A One-Name Study for the BARNUM/BARNHAM Surname

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Notes for Elijah Seth BARNUM

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Elijah Seth Barnum is not known to have used his full name, preferring all his life to be known just as Seth Barnum.

The Genealogical Record of the Barnum Family erroneously assigns sons Warren Partch, John and Samuel Clark to the (2nd) marriage of Seth Barnum, to Rachel Ramsey.

In the 1859 Kansas Territorial Census Seth Barnum was enumerated in Irving Township, Brown County.

In the 1860 US Census for Irving, Brown County, Kansas Territory the family of Seth Barnum was enumerated as follows:
Dwelling #95; Family #89
Seth Barnum, 54, M, Farmer, Real property $5,000; Personal property $2,000; b. Vermont
Polly M. Barnum, 48, F, b. Vermont
Warran [sic] Barnum, 25, M, Farmer, Real property $1,500, b. Pennsylvania
Celinda Barnum, 22, F, b. Pennsylvania
John Barnum, 17, M, Farmer, b. Pennsylvania, Attended school within the year
Sam'l C. Barnum, 6, M, b. Pennsylvania, Attended school within the year
Chancey Whaley, 24, M, Farmer, Real property $800, Personal property $30, b. Pennsylvania

In the 1865 Kansas State Census the family of Seth Barnum was enumerated in Irving, Brown County, as follows:
Dwelling #31; Family #31
Seth Barnum, 59, M, Farmer, Real property $2,500; Personal property $1,000; b. Vermont, Married
Polly Barnum, 53, F, Wife, b. Vermont, Married
John Barnum, 22, M, 7th Kansas Volunteers, Company "C", Farm laborer, Personal property $600, b. Pennsylvania, Single
Saml. Barnum, 11, M, b. Pennsylvania, Single

In the 1875 Kansas State Census the family of Seth Barnum was enumerated in Hiawatha, Brown County, as follows:
Dwelling #192; Family #197
Seth Barnum, 69, M, Farmer, Real property $10,000; Personal property $2,170; b. Vermont, Came to Kansas from Pennsylvania
Rachel Barnum, 34, F, W, H. W. [Housewife], b. 10, A, C [Tennessee], Came to Kansas from Missouri
Saml. C. Barnum, 21, M, W, Farmer, Personal property $200; b. Pennsylvania, Came to Kansas from Pennsylvania
[Note: The family of Seth's son Warren P. Barnum was enumerated in the same census in dwelling #184.

In the 1880 US Census for District 16, Hiawatha, Brown County, Kansas the family of Seth Barnum was enumerated as follows:
Dwelling #192; Family #207
Barnum, Seth; W; M; 73; Married; Farmer; b. Vermont; Both parents b. Vermont
Barnum Rachel; W; F; 38; Wife; Married; Keeping house; b. Tennessee; Both parents b. Tennessee
Cummings, Thomas; W; M; 17; Grandson; Single; Farmer; b. Kansas; Father b. Ohio; Mother b. Pennsylvania

From William G. Cutler, History of the State of Kansas Chicago: A.T. Andreas, 1883 comes the following: Seth Barnum, farmer, Section 29, P. O. Hiawatha, was born in Addison County, Vt., January 17, 1806. He is the son of Elihu and Tahamer Barnum, who were both of Scotch Irish descent, and related to the Hon. P.T. Barnum, the great showman: his mother's maiden name being also Barnum. After receiving a practical education, he chose farming as his vocation, and followed the same in Vermont until 1850, then removed to Crawford County, Pa., where he farmed extensively up to the time of his emigration to Kansas. This occurred in 1860, when he drove through from Pennsylvania, with five yoke of oxen and a span of horses, settled on the farm where he now lives, which has been his home ever since. He owns 188 acres of land in Brown County, 160 of which are in the home farm, and all is under a high state of cultivation, nicely improved with farm building, choice fruit trees, and in fact every thing pertaining to a prosperous, well regulated farmer's home. Mr. Barnum has always taken an active part in the building up and settlement of Hiawatha and the surrounding country, and his influence was felt in the location of the county seat at that city. He was one of the original members of the Universalist Church Society, of Hiawatha and has always contributed liberally for the cause of Christianity. Mr. Barnum has been married twice. His first wife was Miss Polly Partch, whom he married in Vermont State, October 25, 1829, and who died November 8, 1873, leaving six children, of whom four are boys, and two girls. His present wife was Miss Rachal Ramsey, a native of Cookville Parish, Tenn., to whom he was married March 13, 1874.

A note written by descendant Abbie Barnum says that E. Seth Barnum was born in Belmont. He ran for Commissioner of Brown County, Kansas on 2 Nov 1865 but lost.

From the Annals of Brown County page 453/4: The first resident of Hiawatha was Seth Barnum. He was a Vermonter and was born in Addison County in the Green Mountains state 17 January 1806. He was the son of Elihu and Tamar Barnum and a relative of the great showman P. T. Barnum. His grandfather was a soldier in the Revolutionary war and was killed in one of the skirmishes with the Indians. Mr. Barnum received a practical education in the Vermont schools. He resided in his native state until 1850 when he moved to Crawford County Pa. Here he resided until 1856 when he started for Illinois with his family making the pilgrimage with three teams and three wagons. The presidential campaign was at a white heat and the family saw all phases of it as they crossed the country. Being an ardent abolitionist, Mr Barnum was enthused over the situation in Kansas and determined to move there and help make it a free state. The winter of 1856-57 was passed at New Boston, Ill. Here he traded his two span of horses for four yoke of oxen that he might have a breaking team and as soon as weather permitted in the spring he pushed on to Kansas. Hiawatha was reached early in the spring. The journey from Ill. was made with four yoke of oxen and one span of horses. A town had been staked out and the town company was building a hotel on the comer where the Morrill and James bank now stands. Mr. Barnum preempted the claim adjoining the town on the south and the family lived in a tent until the hotel was enclosed when they moved into it. This hotel was the only public building in Hiawatha for a long time and it was in this building that Chief Justice Pettitt held court in 1859. Mr Barnum did not keep the hotel long but having built a residence a few lots west of the hotel he moved into that and Andrew G. Sellegg succeeded him as proprietor of the hotel. The Barnum residence was afterward moved into his claim, south of town where it still stands. Here Mr. Barnum resided until Ins death winch took place 31 December 1893. Mr Barnum was married in Vermont to Miss Polly M. Partch. Fourteen children were born to them of whom three are still residents of Brown County. They are Celinda, wife of Edw. S Peiffer of Hiawatha, and John S. of Hiawatha, and Samuel G. a resident of Walnut township. Mr. Barnum married again to Miss Rachel Ramsey who stiff survives him. Mr. Barnum took an active interest in all efforts to build up and advance the community. He was a strong abolitionist and an ardent free state man and naturally cast his lot with the Republican party. He was public spirited in all things and is remembered most likely by all the old settlers.

Below is part of an article published in the Brown County World, 10 Dec 1909. The text refers to a photograph of the old Barnum House in Hiawatha, which accompanied the article: This picture represents an old relic, the third or fourth house built among the tangled prairie grass, among the thousands of stakes that were just driven in marking off the new townsite of Hiawatha. Take away the two little porches you observe on the east and south of the building and you behold the building as it appeared originally, except that it has been weatherboarded as it was planked up and down at first. This building was erected in Hiawatha in March, 1858, upon the ground where the Baumann store is now, lot 85, Oregon Street, standing as it does today. with its gables to the south and north, with their two windows each, a door to the south, opening upon Oregon Street, and one on the east, opening towards the first house built in Hiawatha, which stood between that and the Morrill & Janes bank building. You notice the two same doors now. The building was erected by Seth Barnum a year after he came here. It is very heavy and substantial, the sills and plates and uprights having been hewn out of timber near the old Ben Sprague place, or county farm. It remained where it was built in Hiawatha, from the early spring of 1858, until after the War, 1866, when it was removed to the Seth Barnum homestead, part of which is now Hiawatha property, where in it, its owner died 16 years ago, and in it now resides his widow, Rachel Barnum. The moving was a big job in that day for so heavy a building. John Gray, who lived where Will Hixson resides now, furnished the trucks, and al the oxen of the whole neighborhood were borrowed for the occasion. Seth Barnum was born Jan. 17, 1806, in Vermont, and was married to Polly M. Parch, sister of the late B.F. Parch, Oct. 25, 1829. She died Nov. 8, 1873, and he died Dec. 31, 1893. Rachel Ramsey Barnum, who now occupies the old house, on 1-1/2 acres of the old 160 acre homestead was born in Cookville, Tenn. June 12, 1842, and was married to Seth Barnum March 13, 1874. Seth Barnum Left Pennsylvania in 1856 and came to Illinois. In the early spring of 1857, with his family, except Elihu, and the oldest daughter, Mrs. Henry Whaley, Seth Barnum, wife, John, Celinda, Warren and Sam came to Brown county. They camped overnight east of Hiawatha, by the present farm place of A. Schrack, the old Col. Bierer farm, which was preempted by Thomas Drummond, who lives there, then was one of the town company, and was yet alive at Doniphan, in Atchison county a year ago. He welcomed Seth, told him he had, himself, dug a well on the new townsite (now where the flag pole stands) and was putting up the first house on the new townsite (near the present Morrill and Janes bank) and he could move his family into it as soon as completed. Drummond also informed Seth that adjoining the new town south, lay a nice unentered quarter of land. Seth came in, looked over the land and being pleased, he drove a stake, went back, brought the family in, moved down into the low part of the quarter, west a ways from the present old house, pitched a tent and remained there until the first house in Hiawatha was finished, when he moved into it in the summer, probably June of 1857. It was said he kept a hotel, but he simply fed and lodged a few people who had business on the townsite, and in the fall he moved down to the timber in the neighborhood of the county farm where there was a small log house. Then A.J. Selleg, who had arrived, and had been boarding with Seth, in town, took charge of the town house and kept hotel there a year or two. Down in the timber, in the little log house the Barnum family spent the winter of 1857-8, most of the time at work, cutting wood, making rails for the farm, shaving shingles and getting out the timber for the house, except what they had sawed at the Morrill mill on Walnut creek, to be built up town, of which the above is a picture. They completed it in the spring, moving into it and remained there until it was moved to the farm in 1866.

From the History of the State of Kansas, Wm. G. Cutler, 1883: Seth Barnum b. 1806, Addison County, VT. Notes: son of Elihu Barnum and Tahamer Barnum; marr. (1) Polly Parch; (2) Rachal Ramsey. Moved to Crawford County, PA in 1850; to Brown County, KS in 1860.
A note written by his sister Abbie says that he was born in Belmont.
The inscription on the gravestone that he shares with his two wives reads: Tis hard to break the tender cord / When love has bound the heart, / Tis hard, so hard to speak the words / We must forever part. Dearest loved one we must lay thee, / In the peaceful grave's embrace, / But thy memory will be cherished, / Till we see thy heavenly face.

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