A One-Name Study for the BARNUM/BARNHAM Surname
In the 1850 US Census for Nepeuskin, Winnebago County, Wisconsin the family of Daniel C. Barnum was enumerated as follows:
Dwelling #1243; Family #1267
Dan C. Barnum, 32, M, Farmer, Real property $2,000, b. Vermont
Martha Barnum, 28, F, b. Vermont
Isaac Barnum, 65, M, No occupation, b. Connecticut
[Note: Isaac was the father of Dan C. Barnum].
Commemorative Biographical Record of the Upper Wisconsin Counties: Waupaca, Portage, Wood, Marathon, Oneida, Vilas, Langlade and Shawano. Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1895. Dan Cutler Barnum (deceased) was one of the sturdy pioneers of Waupaca county, who not only helped to develop the land by clearing for himself a farm, but who, by the operation of sawmills and other industries, gave an impetus to the growth of this region which has been of lasting effect. His memory will remain as one of the chief promoters of the county's prosperity. Mr. Barnum was born in the town of Monkton, Northern Vermont, April 25, 1817, son of Isaac and Persis (Booth) Barnum, the former a native of Connecticut and the latter of Vermont. They had four children-John W., Harriet, Montgomery, Dan C. and Jane Potter. Isaac Barnum was a weaver by trade, but also followed farming. He died at the residence of his son Dan C., in Waupaca county, in 1862. His wife died in Vermont.
Dan C. Barnum was reared on a farm in Vermont, and received only a common school education. But he possessed natural aptitude of mind, and was an omnivorous reader, thus giving to himself an education which circumstances denied. When he reached manhood he purchased a farm in Vermont, and there married Martha S. Fuller, November 4, 1843. Four years later he came to Wisconsin, when this State was still under a territorial government, and settled on wild land near Ripon. His only child died while the parents were on their way West, and here on the pioneer farm the wife died a few years later. In the spring of 1855 Mr. Barnum sold his property and moved to Waupaca county. In partnership with James Lathrop, he purchased a sawmill on Crystal River, four miles south of Waupaca, and the same year erected a gristmill. These mills were great conveniences for the scattering pioneers in this locality, and contributed largely to the settlement in that vicinity. In 1856 Mr. Barnum married his second wife, Louisa Dunton, by whom he had two children, both of whom died in infancy. Mrs. Barnum also died May 23, 1861. Five years afterward Mr. Barnum disposed of this mill property and removed to Waupaca.
On November 14, 1861, he was again married at Waupaca, to Eliza M. Pitcher, a native of Cattaraugus county, N. Y. She is the daughter of William and Jane (Ackerman) Pitcher, the former a native of Connecticut and the later of New Jersey. William Pitcher was the son of Amos Pitcher, a hatter by trade and a soldier in the war of 1812. William and Jane Pitcher were married in 1820, and had five children George W., William C., Ira C., Eliza M., and Ralph W. In 1851 the family migrated to Wisconsin, settling on a farm in Kingston township, Green Lake county. Four years later they removed to Waupaca county, where William Pitcher died February 4, 1878, his wife surviving him two years. He was a prominent member of the Masonic Order and of the M. E. Church by his third marriage Mr. Barnum had two children, Belle and Frederick G.
After selling his mill property Mr. Barnum devoted his attention to buying and selling real estate and to financial operations. About 1865 he purchased a tract of land adjoining Waupaca, which he afterward platted, and where his widow now lives. Here the death of Mr. Barnum occurred July 9, 1890, when he was in the seventy-forth year of his age. In life he had been a prominent Republican, and had served the township and city in which he lived in many of the local offices. He was a man of sterling business qualities, and of unimpeachable character, and one of the most highly respected pioneers of the county. He was a member of the Masonic Order for many years.
A Research Guide to the Genealogy of the Barnum/Barnam/Barnham Family Worldwide
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