I found this while going through the back issues of the journal for the Virginia Genealogical Society. This article on the genealogy of a certain James Barker seemed too detailed and full of possible help for other researchers, that I decided to post the whole thing. This is not part of my clan of Barkers, but may be of some use to others. The article is from a book originally, and reprinted in the journal. One line of text did not photocopy well, but I think for most purposes that will be an acceptable loss. If you find this helpful, you will want to track down the journal article and the book, History of Summers County, West Virginia. Happy hunting. GENEALOGY OF THE BARKER FAMILY IN WEST VIRGINIA (1) James Barker was born in 1726, and was an Englishman and captain of a British man-of-war. He married a Miss Smith, a distinguished lady of Portsmouth, England in the year 1751. From them sprung Jacob Barker, in 1761, a boatman on the James River, who married Susan Garner, of French descent, in 1786, and from them sprung William A. Barker, in 1796, who married Miss Sarah Hobbs, a woman of distinguished intellectuality, born in Bedford County, Virginia, in 1800, and married in 1817, and from this union sprung James B. Barker, in 1818; Mary V. Barker, in 1820; M. C. Barker, in 1821; Win. E. Barker, in 1824; A. L. Barker, in 1826; Thos. J. Barker, in 1828, and Francis S. Barker, in 1830. M. C. Barker, who settled finally on the Gatliff land, was born in 1821, and married Miss Julia A. Lilly, who was born in 1827, daughter of Robert C. Lilly, a prosperous planter and slave-owner, in 1842. The brothers of M. C. Barker settled in the West, Thos, J. Barker being a wealthy banker of Kansas City, Kansas. M. C. Barker was one of the sturdy and thrifty settlers of the county twenty odd years before the Civil War. He removed from Giles County in 1842, and married Miss Julia A. Lilly, one of the great family of that name, who settled the country west of New River. He first settled on Beech Run, but later purchased the old Gatliff bottom, formerly owned by Anderson Pack, the bottom being one of the Gatliff patents, and is one of the most fertile and productive tracts of land in the county. He was a man of fine business sense, and noted for his love of peace, being the mediator by which many neighborly disputes were amicably settled, and enemies made into friends by reason of his good services. He was a man of fine physique and judgment in business and other matters. He was justice of the peace at one time before the war, back in 1859, and was justice also during the war, and at the time he was taken prisoner, the Union soldiers carrying him to Beckley, before General Hayes, who discharged him after three months' imprisonment. By his last will his wife retained control of his fine home farm and other property, the same eventually reverting in fee to his son James and two daughters--Ollie, who married John Webb, and Frances, who married John Bradberry. He was, at the time of the change in the Constitutional Convention abolishing the county courts, president, elected for a full term. He was later an independent candidate for delegate to the Legislature, but was defeated by the regular Democratic candidate. His son, William A., died early in life, unmarried. His daughter, Mary E. married James Lilly, and resides now in Raleigh County. Robert J., who married Miss Malot, died in the Confederate Army during the War Between the States. The next son was John W., an enterprising and successful farmer, who resides on the old Clark plantation near the mouth of Bluestone, and is also a silversmith and a reliable surveyor. He married Miss Melissa M. Meador. Thos. Benton, the next son, resides on a farm in Jumping Branch District, and is a successful farmer. He married Miss Harriet Lilly. James L. married Miss Emma Jordan, a daughter of Hon. G. L. Jordan, and, after her death, Miss Alice Johnson. He died in 1888. Sarah M. married James H, Gore, and died in 1892. Julia A. married William Houchins, Jr., of Pipestem, a prominent farmer, teacher and merchant, Jonathan Lee Barker resides on the James Roles farm, at the mouth of Bluestone, a part of the old Anderson Pack lands. He is a successful farmer and surveyor, as well as one of the successful teachers of the county, and prominent in Republican politics. He was at one time the nominee of his party for member of the county court, but was defeated by reason of the party being in the minority. In 1904 he was appointed by Governor Dawson to reassess the real estate of the county at its true and actual value…(illegible)…generally satisfactory and but few complaints were heard, being much more satisfactory than in the adjoining counties. No appeals were taken from his judgment, and but few, if any, changes made, and only complaints where an error was made, which was promptly corrected. His work in this line should be very gratifying, as usually great dissatisfaction arises from work of this character. Mr. Barker was also a member of the Board of Examiners of the county for a term of four years, and has taught in the public schools for twenty-six years. He is also a notary public and a careful businessman. The first clock ever made in West Virginia was made by a cousin of M. C. Barker, John Barker, many years ago. The oldest son of J. L. Barker, Dr. ________Barker, graduated in medicine at the University of Louisville in 1906, and is now practicing his profession in the State of Kansas. He graduated at twenty-one years of age--as young as it is possible for any person to graduate in that profession. Dr. Joseph L. Barker, the youngest son of M. C. Barker, graduated from the University of Kansas, and has for the past several years practiced his profession in that State. He was one of the witnesses for the State in the celebrated trial of J. Speed Thompson, at Lewisburg, in 1886, for the killing of Elbert Fowler. M. D. Barker resides in Greenbrier County, having married Miss Elizabeth Johnston, of that county. R. E. Barker, a son of John W., also graduated in medicine from the University of Kansas, and is a practicing physician in Kansas at this time, at Kansas City. Ethan Barker, another son of John W., is in his third year in taking a medical course in the Medical College of Louisville. I am under obligations to Mr. Jonathan Lee Barker for many incidents of interest incorporated in this book, and for which he is entitled to credit, as he has taken much interest in procuring data for me. R. J. Barker, above mentioned son of M. C. Barker, is in Kansas City, Kansas, and was one of the engineers who surveyed out Oklahoma, and a member of the first Legislature of that Territory, and introduced the bill establishing the Agricultural Experimental College at Guthrie, Okla. and was made the first president of this college by appointment of President Harrison, at a salary of $2, 000 per year, and was postmaster at Crescent City for a dozen years. The following poem was written and set to music by Jonathan Lee Barker; All Hail to Summers! (Copyrighted.) Oh, Summers for me! yes, dear Summers for me! The land of the noble, the home of the free! Where peace and contentment throughout the good land Are showered on all by a generous hand. Chorus: Then hail to thee, Summers! yes, all hail to thee! Thy hills and thy rills are delightful to me; There's room in thy borders for all who may come, And a welcome for all who will make thee their home, - - Who will make thee their home. 1. History of Summers County, West Virginia, From the Earliest Settlement to the Present Time, by J. H, Miller, 1908, p. 679-b82. Mike Barker Richmond, VA mbarker7@aol.com