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Descendants of William Barnett

Generation No. 1

1. William¹ Barnett was born May 1769 in PA?¹, and died August 16, 1838 in North Buffalo Tp., Armstrong Co., PA ². He married Sarah Hart Abt. 1798 in PA?.

Notes for William Barnett:
Will of William Barnett, Sr. doles out various sums and conditions to all
the children. Of particular interest is the mention of land in Jefferson Co.,
PA, which he owned jointly with his son Robert Barnett, William's interest to
be divided between Robert's sisters Anne and Elizabeth. The distribution to
William's children seems quite unequal, but may reflect other property or
funds distributed earlier, such as the money Joseph used to buy his farm.

The information in the IGI and Ancestral File concerning this family gives various dates for the children. The dates shown here come from a consensus of census and cemetery records. A reading of the Cowan Cemetery includes a stone only partly legible
that says BARNETT... mother of William, and also a Walden Barnett, illegible. It is possible there are important clues in the cemetery. Other unidentified Barnett burials from this reading include a William 1815-1884 and a John (infant) with no dates.

Information from Darrell Lear notes family story that only the last 6 children were known to the relatives in Armstrong Co., in spite of the will, which mentions additional sons William and James. This information appears first in family notes
complied by Stanley Barnett, whom we consider an informed if sometimes inaccurate source. It is possible that William and James pertain to a prior marriage and/or were raised elsewhere. The will of William Sr. provides annual payments beginning four
years after his death, so perhaps there are accounts of the settlement in the court dockets that would mention their place of residence.

Family notes originating with Stanley Barnett b. 1898 connect the origin of the family with Philadelphia, where at the "Coffee House", William Barnett bought the rights to his acreage from a man named McCall, who had acquired it as payment for a
Revolutionary War debt. Stanley Barnett thought the will of William Sr. left land in Crawford Co. to William Jr. and James. In fact, it mentions land held jointly with Robert Barnett in Jefferson Co. Only cash was left to William and James. There
is no mention of Crawford Co. in the will, and we have no idea where that idea came from!

But the account from Stanley Barnett differs from the story given in the History of Armstrong County, which rehearses the titles of all the major tracts of land in the county. The property was Depreciation Lot No. 286, purchased from the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania by Benjamin Holland 23 sep 1786, "probably at the Coffee-House in Philadelphia". His son and only heir Samuel Holland finally obtained the patent 27 sep 1828 (patent in book H-25 p. 568 notes that Benjamin had died intestate), and
conveyed the property to William Barnett shortly thereafter, 08 nov 1828. Holland also owned Depreciation Lot No. 260 in West Franklin Tp., surveyed 20 oct 1785 and patented 14 aug 1830. The most likely synthesis is that Benjamin Holland bought up
several depreciation lots at one of the public auctions in Philadelphia or Lancaster, then found buyers for these lots with the arrangement that he, the warrantee, would turn over title once the buyers had paid him the agreed principal and interest.
Samuel, his heir, finally executed these arrangements. In order for these transactions to have been carried out over a period of nearly 50 years, there must have been legally binding documents of some type, contracts between Benjamin Holland and the
individual buyers. The whereabouts of these contracts might be indicated in proceedings of the estate of Benjamin Holland, or noted in documents relating to transactions between Holland and the buyers of his other depreciation lots. Thus it may be
possible to learn where and when William Barnett acquired his interest in his farm in Armstrong County. As the family story indicates William Barnett and Sarah Hart treked through the wilderness with only their eldest daughter (or the eldest 2
daughters?) about 1802, before Armstrong Co. was organized, the records could be in a number of places, including Allegheny Co., where the land was, Westmoreland, Northumberland, or Lycoming counties, which had jurisdiction over parts of present-day
Armstrong Co., or perhaps in Philadelphia where the original sale is supposed to have taken place.

In hopes of finding a definite place of residence of Benjamin Holland, we checked the index to the Pennsylvania Depreciation Warrants, but found only two mentions of Benjamin Holland, in connection with two different lots. A warrant dated 22 may 1785
relates to lot 48 in District 3, surveyed by William Alexander, for Benjamin Holland "and Hannah Holland", and another dated 15 dec 1785 relates to lot 63 in District 2, surveyed by Daniel Leet, for Benjamin Holland. We have no way of knowing if this
might be the same Benjamin Holland, or a different person altogether.

The first known reference to William Barnett in Armstrong Co. is his signature on a petition about 1802 (?) for Rev. John Boyd to be pastor for a congregation at Slate Lick, now in South Buffalo Tp. (History of Armstrong Co., 1883, p. 450). We would
like to know more about this document!

The timing of certain transactions seems to hint at family events. William Barnett's land, apparently purchased from Benjamin Holland before 1803, was not actually paid off until 1828, when Samuel Holland, son and heir of Benjamin, obtained the patent
and within a few days deeded the land over to Barnett. Yet only a few years later, William has managed to amass enough money to help his sons Joseph and Robert buy land, and was able to provide for his son John and his daughters besides when he died
in 1838. Did he acquire an inheritance about 1828? Was that the same year his mother came to live with him?

Children of William Barnett and Sarah Hart are:

Mary Anne (Polly)² Barnett, born 1801 in PA; died Aft. 1860 in PA.

ii.

Anne H. Barnett, born December 14, 1802 in PA ³; died 1884 in North Buffalo Tp, Armstrong Co., PA?⁴.

Notes for Anne H. Barnett:
Where is she in 1880? Where does she say her parents were born?

iii.

Elizabeth Barnett, born June 15, 1805 in Armstrong Co., PA; died July 05, 1883 in Armstrong Co., PA.

iv.

Joseph Barnett, born 1810 in PA; died Aft. 1884 in Van Buren Co. IA?.

Robert E. Barnett, born September 1811 in Armstrong Co., PA; died Aft. 1900 in Allegheny Co., PA.

vi.

John Barnett, born 1814 in PA; died June 1874 in Memphis, Scotland Co., MO.

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