A One-Name Study for the BARNUM/BARNHAM Surname
The Barnum Family, 1350-1907 mistakenly shows Levi Barnum's father as Zar, son of David, son of David, son of Francis, son of Thomas Barnum.
According to the Pioneer History of Clarksfield (Ohio), in 1818 and 1819 Captain Husted charged Levi Barnum for chopping, clearing and fencing some of his land, and June 25, 1819, he charged for twenty-seven bushels of potatoes planted at 62 ½ cents. He received from Barnum forty yards of shirting at 62 ½ cents per yard, and 168 pounds of tobacco at 50 cents per pound. In 1820, in the month of April, Levi Barnum moved here and settled on the west side of the road, north of Captain Husted’s house, on a farm afterward owned by Abraham Gray, but now owned by Will Franklin. He soon bought out Solomon Gray and moved over to the east branch, where he built a mill, but soon sold, or traded with Asa Wheeler, and moved to the farm where he died, three-quarters of a mile south of the Hollow, the place being known as the Patch farm. Here he made improvements and built a large frame barn in 1827, which stood for seventy-one years, outlasting scores of other frame buildings. He died Aug. 8, 1833, at the age of 42. His wife was Elizabeth Cameron Smith. Long after the death of her husband she married Samuel Parker. She died in 1861 at the age of 70 years.
Mr. and Mrs. Barnum’s children were Mary Ann, Elizabeth, Fanny, Thomas, Joanna, Margaret and Catherine.
Mary Ann was born in 1817, and married William A. Patch. They lived on a farm south of the Hollow, near the Essex Call farm, but afterwards moved to the Barnum homestead. She died in 1897. Their children are Mary E., Anna and Thomas.
Elizabeth Barnum was born in Pittsburg in 1818. She married Orville Furlong. They lived east of Mr. Barnum’s place, where Philander Barrett afterward lived, then moved to New London and then to Tennessee, where Mr. Furlong died. His widow came back to New London and died there in 1887. Their children are Rhoda and Elenor.
Fanny Barnum was born in 1825. She married Hiram Smith in 1854, and they lived in Norwalk. She died in 1897.
Thomas Barnum went to Putnam County, Ohio, about 1848 and taught school. He married one of his pupils and lived in Putnam County until his death in 1859.
Joanna Barnum married John Lucas and they lived in different places and finally went to Michigan. Mr. Lucas died many years ago his widow died in 1891.
Margaret Barnum married Herrick Bentley and they lived on a farm between Clarksfield and Wakeman. Mr. Bentley died many years ago and his widow lives in Norwalk at this time. Their children were May and Arthur, the former being dead.
Catharine Barnum married Wilson Curtiss. They went to Michigan, where both died, the wife in 1896.
Levi Barnum’s first purchases after his arrival were of bran, corn for samp, flour, wooden dishes, etc.
On the 3d day of November, 1820, "the inhabitants of Bethel were legally warned for the purpose of building a bridge across the Vermillion river." This was, without doubt, the bridge at the "Hollow." Samuel Husted, Smith Starr and Levi Barnum were appointed by the trustees to superintend the building of it. The County Commissioners made an appropriation of $25 "to Smith Starr and Levi Barnum to complete the bridge across the Vermillion river near Husted’s mill in Bethel," on the 3rd of December, 1824.
In 1820 Horace Bodwell went down into Levi Barnum’s well, a very deep one, on the Abraham Gray place, and was overcome with the "damps" and fell to the bottom. Omri Nickerson went down and after several attempts succeeded in fastening a rope to the body and it was drawn out, but life was extinct.
About 1823 Levi Barnum built a saw mill on the east branch of the Vermillion river, short distance north of Rowland’s Corners. He sold out to Asa Wheeler, Jr., and Joseph Bartholamew in a few years. It thus appears that Clarksfield was well supplied with mills early in the settlement of the township.
A Research Guide to the Genealogy of the Barnum/Barnam/Barnham Family Worldwide
AncientFaces - Family History Photos
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