PREFACE

Today, we take for granted that everyone has a 'surname', but this was not always the case...

Surnames were introduced at different times and in different cultures. In China for example, surnames were first used in the year 2852 BC.

In England and much of Europe the introduction of surnames began much later - around 1000 AD. Surnames were used at this time only by those of a high social status who felt the need to use an additional name (surname), so they could be distinguished from another who had the same "Christian" or "first" name.

Inevitably, as the centuries passed, towns and cities in England grew and it soon became clear that 'commoners' would need to have surnames too...After all, a surname, together with a 'Christian' name, was the only way of legally identifying someone at that time. Surnames were also needed so that people could prove their ownership of land and other property.

So what had started out as an aristocratic desire, in England, had (over 3 centuries) filtered down to every level of society. And by the end of the 14th century, everyone in England had a surname.

Originally a person's relationship with another person created a surname for the individual. For example, the surname Johnson probably originated as "John's son" and later shortened to "Johnson". Other surnames identified where a person may have lived, or their occupation. For example, the surname of Nottingham (a location Nottingham, England) indicated where the person lived. Or, the surname Blacksmith (the 'Blacksmith' trade) indicated what the person did for a living.  The Barrs family name began in Old Normandy as de La Barre, then changed to Barre, and was translated to English as Barres and Barrs between 1100 AD and 1500 AD. Some historical accounts say that Barre meant "Keeper of the Gate or Town."  Some accounts say that it means "Dweller at or near the Entrance of a City or Town." Everard des Barres was Grandmaster of the Knights Templar from 1146 to 1149. The Order was consecrated to the protection of pilgrims and the defense of the Holy Land.

What do you think BARRS means? What does BARRS mean to you?

So, How Were Surnames Created?

Another very popular way of creating surnames, at that time, was by describing a person's character or appearance, such as the surname of 'Bright' or 'Joy'.

Nowadays, of course, there is no need for new surnames to be created (with the exception of 'hyphenated' names) as surnames are now simply passed from one generation to the next. But, again, this was not always the case, especially when surnames were first introduced. For example: William Farmer may have been a 'Farmer' (By his trade). But his son might have been called Peter Williamson! (From the father's Christian name "William" by adding the word "son.") This confusing state of affairs (In England at least.) was eventually changed into the hereditary process we know today i.e. where a surname is simply passed from one generation to the next.

Surnames are an interesting reminder of the past. They tell us much more about our ancestors and family history than we may at first realize.

Did You Know?

Fact #1: In Turkey, surnames didn't become mandatory until 1935.

Fact #2: Many of the surnames we know today are just misspellings of original surnames. (Over the centuries, as surnames were recorded, writers and officials would often write the name down incorrectly...thereby creating a new surname.)

Fact #3: The 'Vikings' believed in name magic and that a person's soul was represented or symbolized by his name (for this reason, Vikings deliberately used the names of famous chiefs or family friends, when naming their children).

Fact #4: Many Swedish surnames reflect the Swede's love of nature, incorporating words such as: berg ("mountain") or blom ("flower").

THANKS! I want to thank all the researchers, authors and Barrs who have contributed to the research, content and writing of this CD-ROM book.  I want to especially dedicate this family history book to my mother, Evia Adetha Bell-Barrs/Knouse, who began researching our family genealogy long before computers and the Internet were invented. And, I wish to thank my devoted wife of 48 years (NOV 1957 - NOV 2005), Priscilla Lee Jones-Barrs, for her help sorting old pictures and attaching names and dates. Thanks everyone!

This book has been written for educational purposed only and is intended for Barrs family member's use.

Al Barrs, Jr.

Copyrighted© by Al Barrs, Jr. March 11, 1999-2005 albarrs@wfeca.net Greenwood, Florida 32443-1839 USA. Rev. October 19, 2005

FORWARD

FEELING THE LIVES OF OUR ANCESTORS

How many times have you found an ancestor and wondered what they were like; what made them laugh, what made them cry, or what made them give up farming in England and move to "The Colonies in America" or to North Carolina, or South Carolina farm country to be exact.

What was the Revolutionary War like for our ancestors?  What was the Civil War like for them? What was the war to end all wars, World War I, like and what was World War II like, not for the generals, but for the young farm boys and clerks on both sides and especially the Barrs men and women. How about the Korean Conflict or the Vietnam War?  We Barrs had veterans of all these wars in our family.  Some probably fought in the famous Battle of Hastings in England. 

We know that several family members, who were farmers in North Carolina, fought in the Revolutionary War.  They enlisted in Dobbs and other North Carolina counties.  North Carolina was where some of the most vicious fighting took place during the Revolutionary War. We know that our line of Barrs fought in The Lines of George Washington's army and they served in the state and county militias of North Carolina.  At least two of my Barrs ancestors and two Bell ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War from North Carolina.  More may have fought but I haven't verified the data yet.

And, there were also Morgans, Newman and Green's of my family who fought in the American Revolutionary War.  We also know that another line of Barrs residing in South Carolina and Savannah Georgia fought with the British to preserve The Colonies for England. We know that both of these Barrs families originated in Warwickshire England so were probably related. 

A James Barrs of South Carolina and East Georgia was sentenced in Warwickshire England in 1767 to The Colonies for 14 years for stealing sheep. He arrived in Charles Town South Carolina's seaport in 1768. 

John Barrs born March 5, 1727 in Toft Hamlet Warwickshire England, who is our most direct and earliest ancestor in America, arrived about 1750 with his new bride Sarah Spears, which he had married in 1749 in the St. Peter and St. Paul Parish Church of Aston Juxta in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. John Barrs purchased plantation land and is known to have sold land in 1755-56 in the present day Lenoir County NC, which was within Johnson-Dobbs and today Lenoir County North Carolina.

This John Barrs' Great-Great Grand Son and my Great-Great Grand Father James Campbell Barrs and his only living brother, William W. Barrs, his oldest son John Henry L. Barrs and a cousin James M. Barrs fought in the American War Between the States, for the Confederate States of America. We know that James M. Barrs enlisted in the “Wakulla Tigers” Regiment. He was wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg on July 2, 1863. He recovered and returned to Leon, Wakulla County Florida where he married Elizabeth Prince and returned to farming until his death.

One of my lines of Barrs from Day, Lafayette County Florida, Pvt. Howard Gadsen Barrs of Company A, 158 Engineering Battalion, even survived the infamous Bataan Death March in the Philippine Islands during WW II. What a story he could have told us. I remember his talking about his experience briefly with my Father 'Fonso' (Alfonso) Barrs, Sr. On and on the stories go!

What was it like to marry young, move to a wilderness full of Native American "savages" and wild predatory animals, such as Red Wolf, Panther, and Bear, and be expected to provide for a new wife and a growing family with an axe, saw, plow, musket and no hospital or doctor within miles? It is now too late for many of us to ask our pioneer ancestors these questions? Of course it is, but you can ask your oldest living relatives what their lives were like and what they remember their parents and grand parents said about their lives and what they were told by their parents and grand parents about the "good ole days."

You too can take pencil or computer in hand and write an autobiography ...even if you aren't a writer. I did!

With luck your story will be passed down from generation to generation. If you write a biography of your ancestral grandparents, your grandchildren could have an idea of what life was like for them -- a span of perhaps five generations.

Your children, while young, might think of you as dull; mine did. But your great-grandchildren, assuming one finds a copy of your autobiography in an old trunk in an attic sometime in the future, might find you life fascinating and uplifting.

And, maybe they too, like you, will want to learn more, research and write more about your any our family's history.

I know at least one of my own grand children outwardly began to feel that they really were somebody worthy when he learned that his ancestral grand fathers on both sides of my family fought in the American Revolutionary War. 

You grand children or future grand children too will experience an attitudinal change for the better when they learn about your ancestors, where they came from, how they got to America and how they lived and died.  Some facts may not be uplifting but even outlaws and scoundrels have a story to tell and they are often fascinating stories to pass along before you take them to the grave with you.

Some people have a hard time thinking of anything to say and write. Some ramble along for hours at the slightest provocation...like I do.  Family reunions are a great place to get older relatives talking about the "good ole days." I have learned much from family members who attend our Barrs family reunions, such as Mr. Corris Herndon. Mr. Herndon of Homerville, Georgia is an encyclopedia of information about his and our family and gives of it freely.  He was a gold mine of Barrs family history information and stories, but unfortunately he passed away in 2001 taking much family history with him. 

I'm that second type of person, I like to do research and write now that I have retired from business. My career as a corporate manager, training designer and training executive required that I do a lot of writing so it comes easy and natural to me.  But, not when I was a kid!  I hate to write just like you may.  Relax! Go ahead and don't worry about mistakes. Just get the story down on paper. I strongly believe the ability to communicate effectively to others is more important than the grammar one uses.  Go ahead and communicate!

On the other hand many individuals don't feel comfortable putting their thoughts and feeling on paper. If you are one of those individuals who doesn't want to write or type, go to the store and buy a small tape or video recorder.  Very few of us write the same way we talk anyway so don't be concerned about how you might sound.  Do it! Do it today. Tomorrow may be to late to take action.

I have written many pages of general and specific information about my relatives and ancestors. No, it's not organized yet, but it will be there if something should happen to me.  My wife, Priscilla (Priscilla Lee Jones-Barrs)...I call her "Sue," or one or more of our 3 daughters, Debbie Lee, Susan Elaine or Terri Ann, or grand children can sort it all out and continue the documentation of our own individual family history.  Your relatives can do the same. And, you can organize the effort.

And, indeed we are lucky; my mother Evia Adetha Bell-Barrs/Knouse began writing a Barrs/Bell/Morgan/Newman/Green/Toole/Fielding family history many years ago and well before I become interested in "my" family heritage. Short family member stories are important too. 

Take for example the knowledge that I call my wife "Sue" when her name is Priscilla Lee. Actually her nickname comes from her father Marvin Eldon Jones, Sr. He said when Priscilla was a baby she would run around the house looking like she was doing the "Susie-Q."  The Susie-Q was an early 20th century dance. When we started dating in 1954, I believe it was, I named my old 1950 Ford sedan “Suzie-Q.”  The name just stuck.

Now Priscilla is “Sue” to me and most other folks. Some ask if Priscilla is my first wife when I introduce Sue.  I say, "yes”, Priscilla was my first wife and Sue is my first wife and no I'm not a bigamist, her given name is Priscilla, but I call her Sue and then we have to tell the story related above. Our Great-Great Grand Children won't know this story if its not told and put down in writing for them to read and tell their grandchildren.

So now you have the simple and short story of how a family member got, or earned, their nickname. You too can write about your family connections and add to all of our family's collective history records.  Today is not to late to begin!

Following are a series of questions about your life.  If you answer all of these questions in complete sentences you will have a start on writing an autobiography. That's how easy it really is. If you answer each question with a couple of paragraphs you will have thirty or more pages of heirloom more valuable than its weight in gold to your descendants.

When I was younger I could never think of enough to say. I was bashful and withdrawn. I can remember sitting in a classroom after a long summer, sweating over the annual essay assignment to answer the teacher's question "What did you do over the summer vacation?" 

My teacher, who tried valiantly to develop my prose style and handwriting, would not accept the simple answer.  She wanted detail.  Now that I'm an old geezer my problem is just the reverse. I ramble on for pages at the slightest excuse, while my children yawn from boredom.  But as I did as a child, I know they to will someday get over that disengagement and appreciate reading about their family heritage and history.

I was surprised to find that some adults still have problems thinking of enough to say. In the course of gathering genealogical information I've asked my older relatives to write a short memoir. Some of them asked for a guide. Not outright but they say something like, "Oh, what sort of things do you want to know about?" Give them a list of open-ended questions so they will have to respond with a statement rather than a "yes" or "no" answer.

The short answer comes from putting yourself in someone else's shoes. What information would you have liked your great-great-grand parents to have written and left about themselves for you and your children to read and discuss? I sometimes stop, when I'm tracing some ancestor who was married at a young age and lived six days from civilization to wonder...what was their every-day life really like?

Did they dance at their wedding? Did friends and neighbors gather in the hard-packed dirt between the house and the barn, to make merry with a couple of jugs and a fiddle? Or, was it a solemn religious service conducted in a log or clapboard church, as quiet and subdued as a Quaker meeting?

What was it like for a great-great grandmother to start keeping house at a young age in a log cabin with a dirt floor? What was it like for the groom, to be so young and yet to have been expected to provide for a wife and a young family with a mule and plow, a crosscut saw, a double-bladed ax and an old musket?

What follows this exchange may be a long answer. But that's good! The following are some things I would like to know about my Barrs/Bell/ Morgan/Newman/Toole/Campbell/Grissman and other ancestors.

These questions are just a guide. No one will want to answer all of them. For almost any category (occupation, schooling, religion, courtship, military service, etc.) or any age (child, teenager, young adult, young married, middle aged) you could ask yourself first, what was an ordinary day like? Again the answer might seem boring now, but probably won't be to your great-grandchildren.

My grandparents didn't think hitching up a horse and buggy to go into town for supplies, or helping grandma's mother cook for a cotton or tobacco harvest crew, or butchering hogs in the chill of autumn was all that interesting.

When I tell my children and grandchildren the stories they told me they are hearing about what life was like 100 years ago.

After the ordinary part and again for each period and category, ask what were the most exciting things that happened, the proudest moment, the funniest events and the saddest moment of their lives? Don't forget those anecdotes that were horribly embarrassing at the time but funny when we look back on them. These lighten-up "your" family story.

Childhood and School Days

Where and when were you born: In a hospital, at home or in a taxicab or a buggy? (My children remember their mother telling them about when our youngest daughter, Terri Ann was overdue I took their mom for a long car ride over a bumpy road up and down hills around Tallahassee, Florida.  Don't laugh it worked!)

Where and when did you go to school (elementary, high school, college, trade school, and/or graduate school)? What did you major in?  What were your favorite subjects? Why were they your favorites?

What were your favorite hobbies, sports, amusements, social groups, (Such as the Scouts, 4-H Club, FFA, Key Club, etc.) as a child, as an adolescent, a teen-ager or a young adult?

What would a typical school day, Saturday, Sunday have been like as a child, teenager, young adult or older person many years ago? Chores, for instance, have changed a lot since children had to fetch water, chop kindling and hold a leg while Dad butchered a hog. I know a man whose teenager has to delete all the temporary files from the family's computers once a week, since his younger children "draw" a lot but aren't trusted with the file manager.  Times have changed!

Did you get an allowance? If you had an after school or summer job, what did you do? What did you like about it? What did you dislike about it? What was the funniest thing that happened on the job? How much did you earn? What would that buy in terms of what things cost today? What did you spend your earnings on?

Where did you live as a child, a teen-ager, a young adult and an adult? Have you written down a chronological account of your family's moves? These are important facts when tracking a family's genealogical history. What were the houses like in which your family lived? What were the towns and neighborhoods like? What were the people like? What do you remember liking and disliking about it? Did you have a bike? 

How long did it take to learn to ride your bike and how many timed did you fall? As an adult, why did you pick the places you chose to live (Specific apartments, neighborhoods, cities and regions)?

What was the most exciting thing that happened to you as a child, teen-ager and young adult or adult? And, what were the three most, five most, seven most exciting things you have experienced during your lifetime?

Romance, Work, Play and Family History

Where and how did you and your spouse meet? What attracted you to each other? Do you have a favorite incident from your courtship that was either funny in the ordinary way or embarrassing then but funny now that some years have passed?

What was your wedding like? Where and when was it held? Was this typical for the time? Did you dance? What did people wear? (Those of you who changed out of a rented tuxedo into a powder blue polyester leisure suit for the reception will want to skip this one.) Are there pictures of the wedding?  Where are they?  Who has the family pictures? Who has the family Bible? What seemingly terrible thing happened at your wedding?

My bride lost her vale and was heart broke before she even go to the church, but she got over it quickly when her high heel got caught in the heating system grate in the aisle as she began solemnly walking down to the pulpit. She kept thinking, "Disasters come in threes...what will happen next?"  Forth six years later she laughs about it and is still looking for number three.

Military service - Did you serve? When and where did you serve? Why did you choose a particular branch of service, if you had a choice? What were the most exciting things that happened to you in the service, the funniest and the most frightening? This particular section can get intense if you are interviewing a WW II, Korean Police Action or Vietnam War veteran. Try to be sensitive to their feelings and emotions.

If your relative is willing, ask about his or her reactions to the war effort at home while you were in service. There will probably not be many funny anecdotes here regardless of what war or non-war period they may have served our Country. It is they who have fought for and guaranteed our freedom and we only want to remember their sacrifice.

Occupation - what did you do? Why did you choose a particular occupation as a career? What did you especially like and dislike about the job(s) you performed? What are some of the things that you are proudest of having accomplished? What was your starting salary for your first full-time job? How much was that in terms of a "starter" home or a car? (Inflation being what it is, most of us started working at wages that seem ridiculously low today.) Asking how much a car, house or whatever cost back then gives our grand children a perspective of our economic situation when we were young and living in the "good ole days." You may only have earned $2,000 a year at a variety of part time and summer jobs while in college, but it was probably enough to cover room, board, tuition, books and living expenses. Not so today.

What did you do outside your job as an adult? Why did you do it? What did you like or dislike about it?  What were the funny, proud and sad events you experienced? Don't ask for just volunteer work but hobbies, recreation, travel and so on.

Do you bird watch, water ski, play the banjo, hunt, fish, garden, teach Sunday school, volunteer at the library, collect stamps, refinish antiques, garden or rebuild old cars? What?

What historical events have you witnessed in person, heard over the radio or seen on television? How did you, your friends and neighbors react to these events?

Religion, Children, History

Religion - Why did you choose your particular denomination, if you did? What did you like and/or dislike about it?  What was the funniest thing that ever happened to you in church? What was the most awe-inspiring thing you remember happening to you at church? What was your proudest moment? What was your saddest moment? What was the top church event you can recall? List things that were horribly embarrassing but funny now that a few years have passed?

Children - where and when were they born? How did you pick their names? What were they like as infants, toddlers and adults?

Most of the questions here are as open and optional as I could phrase them. Each parent writing this information will have to come up with at least one anecdote about each of their children, for the great grandchildren to someday chuckle over.

Larger events, personal perspective - What do you notice is the biggest change in the world today from the world you knew, or thought you knew, as a child? What one, three or five things can you remember being invented in your lifetime that people today take for granted? I remember having no electrical power in our farmhouse and no television.

(The first time I saw a television set the horizontal hold was off; it was showing a boxing match. The top half of the screen showed the boxer's legs, the bottom half their heads, arms and chests. I thought there was a special double-decked boxing arena, and the TV was showing two matches at once.)

Eating - Holidays and Hard Times

Boy, can those Barrs women cook! Food and cooking makes memories and binds families together. How did you celebrate Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas? What did you eat? Who cooked and how was it cooked? Did your father cook? How did you decorate the house, if you did? Did you do anything special for breakfast, lunch or dinner on your birthday on the weekend or on Sunday? Did your mom have birthday parties for you?

If you are writing an autobiography, and are a United States of America citizen between 25 and 50, there is a good chance Super Bowl Sunday is one of your major holidays. If you are English, there is a good chance the Cricket Matches is one of your major events. Don't forget to describe it. Did your family celebrate any holidays that were special to your religious or ethnic heritage? This would be a good place to ask about heirloom recipes, too. What was your favorite meal, apart from the holidays?

Not everyone had steak every Saturday night when they were growing up. Describe your hard times. Maybe your children and grand children will appreciate what they have today if you do. 

Maybe, just maybe, they will pick up their room without being told. If you lived in the county on a farm when did your parents take you to town?  How often did you get to go to town? What did you do in town?  Was there a theatre or a 5 and 10¢ Store? What did it cost to see a movie?  What kind of movies did you see?  Was there a "serial" shown every Saturday like when I was young?

The Unknown Side

The next question is one I ask at dinner parties a lot. "What have you done that no one would guess you had ever done?" They may surprise you and tell you something no one else ever knew about them. Your deed doesn't have to be a grand death-defying stunt. It can just be something to make your grandchildren say, "Wow - I never knew that!" Something like the individual who contacted me recently asking if I could help trace their father's heritage. Their father was in his late seventies and they were surprised when he told them one day out of the blue that he was born a Barrs and that he had been given to the couple that raised him when he was only five years old. He had never mentioned that he was born a Barrs in all those years. What a surprise to his children.

There are a lot of subjects that don't fit any of the above topics very well. Many of them are what I call the "best" and "worst" of questions. What is the best meal you have ever eaten? What was the worst meal? What are the ten best, for that matter, and three worst meals you ever had? What was the best vacation you and your family ever took? What was the worst vacation? What was the nicest act of human kindness you've performed or benefited from?

What was the most beautiful sunset, sunrise, creek, river, lake, waterfall, and rolling hillside covered with wildflowers, etc. you have ever seen? What was the most fancy party or prom you have ever attended? Did you have a Sweet Sixteen Party or Coming Out Party? What was the most fun you ever had in a single day...in your entire life?

Now that I know my heritage I am proud of it and of the Barrs family.

Now, make a list of your own questions. Then ask them every chance you get.  When your grandparents are gone the knowledge they held is gone with them unless you actively gather and record it.  Now isn't to late to begin!

Get cracking and good luck...Al BarrsThis CD-ROM Barrs Family History book and its accompanying addendum, family picture album and other documents were written and assembled for education purposes only and is not for sale.  Many hours have been devoted to retracing the routes and steps of our Barrs ancestors and surname derivatives.  Here we follow their journey from Scandinavian Denmark to Old Normandy, to France, to England and finally to America and the United States of America.

We do not wish to have the Barrs trail ever grow cold again so are making this offer and challenge to you and your descendants.

Here is my challenge to you...  I will waive my Copyright (©) to any Barrs family member, no matter which line, if you will agree to do the following 3 things:

1. Use the family information gathering master form, located in the addendum section of this book, to gather your Barrs family information. Make copies and gather all the information you can about your direct line of Barrs as far back as you possibly can. Then add your information to the Addendum section of this Barrs Family History Book. Make this CD-ROM book your family history book.

2.  Then, make one copy for each of your children and ask them to do what you have agreed to do in number 1 above.

3.  Finally, I ask that you agree to find and attend Barrs Family Reunions and make other Barrs aware of this book and where they can obtain a copy for their children.

 Feel free to contact me at…

Quail Ridge Farm

4731 Georgia Road

Greenwood, Florida 32443-1839 U.S.A.

Have you ever read history and wondered if your ancestors were involved in a particular event?  If you have, find out more here... Dream the good dream!

Families are like trees.  They put down roots and grow limbs, twigs, leaves and flowers. All trees have roots.  Some roots grow straight down, deep into the subsoil, and are called taproots.  Some roots spread diagonally outward from the trunk of the tree to gather scarce nutrients.  The Barrs family tree too has prospered and grown deep taproots and outward feeder roots from its small but sturdy trunk through the centuries.  (Note the Barrs Coat of Arms helmet crest. It may not have belonged to one of our ancestors, but it is appropriate.  It's a chopped down tree that won't die as depicted by the fresh growth of a sturdy limb and green leaves that continue to live and grown.)  Leaves die and fall to the ground as time passes each year.

Aptly the Barrs family motto was and still is 'FORTITUDE!'

Our relatively small family has spread from Europe to England to the United States and many other countries around the World.  From its germination in Scandinavian, probably Denmark Europe to Old Normandy and France the Barrs family tree sprouted many hundreds of years ago.  In England it grew into a sturdy but small tree. And, in America it has grown and spread its branches. 

Considering family size the Barrs family is small compared to other families. Take for example the fact that the Barrs family surname is the 19,822nd most popular name in the United States of America.  This may also be due to the large numbers of female Barrs who took their husband's surname and are all but lost to history. But the Barrs family has been and is tough and resolute in its will to survive and prosper.  The word "Fortitude" is aptly attached to our Barrs heritage.

It's important to have an understanding of where our family and family surname came from in order to visualize their lives, feelings, occupations and experiences. To understand the countries, people, times and social groups and communities they lived in, and yes even where they have died and are buried is to experience life, as they knew it. We must ask ourselves many questions and seek answers from history and loved ones if we are to understand and be able to visualize what life was like in those "good ole days." 

What were the times, in which each generation lived, like for our ancestors?  How did they live?  What did they eat? What types of housing did they live in?  What types of clothing did they make and wear?  What was the weather like?  Why and when did they live in and emigrate from one area to another?  What were their occupations? How many were farmers? How many farm today?

How did they get from Europe to Great Briton...to America? Why did they immigrate? Was it famine, war or just the urge to see what was over the next mountain or across the next ocean?  What did they do first when they arrived in Briton and America?  Were they free people, warriors, indentured slaves, criminals, wealthy, poor, and so on? Could they do as they chose or were they under the control of others, such as a lord, a king, a dictator, a church, or a family leader?  Why did they make the decision to leave Europe and settle in England and later America?

The European de La Barre family was probably Huguenot.  Huguenots were the forerunners of the Methodist movement in the United States of America. John Wesley was their leader in America. The Barrs have a number of men who were named after notable individuals, for example John Wesley Barrs brother of Great Grandfather Isaac Newton Barrs.

The Huguenot's beliefs didn't sit well with competing Church leaders either. To escape the great French massacre of 1572 the Huguenots (Methodist today) fled across the English Channel and found temporary refuge in Briton, today the United Kingdom.

Following is a historical perspective on the areas in Europe, England and America in which we first find the family surname de La Barre in Old Normandy, later to become Barre and Barres in France and then in England de Bars, Barres and later Barrs and in the United States of America Barrs as well.

Why did other Barre settle in south central England and become Barres and finally Barrs? Let us explore together our long family history not as individuals but as a family.  Individual Barrs are important to other individual Barrs but The Barrs Family is important to all we Barrs regardless of whether or not we can make family line connections today.

Remember at one time there was one person who called himself your surname...de La Barre, Barres, de Bars, Bares, Barr and finally today Barrs.

The Barrs family surname history begins in Old Normandy in Belgium, which is now a part of France.  Where our ancestors came from to Normandy we do not know exactly because families did not begin to use surnames until around 1000 AD.  We do know that early Vikings farmers settled Old Normandy after cold springs and summers made it impossible to grow crops in Scandinavia.  We also know the majority of these farmers were from Denmark. We know that many Barrs have been farmers in England and America. Many still farm. Were our early Barrs ancestors Viking farmers and part-time warriors too?

Did any Barrs ancestors accompany Leif Erickson or Eric the Red, the well documented Viking explorer father and son team, to Greenland and North America well before Columbus sailed the ocean blue?  Maybe...maybe not, but it's something to think, talk and dream about today. Someone made the trip to America with these brave ancient sailors and explorers. To my knowledge there is no record of farming during Leaf Erickson and Eric the Red’s voyages to America.

Before the concept of surnames emerged, and because family units were so scattered, only Christian or first names had been used. And, these Christian names were often reflective of physical traits, occupations, locations or prowess.  Some historical accounts say that Barre meant "Keeper of the Gate or Town."  Some accounts say that it means "Dweller At, Or Near, the Entrance of o City or Town."  What do you think the meaning of 'Barre' or 'Barrs' is? 

 We do know from history that family groups lived in isolated villages normally surrounded by a wooden stockade.  So, these assertions may very well be close to the true.  We also have learned that at least one Barrs family member's motto was "FORTITUDE" which also reflects the guardian of a stockaded village or town. Were our ancestors warriors before they became farmers and businessmen?  Were they both? From where did they come to Denmark from?

Were they farmers who were pressed into military service by rulers and kings? Probably!
So far I have not been successful in learning whether or not our family came to the Old Normandy region from someplace north of Normandy, from Scandinavian countries; south of Normandy, from Spain, France or Italy; or from the west, from Germany, Russia or other mid-European regions.  We only know that Viking farmers from Denmark first settled Old Normandy. So, this is where I have chosen to pick up the story of our BARRS family line.

We all must keep searching for our ultimate BARRS family roots for our children and grand children's sake.

THE VIKINGS (793 AD-1066 AD)

The Viking Era (Viking Farmers)

The Viking era began with the sacking of the monastery at Lindisfarne in 793 AD and ended in 1066 AD at the Battle of Stanford Bridge where King Harald Hardråde was killed.  These two bloody events mark the opening and closing of an era in Nordic history, which featured dramatic social change. This came to be known as "The Viking Era."  When it started, paganism dominated and the countries were fragmented into countless chiefdoms and minor kingdoms.

When the Viking Era ended, power had been vested in the king and church. For the first time in history we see a west European type society emerging.

Modern written records in Western Europe describe the Vikings as robbers and pirates who burned, pillaged and raped. Laying waste monasteries and churches, they terrorized Christian Europe.  Yes, but they did more.

Arabian sources describe them cruising along the Russian rivers to the Black and Caspian Seas, trading and pillaging as they went. Viking sorties also reached into the Mediterranean Sea.

Danish kings succeeded in conquering England at the latter stages of the Viking Era. The Viking Chieftain Rollo established his own kingdom in Normandy.  Neither before, nor since in European history have the Nordic peoples exercised such political importance.

PEACEFUL ASPECTS OF THE VIKING ERA

Excavations of towns and settlements have provided new insight into daily life, crafts and trade. A powerful surge in trading took place in Europe during the 700’s and the first towns where established in Scandinavia. During the period 800-900 AD, the Vikings played a central role in the burgeoning commercial trade, which was drawing Europe together. Cities like York in northern England and Dublin in Ireland were Scandinavian communities. Toft is a Viking term for "homestead." The Barrs lived many years in Toft Hamlet in Warwickshire.

WIDESPREAD EMIGRATION

Compared to population size, there was a scarcity of resources in many parts of the Nordic region. Voyages to the south, east and west gave the peoples an opportunity to seek out new and better living conditions. So the Vikings by the thousands hunted out places where they could settle and farm.

With the aid of the sword, they established themselves in Normandy and England. Other places the Vikings came across were already sparsely populated, like the Hebrides, Shetlands and the Orkney Islands.

The Vikings were the first settlers on Iceland, the Faeroe Islands and Greenland.

Archaeological excavations have shown that the Vikings also attempted to settle in Newfoundland. Their lack of success was probably due to conflicts with the native population, i.e. Native Americans.

THE BEST OF SHIPS

The art of shipbuilding was well developed but in the 700’s a technological breakthrough was achieved which was to affect marauding raids, commercial voyages and emigration.

KEEL BOATS APPEAR

With the discovery, the Viking ships could now be developed to carry sail. They were faster and better suited to sail than any other ship of that time. The Viking ships also had the advantage that they could navigate shallow waters. They could therefore slip easily up rivers and onto shallow shorelines.

Thanks to Vestvagoy: © Vestvågøy Kommune, August 1995

THE ANGLO-SAXON INVASION OF BRITON

History of BARRS before 1000 AD

Now, for a Barrs family history lesson to help our young Barrs visualize and understand where and how their Barrs families may have originated, lived, loved and died in those long ago and far away places that are to often forgotten and over looked today in our family's culture and history. The story begins in about the year 400 AD.

The English are coming!

Rome had dominated and ruled Briton before 410 AD. In 410 AD the Roman legions were recalled to defend Rome against barbarian attacks. Britain was left to fend for herself. (The rulers of Britain after 410 AD are referred to as 'Tyrants' because their authority had no legitimacy in the Roman's eyes.) Having no standing armies left the British people were left open to attack from the Picts (probably by sea from down the east coast of