Joseph Barney: A Revolutionary Ancestor Who Is "New To Me"

 

 The reason for beginning my genealogy journey twenty years ago was to prove a family story that my mother’s Woodward line was descended from a Revolutionary War solider from New Hampshire.  The family story proved true and the soldier had three brothers that also served, as well as a father who is a recognized patriot for his service on Hanover, New Hampshire's “Committee to Procure Men for Service,” as well as other war-related endeavors.  This Woodward clan provided an abundance of riches as I learned over the years, with loads of military records and meticulously documented New England vital records. My definition of genealogy work, in my mind, rested on the foundation of this enormous find.   I never dreamed that there could be more Revolutionary War ancestors in my future.  

Like many of you, with the extra time available during the pandemic, I took an extra look at my family trees.  Although I thought I had done a good job researching women in my tree, and I wanted to believe that I had done an exemplary job, when I was honest with myself, I spent more time on the surname-consistent men.  So, I used a lot of this pandemic time to explore many of “the wives.”  

One woman I had neglected was Charlotte Barney (1821-1897) who married Edwin C. Woodward, both from Castleton VT, in 1839 in Granville, New York which is just over the NY/VT border.  Charlotte’s line also had lots of Ancestry hints and easy documentation.  Her parents were Joseph Barney V and Olive Fisher who are buried in Castleton’s Old Congregational Cemetery with exceptionally tall headstones.   

The very tall headstone for Charlotte's father, Joseph Barney V ((1780-1827), at the Old Congregational Cemetery in Castleton, Vermont.  

  Charlotte’s paternal grandfather easily came up as Joseph Barney IV, another Revolutionary War soldier.   Born in Rehoboth, Bristol County, Massachusetts in 1755, he was exactly the right age to actively fight in the war.   Joseph was a Minute Man from Rehoboth and then entered and served as a Sergeant in Capt. Nathaniel Carpenter’s Company, Col. Simeon Cary’s Regiment, including service at Harlem Heights and White Plains in New York.   Joseph later moved to Rutland, Vermont after the war.   He died in 1836 at the age of 80 and is buried in Rutland’s West Street Cemetery.  

 

My 'new to me' Revolutionary War ancestor, Joseph Barney IV (1755-1836).  The newly replaced stone is from the Veterans Administration and the remnants of the old stone are preserved behind the new stone.  Work courtesy of Vermont Old Cemetery Association.

Here was a Revolutionary War ancestor that was “new to me” in 2021.   Finding another Revolutionary War ancestor was motivation for our next trip to Vermont and New Hampshire, which we completed in August 2022.  Not only did we visit Joseph’s resting place but we saw the replaced headstone which the fine folks from Vermont Old Cemetery Association (VOCA) applied for, on his behalf, from the US Veterans Administration.  VOCA works to encourage the restoration and preservation of neglected and abandoned cemeteries in Vermont; visit their website at voca58.org for more details of their year-round work. 

 

Monument to veterans of the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican War and the Civil War at West Street Cemetery in Rutland, Vermont. 

 Lastly, we were surprised and pleased to learn about the monument to all veterans buried at the West Street Cemetery.  VOCA had also worked to have a special monument placed for them, at a prominent position close to the entrance.  Through the blessings of alphabetization, Joseph Barney’s name occupies an eye-catching place on this monument. As so often happens in family history work, I found a new ancestor and met many wonderful and helpful people along the way.