Barnard, J. C.

BARNARD

Posted By: Joyce Hickman (email)
Date: 11/10/2007 at 22:46:42

J. C. Barnard

(From the 1883 History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, by J. H. Keatley, p.107, Hardin Twp.)
J. C. Barnard, farmer, P. O. Snapp, was born in October 18, 1820, in Huntsville, Ala., and is the son of Timothy and Elizabeth (Daniel) Barnard. Both of his parents were born in Massachusetts. Father died in 1829; mother in 1856. The family consisted of four brothers, one of whom was killed in the army. Mr. Barnard was educated in the common schools of Illinois. Began life with farming, and has followed it most of the time since; however, he has been in the mercantile business for a short while at different times. He has voted the Republican ticket ever since Fort Sumter was fired on. In 1854, he was married to Miss Abbie Sanford, who was born in Michigan, and is the daughter of Joel H. and Anna M. (Ragan) Sanford; father born in New York State, but mother came across the water from Ireland when she was a baby. Mr. and Mrs. Barnard both joined the Methodist Church in Warren, Ill., about the year 1856. Mr. Barnard is a member of the Masonic order, Lodge No. 36, Illinois; became a member in 1850. In 1821, he moved to Illinois with his parents. They settled in Franklin County, and lived there till he was about twenty-five years old, and then went to the north part of the State, settling in Jo Daviess County; bought about nine hundred acres of land, which had just been opened to the public. Here he followed farming, with the exception of a year or two, in which he was in business in Warren, Ill., till he came to his present farm in Hardin Township in 1865. Here he farmed till in the fall of 1877; then rented his place and went into the harness business in Avoca, Pottawattamie County. Here he built up a good trade, having several men in his employ, but the health of family required a change so, in the spring of 1881, he closed out business and spent the year in Colorado, and then returned to his farm. Mr. and Mrs. Barnard's lives have been saddened by the loss of five of their children. The oldest son, Albert, born December 16, 1855, resides now in Avoca, Iowa, wherre he has been in the photograph business, but which on account of ill health, he has had to give up; Charlie, born in 1860, died at four months old; Della, born in 1863, died at six months old; Gracie, born in 1875, dieat at four years old; Frank Barnard, after reaching the age of twenty-one years, died June 23, 1879; and Clara Bell died April 22, 1880, in her seventeenth year. Frank and Clara Bell were both members of the Methodist Church in Avoca, as is also Eva, who was born in 1871, and is now at home with her parents. It has always been Mr. Barnard's aim to give his children a good education, and in this he would have succeeded if death had not intercepted. Mr. Barnard has a farm of 240 acres, well improved, an orchard of 600 apple trees, besides other fruits, all in bearing. Some of the apple trees have been bearing about nine years. Mr. Barnard started in life with but little property, but, by hard work and economy, he has accumulated quite a property, but is not in sufficient health to take charge of his farm, so he rents it. Mr. Barnard has had seven children born to him, two of whom are living - Albert L. and Eva; those dead are Frank, Charles, Clara Bell, Della and Grace.