BARRS ANCESTORS AND DESCENDANTS Chapter V
James C. Barrs served on a Brooks County Georgia committee to help destitute widows
from The War Between the States during April of 1866, as reported by The Nankin District
newspaper. William W. Barrs, James C. Barrs' youngest brother served as Chairman of the
Committee.
James Barrs [Uncle to James C. Barrs] at age 74 was in the Pulaski County, Georgia
Census: Born 1795 in North Carolina (Lenoir County, NC) with property valued at $100.
He has a younger 2nd wife age 55, Ann E. Pipkin with 2 grandsons William Joshua Barrs
age 14 and James Grover Barrs age 6 in his household. William Joshua and James Grover
were the sons of James Barrs ' oldest son George Grandberry Barrs and his wife
Elizabeth Cole. Elizabeth had died of natural causes and George had died of wounds
received at Coley Station, Pulaski County, Georgia.
James C. Barrs at age 49 was in the 1870 Brooks County Georgia Census: Household:
Elizabeth (Martha Elizabeth Land) age 49; James Henry L. Barrs was no longer in the
household (Probably married and believed to have been living in Hillsboro County
Florida where he also helped establish a town there and became a citrus grower.):
William T. (Taylor) Barrs age 23; Isaac Newton Barrs [My Great Grandfather] age 20;
Francis Marion Barrs age 18; John Wesley Barrs age 16; Andrew J. Barrs age 14 (Henry J.
Barrs born 1857 in Wakulla County Florida) and Parmelia Barrs age 12 (She married John
Gilley of Suwannee County Florida.) and was later called "Amelia." She and John Gilley
are buried in the Santa Fe Cemetery just north off US 27 highway in Hildreth, Florida.
Amelia (Parmelia) was still in her parent’s household in Suwannee County Florida at the
time of the 1880 Federal Census.
James C. Barrs and some family members moved to south Suwannee-Columbia County
Florida around 1870-71. Jim Barrs built or bought and operated the Barrs General Store
and established Barrsville Florida. James C. Barrs' General Store was located in Barrsville
Columbia County, Florida on the Old Military and Telegraph Road, which lay some
fourteen (14) miles south from Lake City, Columbia County, Florida and eight (8) miles
north from the Santa Fe River. Just to the west lies the old Ichetucknee Methodist
Memorial Cemetery where I believe James C. and Martha Elizabeth Barrs are buried
beside their son, John Wesley Barrs, his wife and a young daughter. Only John Wesley
Barrs and his family have headstones. We believe James C. and Martha Elizabeth Barrs
were buried with wooden markers which have long since disappeared in the moist
hammock climate of the cemetery. If you are looking for the old Ichetucknee Methodist
Memorial Cemetery it is a very small cemetery but has a wrought iron gate arch on a
graded dirt road running along the Suwannee and Columbia County line. Because of its
location in a hammock it requires constant cleaning and repair. Anyone living nearby is
encouraged to adopt the old cemetery and help keep it clean and order. Thanks, Al Barrs!
The Barrsville area had originally been settled by a Mr. Giles Underwood Ellis in 1845
and was called "Ellisville Florida" before it died out. Folks had great anticipation that a
railroad spur would be built from Lake City but it never materialized. The several small
hamlets and villages established along its proposed route were a direct result of
anticipation that the railroad would be build. When it wasn’t built many of the hamlets
dried up. Ellisville today is located at the intersection of Interstate 75 and highway US 441
and several miles east of the original Ellisville settlement. However the Ellisville of today
is not, I believe, the actual site of old Ellisville or Barrsville. Mr. Ellis may have abandoned
the first Ellisville location and moved to a more profitable location where Ellisville exists
on I-10 south of Lake City today. The old Ellisville town site is several miles due west of
present day Ellisville, that got its name from Mr. Ellis. The proposed railroad from Lake
City to Fort White was the motivation for several small towns that sprang up along its
proposed route. Unfortunately the railroad was never built and most of the little
settlements eventually died out. Leno Florida, the present day site of Florida O'Leno State
Park, was one of those settlements that failed to survive the absence of the railroad but
exists today as a favorite recreation site for many north central Florida residents.
James C. Barrs established Barrsville and chartered a U. S. Postal Office in 1871. The U.
S. Post Office in Barrsville Columbia County Florida existed intermittently from June 8,
1871 to March 9, 1882. The Barrs family no doubt had hoped that the establishment of a
railroad would make them and their town prosperous as did other settlers. Several towns
established on the potential rail line, such as Leno, declined when the railroad did not
materialize. (See USGenWeb.org Columbia County Florida Web site for Barrsville, Florida
history at http://www.rootsweb.com/%7eflcolumb/barrsville.htm) Barrsville would
however continue to exist until near 1920. I have found maps to 1917 showing
Barrsville.
Isaac Newton Barrs (My Great Grandfather), a son of James C. Barrs and Martha
Elizabeth Land-Barrs, was a member of the 'Offices of The Nankin District, S. of T,'
Brooks County Georgia during April 1872, as reported in The Nankin District newspaper.
Isaac Newton Barrs did not go with his parents to Suwannee-Columbia County Florida
but stayed in Brooks County Georgia. He met and married a Brooks County Georgia girl
in 1873, Mary Elizabeth Boyett. Later Issac and Elizabeth Barrs would move to Day,
Lafayette County, Florida where all of their children would be born.
Instead Isaac Newton Barrs and his wife Mary Elizabeth Boyett-Barrs moved to
Lafayette County Florida sometime between 1874 and 1879. Isaac Newton and Mary
Elizabeth Barrs settled in Day (Day Town) Lafayette County Florida where he "built a
large general store in 1904" as reported in the Mayo Free Press. There was a Cotton Gin in
Day. Isaac Barrs would also own a two-story pioneer hotel and boarding house to support
the Cotton Gin. He also built two large homes in Day and his last home just south of
Brewer Lake and just north of James Fielding’s home and farm. Other sons, along with
James C. and Martha Elizabeth's youngest child and only daughter Parmelia Barrs-
Gilley, did go to Suwannee-Columbia County Florida with their parents around 1870.
Francis Marion and John Wesley settled in Suwannee County near their parents. The
youngest son, Andrew J. Barrs, settled in Lafayette County Florida with his brother Isaac
Newton Barrs. Andrew “Ander” was a farmer and bought homestead land in Lafayette
County, Florida.
We know that John Wesley, Francis Marion and Parmelia (Amelia) Barrs settled in
adjoining Suwannee and Columbia Counties Florida. James C. and Martha Elizabeth,
and Amelia Barrs were living in Suwannee County Florida during the 1880 Federal
Census. The location of Barrsville and where they were probably living in 1880 is located
on the east Suwannee and west Columbia County's lines.
Isaac Newton Barrs married Mary Elizabeth Boyett on January 12, 1873 in Brooks County
Georgia. Mary Elizabeth was born March 11, 1857 in Lowndes County Georgia. She died
of blood poisoning in 1925. He died in 1933 in the home of their daughter Mollie
Campbell Barrs-Fielding.
Oscar Marion Barrs (My Grandfather) was born January 5, 1879 in Day, Lafayette County
Florida to Isaac Newton Barrs and Mary Elizabeth Boyett-Barrs.