CAVE-IN-ROCK, Ill. (Feb. 28, 1935) — Mrs. Lurenda Catherine Barnard
of Elizabethtown, now nearly 85 and was born August 1850 on a farm now known
as the Franklin Jackson farm. Her father came to this county from Tennessee
in an early day. Her mother moved here from the state of Ohio in the year
1823.
She was the seventh child of the family and the only one now living. She had
four brothers: William, John, Andy and Stephan and two sisters Sarah and
Liza.
"Aunt Kate" as she is called by every one, can recall many incidents that
happened during the Civil War. She says many escaped slaves passed by her
home on their way to freedom, also several officers in search of these
escaped men. Her mother used to sit by the open fire and tell her children
of their great great grandfather, who was President Andrew Jackson and of
his noble deeds.
She remembered well how they raised and stored vegetables and fruits for the
winter, also how they spun and wove dress materials, knitted socks for her
brothers and countless other things that aren't done these days.
Four of her father's brothers went to California in the gold rush of 1849,
but none of them returned nor were ever heard from.
"Aunt Kate was married to the late John Allen Barnard, a Civil War veteran,
in 1867 and began their long and blissful married life on a farm now known
as the "Bill Conn" farm. Eleven children were born to this union, three
dying in infancy. The rest living to be men and women. Dock Barnard died in
1905 at the age of 26. Mrs. Mallie Holbrook, a daughter died at Castle Gate,
Utah in 1929. Six are still living. Allan of Sparks Hill, John of Wasson,
Spence of Elizabethtown, Walter of Cave-in-Rock, Mrs. Alda Barnard of Sparks
Hill, and Mrs. Mollie Holbrook of Elizabethtown.
She has eighteen grand children and twelve great grandchildren. All of them
visit her quite often which makes her very happy.
In 1884 she and her family moved to Green Wood Co., Kansas, lived there two
years and came back to Hardin County, where they lived until 1886 when they
again left Illinois moving to Corning, Arkansas. Both of these trips were
made in covered wagons and it took a number of days to make the journey.
Finally in 1888 they decided to return to Illinois.
Uncle John as the great grand son of Kit Hobbs, who was a great Indian
fighter. He killed a notorious Indian Chief, who had kidnapped a white
woman, and the government presented him with a fine rifle of those days for
his deed.
For the last eight years of his 85, Uncle John was totally blind but was
always cheerful about his affliction.
Uncle John and Aunt Kate were members of the General Baptist Church at Rock
Creek for sixty years before he passed away. She was a member of the Rebecca
Lodge of Rock Creek.
She has made her home with her oldest daugahter, Mrs. Mollie Holbrook and
her oldest great grand child, Miss Erva Holbrook of Elizabethtown since her
husband died July 31, 1929.
She has four children past sixty years of age and her youngest is 49.
Aunt Kate has a very sweet disposition and loves company. Her eye sight is
very good for an eighty-five year old person.
She is always glad for any of her many friends old or young, to come in and
visit a while.
This article was written by her great grand daughter, Miss Erva Holbrook.
Thanks to Wanda H. Reed for contributing this article to the Hardin County
ILGenWeb site. The Hardin County Independent first published this article by
Erva Holbrook on Feb. 28, 1935. According to Wanda, Lurenda was the daughter
of Tyra Jackson and Elizabeth (Davis) Jackson who married Dec. 18, 1836, in
Pope Co., Illinois. The 1860 census showed Lurenda as 9 years of age.
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