A One-Name Study for the BARNUM/BARNHAM Surname
Lydia Ann (Miner) Brown was the daughter of Daniel and Margaret
(Fluckey) Miner Sr. She and her husband were participants in the
famed Oklahoma Land Rush. She married James R. Brown, who later served
in Company "F", 125th OH Infantry. James was born Jan. 28, 1835 at
Marion, OH, son of Josiah and Sarah Brown. He stood 5 feet, eight
inches high with blue eyes and dark hair, and taught school before the
war. They were the parents of Harry Brown, Frank Brown, Ella Young,
Nellie Jones, Laura Barnum, Gertie Brown, Maggie Brown, Emma Linda
McGirk and Bertha Keck.
On Oct. 8, 1862, James enlisted as a sergeant in the 125th Ohio. Just
six days later, he married Lydia at Mt. Gilead, OH, before leaving for
service. She remained behind at their home in Cardington, OH. Less
than a year later, he was honorably discharged on March 11, 1863 at
Louisville, KY, for disability due to shortness of his right thigh,
the result of a broken leg prior to enlistment. After the war, they
moved to DeSoto, IA in 1868 and to Montezuma, IA in 1877. In 1879,
they moved again to Medicine Lodge, KS where they ran a dairy and in
1884, moved to Elm Creek, southwest of Isabel, KS. "It was a long and
arduous journey by rail to Harper, and then by wagon, with all of
their household goods abord, until they reached their destination..."
said one eyewitness account. They survived a five-foot flood
following a cloudburst in April 1885, but lost 40 head of cattle and
his farm was ruined.
In April 1889, they left for Oklahoma to take part in the opening of
land to settlers. "Their outfit consisted of two covered wagons which
was trailed by a one horse buggy," wrote a grandson. "They reached
the line west of Kingfisher without mishap on the night before the
great day of the Land Rush." The family claimed land after a frenzied
mule ride just south of where the Kingfisher Cemetery now is, about
one mile west of Kingfisher. Later, they moved to a farm in Excelsior
Twp., Kingfisher County. In 1895 they moved again to Lakeside near
San Diego, CA, staying 5 years. In 1900, they moved to Crescent, OK,
where they remained the rest of their lives. On Oct. 14, 1913, they
celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Lydia died April 16, 1919.
James died Oct. 1, 1923 after a trip to California. Both are buried
at the Banner Cemetery in Kingfisher.
Granddaughter Alba (McGirk) Kristensen-Peck was a family history buff
whose research helped shape our understanding of this branch
significantly.
Copyright (c) 2000 Mark A. Miner
A Research Guide to the Genealogy of the Barnum/Barnam/Barnham Family Worldwide
AncientFaces - Family History Photos
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