Tuscaloosa County AlArchives Biographies.....Barnes, Jeremiah 
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 September 15, 2008, 8:00 pm

Author: Clement Richardson, Editor

JEREMIAH BARNES

  WHEN you go to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on school matters, the County
superintendent, the bankers and other people will tell you to "see Jeremiah
Barnes". Mr. Barnes is principal of the Negro Public Schools of Tuscaloosa, and
is most likely the oldest Negro School man today engaged in active service. He
began his career as a school teacher back in 1874, when a Negro school master
was indeed a rare person. From that date scarcely a day has passed during the
school session without finding the veteran at his post. Indeed, he goes to
school whether he teaches or not; for he keeps the keys of the Tuscaloosa High
School and almost daily, even in summer, you will find him about the school
going over the grounds, attending the school garden, inspecting the rooms inside.

  The veteran school master of Tuscaloosa was reared a slave, on the farm of
Judge Washington Wood, eight miles west of Tuscaloosa. Here he learned to read
and write and found some opportunity to improve himself generally. He was a
brick mason back in the 60's. Ten years later he was running a variety store, at
which time he became alderman of Tuscaloosa, grand juror of the county and a
teacher in the public schools. In 1874 the same year that he began his school
work, Mr. Barnes became a Master Mason and later was made Worshipful Grandmaster
for three terms. Since that time he has been made Secretary of foreign
correspondence for his Grand Lodge, a position which he held for fourteen years.
He was one time grand patron of the Alabama Order Eastern Star and is a charter
member of the Oak City Lodge No. 1785, Grand United Order of Odd Fellows. He
twice served his own district rgand lodge as deputy grand master.

  All this wealth of life experience along with constant study of books Mr.
Barnes brought to the school room. For years he was a teacher, being promoted
step by step until he reached the highest post in the Negro schools of his
native city. In his work as teacher he has taken rightful pride in the graduates
he has turned out. Some have gone to college, some to industrial schools, some
settled to trades, some to school teaching after leaving him. Wherever they have
gone they have made their mark as very useful hightoned citizens.

  In his school curriculum Prof. Barnes balances his courses pretty well between
class room work and industrial work. His courses run into studies in Algebra,
Geometry and Latin; out under the window you will see a flourishing school
garden, and a place for cooking in the basement. He teaches the children by deed
as well as by word, that work is honorable and intellectual, just as solving a
problem in Algebra or constructing a verb in English or Latin.

  To this, too, he adds a most needed phase of education, that of beautifying
one s surroundings. The Negro High School building of Tuscaloosa happens to be
in a rather unhappy section of the city. A railroad yard is nearby, so also is
the city refuse pile and the city stables. Yet by setting out trees,
constructing fences and laying out walks, the veteran educator has managed to
shut out pretty nearly these obnoxious features of his school environment, thus
showing the pupils that their own lives within need not be disturbed by the
lives without.

  Along with helping the students of his school, Prof. Barnes has reared and
educated several children of his own. His son, Benjamin, is the strong assistant
of his father in the Tuscaloosa school work, is the great Negro Baptist Young
People's Union leader of Alabama, church organist, and business man. The other
son is the treasurer of the Snow Hill Normal and Industrial School of Snow Hill,
Alabama.

  How long Prof. Barnes will remain in the school work none but a higher power
can tell. So far he shows no signs of retreat. He is vigorous, active, both in
body and in mind. Best of all as a school teacher he is very cheerful and very
optimistic for himself and his people.


Additional Comments:

Extracted from:

The National Cyclopedia of The Colored Race

Editor-in-Chief

CLEMENT RICHARDSON
President of Lincoln Institute
Jefferson City, Mo.

ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Dr. C. V. ROMAN,
Nashville, Tenn.
Professor of Meharry Medical College.

W. T. B. WILLIAMS, Hampton Institute, Va.
Field Agent of the Jeannes and Slater Funds.

H. M. MINTON, M. D., Philadelphia, Pa.
Board of Directors Mercy Hospital.

SILAS X. FLOYD, Augusta, Ga.
Principal of City Schools.

DR. R. E. JONES, New Orleans, La.
Editor of South Western Christian Advocate.

DR. A. F. OWENS, Selma, Ala.
Dean of Theological Dept. Selma university.

FRED MOORE, New York City.
Editor New York Age.

ADVISORY BOARD

EMMETT J. SCOTT, Chairman,
Secretary of Tuskegee Institute, Tuskegee Institute, Ala.

N. B. YOUNG, Tallahassee, Fla.
President of A. and M. College.

DR. J. W. E. BOWEN, Atlanta, Ga.
Dean of Gammon Theological Seminary.

J. R. E. LEE, Kansas City, Mo.
Principal of Lincoln High School.

J. S. CLARK, Baton Route, La.
President of Southern University.

DR. M. W. DOGAN, Marshall, Texas.
President of Wiley University.

Volume One
NATIONAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, Inc.
PUBLISHERS
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA
1919

COPYRIGHT 1919
NATIONAL PUBLISHING CO., Inc.
MONTGOMERY, ALA.


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