John Wesley "George" Barnard (1845-1935)

BARNARD, MCARTHUR, HARRISON

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 4/20/2021 at 14:10:52

From Nevada Evening Journal May 16, 1935 (page 4)

Barnard Funeral Services Held at Zearing Today

Special to the Journal.
Zearing, May 16--Funeral services were held this afternoon at 2:00 at the Evangelical church for George W. Barnard, 90, Civil War veteran and pioneer of this community, who died Tuesday at the home of his daughter, Mrs. J. R. Harrison in Marshalltown.

The services, which were largely attended were in charge of the pastor Rev. Claypool.

Burial was in the Zearing cemetery by the side of the wife who died many years ago.

Patriotic organizations, the Eastern Star and the Masons, assisted in the services. Mr. Barnard had been active in the G. A. R., prominent in the Masonic order for 68 years and a charter member of the Zearing O. E. S.

George Wesley Barnard was born at Kingston, Canada, March 22, 1845, the youngest of 13 children. He came with his parents to Illinois when a child. He enlisted at the age of 16 and srved two years and 10 months with the 105th Illinois volunteer infantry. He was in the battles of Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain and was with Sherman in the march to the sea. In March, 1869, he came to Story county, and established a home on a farm near Zearing.

He was married to Mary McArthur, at Colo, October 3, 1978. Mr. and Mrs. Barnard were the parents of six children, Nannie, Asa, Anna, Ella, Charles and Irma. Nannie died at he age of 8 and Ella died in 1901 at the age of 18. The others survive. Mrs. Barnard died in February, 1900. Mr. Barnard had lived with his children since, much of the time with the daughter, Mrs. Harrison.

Mr. Barnard was one of the very few surviving Civil war veterans of Story county. For many years he was affiliated with Jason D. Ferguson Post G. A. R. at Nevada until that post turned in its charter for the lack of sufficient membership.

Sole survivors of that post today are William Toms of Nevada and J. F. Gillespie, who is now living in California.