JOEL FRANKLIN BARNES
1886 - 1959
Excerpts from the "Personal Journal of Joel Franklin
Barnes", Creek Co., Oklahoma.
Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by
Wayne M. Sampson; 916 South Olive Street; Mexico, MO 65265.
wayne@morrisnet.net
//www.okgenweb.net/~okcreek/bios-history/jfbarn.txt
A Short Personal History
NOTE: This text is taken from his ledger that he maintained. He kept various
records of employment, pay records and other important data and dates. I have
duplicated portions of this text as close as possible.
I will add clarification in brackets [ ] where needed. I have
added recollections and other personal information
J. F. Barnes, borned March 17, 1886. Down by Eufaula Okla. My father
W.F. Barnes moved off of the farm where we lived there. And moved to Sapulpa
Okla when i was a bout ten years old. And when i was about twelve we lived on a
farm joining my uncle Joe Brunners farm [Note: this was near the old Brunner
Street Car Station on the line between Tulsa and Sand Springs, OK]. I went to
school there in a log school house. Then later we moved to Sapulpa Okla. Then I
went to school at Haskell Indian School. Then later went to school at Chilocco
Indian School. The next school i went to was in Sapulpa where the court house is
now. And i went to work with my father on the dray wagon and water wagon. We
halled [hauled] water from Rock Creek. And sold it over town for washing at 25
cents a bairl [barrel]. Maney [many] days i set on the old dray wagon on the
corner of duey [Dewey] and main street of Sapulpa waiting for som one [someone]
to come along that wanted a trunk halled [hauled], 25 cents was the charge [see
note 1.].
Then when i was about 16 years old i went to work at the old brick
plant at Sapulpa at one dollar and twenty-five cence [cents] a day, 10 hour day.
Later in 1903 went to work at the Brick Plant at Red Fork. And was maired
[married] to Sidney Cort in 1906 in Sapulpa.
Then in 1908 I went to work at the first ice plant built in Sapulpa as
Engineer and was with that company until 1912. Then i went to Henryetta, Okla. as
Engineer at the ice and light plant there until 1917. Then came to Bristow Okla
to tak [take] the Engineer job at the ice and light plant. And have ben [been]
Engineer in that plant for about 15 years. And have built one ice plant at
Chandler Okla. And one in the state of Mo. [Missouri]. And have been Engineer
at all cotton gins, oil mills in Bristow, twenty years with Albert Kelleys
cotton gin. Also Engineer in the Glass plant in Bristow. Also with the City
water department for about two years.
I was one of the first to build in Southridge Addition. Bought one of
the first set of lots when the addition first opened in 1923. Have lived in
Southridge addition ever since.
Note 1. The location at Dewey and Main Streets was near the railway station.
They would meet every train that stopped in Sapulpa offering to haul trunks,
freight and luggage for a small fee. Between trains they would fill the wagon
with water barrels and haul water from Rock Creek to sell for washing water.
This was good business when the water wells would become dangerously low in the
hot Oklahoma summers.
Joel Franklin Barnes was first married to Sidney Aremilu Cort (Sidna)
at Sapulpa, Oklahoma in 1906. They had five children. His second marriage was
to Myrtle Jessie Coner [Conner], a widow who had six children from a former
marriage. I do not know her maiden name. At least two of these children were
still at home at the time they were married. His last marriage was to Stella
Lorraine Barton Sampson Stroud [my paternal grandmother], another widow, with
four young daughters.
He was an exceptional man who with limited resources and educational
opportunities accomplished much in his life. Mr. Barnes was a self educated
Stationary Engineer, a builder, a carpenter, a designer, an innovater. He was
always experimenting with some new idea. My grandmother, Stella
"Raney" Lorraine, had a Maytag washing machine with a gasoline engine.
I remember when he took the motor off of her washing machine to make motorized
garden plow a long, long time before anyone had heard of a rototiller. He
designed and drafted the plans for a mechanical cotton picker based on the
principle of a vacuum cleaner. He could build anything. He made my grandmother a
salad bowl set from 3/4 inch plywood. This was done by making concentric 1/2
inch circles, then cutting them on a 45 degree angle. Then by reversing the
stack of rings, gluing them and finishing both outside and inside, you had a
bowl. The larger the center circle the larger the bowl, the more rings you added
the deeper the bowl.
Mr. Barnes, my "Grandpa Barnes," was hard of hearing. So in order
to carry on a conversation, most of the time, you had to be a good listener. But
he was interesting to listen to and the time we spent together has filled my
memory with some of my fondest recollections. He wore false teeth and his every
day teeth had orange gums and some of the teeth were missing. He had a new set
made but they never fit correctly and caused him such discomfort that he
continued to wear the old ones. Someone told him that we could save the new ones
and use them when we buried him. His response was "Why would you want to do
that to me. If I can't wear them for a few minutes while I'm alive, why would
you want to make me wear them forever?" I don't know which teeth he got
buried with, but I hope it was his old ones.
Mr. Barnes and my grandmother moved to Independence, Missouri for about two
years while he worked on the construction of what was then the world's largest
ice plant. Independence, Missouri was a major hub for railroads and, before the
wide spread use of refrigerated rail cars, a point where the rail cars that
required temperature control were "iced down". This plant was built to
produce sufficient ice to fill the needs of the railroads.
He worked at dozens of jobs throughout his working career. He would undertake
almost any project and figure out a way to complete it. He worked until he died.
He had taken a job to build kitchen cabinets in some new houses. My grandmother
would take him to work and pick him up in the afternoon. One day when she went
to pick him up she found him. He had suffered a heart attack and was
unconscious. He was admitted to the hospital in Bristow, but he never regained
consciousness. I believe that he died as he wished, "with his saw in his
hand". He once told me, "I don't want to live forever, I just want to
live `til I die. Too many of my friends died a long time ago. They just quit
living, and started settin' in a rocking chair waiting for someone to come
along and throw a little dirt over `em."
I have included the information about his family and the events he felt
important from his ledger book. Much is missing and I'm not sure that the
spelling of some of the names is correct. This is the way that he recorded it
and I know of no one now who could correct it.
[From the family of my grandmother Stella Lorraine Barton.]
James Berry Barton was borned Jan 19 1867 and was married to Jane Abbett in
1888
Jane Barton Died April 26 1921
Rosco Barton was Bouned Sep 3 1889
Vira [Elvira] Barton was Borned 1890
Robert Barton Borned June the 3 1891
Luther Barton was Borned Nov 11 1892
Arthur Barton was Borned Feb 26 1894
Ranie [Lorraine] Barton Borned March 11 1896
Esther Barton Borned April 21 1897
Married Ranie Barton Was married in Sapulpa Aug 30 1913 to Sylvester Sampson
Sylvester Died April 26.1923
Marriage of William Sylvester Sampson and Loraine Barton married at Sapulpa
Okla Aug 30, 1913.
Births Of their Children
Willmar [Wilmer] Louis Sampson May 1, 1915
Lorene May Sampson June 14, 1919.
Juanita Alice Sampson March 28, 1921.
Charles William Sampson Feb 28,1923
Arch Stroud Married to Loraine Sampson March 15, 1927
Births of their Children
Joylee Frances Stroud Apr 1, 1929.
Vearda [Verda] Loretta Stroud May 22 1930.
Eula Faye Stroud Dec 27 1931.
Ruth Lucille Stroud Sept 26 1933
Joel Franklin Barnes Married to Loranie Stroud in Bristow Okla May 20.1941.
[From the Barnes Family]
Births In Illinois
Elyah [Elijah] Barnes Born July 7 1806
Sarah Ann Barnes Born June 1 1818
Their Children
Arrilla Barnes Born June 2 1847
Hellen Nar [Eleanor] Barnes Born Nov 24. 1849
Thadius C. S. Barnes Born May 24. 1851
Joel Martin Barnes Born Mar 9. 1853
Millard Fillmore Barnes Born June 26. 1856
William Foster Barnes Born Sept 8. 1858
Marriage Elyah Barnes and Sarah Ann Burnett. Married Feb 26. 1846.
Deths [Deaths]
Elyah Barnes died Apr 11, 1860
Sarah Ann Barnes June 4, 1960
Children Deth [Death]
Aurill Barnes died June 24, 1850
Thadius C.S. Barnes died Dec 18. 1852
William Foster Barnes died Dec 14. 1938.
Ida Barnes died Feb 13. 1932.
William Foster Barnes and Ida Dart Married March 8, 1882, In Okla.
Their Childrens Births
Joel Franklin Barnes Born Mar 17 1886
Hellen Barnes Born June 20. 1894
Lester M Barnes Born Oct 19. 1896
Elma Rose Barnes Born Nov 23. 1899.
Joel Franklin Barnes and Sidney Aremilu Cart Married at Sapulpa Okla 1906
Births
William Harm Barnes Born Sept 8. 1907
Frances Ray Barnes Born May 10. 1908.
James Emmerson Barnes July 20. 1909.
Georgie Lee Barnes Born Oct 30. 1910
Lena Ester Barnes Born Oct 28. 1912.
Deths
William Harm Barnes died Sept 1907.
Georgie Lee Barnes died Sept 8. 1911
Frances Ray Barnes died May 22. 1956
Lena Ester Barnes Married to William M SHelton Dec 2. 1929.
Joel Franklin Barnes Married to Myrtle Jessie Coner [Conner] in Bristow, Okla
Dec 20. 1930.
Myrtle Jessie Barnes Born May 10. 1890.
Her Children Births
William Coner
Opel Coner
Ugen Coner
James Edward Coner Born Dec 26. 1918.
Samuel Lee Coner Born Aug 20. 1920.
Final Note in Ledger:
Chevrolet 1935 town sedan
Serial No 3 EA06-32354
Moter No 5268621.
Title No A130136B list price $ 635.
Joel Franklin Barnes, died October 8, 1959, in Bristow, Creek Co, OK. He is
buried at the Magnolia Memorial Gardens, north of Bristow, OK.
In 1989 when the Bristow lake was drained for repair work on the dam. While
the lake bed was dry a carved rock was discovered. From the "Bristow
Record," August, 1989:
LAKE BED DISCOVERY
Sisters Bessie, Katy and Tara Smith were exploring near the crusty lake bed
last week when they discovered carving on a rock. The rock had been underwater
until recently when the city drained the lake for upcoming repairs. The carving
says, "J.F. Barnes. May 8, 1928." The rock is southeast of an old lake
dam. The lake was enlarged northward from the old dam in 1933-34. After their
discovery last week, the sisters were excitedly planning more explorations of
the lake bed. They are the daughters of Ted and Georgia Smith.
NOTE: We have not been able to determine the significance of the date May 8,
1928 or the reason he carved it. Other than, perhaps, to mark that he was there
and when. This would have been typical of Mr. Barnes, who loved to go and to
leave his mark where ever he went.