CHAPTER 16
THE BARBEE FAMILY
SEVENTH GENERATION
69 Amelia W. (Carson) BARBEE was born
on Nov. 30, 1832 in Alabama. She appeared
on the census of 1850 in Harrison Co., Mississippi. She died on 26 Aug., 1889 in
Hamilton Co., Texas, and was buried in the Barbee Cemetery, Hamilton County,
Texas. (Her photo is in the album on this website)
She was married to (111) John Gaston BARBEE in 1852 in Leon County, Texas.
He was born on 9 Sept., 1832 in Jones County, Tennessee. He was living in Leon
County, Texas in 1851. John was on the first boat to sail up the Trinity River
to Leon County in 1851. He moved his family to Hamilton County in 1859 where he
bought a large tract of land along the Bosque River and stocked it with large
herds of cattle and sheep. (His photo is in the photo album on this website)
He served in the Confederate States Army
between 1861 and 1865 as a private in Company G, 30th Texas Cavalry,
Gurley’s Regiment, First Texas Partisans. He served with distinction in Gan’s
Brigade under Captain Goodrich.
In 1880 John was engaged in the lumber, hotel, grocery, and mercantile business
in Hico, Texas and still devoted much of his time to the cattle raising industry. He
died on 11 Aug., 1921 in Mercedes, Texas, and is buried in the Barbee
Cemetery, Hamilton County, located on the M.I. Knudson farm about one-half mile
from the home, still standing, that John Gaston Barbee built. Considering that
he named a son "John Wesley", they most likely were Methodists. Children
of Amelia W. (Carson) BARBEE and John Gaston BARBEE were:
+112 Electious Adolphus "Doss" BARBEE
+113 James M. BARBEE
+114 Cornelia (Barbee) THOMPSON
+115 Olivia Amanda (Barbee) DAY
+116 Amelia Jessie (Barbee) SMITH
117 Willis
Albert BARBEE was born on 1 Feb., 1863 and died on 13 Dec., 1864, in
Hico, Hamilton Co., Texas, and is buried in the Barbee family cemetery.
+118 John Wesley BARBEE Sr.
286 Safronia
BARBEE was born on 16 Feb., 1861 and died on 6 Oct., 1870, in Hico,
Hamilton County, Texas, and is buried in the Barbee family cemetery.
1589 Infant Girl #1 BARBEE was born and
died on 26 Dec., 1873 (twin with #2)
1590 Infant Girl #2 BARBEE was born and
died on 26 Dec., 1873 (twin with #1)
1591 Cornelia BARBEE was born on 29
Feb., 1876 and died on 1 Jan., 1877. (It is
not known why they named her Cornelia when her sister Cornelia was still alive.)
After Amelia's death, he married (1592) Olivia R. (Stovall) BARBEE on 30
Sept., 1894. It is believed that Stovall was her married name from her
previous marriage.
EIGHTH GENERATION
112 Electious Adolphus "Doss" BARBEE was
born on 20 July, 1862 in Hico,
Hamilton County, Texas. According to birth records of his children, his
name
actually was "Electious". He died on 16 Feb., 1937 in Mercedes,
Texas and was
buried in Hico Cemetery, cemetery plot 02-038-1. He was married to
(1596)
Sally Eleanor (Wood) BARBEE on 16 March, 1892 in the Baptist Church,
Hico, Texas. Sally was born on 8 May, 1867 and died on 30 May, 1938 in
San
Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. They had the following children:
+1620 William Terry BARBEE
+1621 Herman Adolphus BARBEE
+1622 Leroy BARBEE
+1623 Paul Henry BARBEE
113 James M. BARBEE
was born on 20 Dec., 1856, and died on 2 Jan., 1880 in Matador,
Texas. [Please see the addenda to this chapter concerning his death in a
gunfight.]
114 Cornelia (Barbee) THOMPSON
was born on 29 Oct., 1858 in Leon County,
Texas, and died on 7 Sept., 1946 in Hico, Hamilton Co., Texas. She is
buried in the
Hico Cemeter, plot 03-007-8 She was married on (1595) William Terry
THOMPSON on 6 March, 1878 in Hico, Hamilton County, Texas. He was
born on 21
April, 1848 in Alabama. He died on 6 Nov., 1903 in Hico, Hamilton County,
Texas,
and was buried in Hico Cemetery. He was 6 months old when he was brought to
Texas, Jasper County, Smith County, Bosque County, and then to Hico.
Their
children were:
1609 John THOMPSON
+1610
Fred Terry THOMPSON
+1611
Willie Amelia (Thompson) COX
1612 Infant THOMPSON was born on 19 April, 1886 and
died a month later on
18 May, 1886 in Hico, Hamilton County, Texas
+1613
Dora Lela (Thompson) WRIGHT
+1614
Daisy Edith (Thompson) DANKERS
1615 Infant Girl THOMPSON was born and died on 1 Aug.,
1891. She is
buried in the Barbee family cemetery
+1616
Lydia Clara (Thompson) MAHON
+1617 James W. THOMPSON
+1618
Gladys Jewell (Thompson) CANNON was born on 4 July, 1898
1619 Dora THOMPSON was born in 1887
115 Olivia Amanda (Barbee) DAY
was born on 18 Jan., 1854 in Leon Co., Texas,
and died on 30 May, 1923 in Hico, Hamilton Co., Texas. She was buried in
Hico
Cemetery, let 11-002-2. In July of 1867, Indians attacked the school at
Warlene
Valley on the Leon River and murdered the teacher, Miss Ann Whitney.
Olivia was
captured and the Indian put her behind him on a horse, and when his attention
was
distracted by a call from some of his companions, she slid off and ran into the
dense
underbrush, where she was found some 24 hours later by settlers who were
searching
the area.
In the Hamilton County Courthouse, Deed
Record
DPQ205, Olivia Amanda Barbee entered the following:
"Pleasant Hill, Hamilton Co
Apr. the 28th 1872
Dear Father & Mother & to all hoom it may concern. That I do this
day pledge
my Sacred Word & honor that I Olivia Amanda Barbee will never run away or
mary one Wm. Day of said county without my Father's consent & if I
relinquish
all of my right & title to all of My Father & Mothers property to them
& further
more I forsake my Father & Mother & all of the family for life &
never will I expect
to be allowed to come to my Fathers House any more while life last him as he so
much opposed to my marrying a boy who has never thought the first time of what
it takes to take care of a wife. I do sign this with my own consent & free
will.
Olivia Amanda Barbee
Witness:
Amelia Barbee"
Apparently there was a reconciliation, for she
married (1594) William Frazier DAY.
He was born on 30 Dec., 1854
and died on 8
Jan., 1913 in Nolan County, Texas. They
had the following children:
1628 Bessie L. DAY was born on 27 Dec.,
1874
+1629
William A. DAY
+1630
John Walter DAY
+1631
Sallie (Day) NOAH
1632 Villetta DAY was born on 16 Sept., 1885
1633 Stella DAY was born on 17 July, 1889 and died on 24 January, 1890
+1634
Charles Robison DAY
+1635 Hood V. DAY
1636 John W. DAY was born on 10 May, 1880
and died on 11 July, 1935
116 Amelia Jessie (Barbee) SMITH was
born on 1 Jan., 1869 in Hico, Hamilton
County, Texas. She died on 4 Feb., 1887 In Hamilton Co., Texas, and is buried in
Hico Cemetery, plot 4-017-2. She was married to (1597) William
Henry
SMITH on 14 Sept., 1887 in Hamilton County, Texas. He was born on 30
Sept.,
1868 in Rusk County, Texas, the son of James Henry SMITH and Retinsa Ann
Greer (Carter) SMITH. He died on 19 Jan., 1941 in Hico, and was buried in
Hico
Cemetery. They had the following children:
+1624 Willie Amelia (Smith) WALKER
+1625 John Henry SMITH
+1626 Ila (Smith) WIGINTON
+1627 Cornelia "Nela" (Smith) LACKEY
118 John Wesley BARBEE
Sr. was born on 17 June, 1856 in Hamilton County, Texas.
He died on 24 July, 1904 and was buried on 24 July, 1904 in Fairy Cemetery,
Fairy,
Texas. He was married to (216) May Lydian "Mollie" (Fulford)
BARBEE, the
daughter of S. J. Fulford and Louisa M. (Duckworth) Fulford. She was born
on 12
Oct., 1859 in Georgia. She died on 22 April, 1932 in unknown and was
buried in Fairy
Cemetery, Fairy, Texas. Her tombstone reads: "Mollie L. Barbee
Saylors". Their
children were:
1598 Edna Lee BARBEE was born on 8 Feb., 1877 and died
on 8 Jan., 1878
1599 William Henry BARBEE was born on 3 Nov., 1878 and
died 5 days later.
+1600 Willis Albert BARBEE
+1601 Minnie Myrtle (Barbee) ABLE
+
1602 Henry Edd Curtis BARBEE
+1603 John Wesley BARBEE Jr.
1604 Luetta "Lula" BARBEE was born on 1 Aug.,
1891 and died on 21 April,
1906 in Fairy, Texas, and is buried in the Fairy Cemetery.
+1605
Jesse Gaston BARBEE Sr.
1606 Olivia Amanda BARBEE was born on 28 June, 1896 and
died on 9 Sept.,
1912 in Hico, Hamilton County, Texas, and is buried in the Barbee family
cemetery
+1607
Stephen "Doug" BARBEE
+1608 Vada Leon (Barbee) PINGLETON
NINTH GENERATION
1600 Willis Albert BARBEE was born
on 26 Dec., 1880 and died on 20 Feb., 1936. He
was buried in Fairy Cemetery, Fairy, Texas. He was married to (1646) Ina
Ona
(Haught) BARBEE on 16 May, 1908 in Hico, Hamilton County, Texas. Ina
was
born on 10 Jan., 1878 in Lawrence County, Missouri. Some sources give a
birth date
of 1878. She died on 18 Dec., 1962 in Hico, Hamilton County, Texas, and is
buried
in Fairy Cemetery, Fairy, Texas. They had the following children:
1647 Claude Willis BARBEE was born on 2 Feb., 1910.
1648 Inez BARBEE was born on 2 March, 1913 and died the
same day.
1649 Ina Amelia BARBEE was born on 15 Sept., 1914
1650 Milton BARBEE was born on 7 July, 1916 and died on
5 Jan., 1917 in
Hamilton County, Texas.
1601 Minnie Myrtle (Barbee) ABLE was born on 1 April, 1886
and died on 8 March,
1956. She was married to (1651) E. Joseph ABLE on 9 Nov.,
1897. He was born
on 18 Sept., 1878 and died on 25 Nov., 1949. They had the following
children:
1652 Bernell Massie "Nip" ABLE was born on 20
Sept., 1919 in Hico, Texas,
and was twin to Bernice Able
1653 Bernice Ferguson "Tuck" ABLE was born on
20 Sept., 1919 in Hico,
Texas and died on 23 July, 1987. She was twin to Bernell Able.
1654 Mattie ABLE
1655 Jessie ABLE
1656 Joe ABLE
1657 Mollie ABLE
1658 Bill ABLE
1659 Ellington ABLE
1602 Henry Edd Curtis BARBEE was born on 1 Oct., 1884
in Hico, Hamilton County,
Texas and died on 17 April, 1918 in Hico, and is buried in Fairy Cemetery.
He was
married to (1660) Amy Vonnie (Haught) BARBEE on 19 Aug., 1907 in
Comanche,
Texas. She was born on 21 April, 1883 in Summerville, Missouri, and died
on 20
February, 1967 in Waco, McClennan County, Texas. She is buried in Alter
Cemetery,
Gatesville, Texas. They had the following children:
1661 Evelyn Cordelia BARBEE was born on 25 March,
1908
1662 Lila Edna Mae BARBEE was born on 12 Feb., 1910
1663 Vonnie Liddie BARBEE was born on 14 June, 1913
1664 Noble Edward BARBEE was born on 1 Aug.,
1917
1603 John Wesley BARBEE Jr. was
born on 14 Feb., 1887 in O'Brien, Haskell Co.,
Texas, and died in 1933 in Texas. He was buried in Fairlawn Cemetery,
Amherst,
Texas. He was married to (1665) Eula Viola (Crow) BARBEE on 27
July, 1907
in Hamilton County, Texas. She is buried in Fairlawn Cemetery, Amherst,
Texas.
They had the following children:
1666 Bonnie Beatrice BARBEE
1667 Charles Monroe BARBEE was born on 19 Feb., 1909
1668 Sylvia Grace BARBEE was born on 12 Oct., 1911
1669 Mary Odessa BARBEE was born on 2 July, 1914
1670 John Wallace BARBEE ws born on 22 Dec., 1926
+1671 Elmer Eugene "Jack" BARBEE
1605 Jesse Gaston BARBEE Sr. was born on 26
May, 1893 and died of a heart attack on
25
July, 1952 in Hico, Hamilton County, Texas, and is buried in the Hico
Cemetery.
He was
married to (1672) Dovie Pearl (Saylors) BARBEE on 6 Feb., 1910. She
was born on
15 Aug., 1893, and was the daughter of Henry Clay and Nancy Jane
Coleman Saylors.
She died on 3 June, 1944 in Hico, Hamilton County, Texas, and is
buried in the Hico
cemetery. Jesse and Dovie had the following children:
1673 Jesse Guy BARBEE was born on 12 Jan., 1911 and
died that day.
1674 Thelma Juanita BARBEE was born on 24 March, 1912
1675 Wesley Clay BARBEE was born on 5 Feb., 1914 and
died that day
1676 Dorothy Lee BARBEE was born on 8 Sept., 1915
1677 Alta Oleta BARBEE was born on 23 March, 1919
1678 Jesse Gaston "Jack" BARBEE Jr. was born
on 4 July, 1930
1607 Stephen "Doug" BARBEE was born on 20
Aug., 1900 was born on 20 Aug., 1900
in Hico, Hamilton County, Texas, and died on 11 March, 1954 in Hico. He is
buried in
Hico Cemetery. He was married to (1679) Bertha Emily (Patterson) BARBEE
on 30 June, 1921. She was born on 9 Feb., 1901 in Hico, Hamilton County,
Texas.
and died on 15 Aug., 1954 in Hico, Texas, and is buried in Hico Cemetery.
They had
the following children:
1680 Donald Douglas BARBEE was born on 20 Jan., 1923
1681 Margaret Maxine BARBEE was born on 16 Aug., 1926
1682 Betty Joann BARBEE was born on 22 May, 1933
1608 Vada Leon (Barbee) PINGLETON
was born on 23 Feb., 1904 in Hico, Hamilton
County, Texas, and died on 24 Jan., 1922 in Hico and was buried in Fairy
Cemetery.
She was 14 years old when she married, and died 3 years later to the day of
a
"female infection", at the age of 17.. She is buried in Hico
Cemetery. She was married
(1683) A. L. PINGLETON on 24 Jan., 1919.
1610 Fred Terry THOMPSON was born on 21 March, 1880
in Hico, Hamilton County,
Texas, and died on 2 June, 1933 in Hico. He is buried in Hico
Cemetery. He was
married to (1684) Iona Samantha (Spear) THOMPSON on 25 June, 1916
in
Iometa, Lampassas County, Texas. She was born on 12 My, 1896 in Temple,
Bell
County, Texas, and died on 12 March, 1959 in Houston, Harris County,
Texas. They
had two children:
1685 Kathryn Cornelia THOMPSON was born on 1
Nov., 1918
1686 Amelia Iona THOMPSON
1611 Willie Amelia
(Thompson) COX was born on 3 March, 1884 in Hico, Hamilton
County,Texas, and died on 28 Sept., 1954 in Hico. She was married to
(1687)
Robert Oscar COX. He was born in 1880 and died on 15 Sept., 1940 in
DeLeon,
Texas. It is not known if they had any children.
1613 Dora Lela
(Thompson) WRIGHT was born in 1887 in Hico, Hamilton County,
Texas, and died on 20 Jan., 1920 in Hico. She was married to (1688) Wilbur
Lee
Wright. He was born on 15 June, 1884 in Hill County, Texas, and
died on 22 Nov.,
1965 in Hico, Hamilton County, Texas. They had one known child:
1689 Wilbur Jr. WRIGHT
1614 Daisy Edith THOMPSON was born on 6 July, 1889
and died on 19 May, 1970 in
Hico, Hamilton County, Texas. She was married to (1734) Arthur John
DANKERS. He died in Grand Island, Nebraska. They had one known child:
1735 John "Jack" Jr. DANKERS
1616 Lydia Clara (Thompson)
MAHON was born on 9 Oct., 1892 in Hico, Hamilton
County, Texas and died on 21 Aug., 1965 in Hico. She was married to
(1690)
Sidney Johnson MAHON. He was born on 8 Nov., 1892 in Hico, Hamilton
County, Texas and died on 16 Sept., 1965 in Hico. It is not known if they
had any
children.
1617 James W. THOMPSON was born on 1 Dec., 1896
in Hico, Hamilton County, Texas,
and died on 6 June, 1942 in Hico. He was married to (1691) Eda (Seago)
THOMPSON. She was born on 29 Sept., 1896 in China Springs, Texas, and
died on
4 March, 1982 in Hico. It is not known if they had any children.
1618 Gladys Jewell (Thompson) CANNON was born on 4 July, 1898
in Hico,
Hamilton County, Texas, and died on 31 Dec., 1985 in Hico. She was married
to
(1692) Unknown CANNON. It is not known if they had any children
1620 William Terry BARBEE
was born on 5 May, 1893 in Hico, Hamilton County,
Texas, and died on 23 Oct., 1934 in Weslaco. He is buried in Weslaco. He
was
married to (1694) Lilly Cora (Douthit) BARBEE who was born on 31
Oct.,
1896 in Texas. She died on 22 April, 1970 in Weslaco, Texas, and is buried
there.
They had two known children:
1695 Joe Dale BARBEE was born on 26 Dec., 1923
1696 Leora Zoe BARBEE was born on 10 March, 1930
1621 Herman Adolphus BARBEE was
born on 10 Aug., 1895 in Hico, Hamilton
County, Texas, and died on 5 Feb., 1991 in Hico, and is buried in Hico Cemetery.
He was married to (1697) Martha Caroline SANDERS in 1917. She was
born
on 23 Oct., 1896 in Coolidge, Texas, and died on 1 June, 1986. She is
buried in
Hico Cemetery. They had the following children:
1698 Herman Adolphus BARBEE Jr. was born on 2
Sept., 1919
1699 Eleanor BARBEE was born on 1 Feb., 1921
1700 Mildred BARBEE was born in 1923
1622 Leroy BARBEE
was born on 7 Oct., 1897 in Hico, Hamilton County, Texas, and
died on 8 July, 1962 in Cuero, Texas. He is buried in Hico Cemetery.
He served
in World War I and was severely wounded by shrapnel. He was hit in the arm
and
shot in the leg behind the lines in France but managed to drag himself to
safety
after several days. After the war he attended Texas A & M. He was an accomplished artist
and he and his wife Mae travel over the US painting beautiful landscapes. He left
behind quite a legacy
of art work.
He was also an accomplished businessman, as he
started and ran a chain of
five
chicken hatcheries all over south Texas, making his
headquarters in San
Antonio. He had hatcheries in San Antonio, Nixon, Floresville,
Karnes City, and
Yorktown, Texas.
He was married to (1701) Ruby Mae (Trott) BARBEE, daughter of Charlie
Harrison Trott and Etta (Pierson) Trott on 1 Nov., 1934 in San Antonio, Texas.
She was born in 1898 in Seguin, Texas, and died on 17 June, 1926 in San Antonio,
Texas. She is buried in Roselawn Cemetery in San Antonio. She was
married to
Leroy for only 19 months and 10 days. It is said she died of either
typhoid fever or
in childbirth. They had no children.
Leroy married (1705) Eliza Mae Etta (Wells) BARBEE on 7 Oct., 1926 in
Hico,
Hamilton County, Texas. She was the daughter of Charley Lewis Wells and
Hessa
Bell (Cole) Wells. She died on 12 July, 1994 in San Antonio, Texas.
Mae was also
an accomplished artist and had a beautiful singing voice. She painted many
large
baptisteries in churches in Texas and was the featured soloist in the Baptist
Church
in Harlandale, a suburb of San Antonio. She sang in operas and operettas
in San
Antonio on many occasions. She was noted for her beauty with her pale aqua
eyes
and a mane of beautiful auburn hair. She turned heads wherever she
went. She
came from a family of 13 children. They had the following children:
1706 Lurline BARBEE was born on 2 Aug., 1927
1707 Barbara Leah BARBEE was born on 27 Jan., 1933
+1708 JoAnn "Jody" (Barbee) DOCKERY was born on 17 Nov.,
1935
He was married to (1703) Maddie Lenora (Potts) BARBEE in 1960 in Cuero,
Texas. She died about 1992 in Cuero, and is buried in the Cuero Cemetery.
1623 Paul Henry BARBEE
was born on 23 Dec., 1905 in Hico, Hamilton County, Texas
and died on 1 May, 1992 in Mercedes, Texas. He was married to (1710) Veda
(Fairchild) BARBEE and they had one child:
1711 Vickie BARBEE
He was later married to (1712) Ada (Lee) BARBEE
1624 Willie Amelia (Smith) WALKER
was born on 20 April, 1889 in Ballinger,
Runnels County, Texas. She died on 1 June, 1980 in Temple, Texas.
She was
buried in Hico Cemetery, Hico, Hamilton County, Texas. She was married
to
(1713) William Thomas WALKER in 1905. He was born on 19 Jan., 1886
in
Columbia, Maury County, Tennessee, and died on 8 Aug., 1953 in Oklahoma
City,
Oklahoma. They had one known child:
1714 Ralph Henry WALKER born on 16 Jan., 1909
1625 John Henry SMITH
was born on 7 May, 1891 in Hamilton County, Texas, and
died in December, 1959 in Kileen, Bell County, Texas. He was married to
(1715)
Cenia Bell (Newlin) SMITH on 21 Feb., 1921. She died on 21 April,
1990 in
Pueblo, Pueblo County, Colorado, and is buried in Kileen, Texas. It is not
known
if they had any children.
1626 Ila (Smith) (Wiginton)
MOORE was born on 27 July, 1895 in Hico, Hamilton
County,
Texas. She died on 3 Oct., 1990 in Katy, Texas, and is buried in Hico
Cemetery,
Hico, Texas. She was married to (1716) Roy WIGINTON.
She was married to (1717) Grover C. MOORE. in 1915. They had
the following
children:
1718 Mary Ann MOORE was born in 1917. She died on
3 June, 1925 in a
house fire in Fairy community.
1719 Billie Carolyn MOORE was born on 12 Nov., 1899
1627 Cornelia "Nela" (Smith) LACKEY
was born on 12 Nov., 1899, and was married
to (1720) Jack LACKEY Sr. They had one known child:
1721 Jack Jr. LACKEY
1629 William A. DAY was born
on 9 June, 1877 and died on 30 March, 1920. He was
married to (1637) Corine (Singletary) DAY, who was born on 14 July, 1897.
1630 John Walter DAY was
born on 10 May, 1880 in Hamilton County, Texas, and
died on 11 July, 1935 in Waco, Texas. He was married to (1638) Daisy
(McAnally) DAY on 10 April, 1905 in Hamilton County, Texas. She died
on
12 Oct., 1905 in Hamilton County, Texas.
1631 Sallie (Day) NOAH was
born on 25 Dec., 1882, and died on 26 Nov., 1966. She was
married to (1632) Wiley Edward NOAH on 30 July, 1899. He died in
Sweetwater,
Texas in 1958.
1634 Charles Robison DAY
was born on 27 Aug., 1890 in Hico, Hamilton County, Texas,
and died on 5 April, 1973. He was married to (1640) Margaret (Betterton)
DAY.
They had one known child:
1641 Janice Sharon DAY was born on 24 Dec., 1944
1635 Hood V. DAY
was born on 5 Sept., 1893 and died on 29 Nov., 1965. He was
married to (1645) E. M. (Austin) DAY. It is not known if they had
any children.
TENTH GENERATION
1671 Elmer Eugene
"Jack" BARBEE was born in 1926 and died in 1990. He was
married in 1944 to (1731) Jo Ruth (Whistler) BARBEE, who was born
in 1926 and
died in 2001. They had a daughter:
+1732 Jackie Ruth (Barbee) SMITH
1708 JoAnn "Jody" (Barbee) DOCKERY was born on 17 Nov.,
1935 and lived in San Antonio.
She is
married to (1834) Ted DOCKERY. They were both school teachers and
school
administrators, and as of 2003 had been retired for about 10 years. They
live in the country
between
Boerne and San Antonio Texas, and have a home also on Lake Lyndon Baines
Johnson. In 2003 they traveled to New York, London, and Paris to celebrate
their 48th
wedding
anniversary. They have three
sons.
ELEVENTH GENERATION
1732 Jackie Ruth (Barbee) SMITH was born in 1947
and married (1733) Edward C.
Smith in
1984. He was born in 1945 and is retired from IBM. They live in
Lubbock,
Texas
as of 2003. Jackie is active in Barbee genealogy, and there are two
websites
listed
in "SOURCES" that were prepared by the couple. Ed has restored
some of the
photos
in this website.
SOURCES
1. Research entitled "Descendants of John Gaston BARBEE -
FEB. 12, 2003" by Edward C..
Smith of Lubbock, Texas, and wife Jackie,
who is a
Barbee. Further information may
be obtained from these websites:
http://briefcase.yahoo.com/ecjrsmith
http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/s/m/i/E-Smith-NY/index.html
ADDENDA
1. A report
on John Gaston Barbee
M. I. "Butch" Knudson Jr., son of M. I.
Knudson, prepared this report for the Hico Public School, Hico, Hamilton County,
Texas, in 1964. It supposedly helped obtain Texas State Historical recognition
for the homestead.
Plot of Barbee Family Cemetery on M.I. Knudson farm, 5 miles east of Hico, Texas
________ ________ ________ ________ _______ _______ ______ _______
|X Abigail Barbee
(#8)
XX Infant daughters of Barbee (#4)
|
3/11/1793-4/4/1878
26/12/1873
|
|
|
X John Gaston Barbee (#7)
|
9/9/1832-11/8/1921
NORTH
|
/|\
|
|
| __________________
| | Monument to Barbee |
| | and wife
(#9) |
| |_________________|
|
|
X Sophronia Barbee (#3)
|
16/2/1861-6/10/1870
|
X Cornelia Barbee (#5)
|
26/2/1876 - 1/1/1877
|
|
|
|
X Amelia Barbee (#6)
|
30/11/1832 - 26/8/1889
|
X James M. Barbee (#2)
|
20/12/1856 - 2/1/1880
|
|
X Willis A. Barbee (#1)
|
1/2/1863 - 13/12/1864
|
| ______ ____ _____ ______ ______ ______ _____ ____ _____ _____ ____ ____
(not to scale - approximately 18 yards north-south)
Hico family plot plus non-JGB's in family plot Plus JGB children not in family
plot, in date order:
8 Abigail
Barbee
3 Nov., 1793 - 4 April, 1878
9 Monument to Barbee and Wife
7 John Gaston
Barbee
9 Sept., 1832 - 11 Aug., 1921
6. Amelia
Barbee
30 Nov., 1832 - 26 Aug., 1889
14. Oliva Amanda Barbee
Day 18
Jan., 1854 - 30 May, 1923
13. John Wesley
Barbee
17 June, 1856 - 24 July, 1904
(Can John Wesley and James M. be so close in birth dates? JWB tombstone says
1856, "A History of Hamilton County Texas", page 113, says 1853.
However, 1853 puts JWB awfully close to Olivia's birth date of Jan., 1854)
2. James M.
Barbee
20 Dec., 1856 - 2 Jan., 1880
11. Cornelia Barbee
Thompson 29
Oct., 1858 - 7 Sept., 1946
3. Sophronia
Barbee
16 Feb., 1861 - 6 Oct., 1870
12. E. Adolphus
Barbee
July, 1862 - 16 Feb., 1937
1. Willis A.
Barbee
1 Feb., 1863 - 13 Dec., 1864
10. Amelia Jessie Barbee
Smith 1
Jan., 1869 - 4 Feb., 1904
4. Infant daughters of
Barbee
26 Dec., 1873
5. Cornelia
Barbee
29 Feb., 1876 - 1 Jan, 1877
(Why another Cornelia when Cornelia Barbee Thompson is still alive?)
Others listed in plot in Hamilton county, Texas cemetery records
Caroline E.D. Phillips, Mother of D.S. Laro & C. M. Lang, 14 Sept., 1873 - 5
Jan., 1899
Infant son of D.S. & A. E. Laro, 10 Jan., 1887 - 7 Feb., 1887
Sarah A. Donathan, wife of J. M. Donathan, 8 Aug., 1858 - 22 April, 1877
Infant daughters of W. T. & Cornelia Thompson, born & died 1 Aug., 1891
Infant son of W. T. & Cornelia Thompson, 19 April, 1886 - 18 May, 1886
One Mae Gee, 10 Dec., 1908 - 20 Feb., 1994 (Hamilton Herald News)
Mary Ann Key, mother of S. J. Barbee, 1816 - 6 Jan., 1899
John Gaston BARBEE ~Hico Pioneer
John Gaston BARBEE was a pioneer "of broad vision and
determination", a member of a race of men who had empire in their brains
and who laid the solid foundation on which the mighty commonwealth of Texas was
firmly fixed. He was on board the first boat that ever sailed up the
Trinity River. He was a citizen of Alabama before the battle of San
Jacinto stirred the patriotic zeal of men who loved liberty
everywhere." Thus says an obituary published in the Hico News Review
on 18 August, 1921. The article continues, "he was present when the
Red Man made his home in the wilds of their lands and he joined in the campaigns
that were necessarily launched from time to time to push the Indians farther
West, to the land of the setting sun, to make room for the stalwart treat of the
myriad of Anglo-Saxons who were to people this land with that same conquering
determination that has aroused the admiration of the world and written in
glowing letters an illustrious page in Texas history".
John Barbee was born 9 Sept., 1832 in Jones County, Tennessee. When he was
three, his family moved to Alabama, where John lived until he was
nineteen. In 1851 he came to Texas and sailed up the Trinity River to Leon
County. It was there that he met Amelia Carson, whom he married the
following year.
In 1859 he moved his family to Hamilton County, where he bought a large tract of
fertile land and stocked it with many cattle and sheep. Two years after he
arrived in Hamilton County, Barbee joined the Confederate Army in Texas.
He served with distinction in Gane's Brigade under Captain Goodrich.
He served with distinction in Gano's Brigade under
Captain Goodrich. (From "A History
of Hamilton County Texas. Library of Congress
Catalogue Card No. 79-880-32.
Copyright 1979, Hamilton County Historical Commission,
Hamilton, TX 76531)
Mrs. Sylvia DAY, wife of John BARBEE's great grandson T.J. DAY of Escondido
California, has done a great deal of research into the family history. She
says ten children were born to John BARBEE and wife, but evidence shows there
were eleven BARBEE children. Four of these died when they were
babies. One headstone in the family cemetery bears the inscription
"Infant Daughters of J.G. and Amelia BARBEE, December 26, 1873,"
indicating a multiple birth. Two other headstones show babies of J.G.
BARBEE buried here: "Willis A. BARBEE, February 1, 1863 - December 13,
1864," and "Cornelia BARBEE, February 29 1876 - January
1877." Those who survived infancy were Olivia Amanda, Cornelia, John
Wesley, James, Safronia, E. Adolphus, and Amelia Jessie.
There evidently were two Cornelia's, as the headstone
above lists one of them and the obituary lists a daughter, Mrs. Cornelia
Thompson as one of J.G. BARBEE's surviving children in 1921).
Why another Cornelia when
Cornelia BARBEE Thompson is still alive?
Safronia died when she was nine years old, and James was killed at age 24 in a
duel in Mexico [ed. note - possibly Matador, Texas - see further in this
addenda], according to dates on the headstones in the family cemetery.
Three of the seven survived John BARBEE himself, according to the obituary of
August 18, 1921. Cornelia, whose married name was Thompson, was listed as
living in Hico. Olivia Amanda was married to Will DAY and lived in
Sweetwater. E.A. BARBEE, probably the Adolphus listed by Mrs. Sylvia DAY,
lived in Mercedes, Texas. Mrs. Cornelia Smith Lackey, of Hico, is the
daughter of the youngest BARBEE daughter, Amelia Jessie, whose married name was
Smith. Amelia Jessie BARBEE Smith and Cornelia BARBEE Thompson and Olivia
Amanda BARBEE Day are buried in the Hico cemetery. Mrs. Smith having
preceded her father in death by several years. Mrs. Lackey says that John
Wesley BARBEE, who also died before his father did, is buried in the Fairy
Cemetery.
Mrs. DAY says Amelia Carson BARBEE was so small that everyone called her
"Little Mama." She had black hair that she wore in short
curls. She seems to have been quite a generous person who was kind to
everyone who came along. She must have been a good wife to John if one is
to judge by the feeling expressed in the passage he had carved on her tombstone.
Still legible are these lines:
"A
loved one has gone from our circle,
On
earth we shall meet her no more.
She has
gone to her home in Heaven
and all
her afflictions are o'er."
She died in 1889 and was laid to rest in the family cemetery, where six of her
children had already been buried. John BARBEE outlived Amelia thirty-two
years, during which he tried married life twice more, but each of these
marriages was unsuccessful, and he spent his old days, according to Mrs. DAY,
"living around" with his children. According to the obituary, he
left Hico approximately three weeks before his death to visit in the home of his
son E.A. BARBEE at Mercedes, where he died on 11 Aug., 1921. His body ws
returned to Hico, and he was buried in the family cemetery on Sunday, 14 Aug.,
1921.
John BARBEE was a stocky built Irishman [sic], standing five feet nine inches
tall. Like most men of his time, he wore a mustache. He was a nice
looking red complexioned man, and neat in his dress. Mrs. DAY says,
"He was at one time a very wealthy man but was almost broke when he
died. he was pretty tough when he was young, but had simmered down a bit
in his oder days. He was a jolly man, not moody."
All evidence points to his having been devoted to his family. Whether his
mother came to the Hico area as early as 1859, we do not know, but her
gravestone in the family cemetery indicates that she must have been a member of
John BARBEE's household, where she died in 1878.
The 1860 Census of the United States, Texas, Leon
County, Centerville, page 251B shows
R. Barbee, male, 65, and Abigail Barbee, female, 65 as
living in dwelling 199, occupation
farmer, birthplace for both, NC
When his son James was shot in a duel in Mexico, Mrs. DAY says that BARBEE
went to Mexico and brought the body back to be placed in the family
cemetery. Only a man who experienced deep family ties would have made such
a trip at that time. We do not now where in Mexico James BARBEE was
killed, but the nearest Mexican territory to Hico is approximately 250 miles,
and the most likely spot for such a duel to have occurred was Laredo,
approximately 400 miles away. The marker at James's grave indicates that
he was killed on January 2, 1880.
6/2000: Recent articles received from Jess W. Mason
indicates that the shoot-out took
place in Matador, TX. This is a town up towards
Lubbock, TX. Another report indicates
a family problem between James and John Gaston, and a
length of time passing before
retrieving the body for burial in the family
plot. If true, then agreeably John Gaston's
deep family ties caused him to send hands to retrieve
his son's body for burial in the family
plot.
John BARBEE must have been a stern disciplinarian as two stories seem to
indicatge. When Olivaia Amanda was planning to marry Will DAY, John BARBEE
was opposed to the union and made his objections so strongly felt, that Olivia
filed a statement with the county clerk of Hamilton County renouncing all claims
on the BARBEE family and upon the BARBEE property.
In the Hamilton County Courthouse, Deed Record D, Pg. 205,
Olivia Amanda Barbee
entered the following:
Pleasant Hill, Hamilton County
Apr. the 28th 1872
Dear Father & Mother & to all hoom it may
concern. That I do this day pledge my sacred
word & honor that I Olivia Amanda Barbee will never
run away or mary on Wm. Day of
said county without my Father's consent & if I
relinquish all of my right & title to all of My
Father & Mother's property to them & further
more I forsake my Father & Mother & all of
the family for life & never will I expect to be
allowed to come to my Fathers House any
more while life last him as he so much opposed to my
marrying a boy who has never tho
first time of what it takes to take care of a wife.
I do sign this with my own consent & free
will. Olivia Amanda Barbee
Witness:
Amelia Barbee
Another incident indicating his sternness is found in Mrs. DAY's story of
how he would sit on the front porch of his home with a whip close at hand to
keep his grandchildren, who were visiting there, from disturbing the nest of
wrens that built each spring in an old hunting horn that he kept hanging on the
porch. However, this discipline does not seem to have harmed his children,
but rather to have developed a hardiness and fortitude that was necessary to
survive under frontier conditions. When Indians attacked the school at
Warlene Valley on the Leon River in July 1867 and murdered the teacher, Miss Ann
Whitney, they captured Olivia Amanda Barbee. An Indian put her up behind
him on a horse, and "when his attention was distracted by a call from some
of his companions, Olivia slid off and ran into the dense underbrush,"
where she was found some 24 hours later by settlers who were searching the
area. That kind of grit is not found in pampered children.
John Barbee, like most pioneers, was careful about choosing his land and
homesite. Since he was one of the first settlers in the Hico area, he had
first choice of the land. He chose a large tract along the Bosque River,
which furnished an ample water supply for his stock. The land in the river
valley was very fertile and supported grass "so tall that it could hide a
cow lying down and rise above the stirrups of a rider on horseback."
Since he was a rancher, this type of land was ideal for him and many others like
him. Barbee was no less careless with building his home than he was in
choosing his land. He placed his homesite on the south side of a rise in
the land to protect it from the north wind, and overlooking a valley at the
bottom of which runs the Bosque River. Sitting on the front porch, Barbee could
see the undulating green of the Bosque Valley before him and, through a gap in
the hills, all the way to the mountains at Meridian in the southeast.
Built of limestone quarried near Hico the walls of his house were in double
columns of rocks each of which was a foot thick. It was a four room house,
not counting the hall and the storage room. The rooms were spacious with high
ceilings and plenty of broad windows for comfortable living. The structure
was "L" shaped with a large front porch. On the broad keystone
above the front door, John Barbee carved his brand "-B", which still
reminds those who enter there that each pioneer cowman had his own
"coat-of-arms". The pine lumber used in building the house was
hauled on wagons pulled by oxen from Bremond, Texas, a distance of some 116
miles to the southeast. Mrs. DAY says that all the family speak of his
home as John BARBEE's "pride and Joy", and they report that it took
four years to complete its structure. She has often heard them speak of
its three fireplaces and of the long front porch, where he kept two or three
hives of bees.
Dear as the house itself must have been to his heart, one other spot on the
place was more sacred to John BARBEE; the family cemetery. It stands atop
a small hill about a half a mile from the house. In it are buried almost
all of his immediate family and BARBEE himself. After his death, his old
homestead began to deteriorate until finally it was completely deserted and
practically forgotten. Even in this state, however, the sturdy old facade
assured the occasional visitor that the old house ws not just an ordinary
one. Its wall were still strong, and all the rockwork was in perfect
condition. Seeing this and realizing that restoration was possible, M.I.
Knudson bought the house and about 175 acres surrounding it. In 1957 he
had the house cleaned up and completely redone on the inside. He also
added another rock section on the big "L" side, and then he moved his
family in. Again the house was a place for living and dreaming and
planning. In September 1963, it was awarded a medallion by the Texas
Historical Survey Committee for being the oldest standing house around Hico.
John BARBEE also built the first cotton gin west of Waco at "Old Hico".
The date of the building of the gin is disputed. One opinion is that the
gin was built in 1870 and was operated until 1880, when the Texas Central
Railroad was built through this country and Hico was moved to it on the
Bosque. Another opinion is that the gin was finished in 1879 and was used
less than a year before Hico was moved. One fact agreed on was that it was
a rock gin, 5 miles east on Honey Creek near "Blue Hole", that was
said to have no bottom.
The obituary written at the time of his death says, "In 1880 when the
railroad was built through this country he was active in building the city by
the Bosque, being engaged in the lumber, hotel, grocery, and mercantile business
here. Besides these he continued to devote much of his time to the cattle
raising industry." Investigations reveal that he must have been a
very controversial figure, even in his old days. Mrs. Sylvia DAY's letter
describes him as a "fabulous old tough Texan." From the stories
she has collected from members of his family, she has drawn the conclusion that
"if there was not something going on, he made a diligent effort to start
something." She pictures him as being "so tough, he was not
afraid to face a tribe of Indians alone if he had to - yhet with a hearth so
soft that he would not permit anyone to disturb the little wrens that came each
spring to nest on his front porch." He was definitely a man of
contrasts, as can be seen from Mrs. DAY's stories as well as from those told by
old- timers still living in Hico who remember John BARBEE in his middle and
later years. Some accounts picture him in a favorable light, but others do
not.
Frank Smith, who has lived in Hico for 90 Years, used to herd sheep for
BARBEE. He says that there was no better or fairer man than BARBEE in this
part of the country. Smith worked for BARBEE for 15 years without having
any trouble with him in any way. However, Fred Hyles of Hico says that his
father Frank Hyles came to Texas from Alabama at the age of 21 and had quite a
different experience with BARBEE When Frank Hyles came to this part of Texas, he
was engaged by BARBEE to do farm work. In time Hyles had trouble with
BARBEE's nephew over a plow horse, and the two became engaged in a fight.
At that time, according to Hyles, it was generally understood in the area that
John BARBEE was head of the Ku Klux Klan at Hico; and a short time after the
aforementioned fight, Hyles was hauled out of bed one night by members of the
Klan and carried to the river, where he was severely beaten and warned to leave
the country.
Another confused issue about BARBEE was his attitude toward the Indians of
this region. Frank Smith said that he tried to get the people to leave the
Indians alone and treat them like human beings. Smith also claims that
Barbee even let the Indians camp on his land when they were passing
through. On the other hand, Mrs. DAY hints that BARBEE had to stand up
against the Indians by himself, and the obituary says that he took part in the
last big Indian fight around here - the fight that took place on the point of a
mountain near Fairy.
Upon another occasion, it seems that he himself barely escaped the wrath of a
mob. Mrs. DAY's account of this incident is as follows:
" He was fencing his ranch and found on going back to
build one day, a note telling him, if
he did not stop fencing off land, he would be
hanged. He kept on building fence. A bunch
of men came to his house to hang him. He had his
wife tell them he was gone, while he hid
in the house."
Like many other Texans of his time, he was "fast on the draw", and is
credited with having killed two men and having wounded at least one other.
One of the men he killed was attempting to blackmail him. He was tried
and, according to Mrs. DAY, "was almost sent to prison but was set free
before he put on prison garb or was clean shaven". The other man he
killed was one of his ranch hands who Mrs. DAY says was making improper advances
toward Mrs. BARBEE's sister. If he was tried for this murder, this writer has
found no mention of it. Mrs. DAY does say the he and the ranch hand had
bitter words over the affair and that later when the man started for his gun,
BARBEE "beat him to the draw." Perhaps it was one of those
"self defense"
affairs that pioneers considered outside the jurisdiction of the grand
juries and courts of law. The man whom he shot but did not kill was a
business partner and good friend of BARBEE, who Mrs. DAY names as one Dave
Barron.
Many other stories of John Gaston BARBEE must lie somewhere unwritten and
untold; above all else, a rugged individualist - a hardy soul with a vision that
reached beyond his own era. He expanded his boundless energy and ambition
in helping to establish a community and in building a home that would withstand
the wear and tear of time. The sturdy old home, facing south toward the
Bosque, holds within its walls something of the strength and courage of its
builder. It is entering into its second century of existence with a
special dignity and a certain promise - a promise to hold tight the stories that
a new generation of historians would like to extract from its stones.
BIBIOGRAPHY:
Day, Sylvia - Three letters to M.I. Knudson, dated 16 Sept., 1962, 19 Oct.,
1962, and 7 Feb.,
1964, and in the possession of M.E. Knudson, Hico,
Texas.
"E.A. Barbee's Gin and Compress", Hico News Review, 18 Dec.,
1908, section 3, pg. 13
Hyles, Frank - Interview, 19 Feb., 1964 in Hico, Texas
Lackey, Mrs. Jack - Interview, 4 March, 1964 in Hico, Texas
"Obituary of John Gaston Barbee" - Copied by Mrs. Sylvia Day from a
newspaper clipping
taken from a Hico newspaper a week after John Gaston
Barbee's death, 11 Aug., 1921
Pool, Oran Jo, A History of Hamilton County, The University of Texas,
1954
Smith, Frank - Interview, 18 Jan., 1964 in Hico, Texas
2. The
Death of James M. Barbee
Harry H. Campbell in his book "The Early History of Motley County",
gives his description of the scene between two cowboys shooting each other in a
log cabin: Jim Harkey was working for the Spur Cattle Company and Jim Barbee was
working for the Jingle Bob Cattle Company. The night of 1 January, 1880,
these two boys killed each other in the old log cabin at Cottonwood Mott.
At the time there were two freighters hauling corn from San Saba to headqurters
on Hall Creek, and they stayed all night at this camp. The boys were
getting supper at the time when Jim Barbee started singing a song, some little
cowpuncher's song. Jim Harkey said: "That's a fool song you're
singing!" Barbee probably said it was all right. Harkey then
said: "No one but a damn fool would sing it!" Both had six
shooters on and they pulled together. Barbee was killed by the first
shot. Harkey was shot square through the hip, right through the kidneys,
and was also killed. One of the freighters went to the corral and got the
first horse he could catch. He rode to the Spur headquarters on Hall
Creek, formerly Pease River. Dick Hudson was ranch foreman at the
time. They went down at once.
The freighters had a new wagon sheet they cut in half and buried Harkey in one
half and Barbee in the other. The next May, John Hall, brother of Jim Hall
the owner, went there from San Saba with a coffin. He was accompanied by a
brother of Jim Harkey. I saw them dig the bodies up and identified
Harkey's. They put him in his coffin, nailed it down, and hauled him back
to San Saba. Jim Barbee was a son of John Barbee, who lived in Hico, where
he had a store and ran cattle. Earlier, Jim and his father had a falling
out and Jim, knowing where I was living at this time, asked me for a job.
When I left, he was still buried there, but I hear that old man Barbee later
sent his outfit and moved him for reburial in Hico.
From and article in "Co-Op Power" by George Macias: "Anyone who
would sing a song like that is a (bleep) fool," said the cowboy from the
Jingle Bob Cattle Company. "You're a liar, that's a (bleep) good
song," said the other cowboy, pausing in the middle of "Yankee
Doodle." In a matter of moments the two cowboys lay dead, nevermore
to curse, sing, or draw a six gun. The story of these two cowboys, Jim
Barbee and Jim Harkey, is only one of the tales of the Matador Ranch.
From: "The Life of a New Mexico Lawman - Mean as Hell" by Dee
Harkey
During this time, Jim Harkey had quit working for Wash Tanklesee and was working
for the Hall brothers. The had a ranch on Richened Creek, in San Saba
County, and they drove trail herds to the Panhandle of Texas for a good many
years, and located them on a ranch on the head of the Pease River, in the
Panhandle.
In February, 1878, Jim was killed up there by Jim Barbee. They were living together in a log cabin with a stick and dirt chimney. The house had a door sawed out, and the ends of the logs had boards nailed on them for door facings. The cracks between the logs were large enough for a man to stick his arm through. These boys were cowhands, and they rode drift line and ate together, though they were working for different companies.
The day of the killing, they both got back to camp early and lay
around the camp. Barbee told Jim that day that the reason he was out there
was because he had had a difficulty with his father and had tried to stab him
with a burcher knife. Jim had been chiding Barbee about attempting to stab
his father, and that seemed to be why Barbee shot him.
Jim started to fix something to eat, and he was singing "Yankee
Doodle". Barbee told him that anybody who would sing a song like that
was a damned fool. Jim thought Barbee was joking, so he said, "You're
a liar, that's a damn good song." So Barbee went outside, revolved
his pistol, and came back to the door and ran his left arm between the cracks of
the log house and around the door facing. He had his pistol cocked in his
right hand. He told Jim that he was going to kill him, and he shot at the
same time. Jim had his pistol Buckled around. The bullet Barbee
fired hit Jim over the right hip and came out over the left hip. The shot
four times each. Jim shot Barbee four times through the heart, but Barbee
hit only the one time. Barbee dropped his pistol and fell, and Jim laid
his pistol across Barbee's and walked outside. He met the freighter for
the Hall Ranch who had just got there. Jim gave the facts of the shooting
to him. The freighter told Jim that he saw Barbee come out of the house as
he was driving up and revolve his pistol and walk back to the door. Jim
saddled his horse and sent the freighter over to Hall's headquarters for Dick
Hudson, who was the Hall brothers' boss. When Hudson came, Jim told him
all about the shooting and then told him that he wanted done with his money and
belongings. Then Jim laid down and died in a few minutes. Hudson and
the freighter rolled Barbee and Jim up in a pair of blankets and a wagon sheet,
and laid them side by side in a grave about eighteen inches deep which they dug
with an axe.
About two months later, Joe rigged up a team and spring wagon and sent me to
bring Jim's body back home to bury in the family graveyard at Richland
Springs. He gave me a .44 Winchester and two boxes of cartridges to take
with me. I got a boy named Hall to go with me, and Joe armed him
also. Joe had a coffin made and put it in a box made air tight, then he
put chains around the box and fastened it down to the wagon so it would not
move.
Joe gave me a batch of grub-flour, coffee, etc. - and a cooking outfit, and we pulled out. It was about 350 miles to where Jim's body was buried. It took us twenty-one days to reach our destination. When I got to Buffalo Gap, I got a letter from Jim Barbee's father saying that he had been up there and got his son's body, or he thought it was his son's body, and had carried it home and buried it in their family graveyard, and if I found that he had Jim Harkey's body that I should take his boy's body and give it a nice burial. He was buried date unknown in Barbee Family Cemetery, Knudson Property, Hico, Texas. From Jess W. Mason, 6/3/00.