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Z 1771.000
BARNES FAMILY PAPERS
1845 - 1931; 1980

Biography-History

Nathan B. Barnes (1822–1878) moved to Covington County from the "Carolinas"(?). He adopted the trade of a cabinet maker specializing in spinning wheels and looms. During the Civil War, Barnes organized a company of Confederate troops from Covington County and served in the rank of captain. He married Zylphia Lancaster of Georgia, and together they raised 5 children: Fannie H., William Lancaster, Sallie, Amelia and N. M. Barnes.

William Lancaster Barnes (1847–1887), son of Nathan and Zylphia Barnes was born in Covington County. On December 1, 1870, William married Mary Mazilla Davis. William and Mary raised seven children: Louella Lavanna, Mary Zilphia, Barbara Stewart, William Preston, Sallie Amelia, Nathan Loughton, and Fannie Allan Barnes. William was a farmer. He also operated a water powered grist mill and a saw mill. He died of tuberculosis on December 22, 1887, at the age of 40.

William Preston Barnes (1877–1959), son of William and Mary Barnes was born on November 19, 1877 in Covington County. He worked as an assistant millwright in McHenry; owned and operated a shingle mill in Foxworth; was a traveling salesman for Turner Supply Company of Mobile; managed of one of the Turner Supply Company's saw mill machinery warehouses; and co-owned Barnes Creary Supply Company. On February 20, 1901, William Preston married Mary Floyd Banks. To this union the following children were born: William Edwin, Mary Emily, William Preston, Thomas Allan, Barbara Floyd, George Dawson, and Hugh Banks Barnes.

Scope and Content

The bulk of this collection is composed of family correspondence. The correspondence spans a period of some eighty-six (86) years with descriptions of places visited and inhabited by various family members. The correspondence along with the genealogical files of the collection provide excellent source material for genealogical research. There are several distinct styles of Civil War discharge papers contained in the collection.

Series Identification

  1. Correspondence. 1845–1931; n.d.
  2. Financial Records. 1856–1916. Household receipts, tax receipts and promissory notes. (Box 2)
  3. Legal Documents. 1857–1907. Box 2.
  4. Genealogical Records. 1980; n.d. Information contained in the above biographies was taken from Ancestry of the Barnes Family with Related Fann And Banks Family Lines by H. B. Barnes contained within the collection. Box 2.
  5. Civil War papers. 1862–1865. Box 2.