio and married Martha Ward, they had ten children. John returned to Ohio after he left the folks at Ottowa. He had a lady friend in Ohio, but she didn't want to come to Kansas as he had told so many wild and wooly tales about the wild men, women and other wild animals. Then on Jan 1,1873 Uncle John and Louisa Graves were married, He loved his family very much and when he came to Kansas he always was telling about his daughter Mel. Once he had one son with him here, I think his name was Everett. Once his brother-in-law was with him, name of Graves.

My father, Joe Barnes, I think I told you this before was a moving man and I will finish up my story about my fathers family after I write a little more about the rest. Aaron Barnes was a wonderful fellow. He married Lillie Devis. They had four children, Maude, Alice, Effie, and Neal. He had a farm on Muddy Creek and lived there a good many years. His girls all graduated from Douglass High School. Neal finished school in Los Angeles, Ca.

Columbus went to Oregon and he married Florence Golden. Then she passed away and left him with three little children, Charley, Harvy and Clara. Florences sister Mary came to care for the children. Clums mother wanted him to bring the to her in Kansas. He did and Mary came with them, and grandma was very unhappy so Uncle Clum and Mary were married. She was a wonderful mother to the children. My mother loved her very much. I just don't have the date they came but it was in the early 1880's I just know they were living on the big Walnut. That was a big farm, and after they had cleared the timber and filled up the caves where people had been living, Dad had to get some help. Uncle Clum had been helping at the Shanks store. So they moved a house on the farm and Uncle Clum bought horses and helped farm, they farmed together for two years. They had good crops, then dad was getting the fever to move again, so uncle Clum sold his part of the crops and went back to Oregon. They had a lovely baby girl before they left here, it must have been in the 1887/88.

Neal Barnes was carrying the mail, pony express, Bloomington Cedar Ford, Atlanta, Ks. That is where they met, he and Alice Schooling. He said she looked like a big wax doll, and she did. They were married and he called her Dollie as long as he lived. They were the parents of 12 Children. All their names started with the letter E. Elmer, Elsie, Elma, Earl, Edna, Eric, Ernest, Etta, Eva, Erma, Esley, Ester. They were such a wonderful family Etta Barnes , Owens youngest, graduated from the first class to graduate from Douglass High School. There were five in her class. Then she taught four years, then married Charley Patterson Aug 21, 1891. He was a conductor on the Santa Fe. They made their home in Los Angeles, Ca. They had two sons, Robert and Clarence.


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