THE LOST LEGACY OF NATHANIEL BARKER PT2

As Michael John Neil recently said on Facebook, "If you weren't there, you
don't KNOW".  So I don't know exactly when or things started going bad for
Nathaniel Barker's family. However, if I had to pick an exceptionally bad
turning point, I'd pick 1884.

 As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was struck by the fact that Nathaniel,
Huldah, and their son Nathanel S. all died within a few months of each other
in 1884. First Nathaniel S. died on 20Mar 1884, cause unknown. His parents
followed shortly after. Cousin Mary Ennis found these lines about them
in the Oxford Democrat newspaper:

"April 15, 1884:  Died in Albany 12th inst Mr Nathaniel Barker age 90 and 3 mos.
A pensioner of the War of 1812
May 27, 1884:  Mrs Barker, an aged lady, who has been sick several weeks with
lung fever is but just alive.  No hopes for her recovery."

Huldah Barker died shortly after on 7 June 1884.

Nathaniel S, Barker left a widow, the former Lucy  Coburn and five children.
They would have been the following ages in 1884:
Huldah  22years old.
Lee 20 years old
Frank 19 years old (my great grandfather)
John 15 years old
Lucy 7 years old.

It would have been difficult but not impossible for the Barkers to pull through
the situation, and perhaps they did for awhile. And here is where I run into
the "I don't KNOW" part. Thanks to the infamous lost 1890 census, the next
record I have of the family is the 1900 census, and none of them were living on
the farm in Albany. Lee had died in April, 1891. Frank was working as a baggage
master for the Grand Trunk Railroad in Bethel, Me, and John was listed as a
lawyer. Lucy was married and had a family of her own, and I haven't found
any record of their sister Huldah's fate as yet.

I can only guess at what had happened with the farm. The period between
1873 and 1896 had a series of recessions and banking panics. It's sometimes
called the Long Depression by some economists. The Barker farm might
have fallen victim to the economic problems of the time. I'm hoping to
find some court or real estate record to shed some light on what happened.

There was one final bit of tragedy. My great grandfather Frank had married his
cousin Charlotte Barker, another grandchild of Nathaniel and Huldah. His
mother Lucy(Coburn) Barker was living with them in 1900. In the fall of 1904
she fell ill with "Le Grippe",  a fancy name for influenza, and died 15 Nov 1904.
My great grandfather contracted the flu as well and it developed pneumonia.
He died on 21May 1905 at age 40, leaving a pregnant wife with two children,
one of whom was my grandmother Cora Berthella Barker.

My thanks to cousins Chris Dunham and Mary Ennis for their help with
my Barker research!

THE LOST LEGACY OF NATHANIEL BARKER PT1

As I was researching the War of 1812 pension files of 3x great grandfather
Nathaniel Barker I looked at the Federal Census Non-Population Agricultural
Schedules for his farm from 1850 through 1880. While some of the categories
changed over the years, there were enough constants from year to year to
draw comparisons on how the farm did over the years:

Excerpt from 1850 Census Agricultural Schedule Albany Me.

1850
100 acres Improved
35  acres  Unimproved
Cash Value of Farm $600
Value of farm implements $20
1 horse
2 milch cows
2 working oxen
1 other cattle
1 pig
Livestock valued at $150
50 bushels Indian corn
50 bushel Irish potatoes
6 tons of hay

Excerpt from 1860 Census Agricultural Schedule Albany Me

1860
50 acres Improved
250 acres unimproved
Cash Value of  Farm $500
Value of farm implements $10
1 horse
3 milch cows
3 other cattle
2 sheep
Livestock valued at $150
10 bushels Irish Corn
6 lbs of wool
50 bushels of Irish Potatoes
7 Tons of Hay

Excerpt from 1870 Census Agricultural Schedule Albany Me.

1870
75 Acres Improved
125 Acres Unimproved
Cash value of the Farm  $1000
Value of farm implements $25
1 milk cow
2 working oxen
9 other cattle
11 sheep
Livestock valued at $300
30 Bushels Indian corn
50 oats
5 Buckwheat
20 Irish Potatoes.
30 tons of hay
Estimated value of all farm products  $515

Excerpt from 1880 Census Agricultural Schedule Albany Me.

                                                      



1880
35 acres Tilled
12 acres Permanent Meadows
10 acres Woodland
Cash Value of Farm $500
Value of farm Implements $10
2 Horses
2 Milch Cows
17 Chickens
Livestock valued at $100
22 bushels Oats
4 bushels  beans
140 bushels Irish Potatoes
20 bushels Apples
12 Tons of hay
Estimated Value of all farm products $255

Looking at these figures it's obvious that the high point was in 1870. Whether
Nathaniel had brought the farm to this high before leaving or if  his son
Nathaniel S. was responsible is hard for me to say. I don't know precisely
what year between 1860 and 1870 that the transfer of ownership took place.
It's also obvious that something happened between 1870 and 1880 to cause
a reversal of fortune. The farm shrunk in size from 200 total acres to 57,  the
farm lost half its value and the dollar value of its products about the same.

And things were going to get worse.

What happened?

To be continued
 

THE WAR OF 1812 PENSION FILE OF NATHANIEL BARKER PT9

Nathaniel Barker lived another six years after successfully filing for his War
of 1812 pension money. At some point between 1870 and 1878 he and his
wife Huldah (Hastings) Barker moved back to Albany, Maine to live with their
son Nathaniel S. Barker.   They lived there for six more years until Nathaniel
passed away on 12 April 1884. Sadly, it was the second death in the family
within a month as their son Nathaniel S. had died on 20March 1884.

A few weeks later Hulda hired a lawyer who on April 28th requested whatever
forms were needed for her to receive Nathaniel's pension as his widow. I'm
not sure if this document is one of those forms or not, because even though
it says "Survivor's Brief" it has a date May23 1878 on the other side. So it coud
be for a survivor of the war rather than for a  survivor of the deceased veteran.

Claim No. 31.469                    Service Pension,               Original Case
Act of March 9th 1878             War of 1812.                      Reopened from
Cert. No. 22.168                                                                    Act of~~~~~~
                                                  SURVIVOR'S  BRIEF
                                                   ______________
Claimant: Nathaniel Barker                              Rank: Private
Post Office: Bethel                                              Captain:Wheeler
County:       Oxford                                              Regiment: Militia
State:           Maine                                                State:Massachusetts (Maine)
Attorneys: (?) Weeks and Blanchard                 P.O. :  Augusta
County: Kennebec       State: Maine  Fee: $10.00      Contract: ~~~~~~
Application Filed: April 8th, 1878

                                 Enlisted about September 14th, 1814 and served the full  
Alleged Service { (14) fourteen days under Capt. Wm. Wheeler -enlisted at 
                                Newry Maine  and served at Portland.


Record Evidence  3rd Auditor's report of July 21, `52, shows in the B. L Case,
of Service            {that Nathanl  Barker served in Capt. Wheeler's  Company
                               from Sept. 24th, to November 6th 1814.

Parol Evidence
of service

Length of service:   Forty-three -43-days

                                John F. Hapgood and Robbins Brown identifying witnesses 
Proof of Identity{ and the similarity of signatures in the claims for Bounty Land
                                and Pension.

Disability of       Shown as per paragraph(3rd) third of general circulars that
Applicant          {the applicant is physically unable to appear before a court 
                             of record, twenty miles distant from his residence.


Admitted May 21st, 1878, to a pension of EIGHT DOLLARS per month 
from March 9th, 1878, the date of the act under which this pension is allowed.
No pension previously applied for
                                                                                                   W.F. Eaton
                                                                                             Pension Searcher
A Bounty Land Claim 45459 -120 -55                              J. McGorran
                                                                                      Bounty Land Searcher 
Approval May 23. 1878                                                     Daniel W. Atwood
   A.P. Leech                                                                               Examiner
                   Reviewer  


Whether this was Hulda's paperwork or not is a moot point. She died herself a
little over a month and a half after Nathaniel on 7Jun 1884 in Albany, Maine.

This concludes the series on Nathaniel Barker's War of 1812 Pension and Land
Bounty Grants. However, the death of his son Nathaniel S. Barker has some
consequences which I'll discuss next.

THE WAR OF 1812 PENSION FILE OF NATHANIEL BARKER PT8

On March 4, 1878, a new pension for the veterans of the War of 1812
was approved, and by the end of the month Nathaniel Barker, now 84
years old applied for it:

  
I was struck by a few things looking at this. One was the missing
information on Nathaniel's discharge which had been on his
Bounty Land applications. At his age, was Nathaniel's memory
slipping? His statement that he was now residing in Albany instead
of Bethel  gives me an earlier date for when he and Huldah moved
back to the farm with their son Nathaniel S. Barker and his family;
I'd known they'd done that from the 1880 Federal Census but now I
know it happened between 1870 and 1878.

There are also two items in the language of the form. One is the
extensive language dealing with the Civil War. apparently if you
had fought for the Confederacy you were not eligible for the 1812
pension. And the emphasis on not already receiving a pension
seems to me to be an effort to prevent "double dipping" by anyone
who might have served in both the Civil War and the War of 1812.  

Here's my transcription. Printed text is in boldface, handwritten
is italicized, and (Blank) denotes exactly that:
 


War of 1812
DECLARATION OF SOLDIER FOR PENSION
State of Maine    
                                            ) SS
County of Oxford
On this thirtieth day of March A.D. one thousand eight hundred and
seventy-eight, personally appeared before me, a Justice of Peace
of the State of Maine, a Court of Record within and for the County and
State aforesaid, Nathaniel Barker, aged 84 years a resident of Albany,
County of Oxford State of Maine, who being duly sworn according to
law, declares that he is married; that his wife's name was Huldah
Hastings, to whom he was married at Bethel on the 31 day of Jany 1819,
that he served the full period of fourteen days in the service of the
United States in the war of 1812; that he is the identical Nathaniel Barker
who served in Captain Wm Wheeler's Company, Col Wm Ryerson's Regiment
(Blank) Brigade,  (Blank) Division, having enlisted at Newry Maine about
the 14 day of  September, 1814  (as near as he can now state,) and was
honorably discharged at (Blank) about the (Blank) day of 181(Blank); that
he performed service in said company at Portland.

And that by reason of old age and bodily infirmities I am unable to go before
a Court of Record

He states that he has received a Land Warrant on account of his said service;
that he,   at no time during the late rebellion against the authority of the
United States, adhered to the cause of the enemies of the Government,
giving them aid or comfort, or exercised the functions of any office whatever
under any authority, or pretended authority, in hostility to the United States;
and that he will support the Constitution of the United States; that he is not
in receipt of a pension under any previous act; that he makes this declaration
for the purpose of being placed on the pension rolls of the United States, 
under the provision of the act  approved March 4, 1878, and he hereby 
constitutes and appoints, with full power of substitution and revocation, 
WEEKS  &  BLANCHARD, of Augusta, Maine, his true and lawful attorneys 
to persecute his claim and obtain the pension certificate that may be issued; 
that his Post office is  at Bethel County of Oxford State of Maine; that his 
domicile or place of abode is Albany Maine.

Nathaniel Barker Applicant
Attest:
John F Hapgood
Robbins Brown

David F. Brown Trial Justice
[Note- Where persons sign by mark, have two persons witness the signature
who can write. The officer administering the oath cannot be one of the 
attestng parties.]

THE WAR OF 1812 PENSION FILE OF NATHANIEL BARKER PT7

As I've been writing these posts about my 3x great grandfather Nathaniel
Barker and his War of 1812 Pension and Land Bounty file, I've included
information about Nathaniel's farm. I did this because I made an assumption
that at least one of those land grants was reflected in the size of his farm,
especially in 1860, and that the land he received was in Maine.

It was a faulty assumption.


Last night distant cousin Chris Dunham of the Maine Genealogy Network
sent a comment on my last post in this series that included the links to
Nathaniel's land patents. They are located at the U.S. Department of the
Interior Bureau of Land Management General Land Office Records site.
The first one was the 1850 grant of 40 acres:

As you can see, it wasn't located in Maine. It was in Palestine , Illinois.

Here's the second grant from 1855 of 120 acres:

Again, the land is not in Maine, it's at Fort Dodge, Iowa.


Now, Nathaniel never moved to Iowa nor did any of his children. So what
happened to the land. Well, you can't see it on the above images(because I
was having trouble with my PDF to JPEG converter so I had to use the "Snipping
Tool") but Nathaniel "assigned" both patents to another person. Further down
the page in the first image the land is assigned to a  David A. Hall. The second,
larger grant of 1855 went to a  Israel Loucks.  I can't believe that Nathaniel
simply gave 160 acres away so it's probable Nathaniel sold the land to Mr. Hall
and Mr. Laucks.

On the Land Office Records site there's a tab on the Patent image that says
"Related Documents".  That window included other transactions involving
both men. Hall was assigned land by two other veterans for a total of 120 acres,
including Nathaniel's patent. Loucks did the same in 1855, gaining three grants,
totaling 360m acres. Were Hall and Laucks land speculators, acquiring the land
grant patents from the original recipients and reselling them for a profit? I
don't know yet, and I'm certainly not going to make another assumption.

I still have Nathaniel's cash pension to discuss, and there is question about
Nathaniel's farm after that to blog abut.

And thanks, Chris Dunham, for finding these land patent images for me!

THE WAR OF 1812 PENSION FILE OF NATHANIEL BARKER PT 6

Nathaniel Barker was 61 years old in 1855 when he received his second and
larger Land Bounty grant of 120 acres. In the application for that second grant
he says he had disposed of his original 1850 grant of 40 acres but doesn't say
how or why. He may have sold it or he may have set up either one of his sons
Nathaniel S. or Amos with it to start their own farm. I've no way of knowing
for sure at this time. 

Five years later in 1860 some things had changed. The 1860 Federal Census
shows that Nathaniel had real estate valued at $500 and personal estate of
$140. He was now 66 years old, and son Nathaniel S. Barker had returned to
the family farm with his wife, the former Lucy Coburn.  From the 1860
Agricultural Schedule I learned:

Nathaniel owned 300 acres of land, 50 acres of which were "Developed" and
250 "Undeveloped". His farm implements and machinery were worth $10
dollars.

He owned one horse, three "milch cows", three "other cows"  and two sheep.
The total value of the livestock was $150 dollars. Those two sheep produced
6 pounds of wool and the cows 500 pounds of butter. The value of slaughtered
animals was $45.

Crop production included 6 bushels of "peas and beans", 100 bushels of
"Irish potatoes", and 9 tons of hay. It appears he also still raised "Indian Corn"
but the figure entered them is faded and illegible.

Sometime between 1860 and 1870, things changed. On the 1870 Census
Nathaniel and Huldah were no longer living on the farm in Albany. At age
77, Nathaniel was living with Huldah in Bethel. Maine but still working
at something or other because he was lasted as being a laborer. (His son
Nathaniel S Barker and his family were still at Albany on the farm
and doing quite well which I'll discuss later.) He'd already lived long past
the average lifespan for a male 19th century American and he wasn't done
yet, which is why Nathaniel was still around when Congress passed a new
War of 1812 Pension Act in March of 1878.

To be continued.

THE WAR OF 1812 PENSION FILE OF NATHANIEL BARKER PT5

When Nathaniel Barker applied for his first Bounty Land grant in  1850 he
was already a middle aged man with six children, three of whom were already
grown to adulthood with families of their own.Tilson Barker (b. Sep 1818 in
Bethel) had married Catherine Howe and was working as a blacksmith in
Marlborough, Ma. in 1850. Daniel J Barker,(b. 1820) was likewise a
blacksmith and lived in Weston, Aroostook Maine with his wife.
Alexander Augustus Barker was living in Massachusetts and became
a Supervisor at Mt Auburn Cemetery. Only two younger sons, Nathaniel S.
and Amos Hastings Barker, and a daughter, Mary, were still living in Albany,
Maine.

I mentioned the 1850 Federal Census Non Population Agricultural Schedule
in the previous post.  From it I learned the following:

Nathaniel had a total of 135 acres of land in August, 1850, 100 acres of which
were "Unimproved". His real estate was worth $600 and farm tools and
machinery were worth $20.

He owned one horse, two "milch cows", two working oxen,  one "other
cattle" (possibly a bull?), and one pig. Total value of the livestock was $150
dollars.

In the year ending June1, 1950, he'd produced  50 bushels of Indian Corn,
50 bushels of Irish Potatoes, 200 pounds of butter,  and 6 tons of hay.

On the same page the farm of Wesley Coburn is listed, significant because
the Coburn and Barker families would soon be untied by two marriages.

Overall, compared to the other farmers in Albany, Nathaniel was neither the
most nor the least prosperous in the community.  He was 56 years old by 1850
 and I have no way of knowing as yet if the information on the Schedule represented
an inprovement or reversal of fortune for him.

Then Nathaniel received the second Bounty  Land Grant in 1855 and we'll see what
if anything changed after that.

To be continued.

THE WAR OF 1812 PENSION FILE OF NATHANIEL BARKER PT4

My 3x great grandfather Nathaniel Barker had received forty acres
as his War of 1812 veteran Land Bounty in 1850 but five years later
he was applying for another bounty grant. This image was a bit of
a chore since the handwritten parts had faded. I resorted to using
a negative image to decipher it:

BOUNTY LAND CLAIM
DECLARATION OF CLAIMANT
STATE OF MAINE
County of Oxford  ) SS.
On this twenty fifth day of April A.D. one thousand eight hundred  and
fifty-five, personally appeared before me, a Justice of the Peace, duly
authorized to administer  oaths , withing and for the county and State
aforesaid, Nathaniel Barker aged sixty one years, a resident of Albany
in the County of Oxford and State of Maine who, being duly sworn
according to law, declares that he is the identical Nathaniel Barker
who was a private in the company commanded by Captain Wheeler
in the (blank)Regiment of Infantry commanded by Col. Ryerson in the
war fought with Great Britain by the United States on the 18th of
June A.D. 1812.

That he was drafted at Newry on or about the twentieth day of
September A.D. 1814 for the term of about forty days and continued
in actual service in said war for the term of about forty days and was 
honorably discharged at Portland Maine on or about the third day of
November A.D.1814 as will appear by the Muster Rolls of said Company
he having received no written discharge.

He further declares, that he has heretofore made application for Bounty
Land, under the Act of September 28, 1850, (blank) received a Land 
Warrent, No. (blank) for Forty acres, which he has since legally disposed 
of, and cannot now return.

He makes this declaration for the purpose of obtaining the Bounty Land to
which he may be entitled under the act approved March 3, 1855.  He also
declares that he has never applied for nor received, under this or any other
Act of Congress, any Bounty Land Warrant, except the one above mentioned.

And for the purpose of this application, I the said Nathaniel Barker do
hereby constitute and appoint Moses Mason of Bethel in the State of Maine,
my true and lawful Attorney, for me, and in my name, to demand and
receive from the Secretary of the Interior a warrant for the quantity due me
as aforesaid:  and I fully authorise and empower him to constitute and
appoint one or more substitutes under him for the purpose therein
expressed, hereby ratifying and confirming whatever my Attorney or his
substitutes may lawfully do in the premises
                                 Nathaniel Barker

Again, I already knew from the first image in the file that Nathaniel received
120 acres in this second Bounty Land request. But what happened to the original
40 acres, and how did Nathaniel use this second grant?

To be continued.

THE WAR OF 1812 PENSION FILE OF NATHANIEL BARKER PT3

I knew from the Index card in the first image that my ancestor Nathaniel
Barker had received two Bounty Land grants, one in 1850, the other in 1855.
Logically you expect the images to be in chronological order but as many
genealogists can tell you about dealing with Pension File images, they seldom
are so.  I think this is the "cover" for the first land grant:

I found Nathaniel's application in image !2:

"State of Maine
County of Oxford
On this ninth day of February A.D one thousand and eight hundred and fifty
two, personally appeared before me, a Justice of the Peace within and for
the county and State aforesaid,  Nathaniel Barker, aged fifty eight, a
resident of Albany in the county & State aforesaid, who being duly sworn
according to law, declares he is the identical Nathaniel Barker, who was
a private in  the company commanded by Captain William Wheeler  in the
Regiment  of Militia commanded by Col. Ryerson, which was stationed at
Portland then in the State of Massachusetts and now in the State of Mane,
in the war with Great Britain declared by the United States on the 18th day
of June 1812, that he was drafted at Newry in the county and State aforesaid
on or about the twentieth day of September A.D. one thousand eight hundred
and fourteen for the term of about forty days, and continued in actual service
in said war for the term of about forty days and was honorably discharged or
dismissed at said Portland on or about the fourth day of November A.D. one
thousand eight eight hundred and fourteen, as will appear by the muster and
payrolls of said company, but never received a written discharge.

He makes this declaration for the purpose of obtaining the bounty land, to which
he may be entitled under the act granting bounty land to certain officers and
soldiers who have been engaged in the military service of the  United States
passed September 28th 1850.
Nathaniel Barker."

The other side of the document is the following in image 13 :

"Sworn to and subscribed, before me, the said Justice, the day and year first
above written. And I hereby certify that I believe the said Nathaniel Barker to
be the identical man, who served as aforesaid and that he is of the age of
service.
O'Neil W Robinson Jr. Justice of the Peace."

Below that is the statement of Luther Lock:
"I Luther Lock of the town of Bethel in the county of Oxford of the state of Maine
of Lawful age on oath do depose and say that the above named Nathaniel Barker
is the identicle man who served as he has declared above in his application.
Luther Locke"



Lastly:
"Sworn to and subscribed before me this thirteenth day of April in the year of
our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty two
O'Neill W Robinson Jr Justice of the Peace. "

I know that Nathaniel received 50 acres on this grant. On the 1850 Federal Census
Agricultural Census for Albany, Maine, he is listed as owning 135 acres,  35 acres of
which were "Improved". The cash value of the farm was $600.

Nathaniel seemed to be doing well.

To be continued

THE WAR OF 1812 PENSION FILE OF NATHANIEL BARKER

A week or so ago one of my Facebook friends gave the heads up that the War
of 1812 Pension files were starting to be posted over at the Fold3.com site. (I
can’t remember who that person was now, but if you are reading this, thank
you!). So I visited the site to see what I could find. I have many male paternal
ancestors living in the right time period who could have fought in the War but
so far I only knew of two, Amos Hastings and John Griffith, who had served.
I was hoping to find evidence of more.

The bad news was that while Fold3 has indeed begun posting the 1812 Pensions,
they only have those for veterans whose last names began with the letters A or B.
Since I do have relatives in that group I began searching and found some Barrows
relatives, but more importantly, I found my direct ancestor,  3x great grandfather
Nathaniel Barker:

What's great about this first image is all the information. I already knew
Nathaniel and Huldah's marriage date, Jan 31, 1794. It always made me grin
thinking that maybe Huldah insisted on that date, January 31st, since it was
also Nathaniel's birthday and he'd surely have to remember it was also his
anniversary.  There was a discrepancy though in the date of Nathaniel's death:
the Pension File gave it as April 12th, 1884 while I had it a month earlier as March
12th, the date on his gravestone. But just today cousin Mary Ennis (who is
looking into the cause of Nathaniel and Huldah's deaths) emailed me that
she had found a mention in the Oxford Democrat newspaper which gave the
April 12th date as the day he died as well. I've made the change to my gedcom
file. (Thanks, Mary!)


The really interesting thing for me was seeing that Nathaniel had applied twice
for a veteran's land grant but there were three entries for places of residence
in 1852, 1855, and 1878. What was that all about, and how does that figure into
what I already knew about Nathaniel and Huldah?

To be continued....

AN ITCH THAT NEEDS SCRATCHING

I'm wondering if any of my genealogy friends have ever had this happen to
them:

I was putting together a post about my 3x great grandfather Nathaniel Barker's
War of 1812 Pension file and had the pedigree view up on my RootsMagic5
database. I wanted to check on the death dates for Nathaniel and his wife
Huldah(Hastings)Barker because of something in the Pension File. Nathaniel
died on 12Mar 1884 in Bethel, Oxford, Maine; Huldah didn't survive him for
long, passing on 7Jun 1884 also in Bethel. Well, they were both elderly, 90
and 86 years old respectively, and perhaps Huldah was overwhelmed by her
grief.

But then I happened to glance over that the box for their youngest son, my
2x great grandfather Nathaniel S.(I believe the S stands for Swan for his paternal
grandmother Nancy Swan) Barker. He died a week after his father on 20Mar
1884 in Albany,Oxford, Maine. That got my attention. How could I have not
really noticed that before? Could it just have been coincidence or was there
more to it? Was there some accident involving the two Barker men, leaving
Huldah died of grief after? Or was there another outbreak of an some disease
in the area that claimed all three lives?  Since there had been seven members
of my West family that died in an outbreak of diphtheria in Mane in 1862.

I've got a copy of the death record for Nathaniel S. Barker but it doesn't give
a cause of death. I have not been able to find any for his parents.  Going to
Maine is not an option for me since I don't have the means to get there at
this time. I'm hoping to find an obituary or newspaper report eventually.

This is turning into an itch I need to scratch.

DIGGING UP ALEXANDER AUGUSTUS BARKER

So last night after posting my response to Randy Seaver's SNGF
challenge of "A Prolific Dad" I decided to run the names of some
of my Barker ancestors through FamilySearch's Record Search.
When I put in my the names of my 3x great grandparents
Nathaniel Barker and his wife Huldah Hastings, I found this
surprise:



This is the Massachusetts Death Certificate for one Alexander Augustus
Barker born around June or July 1824 to Nathaniel Barker and Huldah
Hastings who died on 9Oct 1912. Well, this was news to me! I knew of
two sons for Nathaniel and Huldah, my 2x great grandfathers Amos
Hastings Barker and Nathaniel S. Barker but no other children.
Admittedly I hadn't started looking for any other siblings as yet,
but I'd never seen mention of Alexander on any of the places I'd found
Amos and Nathaniel S. If this was one of Nathaniel and Huldah's
children who'd headed south to Massachusetts, he'd done quite well
for himself, since the certificate lists his occupation as "Formerly Asst.
Supt. of  Cambridge Cem". It gives his place of burial as Mt.Auburn
Cemetery which is a beautiful place. I wonder if he'd picked out a good
spot for himself?

I decided to look further for Alexander Augustus Barker on Record
Search. I found a record of a marriage to a  Lydia Jane Hutchins on 4Jul
1855 in Carmel, Me. and the groom's father is listed as Nathaniel. It
seems the newlyweds left Maine soon after for Massachusetts because
they are enumerated on the 1855 Ma. State Census living in Watertown.
Alexander's occupation is given as  laborer. Next I found Alexander
and Lydia listed as the parents of a Frank W. Barker born in
Watertown, Ma. 19Feb 1858. Then on the Massachusetts
1865 State Census in Watertown Alexander is listed as "Supt. Mt.
Auburn Cemetery.  

The 1870 Federal Census shows the Barkers still living in Watertown
with their son and two daughters. Alexander's position is now given as
"Foreman at Mt. Auburn Cemetery" . Sometime before 1880 the
family moved to Cambridge and Alexander is listed as "Sexton in
Cemetery." By 1900 the now 76 year-old Alexander was working as
the cemetery gatekeeper, so I suspect his Lexington Ave home must
be only a short distance away from the place.

Now if I can find a record of his birth to Nathaniel and Huldah, I can
add a gravely distinguished 2x great granduncle to my family tree!!

MY BARKER LINE

Before I move on to Jesse and Benjamin Barker, I thought
I'd briefly list my Barker Line. I decided to just list my
direct ancestors because of the number siblings in some
generations. At some point in the future I might do a more
detailed generation by generation posting.

The only siblings listed here are Amos Hastings Barker
and Nathaniel S. (for Swan, I wonder?) Barker since
their children married each other in the next generation.



1. Richard Barker was born about 1618 in Holme-on-Spalding
-Moor, Yorkshire, England and died 18 Mar 1693 in Andover,
Essex, Ma.

He married Joanna UNK About 1644 in Methuen, Essex, Ma.
She was born 1632 in ? and died 11 Apr 1687 in Andover,
Essex, Ma.




2. Benjamin Barker was born 28 Feb 1663 in Andover, Essex,
Ma. and died 11 Oct 1750

He married Hannah Marston 2 Jan 1688 in Andover, Essex,
Ma. She was born 16 Feb 1667 in Andover, Essex, Ma and
died 14 Jan 1733 in Andover, Essex, Ma, daughter of John
Marston and Martha Fuller





3. Jonathan Barker was born 14 Jul 1706 in Andover, Essex,
Ma and died 20 Jan 1737 in Methuen, Essex, Ma.

He married Mary Abbott 26 Jan 1728 in Andover, Essex,
Ma. She was born 24 Apr 1709 in Marblehead, Essex, Ma ,
daughter of Joseph Abbott and Sarah Devereaux


4. Jonathan Barker was born 23 Oct 1728 in Andover, Essex,
Ma and died 29 Apr 1794 in Methuen, Essex, Ma.

He married Abigail Mitchell 13 Oct 1750 in Methuen, Essex,
Ma. She was born 23 May 1730 in Haverhill, Essex, Ma,
daughter of Andrew Mitchell and Hannah Ayer, and died 15
Feb 1806 in Methuen, Essex, Ma.


5. Jonathan Barker was born 26 May 1754 in Methuen,
Essex, Ma and died 11 Jul 1824 in Newry, Oxford, Me.

He married Nancy Swan 14 Jun 1788 in Fryeburg, Oxford,
Me., daughter of James Swan and Mary Smith She was born
22 Sep 1765 in Methuen, Essex, Ma .


6. Nathaniel Barker was born 31 Jan 1794 in Newry, Oxford,
Me ( or 31 Jan 1794 in Ma)

He married Hulda Hastings 31 Jan 1819 in Bethel, Oxford,
Me. She was born 17 Mar 1798 in Bethel, Oxford, Me. ( or 17
Apr 1798 ), daughter of Amos Hastings and Elizabeth Wiley.

Children of Nathaniel Barker and Hulda Hastings:


7. Amos Hastings Barker was born 19 Nov 1828 in Rumford,
Oxford, Me and died 5 Nov 1907.

He married Betsy J Moore . She was born 16 Aug 1842 in
Waterford, Oxford, Me and died 12 Mar 1924 in Newry,
Oxford, Me.



7 Nathaniel S. Barker was born 13 Mar 1830 in Newry,
Oxford, Me and died 20 Mar 1884.

He married Elizabeth Coburn . She was born 10 Aug 1842
and died 15 Nov 1904, daughter of Westley Coburn and Lucy
Stowe. (Stow?)


8. Frank W. Barker was born 20 Apr 1865 in Albany, Oxford,
Me and died 21 May 1905 in Bethel, Oxford, Me.

He married Charlot Lovenia Barker . She was born 3 Aug
1879 in Albany, Oxford, Me. daughter of Amos Hastings
Barker and Betsy J. Moore, and died 1944 in Bangor, Oxford,
Me.


9. Cora Berthella Barker (aka "Cora Bertha Barker") was
born 27 Oct 1899 in Bethel, Oxford, Me and died Jun 1987.

She married Floyd Earl West Sr. 24 Mar 1919 in Errol, Coos,
Nh. He was born 14 Apr 1893 in So.Paris, Oxford, Me and
died 28 Jan 1970 in Dumaway, Me., son of Philip Jonathan
West and Clara Ford Ellingwood.

The last are my grandparents.

ANNIVERSARIES

Yesterday, January 31st, was the wedding anniversary date
for two couples among my ancestors.

The first couple are Nathaniel Barker and Huldah Hastings.
They were the children of Revolutionary War veterans
Jonathan Barker and Amos Hastings and are my 3x great
grandparents. They were married 189 years ago on 31 Jan
1819.

The second couple are Jonathan Phelps West and Louisa
Almata Richardson, my 2x great grandparents who were
married on 31 Jan 1865. I’ve written a bit about them before
on my post on Jonathan’s first wife Orpha and the diphtheria
outbreak of 1861-2. I have some pictures of them but they
are in a book and I’m not sure if posting them here would be
a copyright violation so I prefer to err on the side of caution
and not post them. I think I admire them most out of my
West ancestors since they kept the family going after a
horrendous event when many other families ended.

SERENDIPITY

Does anyone else ever get a case of descendant’s guilt, a feeling
that while you’re pursuing leads on one group you are neglecting
another?


Well, I was feeling a bit of it the other night when I mentioned
Cora Barker(my grandmother) and Louise Almata Richardson,
my great great grandmother. I’ve been so lucky with my searches
on the Ames, Abbots and Ellinwood lines that I’ve spent more
time on them than the other two lines.

So I started googling for Nathaniel Barker and ended up at
Rootsweb’s World Connect where I found on a member's page
a Nathniel Barker on who was married to a Huldah Karsting.

Mine was married to a Huldah Hasting.

Figuring it was worth asking I sent an email to the website owner
listing Nathaniel with my information and it turns out our
Nathaniels look to be one and the same and I broke through a
brick wall. Not only that but it turns out there are several other
connections between this person’s line and mine.


I’m not going to go into all the details now but the reason I’m
bringing it up is that it reminded me again this afternoon as I
exchanged emails with this new-found cousin that if this were say,
15 or 20 years ago, before the age of home computers and the
internet, I might have eventually found the information but I’d
probably never have made the acquaintance of the person who
shares my ancestry.

And that’s the biggest effect computers have had on genealogy.
Instead of just solitary researchers who might belong to a local
genealogy society, we also now have a global network of people
who might belong to a genealogy society on the other side of the
continent and who are able to make use of the archives from
their home as well as being able to meet and share information
with people on the internet who share their ancestry.

I know, I know, I've said all this before I think.


But isn’t technology great?