At Long Last: Joseph Barber, son of Thomas Barber

          ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

On Saturday, I was finally able to get to the Dallas Public Library for a little research. I had not been able to go since well before the pandemic shut it down. Things have certainly changed, and I don't know when the library will return to business as usual. The genealogy collection, which occupies one-half of the eighth floor is currently limited to a "by appointment only" situation. Only four researchers at a time are allowed in that area and research is limited to three hours. I had to stipulate in advance what equipment I wanted to use. I requested a computer, copier, and access to books.

Since the Dallas library is an FHC affiliate, I primarily wanted to get a look at the Sumter County, Georgia deeds that are restricted because I wanted to see if I could find out if my ancestor Joseph Barber bought or sold any land there and if I could find out what happened to Thomas Barber's land, since I heavily suspected that Thomas Barber was Joseph's father. 

To recap: William A. Barber, son of Joseph Barber, stated that he was born in Sumter County, Georgia. He was born in July 1838, so Joseph Barber's family can be placed there by that date. Joseph Barber and family appear on the 1840 Sumter County, Georgia list, and Joseph Barber appears on the first membership roll of Friendship Baptist Church in 1842. By 1850, Joseph Barber and his family were in Russell County, Alabama, and Joseph Barber had $100 in real estate. Then in 1860, Joseph Barber was in Barbour County, Alabama with no real estate. I could not come up with any land transactions in either Russell County or Barbour County that mentioned Joseph Barber. That left me hoping that there would be a land deed in Sumter County, Georgia that would account for that $100 in real estate and possibly connect Joseph Barber to Thomas Barber or Edward Barber. Thomas Barber had won a tract of land in Sumter County, Georgia in the Georgia land lottery. Thomas Barber and his three sons Joseph, Jackson, and Thomas were referenced in the will of Thomas Mashburn of Onslow County, North Carolina because Thomas Barber had married Mashburn's daughter, Sarah. Thomas remarried a woman named Elizabeth and they had children, among them Edward who recounted his father Thomas and their life in Sumter County in a newspaper article. After the death of Thomas Barber Sr., his widow Elizabeth married John Bowen, and I think she had additional children with him. Elizabeth Bowen provided a deposition for her step-son Joseph Barber to help him in his attempt to claim his inheritance from his grandfather Thomas Mashburn's estate. 

Sumter County, Georgia land deed search results: On 3 November 1849, the following people joined together to sell Lot. Number 164 in District 17 to Jesse  Hurst for $500, which was recorded on 30 May 1854 in Sumter Co., GA Deed Bk K, p. 345: Elizabeth Bowen, Joseph Barber, Edward Barber, Sarah Barber, and Martha Barber. They were all the heirs of Thomas Barber who drew lot number #164 in District 17 of Lee County, later Sumter County. This indicates to me that Thomas Barber's son Joseph was still living in 1850 although he cannot be found in Sumter County because he moved to Russell County, Alabama. It also accounts for why Joseph Barber had $100 of real estate in 1850 and none in 1860. My guess is that Joseph Barber lived on the property when he was in residence in Sumter County. 

I was surprised to find this particular deed because I thought that Elizabeth's second husband John Bowen had somehow acquired the land in his name since his administrator, Richard Bowen, was trying to sell it as part of John Bowen's estate in 1839. I wonder what sort of legal pressure was brought to bear against him to stop this sale and where I might find it. I was a bit dismayed to see that neither Sarah Barber nor Martha Barber had married by 1854. At that point, Sarah Barber would have been 32, and Martha would have been 27.  I have really been hoping that they left descendants. I have not found either sister living with their Barber or Bowen siblings or on their own after 1850.

All five of Thomas Barber's heirs signed the deed. The women, Elizabeth Bowen, Sarah Barber, and Martha Barber, signed with their mark while Joseph and Edward were both able to sign with their names, indicating that the males were literate. 

My conclusion: My ancestor Joseph Barber who was born in North Carolina in 1810 or 1811 was the son of Thomas Barber and his wife Sarah Mashburn. Additionally, he was the brother of Jackson Barber and Thomas Barber Jr., who predeceased him. He was the grandson of Thomas Mashburn of Onslow County, North Carolina, which is probably where Joseph Barber was born. Joseph was also the step-son of Elizabeth, who later married John Bowen, and he was the elder half-brother of Edward Barber, Sarah Barber, and Martha Barber. Joseph Barber was also at one time a resident of Jefferson County, Georgia; Pulaski County; Georgia, Lee County, Georgia; and Sumter County, Georgia. He may have also been a resident of Dooly County, Georgia. These are all areas in which he may have met and married his wife Arsenia.