The Barnum Family, 1350-1907 mistakenly shows him as the son of Zar, son of David, son of David, son of Francis, son of Thomas Barnam.
The Pioneer History of Clarksfield (Ohio) states that: Three Barnum brothers, Levi, Ebenzer M., and Eli, came from Danbury, Conn., to Clarksfield. They were sons of Levi Barnum, who died in 1796. Their mother died in 1807. Levi Barnum was in business in Pittsburg in 1819, engaged in making saddles. He had purchased land in Clarksfield and made such representations as to induce his brothers to move here. Ebenezer, at seven years of age, went to live with Jonas Benedict, whose son, Platt, was one of the founders of the village of Norwalk, O. At fifteen years of age he was apprenticed to Samuel Tweedy to learn the hatter’s trade. In 1815 he married Betsy Nickerson and lived at Danbury for two or three years, then lived in New York for a year, following his trade. In June, 1819, he and Eli, with their families, left New York, going by stage to Philadelphia and hiring a team to carry them to Pittsburg. There they purchased ox teams and proceeded by New Lisbon and Wooster, entering Huron county at New Haven. They did not learn of the location of Clarksfield until they reached Peru. They arrived here in July, after a journey of two weeks from Pittsburgh. Eli settled on the farm afterward owned by Benajah Furlong, east of the Hollow. He also owned the Dunham farm, southwest of Stilesburg, now owned (in part) by William Winans. In 1824 he and Allen Mead bought out Joseph Osyer, who owned the farm on Hartland Ridge, now known as the Eno Holiday farm, and Mr. Barnum moved there. He was the first Justice of the Peace elected in Hartland. He soon afterwards moved to Norwalk, and was the superintendent of the infirmary. He died in Norwalk. His children were Levi, Horace, David M., Henry, Lucy and Mary.
On 12 September 1830 Eli wrote from East Hartford, Connecticut to his brother Ebenezer M. Barnum in Milan, Huron, Ohio.