The BARNES Family of Pittsfield, Berkshire, MA and Rhode Island

 

Send comments and corrections to anneb0704@yahoo.co.uk

STEPHEN BARNES of Rhode Island m. Elcy Aldrich (d. 1840)
|
ASAHEL RICHARDSON BARNES (1804 - 1873) of Pittsfield m. Mary Whitcomb Slocum
|
AMANDA LOVINA BARNES (1833 - 1892), wife of Andrew Jackson Aikens


Generation 1

STEPHEN BARNES of Rhode Island

Parents: Thomas Barnes and Ruth Swift (maybe)

"Elcy, as she signed her name to a legal document, married Johnathan Jewett after death of her husband. They have no children. The oldest deed I have is one to Johnathan Jewett dated July 7, 1786 120£ lawful money. This is my step grandfather he must have married Grandmother Elcy Barnes about 1818 as there are receipts of settlement of the estate of Stephen Barnes for 100 dollars paid to him by Asahel Barnes, deeds to certain lands etc. There is a receipt for coffin for stepfather paid by Asahel Barnes dated Jan. 19, 1835 no date of death for Elcy Barnes Jewett. Elcy Barnes Jewitt is buried in So. Adams near the old Quaker church or where it once stood." (Excerpt of letter from Erasmus Barnes to his niece Stella Aikens)

Elcy Aldrich is said to have died in 1840 at age 88. [Ref] She married second Johnathan Jewell [probably Jewell, not Jewett] about 1818. Johnathan died before 19 Jan 1835. Even if Asahel was her last child, Elcy's age at death is overstated.

Family tradition says that Elcy was probably a close relative of David, the Quaker preacher.

Who was Stephen Barnes? The only candidate father I can find in the records is the Stephen Barnes, son of Thomas and Ruth, who was born in Glocestor, Providence, Rhode Island on 24 Jan 1748. [Ref] Stephen Barnes appears in the 1782 Rhode Island Census in Glocestor, heading a household consisting of a man and a woman, both between 22 and 50 and two girls under 16. His twin Thomas appears heading a household consisting of a man and a woman, both between 22 and 50 and one girl under 16. [Ref] In 1800, Stephen and Thomas again appear heading households in Glocester. Stephen's household consists of a man and a woman over 45, a boy 10 - 15, two girls 10 - 15, and a boy and a girl under 10. In 1810, neither Stephen nor Thomas show up in the Glocestor census. [Ref] A Stephen appears in Adams, Berkshire, Massachusetts; if Stephen was a Quaker, this is an unsurprising migration. If this is the same Stephen, it explains both Asahel's being born in Rhode Island and living in Berkshire. The Stephen in the census heads a household where the man and woman are both over 45, there is a woman 16 - 25, a girl 10 - 15 and two girls and one boy under 10. [Ref] Given the inaccuracy of census ages, this could be the same household with two boys and three girls.

The ages are a slight stretch, unless Elcy was not Stephen's first wife. To have had two girls in 1782, Stephen's wife was unlikely to have been born later than 1759. But, if she were born in 1759, then she was 44 when Asahel was born. Another remote possibility is that Ashahel was a few years older than he thought he was or claimed to be.

Children of Stephen Barnes and Elcy Aldrich: The names are from Asahel's son Darwin Barnes, who said, "This is as much as can remember of the names - do not know how correct the names are." [Ref]

  1. Melaney [?] Barnes
  2. Abagal [?] Barnes
  3. Mahaley Barnes
  4. Asahel Richardson Barnes was born on 16 Jun 1804 in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. He died on 31 Oct 1873, aged 69 years and 6 months in Pittsfield. He married Mary Whitcomb Slocum.

Generation 2

ASAHEL RICHARDSON BARNES (1804 - 1873) of Pittsfield

Parents: Stephen Barnes and Elsey (Elcy) Aldrich

Asahel Richardson Barnes was born on 16 Jun 1804 in Woonsocket, RI. [Ref][Ref says 1804 in Rhode Island] He died on 31 Oct 1873, aged 69 years and 6 months in Pittsfield. [Ref] He is buried in the South Adams cemetery. [Ref] He married Mary Whitcomb Slocum.

Woonsocket was incorporated as a town in 1867. Previously, the area was part of Cumberland and Smithfield.

Asahel was a farmer in Pittsfield. [Ref]

"Father turned to cotton manufacturing in 1834. The firm of Tyler, Martin and Barnes was dissolved ... $3,000 paid to Barnes for his interest." [Ref]

"We moved from Hancock to Housatonic about 1841. The panic of 1837 broke up the manufacture with low tariff but Father was a good weaver so he was what was known as a Boss Weaver. That is, had charge of all looms in the factory. Lived there about 5 years then went to South Adams. Have a recommendation of Father as 'Boss Weaver'. 'To Whom it May Concern. Good workman, good citizen, temperate and conscientious. Any one wanting a good reliable man will be pleased.' Signed by the Agent of the Housatonic Manufacturing Company. R. D. Whittemore" (Excerpt of letter from Erasmus Barnes to his niece Stella Aikens)

 

In 1850 Asahel said he was 47; he lived in Adams with his wife Mary and children Amanda and Darwin. He was a manufactorer with real estate worth $800. [Ref]

"Lived in South Adams about 5 years. Went to Pittsfield about 1852 where Father had a better job as Boss Weaver and Pittsfield was our home until broken up. But Father was away a great deal of the time until 1864. In 1866 I bought the place in the country and that was the home until Father died in 1873." (Excerpt of letter from Erasmus Barnes to his niece Stella Aikens)

In 1860 Asahel said he was 55; he lived in Pittsfield with his wife Mary and son Darwin. He was a peddler with an estate of $100. His son Darwin was a clerk in a bookstore. [Ref]

In 1870 Asahel said he was 67; lived in Pittsfield with his wife Mary. He was a farmer with real estate worth $2,500 and an estate of $700. [Ref]

Children of Asahel Richardson Barnes and Mary Whitcomb Slocum:

  1. Amanda Lovina Barnes was born on 12 May 1833. She married Andrew Jackson Aikens.
  2. Erasmus Darwin Barnes was born on 25 Jul 1836 in Hancock, Berkshire, Massachusetts. He enlisted in the Independent Zuaves in 1861, which was reorganised as the Allen Guard. He was mustered into the US Army of Volunteers on 3 Sep 1862 and was mustered out on 1 Sep 1863. (all from a letter from Erasmus Barnes to his niece Stella Aikens)

 

 

Photo of Erasmus Darwin Barnes

 

Generation 3

AMANDA LOVINA BARNES (1833 - 1892)

Parents: Asahel Richardson Barnes and Mary Whitcomb Slocum

Amanda Lovina Barnes was born on 12 May 1833. [Ref] She died in 1892. [Ref, pp. 23] She married Andrew Jackson Aikens on 4 Jan 1854. [Ref, pp. 22][Ref, p. 14]

Amanda was a student from Pittsfield at the Young Ladies Institute in Pittsfield in 1853. [Ref]

Her nickname was "Minnie". [Ref]

obituaries and another photo

References

Arnold, James N., Vital Record of Rhode Island, 1636-1850, First Series, Births, Marriages and Deaths : A Family Register for the People, Providence, Narraganset Historical Publishing Co., 1891-1912.

Barnes, Erasmus Darwin, son of Asahel Richardson Barnes and Mary Whitcomb Slocum, letter to his niece Stella Cramer Aikens.

Bureau of the Census, Second Census of the United States, 1800, Washington, D.C., National Archives and Records Administration, 1800.

Bureau of the Census, Third Census of the United States, 1810, Washington, DC, National Archives and Records Administration, 1810.

Bureau of the Census, Seventh Census of the United States, 1850, Washington, DC, National Archives and Records Administration, 1850.

Bureau of the Census, Eighth Census of the United States, 1860, Washington, DC, National Archives and Records Administration, 1860.

Bureau of the Census, Ninth Census of the United States, 1870, Washington, DC, National Archives and Records Administration, 1870.

Death certificate for Asahel R. Barnes.

Waterman, Katherine U., "The Rhode Island Census of 1782," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 127, 1973, 3-17, 138-150, 216-229, 302-312; 128, 1974, 49-63.

Elcy Aldrich's Gravestone

Gates, Horatio, The Aikens Monograph, privately printed, no date.

No author, Twelfth Annual Catalogue, Young Ladies Institute, Pittsfield, MA, 1853.