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T he majority of the Barnum families of North America are descended from Thomas BARNUM (1625-1695), the immigrant ancestor, and their lines of descent are well represented here. Some of the English ancestors of Thomas are also present and there should be clues on this site to help in tracing the vast majority of Barnum lines of descent (www.barnum.org/)
Joseph BARNUM was born about 1816 in Currituck County, North Carolina and enlisted in the Navy on May 13, 1862. He was 5 feet 9 inches tall, rated as a (www.barnum.org/military.html)
I t has been said that, Genealogy without documentation is just mythology . That saying can definitely be applied to a number of persistent errors regarding the immediate family of the immigrant ancestor Thomas Barnum (1625-1695). (www.barnum.org/myth.html)
T homas Barnum (originally Barnham, sometimes Barnam) was born in 1625 in Hollingbourne, Kent, England; arrived in the British Colonies of North America about 1640; and died 26 December 1695 in Danbury, Fairfield, Connecticut Colony. He married ( (www.barnum.org/myth.html)
Lisa MARCINEK (1963-living); Carol STEVENS (1940-living); Richard Jennings STEVENS (1918-1961); Harold Irwin STEVENS (1891-1946); Irwin STEVENS (1861-1929); George Lewis STEVENS (1834-1914); Asahel B. STEVENS (1808-1887); Peter STEVENS (1764-1839); Lt. Ezra STEVENS (1724-1823) and his wife Ann BARNUM , b. 1723 to Benjamin BARNUM (1696-1779); Abiga(i)l BARNUM (b. 1687); Thomas BARNUM (1625-1695) (www.barnum.org/research.html)
Although the completerecord of the family of Thomas BARNUM appears within the body of this site,some may be interested in reading a history of the first North Americangeneration in narrative form. The following few paragraphs of narrative areincluded for them (www.barnum.org/intro.html)
T homas BARNUM (or BARNHAM, or BARNAM)was born in 1625 in County Kent, England; died on 26 Dec 1695 in Danbury,Connecticut. As mentioned above, Noah G. Barnum , in The Barnum Family,1517-1904 states (without providing documentation) that Thomas BARNUM wasthe 1 (www.barnum.org/intro.html)
A lthough I sincerely hope that thisweb site will be a useful tool for genealogical research, and that it willprovide hours of enjoyment to new generations of Barnum family genealogists, Isuggest that it be used primarily as a guide to further research. There is nosubstitute for primary documentation in the study of genealogy. (www.barnum.org/intro.html)
N ow, let's return to the story ofour ancestor Thomas BARNUM . According to Orcutt's History of Stratford ,Thomas came first to New York and afterwards to Norwalk. Several sources agreethat he married ( (www.barnum.org/intro.html)
Hemarried (1st), in 1642, Hannah __________ . She died in 1683 . The Barnum Family,1350-1907 calls her Hannah HURD (providing no source for that name) andalso calls her the mother of the first four children of Thomas. All otheravailable sources indicate that her surname is not known, and also state thatshe was the mother of all ten of the known children of Thomas. Thomas andHannah had the following children (www.barnum.org/intro.html)
) marriage of P.T. BARNUM was to Charity HALLETT, on 8 Nov 1829 in New York , New York . Themarriage was performed by the Reverend Dr. McAULEY. Charity HALLET was born in1808 in Bethel, Connecticut; died on 17 Nov 1873. She was a tailoress in Bethel,Connecticut, prior to her marriage to Barnum . The Barnum Family, 1350-1907 calls her Charity HALLOT. (www.barnum.org/intro.html)
This portion of the GenForum Site deals specifically with the Barnum Family. You can read and post messages here regarding research into Barnum family genealogy (www.barnum.org/links.html)
The Lucy Wolcott Barnum Chapter of the D.A.R. is located in Adrian, Michigan. It is named for the great-grandmother of its founding Regent, Louise Barnum Robbins, whose father, Samuel Wolcott; brother , Samuel Wolcott, Jr.; and husband, Stephen Barnum were all Revolutionary soldiers. The chapter was organized April 1 (www.barnum.org/links.html)
This section is being developed as an area where historic Barnum Familyphotographs may be posted. Although it's still relatively small, it has thepotential to grow as more family members share copies of photographs from theirpersonal collections. (www.barnum.org/photos.html)
H ereis just one example of the reason for careful research and documentation of Ancestral File data. In addition to the unsourced entry for Thomas Barnum and Mary Feake, with a marriage date of about 1684 in Connecticut, a review of the Ancestral File shows marriages for Thomas Barnham and Mary Feake in London about 1586 and three separate marriages for Thomas Barneham and Mary Feake in London with dates of 1577, 1586 and 1595. No sources are given for any of these. However, Thomas Barneham is named in the will of William Feake, dated 7 May 1595, as the husband of his daughter Mary Feake, born about 1565. The will states that Mary Feake married Thomas Barneham, a son of Thomas Barneham and Alice Cressey and that Thomas died (without issue) about 1614. Here, then, is documentary evidence that Mary Feake was not a wife of the immigrant ancestor Thomas Barnum (1625-1695) (www.barnum.org/myth.html)
What is now New York 's famous Madison Square Garden opened in April, 1874under the name Barnum 's Hippodrome. At the north end of the city's38-year-old Madison Square Park, on Fifth Avenue, was a shed that had been useduntil 1871 as a freight depot for the New York and Harlem Railroad. Barnum spent $35,000 to remodel the roofless structure and sold his lease that winterto Patrick S. GILMORE for a handsome profit. Gilmore renamed it Gilmore'sGarden and used it for flower shows, policemen's balls, America's first beautycontest, religious and temperance meetings, and the first Westminster Kennel ClubShow, while Barnum pitched his circus tent at Gilmore's Garden each spring.Madison Square Garden got its present name on May 30, 1879 when it was acquiredand renamed by railroad heir William K. VANDERBILT, who announced that it wouldbe used primarily as an athletic center (www.barnum.org/intro.html)
When the churchservices were over, the procession moved to Mountain View Cemetery, a mile ormore distant, where, in a beautiful plat, long ago arranged, with a modestmonument above it, rest the remains of Mr. Barnum 's first wife. Here, in aplace made beautiful by nature and improved by art, was consigned the mortalpart of him whose story we have tried, weakly, perhaps, to tell. Great massesof flowers, similar to those displayed in the house and church, were upon thegrave and about it, and the people, who came there in large numbers, did notleave for hours after the religious service had been read. A book of good sizemight be made of the notable expressions called forth by Mr. Barnum 's deathfrom leading journals and men known to fame. It is impossible to give any fairsample of them here, but the London Times' leader of April 8th may serve,perhaps, as a good specimen: Barnum is gone. That fine flower of Westerncivilization, that arbiter elegantiarum to Demos, has lived. At the age ofeighty, after a life of restless energy and incessant publicity, the greatshowman has lain down to re (www.barnum.org/intro.html)
T he genealogy of Thomas Barnum has been thoroughly researched over a period of more than three centuries and the persons, dates and places associated with his life are well known and carefully documented. In spite of that, literally dozens of entries in both written and Internet genealogies list unsourced information that conflicts with his known genealogy. For example, some call him Thomas (Earl) Barnum (suggesting a connection to English minor nobility) and others show him as married to Mary Feaks or Feake. Still others list Phoebe Park as one of his wives. No accurate, verifiable source documentation has been found to support any of those statements. Unfortunately, though, the erroneous data continues to be accepted and cited in family genealogies without adequate research or valid documentation. (www.barnum.org/myth.html)
T he arrival of the immigrantancestor Thomas BARNUM (or BARNHAM, or BARNAM) in the British Colonies of NorthAmerica is well documented. A number of sources also refer to his probableEnglish roots, although without offering documentation. Even without adocumented connection, however, information concerning the English forebears ofthe Barnum family will be of interest to many. So, I've included on this website a partial genealogy of the Barnham family in England, together withmention of a few isolated individuals of the same or similar surname. For thosewho may be interested, I've also included in this section a narrative versionof the family history of the first Barnum generation in North America, as wellas a similar narrative concerning the life of the famous showman Phineas TaylorP.T. BARNUM (www.barnum.org/intro.html)
I n New England Families ,Cutter says an investigation of the English ancestry of the Barnum family ofAmerica justifies the belief that the immigrant ancestor was son or grandson ofSir Martin and Judith (Calthorpe) BARNHAM. His mother or grandmother wasdaughter of Sir Martin CALTHORPE, lord mayor of London , and Sir FrancisBARNHAM, knight of Hollingbourne, was either stepbrother or uncle, and the wifeof Francis BACON (Lord Bacon), great lord chancellor and viscount, was eitherfirst or second cousin. Noah Greeley Barnum , in The Barnum Family,1350-1907 , states (without providing documentation) that this sameimmigrant ancestor was the 1 (www.barnum.org/intro.html)
edition, confirms that SirFrancis BACON married Alice BARNHAM in the summer of 1606; she wasthe daughter of Benedict BARNHAM, Sheriff of London , and his wife DorotheaSMITH. By virtue of an apparent connection to Thomas Barnum , the immigrantancestor mentioned above, the members of the Barnham family in England are mostlikely the ancestors of those residents of North America who bear the namesBARNHAM, BARNAM, and BARNUM (the latter two of distinctly American origin).Every member of the Barnum family who has contacted me over the years withinformation concerning the family genealogy has been a direct descendant ofthat same Thomas Barnum (www.barnum.org/intro.html)
T his web site includes referencesto the earliest-known members of the family, both in England and in NorthAmerica, together with annotated family trees for all those Barnum familiesthat have a historically-documented relationship. The family name has appearedat various times and in various countries as Barnham, Barnam, Barnom, DeBernham, Bearnham, Barneham, and Barnum (and perhaps other spellings). Often,different sources show two or more spellings of the surname for the sameindividual. In fact, the immigrant ancestor appears to have been born with thesurname Barnham, and to have used both Barnam and Barnum after arriving inNorth America. In the genealogy presented on this site, I've generally followedthe convention of using Barnham for the English branch and Barnum for thedescendants of the immigrant ancestor. With a few exceptions, that conventionfollows actual usage by the individuals involved. However, the spellingsBarnam, Barnham and Barnum all appear on this site, and searches for specificindividuals should be undertaken with that in mi (www.barnum.org/intro.html)
T his is perhaps a good place toinsert a CAUTIONARY NOTE about Noah G. Barnum 'sunproven statements concerning the parentage of Thomas Barnum , and about a fewother doubtful entries you may find in our Barnum family history. There is nodocumentary evidence of the true parentage of Thomas Barnum , and without thatevidence the reference to Sir Francis Barnham as his father is really nothingbut supposition. It was quite common during the early 1900s for families towrite or commission genealogical records for the express purpose of showingtheir descent from the earliest settlers of North America or from theEuropean nobility. The result was a fair amount of questionable research andeven the publication of some outright falsehoods. As a result, while both thedirect descendants of Thomas Barnum and the English line of Barnham are shownon this site, the connection between them should be considered probable, butnot certain, because of the lack of reliable documentary evidence. The usersof this site are also cautioned to keep in mind that the original data uponwhich much of this genealogy was based may be suspect in some respect (www.barnum.org/intro.html)
Additionally, there are many places where the name of Thomas Barnum 'sfirst wife is cited as Hannah HURD. This is another error that has beencompounded over the years by its acceptance without question or research. Allavailable sources indicate that, while her name was probably Hannah, hersurname was almost certainly not Hurd. This error probably arose from confusionwith the second wife of Thomas. Before she married Thomas Barnum , she was Sarah(Thompson) HURD, the widow of John Hurd, Sr. of Stratford who died in 1681 (www.barnum.org/intro.html)
Cutter, in New England Families , Notes that Thomas Barnam was one of thefirst eight settlers of the town of Danbury, Connecticut, in 1684. The Historyof Stratford makes the same statement. The others are listed as: ThomasTAYLOR, Francis BUSHNELL, John HOYT, James BENEDICT, Samuel BENEDICT, JamesBEEBE and Judah GREGORY. Those eight individuals purchased from the localIndians a large tract of land that now includes the towns of Danbury, Bethel,New Fairfield, Redding, Ridgefield, and a portion of Derby, and establishedthere the settlement of Danbury. Thomas located his homestead in a portion ofthe new settlement that in 1855 became a part of the town of Bethel, and isknown today as the Old Homestead at Grassy Plain. He was charged by his fellowsettlers with the formulation of the articles of agreement establishing theform of civil government that they were to have in their new town. From that,and other references found in contemporary records of the locality, it appearsthat Thomas BARNUM was a man of more than ordinary intelligence among theimmigrants of his time, and was very active in both church and town affairs (www.barnum.org/intro.html)
) Sarah (Thompson) HURD. The most likelydate for their marriage is after 1688 (the birth year of Thomas' daughter Abigail),since most sources agree that all of his children were born of his firstmarriage. A prenuptial agreement is said to exist. Sarah THOMPSON was born in1642 in Stratford, Connecticut; died on 24 Jan 1718 in the same place. Herfather was John THOMPSON (b. about 1617), the first of that name in Stratford.Prior to her marriage to Thomas BARNUM she had been married to John HURD,Senior, of Stratford, who died in 1681. Thomas died on 26 Dec 1695, aged about70 years. His estate, which amounted to 330 pounds, 4 shillings, 4 pence, wasdivided among five sons and five daughters, the eldest son to have a doubleportion. His widow Sarah returned to Stratfield, in Stratford, and diedthere in Jan 1718 at the age of 76 years (www.barnum.org/intro.html)
Phineas Taylor BARNUM was born 5 Jul 1810 in Bethel, Connecticut; died 7Apr 1891 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He became a celebrated American showman byemploying sensational forms of presentation and publicity to popularize suchamusements as the public museum, the musical concert, and the three-ringcircus. In partnership with James A. BAILEY, he made the American circus apopular and gigantic spectacle, the so-called Greatest Show on Earth. (www.barnum.org/intro.html)
Barnum never took specific pains to deny it, and even thanked Forepaughfor the free publicity. In spite of the confusion about the statement mentionedabove, Barnum was fond of making extravagant and colorful statements, many ofwhich have been properly quoted. Among them is the paraphrased statement,Every crowd has a silver lining. He served two terms in the Connecticutlegislature (1865-67) and a term as mayor of Bridgeport (1875). Barnum wasnominated by the Republican Party as a candidate for U.S. Congress (1867), butwas defeated. His Democratic opponent was William Henry BARNUM (1818-1889), athird cousin once removed, who as a U.S. Senator became known for doing much tohelp re-elect Grover Cleveland as President. (www.barnum.org/intro.html)
) Nancy FISH .Although they were publicly married in New York on September 16, 1874, they hadactually been secretly married in London on February 14 (Valentines Day), afact that was not discovered until 120 years later. There was no issue of theirmarriage. Forty years younger than her husband, Nancy Fish was born in 1850 inSouthport, Lancashire, England. She was the daughter of John FISH, a Manchestercotton mill owner and an old friend of Barnum 's, who had based his commercialsuccess on the principles laid down by Barnum . Upon his death, Barnum was laidto rest in beautiful Mountain Grove Cemetery, which he himself had created. Inpoignant contrast to the garish notices that had accompanied his 60-yearcareer, the inscription on his tombstone was a modest one. P. T. Barnum , it read, Not My Will But Thine Be Done.Although the original stone is still there, a larger, more impressive one waslater raised by a grateful community (www.barnum.org/intro.html)
April10th, 1891, was the day set for Mr. Barnum 's funeral. The morning was cold,gray, and dismal. Nature's heart, with the spring joy put back and deadened,symbolized the melancholy that had fallen upon Bridgeport. No town was evermore transformed than was this city by one earthly event. On the public andprivate buildings were hung the habiliments of woe; flags were at half mast,and, in the store windows were to be seen innumerable portraits and likenessesof the dead citizen, surrounded by dark drapery, or embedded in flowers. Norwas this all. The people on the street and in the windows of their housesseemed to be thinking of but one thing - their common loss. The pedestrianwalked slower; the voices of talkers, even among the rougher classes, were moresubdued, and in their looks was imprinted the unmistakable signal of no commonor ordinary bereavement. The large church was not only filled, with itslecture-room, a considerable time before the hour set for the services; butthousands of people crowded the sidewalks near-by for hours, knowing they couldonly see the arrival and departure of the funeral corte (www.barnum.org/intro.html)
The private servicesat the house, Marina, near the Seaside Park, which preceded the publicservices in the church, were simple and were only witnessed and participated inby the relatives and immediate friends. The immense congregation that filled torepletion the South Congregational Church, while the last services were beingheld over the remains of Hon. P. T. Barnum , were deeply impressed with thetouching tribute which was paid the great showman and public benefactor by hisold friend, Rev. Robert Collyer, D.D. It was a pathetic picture which met theeyes of the vast throng. The aged preacher, with long white hair hangingloosely on his shoulders, and an expression of keen sorrow on his kindly face,standing in a small pulpit looking down on the remains of his old and cherishedfriend. The speaker's voice was strong and steady throughout his sermon. Eachword of that sad panegyric could be distinctly heard in every part of theedifice, but in offering up the last prayer, he broke down. The aged preachermade a strong effort to control himself, but his voice finally became husky,and tears streamed down his wrinkled chee (www.barnum.org/intro.html)
The audience was deeply touched bythis display of feeling, and many ladies among the congregation joined with thepreacher and wept freely. The immense gathering were unusually quiet when theaged minister took his place in the pulpit, and his words were strangely clear,and distinct in all portions of the church, In his feeling tribute, Dr. Collyersaid: P. T. Barnum was a born fighter for the weak against the strong, for theoppressed against the oppressor. The good heart, tender as it was brave, wouldalways spring up at the cry for help and rush on with the sword of assistance.This was not all that made him loved, for the good cheer of his nature was likea halo about him. He had always time to right a wrong and always time to be agood citizen and patriot of the town, State, or republic in which he lived. Hisgood, strong face, was known almost as well on the other side. You may be proudof him, as he was proud of his town. He helped to strengthen and beautify it,and he did beautify it in many place (www.barnum.org/intro.html)
He gave, in the eyes of the seekers afteramusement, a lustre to America. * * * He created the metier of showman on agrandiose scale worthy to be professed by a man of genius. He early realizedthat essential feature of a modern democracy, its readiness to be led to whatwill amuse and instruct it. He knew that 'the people' means crowds, payingcrowds; that crowds love the fashion and will follow it; and that the businessof the great man is to make and control the fashion. To live on, by, and beforethe public was his ideal. For their sake and his own, he loved to bring thepublic to see, to applaud, and to pay. His immense activity, covering all thoseyears, marked him out as one of the most typical and conspicuous of Yankees.From Jenny Lind to Jumbo, no occasion of a public 'sensation ' came amiss tohim. Phineas Taylor Barnum , born in 1810, at Bethel, Connecticut - howserious and puritanical it sounds! - would have died with a merely localreputation unless chance had favored him by putting in his way something tomake a hit with (www.barnum.org/intro.html)
He stumbled across Charles H. Stratton, the famous, theimmortal 'General Tom Thumb' of our childhood. Together they came to Europe andheld 'receptions' everywhere. It was the moment when the Queen's eldestchildren were in the nursery, and Barnum saw that a fortune depended on hisbringing them into friendly relations with Tom Thumb. He succeeded; and theBritish public flocked to see the amusing little person who had shown off hismature yet miniature dimensions by the side of the baby Heir Apparent. Then camethe Jenny Lind furore. Then came a publicity of a different sort. Mr. Barnum became a legislator for his State, and even, in 1875, Mayor of Bridgeport. Whynot? The man who can organize the amusements of the people may very well betrusted to organize a few of their laws for them. When, in 1889, the veteranbrought over his shipload of giants and dwarfs, chariots and waxworks, spanglesand circus -riders , to entertain the people of London , one wanted a Carlyle tocome forward with a discourse upon 'the Hero as Showma (www.barnum.org/intro.html)
Trinity Lime Rock is the oldest known structure built as a part of the Upper Housatonic Valley iron industry that is still standing, still substantially unchanged, and still in active use for the identical purpose for which it was originally constructed. The Barnum and Richardson families, who ran the Lime Rock Foundry from 1840 to 1919, as well as other iron furnaces and fabricating facilities in the area (the Beckley Furnace, in East Canaan, Connecticut's only official Industrial Monument is the best preserved) were also responsible for the construction of Trinity Church in 1872 (www.barnum.org/links.html)
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