This photograph was taken at Finn’s Point National Cemetery at Salem, New Jersey, in 2007. It shows the 85 foot granite obelisk installed in 1910 in honor of the 2,436 Confederate soldiers that died at Fort Delaware after being taken prisoners by the Union Army during the Civil War.  My husband’s great-great-grandfather, Jacob H. Barnes, was one of those soldiers, and he, like many of the other soldiers, died of a disease, and not his injuries inflicted during the Battle of Gettysburg.  This picture was taken when we visited the cemetery and Fort Delaware with my sister and brother-in-law. The fort sits on an island in the river halfway between Delaware and New Jersey, and we took a short ferry ride over. Here’s a link to a wonderful group that preserves the history of the fort, called aptly enough, The Fort Delaware Society: http://www.fortdelaware.org/

Like many Americans, my husband had ancestors that served on both sides of the Civil War.  On his maternal side, two of his great-great-grandfathers, Washington Lockard and Paris Albert, had fought on the Union side, serving in Pennsylvanian regiments. Another paternal great-great-grandfather, George Pickney Rose, had  served in Clark’s Special Battalion, N.C. Militia.  My posting today is about my husband’s Barnes ancestor, with a family lineage that goes back to the 1600s in the United States. The Barnes family came from England, settling first in Virginia and then North Carolina. The first of the line to live in North Carolina was the Quaker ancestor, John Barnes, who died circa 1718 in Chowan County, NC.

Jacob H. Barnes enlisted in the 5th Infantry Regiment North Carolina State Troops during the Civil War. When he enlisted on 4 March 1863 he was 35 years old, a farmer living in Wayne County, NC, married to Nancy Musgrave Barnes (1837-1921), with three young children:  Emma – born 1855; Alice – born 1858; and Thomas Whitley – born 1861. The 5th NC Regiment took 473 men to Gettysburg, and more than half were killed during the battle. Others, like Jacob H. Barnes, were POW, only to die later of diseases while held captive.  Before going to Fort Delaware my husband I first took a trip to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to discover the spot where the Civil War took a turning point, and where Jacob was wounded and taken prisoner by the Union forces.

Walking the hallowed grounds of Gettysburg I found many times that I was in tears, and my husband was also very emotional and awestruck. Taking the suggestion of others we arranged a battlefield car tour the first morning we arrived. We were the second in line on a bright and beautiful sunny spring day. Our Licensed Battlefield Guide, Mr. John M. Fuss, was an absolute gem, knowing so much about the entire battle, but also taking us especially to where the 5th North Carolina Regiment fought during the battle.  He also gave us some of the history of the two Union Generals with the surname Barnes. By the time the tour was over,  my husband and I felt we could see, hear, and smell the awful carnage. When Mr. Fuss left us, he took our address, and then sent us more information in the mail. Here’s one item he sent about the inscription on the Iverson Brigade tablet, of which the 5th NC Infantry was a part of during the battle:

One of the sources I used for my research is North Carolina Troops 1861-1865 A Roster. Compiled by Weymouth T. Jordan, Jr., Unit Histories by Louis H. Manarin, Vol IV Infantry, Raleigh, North Carolina, Office of Archives and History, 1973, copied by Johnston County Heritage Center, Smithfield, NC on Nov. 22, 2005:  Page 158 – ” Barnes, Jacob H., Private. Born in Wayne County and was by occupation a farmer prior to enlisting at age 35, March 4, 1863, for the war. Present or accounted for until captured at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, July 1 – 3, 1863. Confined at Fort Delaware, Delaware, estimated date of 7 July 1863, where he died on August 24, 1863 of rubeola (measles). Roll of Honor states that he was awarded the Badge of Honor for gallantry at Gettysburg.”

The Federal Census gives more information about the period right before the Civil War. In the 1860 Federal Census, NC, for Johnston County, Boon Hill District, East of Neuse River, the Barnes family was enumerated. The Census was taken on 11 June 1860 – “J.H. Barnes, age 33, white,  Farmer, born NC;  Nancy Barnes, wife, age 23; Emma Barnes, 5;  Allice Barnes, age 2;  Thos. W., age 1/12, (all born NC)”.  On the 1860 U.S. Federal Census Slave Schedule shown living with the Barnes family were a 45 year old male and a 40 year old female, along with their nine children in an African-American family [ Source: http://www.ancestry.com Roll: M653, written page 3, printed page 421 ].

Jacob H. Barnes was the son of Jacob and Nancy Williamson Barnes of Johnston County, NC.  They had also lived in Boon Hill, Johnston County, and after the death of Jacob Barnes, Sr., his children had inherited slaves in his land division. The owning of people as slaves is a sad and tragic part of our United States history. Hopefully some of our information will help other family researchers  [Source: Johnston County North Carolina Record Book A#2; 1810-1864; Wenette Parks Haun, 243 Argonne Drive, Durham, North Carolina 27704. Record at Wayne County Library, Goldsboro, NC, in the Barnes surname file – Land Division of Jacob Barnes, died before 1841;  Section 46. State of North Carolina, Johnston County].

During our research we were lucky to find that the Widow’s Application for Pension Record of Jacob’s widow, Nancy Musgrave Barnes,  was available.
Source:
Department of Cultural Resources
Office of Archives and History
Division of Historical Resources
4614 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, North Carolina  27699-4614
NC Confederate Pension Applications, Act of 1901
Name: Jacob H. Barnes
Widow’s Application for Pension
Act of March 2, 1903
Mrs. Nancy A. Barnes
Widow of Jacob H. Barnes
State of North Carolina,
County of Wayne
On this 2 day of July, A.D. 1906, personally appeared before me, I.F. Ormond, C.S.C. in and for the State and County aforesaid, Nancy A. Barnes, age 68 years, and a resident at Goldsboro post-office in said County and State, and who being duly sworn, makes the following declaration in order to obtain the pension under the provision of an act entitled “An Act to amend Chapter 332 of the Laws of 1901, for the relief of certain Confederate Soldiers, Sailors and Widows,” ratified March 2, 1903; that she is the widow of the late Jacob H. Barnes who enlisted in Co. C, 5th Reg. N.C. Troops, on or about the 15 day of March 1863, to serve in the armies of the late Confederate States.
She further states that she was married to said Soldier or Sailor before the first day of April, 1865, and that she is now a widow,  and has been for twelve months immediately preceding this Application for Pension, a bona fide resident of North Carolina; that she holds no office under the United States or under any State or County from which she is receiving the sum of three hundred dollars as fees or as salary annually; that she is not worth in her own right, or the right of her late husband, property at its assessed value for taxation to the amount of five hundred dollars ($500), nor has she disposed of property of such value by gift or voluntary conveyance since the 11th of March, 1885.
Sworn to and subscribed before me, this 2
day of July, 1906
I.F. Ormond
Signature of C.S.C
Nancy A. Barnes
Signature of Applicant

We also found that the National Archives had a record for Jacob H. Barnes from the Civil War, since he was a POW of the Union Army.  One of the Company Muster Rolls said that Corporal Creech, who was also a prisoner at Fort Delaware, had written to Jacob’s wife that Barnes died. Nancy Musgrave Barnes never re-married.  There were seven copied pages about Private Jacob H. Barnes in the file. From this we also learned that when Jacob enlisted his height was 6’1″, he had dark hair, dark eyes, and a dark complexion. We don’t know of any photographs of him, but now we do have an idea of what he looked like.
U.S. National Archives
Form 86 Military Service Records
Jacob H. Barnes
Civil War Records
Order date 05/21/2007
Date searched 06/19/07

Military Monday is a blogging prompt suggested by GeneaBloggers. Many thanks to researchers and family that copied down information and left the files at the Johnston County Heritage Center and the Wayne County Public Library, both in North Carolina. Also of great help were Barnes researchers: Marcia McClure, Betsy Coleman and family, and also Helen Barnes Golden.  Our Barnes family would really enjoy hearing from anyone that has more information about Jacob H. Barnes and the N.C. 5th Infantry Regiment.