Union-Edgar County IL Archives Biographies.....Barker, E.B. April 8, 1816 - 
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Tim Casey timcasey5@gmail.com and Andy Anderson oxdrover@mindspring.com June 7, 2008, 9:27 pm

Author: History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties Illinois

E. B. BARKER, fruit-raising, P. O. Cobden, was born in Massachusetts April
8, 1816, to Jonathan and Rebecca (Hosmer) Barker. They were both natives of
the same State, their ancestors being among the early settlers of
Massachusetts, he being of Welsh descent, she English. They both died in
their native State. They were the parents of six sons and one daughter, all
but two of whom are now living. When Lafayette was in Boston in 1825, there
were six of the children there to see him. In 1875, fifty years later, five
of the number again met in the same city. Both the grandfathers of our
subject were in the Battle of Concord.

When our subject was about nine years old his parents moved to Charleston
(sic), Mass., and it was there that he received his education. In early
life, he learned the trade of carriage-making, but he did not follow it
after he had grown up. In 1836 he came West, and for 18 years he
steamboated on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers as engineer. Most of the
time he was on a mail boat between Cincinnati and Louisville, but took trips
as far as St. Louis and New Orleans. After leaving the river, he began
farming and fruit growing 25 miles above Louisville, where he remained for
some years. He then went to Ohio and engaged in the same business 12 miles
north of Cincinnati. In 1862 he came to his present farm and has been here
since, engaged in fruit growing, peaches receiving most of his attention.

His farm was mostly in the woods when he first bought, but now has 40 acres
in fruits and orchards. In Ohio, 1844, he was first married to Martha Ann
Robinson, daughter of James and Mary Robinson, and was born in Ohio. She
died in Ohio, and left our subject four children - Lucy, Albina, Cora and
Mattie. In Ohio in 1855 he was again married, to Mrs. Elizabeth C.
(Humphrey) Covington. She was born in Indiana to Holman S. and Mary
Humphrey. He was born in Virginia, she in Pennsylvania. He died in Edgar
County, Ill., but she is still living there. She was mostly raised in Ohio,
near Cincinnati. Mrs. Barker was first married in Edgar County, Ill., to
Edward Covington, and by this marriage she has one son living, John, and one
daughter dead. Mr. Covington died in Edgar County.

Mr. Barker has five children by (his) present wife - Lizzie, Mary, Cyrus,
Linnie and Emery. In politics he is a Republican, but was a Whig before the
Republican party started.


Additional Comments:
Andy Anderson submitted biography.

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