Holly Springs, Mississippi

During a recent research session I noticed that Evaline Barnett married Benjamin H. Moss in 1849 in Holly Springs, Marshall Co., Mississippi. This raised questions: What was she doing in Mississippi? Was this the right person? Could this be a mistake?

Later I was at the BYU Family History Archive site. As I searched for Barnetts I found they had many Texas histories online, so I searched them for Barnetts. I found a great biographical sketch for William Y. Barnett. William was the son of George W. Barnett and grandson of Samuel Barnett. The sketch gave some information on George W. Barnett as an early settler of Collin Co., Texas. The bio stated that George’s family left Kentucky when he was three years old and settled in Mississippi; he grew up in Holly Springs, Mississippi. A search of U.S. census records found Samuel Barnett and his son, Hiram, in Marshall Co., Mississippi in the 1840 census.

One correction should be noted, the family may have left Kentucky in the early 1820s, but they apparently did not go straight to Mississippi. In the 1830 census, Samuel Barnett was listed in Hardeman Co., Tennessee and he paid taxes in that county between 1823 and 1833. The Chickasaw Indians ceded their lands to the U.S. in 1832 and Holly Springs was founded in 1835. This also seems to confirm that Samuel Barnett moved his family there in the early 1830s.

James M. Barnett Pension Application

During the Civil War James Madison Barnett served in the Texas state militia, protecting the settlers from marauding Indians and bandits. In 1931 he applied for and received from the state of Texas a pension for his service – unfortunately, he died just a month after receiving his pension.

J.M. Barnett Application for Pension

Mixed Up Census Record

In the 1850 census James and Elizabeth Barnett are listed in Limestone County, Texas. They appear at the bottom of page 360. At the top of page 361 there are seven Longbottom family members listed ranging in age from 25 to 9. They appear to be in the same household as James and Elizabeth Barnett.

On the top of page 364, the children of James and Elizabeth Barnett are listed. They appear to be part of the Harden household which appears at the bottom of page 363.

At first glance it appears that the Barnett children were not living with their parents at this time. But another question arises: who are the Longbottoms and why are they living in the James Barnett household? A search for Longbottoms in the 1850 census in Limestone County, Texas found a Longbottom couple (ages 55 and 54)  at the bottom of page 358 – could they be the parents of the Longbottom children?

I think that somehow the census pages got mixed up before they were numbered and that the Barnett children were in reality living with their parents, not the Harden family.