A One-Name Study for the BARNUM/BARNHAM Surname
From: The Wights: A Record of Thomas Wight of Dedham and Medfield and of His Descendants, 1635-1890, William Ward Wight, Swain& Tate, 1890. James Madison Wight was born June 1, 1809, received an academic education and studied law in Queens County, N. Y. He moved to Rockford, Illinois, in 1838 and began the practice of law there. He helped in many ways to build up that now thriving city. He married there,December 25, 1843, Harriet Barnum, born in Danbury, Conn., in 1820, daughter of Ezra and Deborah (Hoyt) Barnum. The house in Rockford to which he brought his bride is a substantial residence across Rock River from the business portion of the city, and is the same home in which his children were born and in which some of them still reside. There his wife died February 5, 1852. He married second, December 15, 1853, Rhoda Allen Barnard, born in Deerfield,Mass., in 1816, believed to be the daughter of David and Eliza (Whitcomb)Barnard. Mr. Wight built up a large practice in Rockford. He was the local attorney of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad and of other corporations. In 1870, he was elected to the Illinois legislature, serving on the judiciary committee and on the committee for revising the laws. He died in Rockford, December 4, 1877. His widow died September 17, 1878, "of grief at her husband's death; she was a good mother and a devoted wife." Mr. Wight inherited from his mother a very clear head, great love for study and a sense of honor that to some would seem strained. He was a perfect encyclopedia of general information from history and science to music and art; of painting he was especially fond, being an admirer particularly of the old masters. He was modest, retiring and reticent to a degree.
CHILDREN:
1. William Arthur, born February 6, 1845, died October 26, 1845.
2. Mary Jane, born February 17, 1846.
3. Harriott Elizabeth, born April 2, 1848.
4. Frances Caroline, born May 11, 1851, resides In Rockford in her father's homestead.
5. A son, born October 26,1854, lived but a few days.
Note: Other records state that his supposed mother died on 5 February 1852. Further research is needed.
The 1850 United States Census for Rockford, Winnebago, Illinois enumerated the family of James Madison Wight as follows:
James M Wight, Male, 41, Lawyer, b. Massachusetts
Harriet Wight, Female, 37, b. Connecticut
Mary J Wight, Female, 4, b. Illinois
Harriet E Wight, Female, 2, b. Illinois
Laura Lyman, Female, 43, b. Massachusetts
A Research Guide to the Genealogy of the Barnum/Barnam/Barnham Family Worldwide
AncientFaces - Family History Photos
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