We now continue with the lives and service of two other sons of William Henry and Lucy Barnes. The next son that was old enough to serve in the Confederate army was William Henry [Jr.], born in James City County on October 3, 1843. And like his older brothers, he very probably attended nearby Hickory Neck Academy. He enlisted as a private in Company B, James City Artillery, on January 17, 1863, at Petersburg, Virginia. He was present on all rolls through August but was noted as sick in Petersburg General Hospital on the October roster. On November 12, 1863, this unit was ordered to Chaffin’s Bluff where it remained for some time.
During this time at Chaffin’s Bluff, Dr. Lansing Burrows held several revival services. William was converted at one of these meetings and was baptized in the nearby James River. He continued to be marked present on all rolls through 1864. And while the official record stopped there, he later stated that he was captured at Sayler’s Creek and sent to Point Lookout Prison in Maryland. He was paroled from there and returned to the family farm in James City County.
On the 1870 census, William was farming at his parents’ farm. On December 22, 1870, William Barnes and Bettie A. Hockaday were married in New Kent County by his brother, the Reverend James H. Barnes. The couple eventually had eight children. William Henry Barnes was one of the three brothers who purchased the War Hill tract in 1878, and may have been living there when the 1880 census was taken. Sometime before 1900, he moved his family to a farm near Barhamsville in New Kent County and remained there for the rest of his life.
In 1880, when his brother James was called to serve as minister at the James City Baptist Church (Lightfoot), William became the Superintendant of Sunday School there and occasionally served as a lay minister. On January 29, 1888, he was ordained at Liberty Baptist Church in Lanexa. Over the next forty years, he served at James City and James River Baptist Churches, Liberty Baptist Church, and he organized and served at Good Hope Baptist Church in New Kent County.
The Reverend William Henry Barnes died on March 21, 1930, at Pleasant View farm in New Kent. His funeral was held at Liberty Baptist Church and he was interred at Riverview Cemetery in Richmond. His wife, Bettie Hockaday Barnes, died on February 24, 1935, and was interred by his side in Richmond.
Lemuel Franklin Barnes was born in James City County on September 12, 1845, and his childhood and education probably shadowed that of his older brothers. He enlisted as a private in the James City Artillery at Chaffin’s Bluff on April 13, 1864, and was present on all rolls through December of that year. He was captured at Burkeville on April 6, 1865. He arrived at Point Lookout as a prisoner of war on April 14th. He took the oath of allegiance and was released from there on June 23rd to return to his residence in James City County. At that time, he was described as light complexion and hair, blue eyes and five feet, seven and one-half inches tall.
Lemuel Barnes was living on the family farm in 1870. In 1877, he married Ann M. Ball, daughter of Elijah and Martha A. Ball of New Kent County. In 1880, Lemuel and Ann Barnes were living with Elijah Ball on his farm in New Kent and Lemuel was a “grocer” in his father-in-law’s store. Two daughters, Edna and Annie, joined the family in 1880 and 1886 respectively. Between 1900 and 1910, this family moved to Richmond and was residing on Franklin Street.
Contributed by Historian/Genealogist Compatriot Fred Boelt www.jamescitycavalry.org