Barnhart Genealogy
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Barnhart Line
The earliest Barnhart line we have is Conrad Barnhart (1750-1828) that came from Germany (around 1760) and probably settled in eastern Pennsylvania (Harrisburg/Lancaster) before migrating southwest along the Blue Ridge Mountains into western Virginia (Shenandoah Valley) and eventually eastern Tennessee (Greene County). His wife Barbara G'Fellers (1766-1847) was probably born in the Lancaster, PA area to Adam G'Fellers and Mary Huber. The Huber line came from Switzerland around 1710 or so. Conrad and Barbara had around 17 children, the 10th child being Ernest Felix Barnhart (1806-1866). Many of the other Barnhart children left Tennesse in the 1830-1840 time and migrated to central Missouri (Osage County).
Ernest Felix (known as Felix) was 1st married to a Margaret "Peggy" Bird. He remained in Tennessee for a number of years and is an executor on his father's will in Tennessee. Peggy Bird was a 2nd cousin to President Abraham Lincoln, as Peggy's maternal grandmother Rebecca Lincoln Rymal was a sister to the President's paternal grandfather (also named Abraham Lincoln). After Felix's 1st wife died, he was then married to Mary Ann "Polly" Runnels. In 1856, Felix, Polly & family migrated with other Greene Co TN families to northwest Missouri, settling along the Missouri & Nishnabotna Rivers in Atchison Co. Perhaps they were looking for a better life, perhaps to try to escape the escalating conflict between the states (Civil War).
Not much is known about Polly Runnels (1822-1892). She was born in Tennessee to David Runnels and Polly Ann Kelly.
Felix & Polly Barnhart had about 12 children, including the 4th child James Franklin Barnhart (1849-1923). James was about 7 years old when the family moved to Atchison County MO. James F. Barnhart 1st married a Sarah Catherine Smith (1848-1881) in Atchison Co MO and had 4 children. In 1880, they left Atchison County MO and moved across the Missouri River to near Humboldt, Richardson County, NE where Sarah passed away. James then went back to Atchison Co MO and married Martha Frances McKee (1859-1929) and took her back to Richardson Co NE.
A family story says that she was a neighbor girl and was a maid in the James & Sarah household in the Tarkio MO area. When Sarah knew she was dying, Sarah asked Martha to be James' wife after she died.
James & Martha's 1st child Charlie F. Barnhart was born while they were in Richardson Co, NE. In 1882 the family moved to Reynolds, Jefferson Co, NE where 5 more children were born. In 1891, they moved to near Menlo in Thomas & Sheridan Co, KS areas where the final 6 children were born. Charlie F. Barnhart met/married Sarah Jane Teel in Sheridan County KS.
