Edward Barber and The Mad Stone

   ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

The greatest benefit of researching with newspapers is that they can provide breakthrough information when other sources are lacking because of burned courthouses and because of the great twenty-year gap caused by the loss of the 1890 census. That twenty-year gap has resulted in a black hole into which ancestors fall and can be very difficult to track. 

The other benefit of researching with newspapers is that they "put flesh on bones." They provide interesting and amusing insights into our ancestors' lives. Sometimes whole personalities are revealed.

By the early 1880s, mad stones were all the rage for treating rabies and bites from snakes and spiders. In late 1883, Edward Barber of Jonesboro revealed that he owned a mad stone that he had gotten from the paunch of a deer in about 1853. Ideally, a mad stone had to come from a white deer. Edward did not reveal if the deer he killed met that specification. Although he had never had a reason to use his mad stone, Edward expressed his skepticism toward a mad stone's ability to cure. 

A year later, Edward Barber had the opportunity to put his mad stone to the test when the son of Mr. Phillips of Monroe, Georgia was bitten on the cheek by a mad dog. Since Edward's mad stone had been publicized the year before, it seems reasonable that Phillips had taken his son to Jonesboro in search of Edward Barber's mad stone. 

Additional details about the dog attack appeared in The True Citizen of Waynesboro, Georgia on 6 June 1884.

Other newspaper articles related this mad dog rampaging through the schoolyard and biting young Phillips. The local men grabbed their guns to shoot the dog. One man mounted his horse and gave chase, hunting the animal down and shooting it. This newspaper writer turned the problem into a political issue with racial overtones. 

Over a decade later when C.C. Culpepper's dog went mad and bit Culpepper's son, he took the boy to Jonesboro so that Edward Barber's mad stone could be applied to it. 

At this point, it is impossible to know how many people sought out Edward Barber's mad stone in hopes that it could save the lives of loved ones. It is also impossible to figure out if it worked. The newspapers don't seem to have done follow-up articles that would reveal if the stones worked their magic or not. 

Before his death, Edward Barber gave the mad stone to his daughter Emma (Barber) Walker and her husband. They continued to apply it to the wounds of any one who sought out its curative powers as related in The Atlanta Constitution of Atlanta, Georgia on 16 August 1931: 

Georgian Tells How 4 Mad Stone9 Cured Rabies Forty Years Ago

 McDonough, Ga Aug 15. A mad stone, commonly supposed to have been effective in the treatment of victims of mad dog bites about 40 years ago, was once in the possession of Mrs. Emma B. Walker,, of McDonough. The recurrence of dog days recalls the popular superstition that prevailed a half century ago. Sirius, the dog star, was supposed to bring excessive heat and attendant evils that caused the fevers suffered by men and dogs. Old residents bring to mind some of the cures accomplished by this mysterious "stone" at this, as well as other seasons of the year. People from all sections of Georgia who had heard of its healing powers came to Mrs. Walker's home for treatment, stayed a while, and returned, cured. Mrs.-Walker, in speaking of her experiences with the mad stone, says, "It belonged to my father, the late Judge Edward Barber, of Jonesboro. He killed the deer that contained it on a hunting trip on the line between Georgia and Florida nearly a hundred years ago. In those days, it was the custom for parties to go there once or twice a year, in wagons, for a hunt. My father, when a member of one [killed] a buck. As this animal was dressed. one of the others, an older man, called attention to the peculiar growth attached to the deer's stomach. It was about the size of a bean, poms in appearance, rough in texture, and of an ashy-brown color. He advised my father to keep it, telling him it was of great value in extracting poisons from the bites of insects. "My father brought it home, along with the venison, the antlers and hide, as a relic, and for years kept it in a chamois bag. Sometime during the '80s be saw, in some journal, an advertisement proclaiming the virtues of this kind of stone in curing rabies. People, who knew of his having such a stone, began to worry him by requests to use it, so he turned it over to us. My husband let it be known that we had it and dozens and dozens of people, children and grown-ups came here to use it. One doctor offered us a thousand dollars for it." In describing its use, Mrs. Walker continued, "The injured person would apply the stone to the open wound and it would stick, somewhat like a needle to a magnet. Sometimes it would stay on the place from early morning until a late bedtime before falling off. As soon as it seemed to absorb the poison it would slip off, but as long as it drew the venom it appeared glued to the spot. When it came off, it was immediately put into fresh whole milk. After a few minutes a yellowish-green scum would cover the surface of the milk and the stone would be clean. It was then ready to be applied to another patient. An unusual feature of the treatment was the fact that its effectiveness depended upon the application to an open wound, so every scab had to be removed." The chief of police of McDonough, Charles J. Dickson, is one of the ex-patients. Mr. Dickson describes his experience, "I was about 12 or 14 when a dog, a black feist, bit my hand. I went at once to Mrs. Walker's and she applied the stone. It was yellowish and about the size of the end of my little finger. It turned darker as it absorbed the poison, and when it was full, fell off. Sometimes I kept it on all day and all night and again, only a few hours. I was there at her home about three weeks, but it cured me."

Francis Marion Tison, Killed 1866

  ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

Sometime before 1869, Edward Barber (1819 - 1901) divorced his first wife, Martha Giles, for in 1869 he married a widow named Sarah Tison who had two children. They were living in Worth County, Georgia at the time. 

Her first husband, Francis Marion Tison, died in a senseless argument over a box of sardines. While the newspaper termed his death a homicide, it seems doubtful that any charges were filed against Robert A. Lomax. So far, I have not located a trial or reference to charges against Lomax. This account appeared in The Weekly Georgia Telegraph on 20 August 1866 and was reprinted from the Albany Patriot of 11 August 1866. 

Homicide

On Thursday evening last, a difficulty occurred between Mr. Robert A. Lomax, of East Albany, and F.M. Tison, of Worth County, in which Tison was instantly killed. The circumstances which led to this unfortunate affair are these: Tison, in company with several friends, had been to Albany on busi- while there he became intoxicated, and in returning home, in company with his friends, they stopped at the store of Mr. Lomax, and Tison bought a box of sardines, and then proffered to treat the crowd to whiskey, if Lemax would credit him. Mr. Lomax replied that he did not do a crediting business, and that he (Tison) had not paid him for the sardines. This seems to have made Tison mad, and he immediately paid for the sardines, and remarked that Lomax was a damned rascal, and that he would not trust him out of sight, etc. After a few angry words being passed, Tison returned to his buggy and started home. He did not proceed but a short distance, before he proposed to turn back and make Lomax retract what he said. His friends tried to persuade him from doing so, but he heeded them not, and immediately returned to the store and commenced cursing Lomax, and drew his pistol and fired twice, the second shot merely touching the underpart of the left ear of Lomax. Lomax then returned the fire with a double-barrel shot gun, through the window of his store, the whole load taking effect in the right lung of Tison, killing him almost instantly.

Such difficulties are to be regretted, but as self-preservation is the first law of nature, Mr. Lomax was perfectly justifiable in committing the deed. - Albany Patriot, 11th.

Initially, F.M. Tison's widow Sarah administered his estate.

By 1871 Edward Barber was the administrator for F. M. Tison's children.

Later in 1874, when an administrator was sought for F.M. Tison's children, Silvia Ann Lula Tison and William W. Tison, Sarah's new husband Edward Barber continued in that role. Estate records indicate that was the case. 

Edward Barber, 1819 - 1901

  ©  Kathy Duncan, 2021

In a previous post, I was able to link the Edward Barber who died in Jonesboro, Georgia to his father Thomas Barber, who died around 1829 in the portion of Lee County, Georgia that became Sumter County. Edward Barber was probably the oldest of the middle set of children. The three older Barber brothers, of whom Joseph was one, were the children of Thomas and his first wife Sarah Mashburn. The older boys were the heirs of their grandfather Thomas Mashburn of Onslow County, North Carolina. Edward Barber was the son of Thomas and his second wife Elizabeth. They seem to have had six children: Edward and five girls, only two of whom I have identified. When Thomas Barber died, Elizabeth married John Bowen, and they had children, so Edward also had a set of younger Bowen half-siblings. 

Since I highly suspect that my Joesph Barber was the same Joseph who was an older half-brother of Edward's, I have been trying to gather as much information on Edward as possible. I was hoping Edward would lead me to his siblings, but so far, that has not happened.

Still, Edward Barber was an interesting individual, and newspapers led me to most of what I have been able to learn about him.

In 1850, thirty-two-year-old Edward Barber seems to have been a boarder in the household of Warren Dikes of Dooly County, Georgia. Edward's occupation is listed as "merchant."

In 1852, Edward Barber of Dooly County, Georgia swore that he would not sell alcohol to slaves or free persons of color. This affidavit seems to have been a legal requirement of merchants rather than a voluntary action. 

By 1854, he was in Doughtery County, Georgia, where he married Martha Giles on 12 February 1854.

They were found on the 1860 Worth County, Georgia, census, but there is reason to think that Edward Barber was established there before they married. By August of 1854, Edward was the Deputy Sheriff of Worth County. That would seem to indicate that he was in the county well before he married Martha Giles.

Edward was responsible for publishing numerous sheriff's sales in Worth County. This seems to be the beginning of his political career. In May of the following year, Edward Barber represented Worth County at the Democratic Convention in Macon County, Georgia.

By 1856, Edward Barber was referred to as a lawyer in connection with the Worth County Democratic Meeting, but on the 1860 census, his occupation was "farmer."

In late 1856, Edward Barber transitioned from being a Deputy Sheriff to the Clerk of the Superior Court. He served as Clerk of the Superior Court from 14 July 1856 until 27 February 1860.

[Source: Worth County, Georgia History For the First Eighty Years, 1854 - 1934 by Mrs. Lillie Martin Grubbs]

By May of 1860, Edward Barber had opened a dry goods store in Isabella, Worth County, Georgia.

On the 1860 Worth County, Georgia census, Edward and Martha had three children: six-year-old Elizabeth, who was probably named after Edward's mother; three-year-old Preston; and an unnamed baby girl, probably Emma Jane.

From 15 October 1862 until 21 January 1865, Edward Barber served as an Inferior Court Judge of Worth County.

[Source: Worth County, Georgia History For the First Eighty Years, 1854 - 1934 by Mrs. Lillie Martin Grubbs]

Sometime near the end of the 1860s Edward and Martha Barber divorced and both of them remarried in Worth County, so the divorce was probably filed for there. Martha married A. W. Shaw on 5 June 1870 and took the youngest Barber child, Mary Della Barber, with her. Edward Barber married Sarah (Ford) Tison on 30 March 1869 in Dougherty County. She was a widow with small children. Her first husband, Francis Marion Tison, was killed during a drunken quarrel over a can of sardines. After the death of Edward, she sued his son Preston Barber for the property that she brought into the marriage. 

In 1870, Edward Barber was still in Worth County, Georgia with his family. The older Barber children were with him that year: Preston, age 13; Emma, age 11; Edward, age 9; Silvia, age 9; and William, age 4. Silvia and William have the surname Barber on the census, but they were the children of Sarah and Francis M. Tison. 

The family can be found in Jonesboro, Clayton County, Georgia by 1880. Several children were still living in the household: Preston Barber, age 22; Emma J Barber, age 20; Edward R. Barber age 18; Letice Tison, age 18; Welice W Tison, age 14. 

In 1886, Edward Barber purchased another dry goods store, this time in Jonesboro.

Edward Barber remained in Jonesboro until his death in 1901.