From Terry Rowland:
"The immigrant ancestor to America was Capt. Charles Barham of Kent, England who settled in Surry and James City Counties in Virginia in the middle 1600s. He was the great-great grandfather of James Barham, the subject of this sketch.
James Barham (Jr.) was born in Southampton County, Virginia in 1764 to James (Sr.) and Mary (Thorpe) Barham. He entered the Virginia Militia on January 1, 1781, at the age of sixteen, from Southampton County. He served in Whitehead’s Virginia Militia in General Nathaniel Greene’s division. He was present when Cornwallis surrendered to General Greene.
"Three years after the Revolution he moved to North Carolina and lived in Wake (1785-1791), Guilford (1792-1798), and Stokes (1799-1812) Counties.
He married first in 1785 at Wake County, North Carolina to Prudence (Freeman) Dunn, widow of John Dunn, and daughter of Josiah and Phoebe (Stokes) Freeman. She had 6 children by her first marriage who all grew to love their stepfather, James Barham.
In 1813 Barham moved his family to Kentucky where he eventually resided in three counties, Logan (1813-1827), Calloway (1828-1833), and Trigg (1833-1846). His first wife, Prudence, died on January 1, 1815 in Logan County, Kentucky and was buried on the farm belonging to Charles and Sarah (Barham) Robinson. James married second in Logan County on September 11, 1815 to Elizabeth Houston. While living at Callaway County, Kentucky he applied for a Revolutionary War pension on June 24, 1833 when he was 69 years of age.
"He was transferred from the Kentucky Pension Roll to that of Missouri on December 28, 1846 as shown by the Greene County Justice Court records (Witness: John B. Robinson). Earlier that year he had made his final move to Greene County, Missouri to be near his children. One daughter, Phoebe (Barham) Tatum and family had moved to Greene County in 1837 and helped establish the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. Others of the Barham family also came to Greene County.
"James Barham was a great favorite of people in Greene County for he was a fine talker and told of his many war adventures and pioneer days in North Carolina and Kentucky. He also delighted in hunting and fishing and kept a pack of hounds to help him in his hunting excursions when he lived in Kentucky.
"From court records we find that James Barham later applied for a bounty land warrant in Greene County on April 10, 1855, when he was 92 years old (Witness: Thomas G. McKoin, his son-in-law).
"In 1860 there was a celebration given in Springfield, Missouri, in his honor, as he was the only living Revolutionary Soldier at that time in this part of the country. He was presented with a flag, representing the original 13 states, by some young ladies of Springfield.
"James Barham remained in remarkable health throughout his senior years. It is said that at 100 years of age he could still ride horseback for a distance of 20 miles. It is further stated by family members that he never wore spectacles (eyeglasses) and at 100 years of age could shoot game at the distance of 100 yards.
He died at the home of his grandson, James Robinson, on Leiper Prairie, 15 miles west of Springfield in Greene County on January 8, 1865 in his 101st year and was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery.
"James Barham was one of the last five surviving soldiers of the American Revolution who were on the U.S. Pension Roll. By an act of Congress approved February 27, 1865, each of the five surviving soldiers was to receive the sum of $300 annually from the government, in addition to the pension they were already receiving. However, Barham died in January 1865, just prior to the passing of this act, and the government had not yet received notification. The other soldiers still living in 1865 were Lemuel Cook of Clarendon, New York, age 98; Samuel Downing of Edinburg, New York, age 98; William Hutchings of Penobscot, Maine, age 100; and Alexander Maroney of Yates, New York, age 94.
"A grave marker was dedicated at his burial site on October 16, 1937 by the Rachel Donelson Chapter DAR of Springfield. However the DAR marker is no longer visible at his gravesite. Also a new stone that includes the Barham Coat of Arms on the back side, was erected sometime after about 1980.
"(SOURCES: Leonard A. Johnson, "James Barham, Revolutionary Soldier," Ozar’kin 1:4 (Winter 1979), pp. 137, 138; Mildred Dodd, "Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church," Ozar’kin 1:4 (Winter 1979), pp. 139-140; "Mt. Pleasant Cemetery," Ozar’kin 1:4 (Winter 1979), p. 140-146; "James Barham," information file, Shepard Room, Springfield-Greene County Library; Alice Kinyoun Houts, "Barham, James," Revolutionary Soldiers Buried in Missouri (Kansas City, MO: N.p., 1966), p. 10; Virgil D. White, Genealogical Abstracts of Revolutionary War Pension Files, Volume 1: A-E (Waynesboro, TN: The National Historical Publishing Company, 1990), p. 148; Gwathmey’s Virginians in the Revolution, p. 39; Virginia pension # S 37720, secured while living in Kentucky; National Archives, Revolutionary War Pension # S 16614; U.S. Bounty Land Warrant #26246-160-55; tombstone reading done by Glenn Gohr on April 17, 1991.)"
Burial Site:
From AB Highway in Willard, go 4.6 miles west on Highway 160. Then turn left on Highway UU (south) and go .8 mile to the first left-turning road. Turn here (east) on Farm Road 76 and go .5 mile to the first right-turning road. Turn here (south) on Farm Road 75 and go .6 mile to where the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church is located. The church is on the left and the cemetery is on the right, enclosed by a strong wire fence.
James Barham’s grave is located in the southwest corner of the cemetery under a large cedar tree and is easily found. The Barham Coat of Arms appears on the back side of his marker and is visible from the road, as the front of his marker faces west.
James Barham (Jr.) was born in Southampton County, Virginia in 1764 to James (Sr.) and Mary (Thorpe) Barham. He entered the Virginia Militia on January 1, 1781, at the age of sixteen, from Southampton County. He served in Whitehead’s Virginia Militia in General Nathaniel Greene’s division. He was present when Cornwallis surrendered to General Greene.
"Three years after the Revolution he moved to North Carolina and lived in Wake (1785-1791), Guilford (1792-1798), and Stokes (1799-1812) Counties.
He married first in 1785 at Wake County, North Carolina to Prudence (Freeman) Dunn, widow of John Dunn, and daughter of Josiah and Phoebe (Stokes) Freeman. She had 6 children by her first marriage who all grew to love their stepfather, James Barham.
In 1813 Barham moved his family to Kentucky where he eventually resided in three counties, Logan (1813-1827), Calloway (1828-1833), and Trigg (1833-1846). His first wife, Prudence, died on January 1, 1815 in Logan County, Kentucky and was buried on the farm belonging to Charles and Sarah (Barham) Robinson. James married second in Logan County on September 11, 1815 to Elizabeth Houston. While living at Callaway County, Kentucky he applied for a Revolutionary War pension on June 24, 1833 when he was 69 years of age.
"He was transferred from the Kentucky Pension Roll to that of Missouri on December 28, 1846 as shown by the Greene County Justice Court records (Witness: John B. Robinson). Earlier that year he had made his final move to Greene County, Missouri to be near his children. One daughter, Phoebe (Barham) Tatum and family had moved to Greene County in 1837 and helped establish the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. Others of the Barham family also came to Greene County.
"James Barham was a great favorite of people in Greene County for he was a fine talker and told of his many war adventures and pioneer days in North Carolina and Kentucky. He also delighted in hunting and fishing and kept a pack of hounds to help him in his hunting excursions when he lived in Kentucky.
"From court records we find that James Barham later applied for a bounty land warrant in Greene County on April 10, 1855, when he was 92 years old (Witness: Thomas G. McKoin, his son-in-law).
"In 1860 there was a celebration given in Springfield, Missouri, in his honor, as he was the only living Revolutionary Soldier at that time in this part of the country. He was presented with a flag, representing the original 13 states, by some young ladies of Springfield.
"James Barham remained in remarkable health throughout his senior years. It is said that at 100 years of age he could still ride horseback for a distance of 20 miles. It is further stated by family members that he never wore spectacles (eyeglasses) and at 100 years of age could shoot game at the distance of 100 yards.
He died at the home of his grandson, James Robinson, on Leiper Prairie, 15 miles west of Springfield in Greene County on January 8, 1865 in his 101st year and was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery.
"James Barham was one of the last five surviving soldiers of the American Revolution who were on the U.S. Pension Roll. By an act of Congress approved February 27, 1865, each of the five surviving soldiers was to receive the sum of $300 annually from the government, in addition to the pension they were already receiving. However, Barham died in January 1865, just prior to the passing of this act, and the government had not yet received notification. The other soldiers still living in 1865 were Lemuel Cook of Clarendon, New York, age 98; Samuel Downing of Edinburg, New York, age 98; William Hutchings of Penobscot, Maine, age 100; and Alexander Maroney of Yates, New York, age 94.
"A grave marker was dedicated at his burial site on October 16, 1937 by the Rachel Donelson Chapter DAR of Springfield. However the DAR marker is no longer visible at his gravesite. Also a new stone that includes the Barham Coat of Arms on the back side, was erected sometime after about 1980.
"(SOURCES: Leonard A. Johnson, "James Barham, Revolutionary Soldier," Ozar’kin 1:4 (Winter 1979), pp. 137, 138; Mildred Dodd, "Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church," Ozar’kin 1:4 (Winter 1979), pp. 139-140; "Mt. Pleasant Cemetery," Ozar’kin 1:4 (Winter 1979), p. 140-146; "James Barham," information file, Shepard Room, Springfield-Greene County Library; Alice Kinyoun Houts, "Barham, James," Revolutionary Soldiers Buried in Missouri (Kansas City, MO: N.p., 1966), p. 10; Virgil D. White, Genealogical Abstracts of Revolutionary War Pension Files, Volume 1: A-E (Waynesboro, TN: The National Historical Publishing Company, 1990), p. 148; Gwathmey’s Virginians in the Revolution, p. 39; Virginia pension # S 37720, secured while living in Kentucky; National Archives, Revolutionary War Pension # S 16614; U.S. Bounty Land Warrant #26246-160-55; tombstone reading done by Glenn Gohr on April 17, 1991.)"
Burial Site:
From AB Highway in Willard, go 4.6 miles west on Highway 160. Then turn left on Highway UU (south) and go .8 mile to the first left-turning road. Turn here (east) on Farm Road 76 and go .5 mile to the first right-turning road. Turn here (south) on Farm Road 75 and go .6 mile to where the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church is located. The church is on the left and the cemetery is on the right, enclosed by a strong wire fence.
James Barham’s grave is located in the southwest corner of the cemetery under a large cedar tree and is easily found. The Barham Coat of Arms appears on the back side of his marker and is visible from the road, as the front of his marker faces west.
DAR info to join:
Soldier in Virginia .
Member: Ann Elizabeth Perfect Cantwell Rinard, No. 331413.
More information will be in the Ruddick File, 6105338
Father: James Barham b: 1730 in Southampton Co., VA
Mother: Mary Thorpe b: 1734 in Southampton Co., VA
Bolling Dunn's Bible lists all 6 of John Edmond Dunn & Prudence Freeman's children. They were: Rebecca who died before her father; Edwin 29 MAR 1775 in Va died 2 NOV 1864 in Logan County,KY- Burial: Dunn Cemetery-Logan County,KY; Lavina ca 1777 who married Rev. Daniel T. Barham; Lewis b ca 1779 died ca 1835 Logan Co KY; Elizabeth ca 1781 & John ca 1783, who was born after his father's will was written or after his father died. Lavinia married James Barham's cousin Rev. Daniel Barham.
Marriage 1 Prudence Freeman b: 3 MAR 1754 in Sussex County, Virginia
Married: 20 OCT 1785 in Wake Co, North Carolina
Children
Charles Abraham Barham b: ABT 1786 in Stokes County, North Carolina
Sarah "Sally" Barham b: ABT 1788
Phoebe Barham b: ABT 1791
James Freeman Barham b: ABT 1791 in North Carolina married to Margarette "Peggy" Holbrook and had James Barham b: 7 FEB 1825 in Logan County, Kentucky (m. Mariah Ellen Slagel), Sarah R. Barham b July 1826 Logan, Kentucky (married Curtis Williams in Greene, Missouri), Joel H. Barham b: 2 MAY 1832 in Kentucky, Barbara L. Barham b: 3 JUL 1833 in Kentucky, Phoebe Barham b: ABT 1836 in Kentucky
Susannah Barham b: 17 April 1794
William Barham b: 14 October 1796 m. Susannah Fortner
James Barham had moved to NC from Virginia about 1785 where he married Prudence Freeman. He moved to Logan Co kentucky in 1813. After Prudence Freeman died 1 January 1815, James Barham married Elizabeth Houston on 11 SEP 1815 in , Logan, KY.
