NOTE: Family information in this database is accurate as of the revision date to the best of my, Al Barrs’, knowledge. From time to time and as new or different information is learned I will update the database. If you or someone you know has validated information contrary to or in addition to family information that I have please submit your information to me and I will use it to update and revise our family histories database. Thanks, Al Barrs E-mail albarrs@wfeca.net

YEAR

COUNTY

FORMATION

BARRS / BELL

NOTE:

Dobbs & Duplin Counties, North Carolina,

USA

Lenoir, Duplin and other NC Counties were adjoining counties and were formed from Dobbs County, NC.

Dobbs County was formed 1758 from Johnson County, NC.

The Barrs & Bell families made parallel moves and lived in the same and adjoining American counties over a period of several hundred years from North Carolina to Florida before settling in what is today Lafayette County Florida. Their family histories are a chronological parallel of the history of pioneer America and later the United States of America…Al Barrs, Jr.

1630

Scotland

Hamilton Village

Lanark County

Scotland

United Kingdom

Alexander Bell was born about 1630 and Isobel Lindsay, his wife, was born about 1634 in Hamilton Lanark Scotland. They had several children: Robert Bell was born on June 28, 1665 in Hamilton Lanark Scotland and died in 1733 in Bertie County, North Carolina USA. Robert married Ann Ferguson about 1704 in Virginia. Children of Robert and Ann Ferguson were Isabel, Robert, Jr., Archibald, (Jean And John Twins), George And Penelope.

Alexander and Isobel Bell had at least one other child. His name was Patrick Bell. Patrick Bell was born November 11, 1669 in Hamilton, Lanark Scotland.                               

1665

Scotland

Hamilton Village

Lanark County

Scotland UK

Robert Bell was born June 28, 1665 in Lanark Scotland and died 1733 in Bertie County, NC. He married Ann Ferguson in 1706 in Virginia. They had 7 children. They were the parents of George Bell.

1718

Unknown

Unknown but could have been Bertie County, NC or Virginia.

George Bell was born 1718 in an unknown county and died 1792 in Sampson County, NC. He married Debra in 1738 and had 4 children. They were the parents to Hezekiah Bell.

1400s to 1500s

England

Warwickshire England

Early Barrs ancestors that we have validated are the following, but we know very little about their family, birth place or history. The first Barrs ancestor we know of was named William Barrs. He lived and raised a family in Bulkington Village Warwickshire England.

William Barrs married Elizabeth. William Barrs died on February 20, 1560 in Bulkington. He left a will that was executed by his son, Robert Barrs.

William and Elizabeth Barrs had, we believe only three children, the oldest, a son, was named Robert Barrs. Two daughters, Alice and Catherine Barrs as well as his wife Elizabeth were in William Barrs will. William and Elizabeth Barrs children were born in Bulkington Village Warwickshire England.
Robert Barrs died on May 23, 1595.

Robert Barrs married Joan.  They had a son named Thomas Barrs. Thomas Barrs, was born in 1585 in Bulkington and married Margery in Bulkington Village. Thomas Barrs died on February 20, 1659 in Toft Hamlet Warwickshire and was buried in the St. Peters Parish Church cemetery in nearby Dunchurch Village. Thomas and Margery Barrs had several children. The oldest was named Abraham Barrs (later known as Abraham Barrs of Toft) and the next son was named Nathaniel Barrs were born in Bulkington Village. Abraham Barrs of Toft was born in 1603. He died in 1682 in Toft Hamlet Warwickshire England.

Thomas and Margery Barrs moved their family from Bulkington Village to Toft Hamlet between 1608 and 1612. Thomas and Margery Barrs’ next child, Sarah Barrs, was born in 1613 and was the first of Thomas and Margery Barrs’ children to be born in Toft Hamlet. Thomas and Margery had additional children in Toft Hamlet, where the Barrs family would settle, live, farm and operate other businesses for the next several hundred years.

1603

England

Bulkington Village

Warwickshire England

Abraham Barrs of Toft was born in 1603 in Bulkington and died in 1682 in Toft Hamlet Warwickshire England. Abraham Barrs of Toft was married to Joan. They had the following children: Thomas, Abraham, Nathaniel, Alice, Elizabeth, Ann and Margaret.

1633

England

Toft Hamlet Warwickshire England

Abraham Barrs (2^nd) was born in 1633 in Toft Hamlet Warwickshire England. He was married to Joan. He and Joan had several children. One son was named John Barrs who, like his Grandfather, Abraham Barrs of Toft, became a prominent person in Toft Hamlet, Dunchurch Village and the St. Peter’s Parish Church. He also become know as John Barrs of Toft. Other children were: Abraham, Joan, Nathaniel and an unknown daughter who married D. Henry in 1677, Elizabeth born 1681, Elizabeth born 1683 and Elizabeth born 1687. The first two Elizabeth may have died as children from The Plague. Joan died in 1713 and Abraham died in 1715.

1678

England

Toft Hamlet and Dunchurch Village Warwickshire

John Barrs of Toft was married to Mary and they had the following children: John Barrs (To become John Barrs, Sr. about 1758 when he and Sarah Spears-Barrs, his wife, had their first son, John Barrs, Jr. in North Carolina in America): Abraham, Mary, Elizabeth, Henry, Rachel #1, Benjamine, Daniel the twin to Joseph, Susanna and Rachel #2. Rachel #1 had died in 1729 and Rachel #2 was born in 1735. John of Taft died in 1746 and Mary died in 1776.

1727 1749

England England America North Carolina

Toft Hamlet and Dunchurch Village Warwickshire England & Johnson County NC

John Barrs, (Sr.) was born March 5, 1727 to John Barrs of Toft and Mary in Toft Hamlet which is near Dunchurch Village, Warwickshire, England. On February 19, 1749 John Barrs, (Sr.) married Sarah Spears in the St. Peter and St. Paul Parish Church in Aston Juxta Hamlet near Birmingham Village in west Warwickshire England. John and Sarah Barrs are believed to have immigrated, shortly after their marriage, to "The Colonies" in America and to North Carolina where they bought farmland in what was then Johnson County, NC, started a farming plantation and settled down to raise a family.

1776

America North Carolina

Dobbs County formed from Johnson County in 1758

John Barrs, Sr. volunteered and served in the Dobbs County NC Militia during the American Revolutionary War during the period 1776-1777. He served in 1776 in Charles Young's Regiment of Dobbs County, NC.

1756

Dobbs

Dobbs County, NC

Mother's (Evia Adetha Bell-Barrs/Knouse) ancestral Grandfather George Bell was deeded property on three separate entries in Dobbs Co., NC. Book 4 1756-1757 pages 294, 459 and 314. District #9 Dobbs County, NC- East of Kinston but north of Neuse River including Tower Hill Road vicinity, and Kinston north to Wheat Swamp and east of Snow Hill Road. He owned property accordingly: District/Payee #9 and #58 property valued at $3,225.00.

1755

Dobbs

Dobbs formed 1758 from Johnson. (Johnson County became Glasgow & Lenoir Counties in 1791.)

John Barrs, (Sr.) owned farmland in Johnson County, North Carolina during the mid 1700's. He sold 200 acres of land in Johnson County, NC and what would become Dobbs County, NC in 1755-6 to a Thomas Williamson. In January 1777 he was granted land for his military service enrolment in the Dobbs County Charles Young Regiment (American Revolutionary War).

1758

Duplin

Duplin County, NC joined Dobbs County on the SW side. Duplin was formed in 1750 from New Hanover, County North Carolina.

Hezekiah Bell was born 1758 in Duplin County, NC and died 1803 in Duplin County, NC. He married Martha Baggett on December 10, 1778 in Duplin County, NC. Martha Baggett was born about 1762 in Duplin County, NC. They had 5 children and were the parents of Duncan Bell. Hezekiah and Martha received "substantial" property from Martha's father Abraham Baggett.

1769

Dobbs

Dobbs County, NC

John Barrs, Sr. and George Bell were both on the Dobbs County, NC Tax List for 1769.

1770

Surry

Surry County, NC formed in 1770 from Rowan County's, North section.

Surry is north of the Yadkin and Catawba Rivers and joins Rowan County, NC. It is formed from the north section of Rowan County, NC. The 1790 Surry County Census lists one Leonard Barrs, single and over 16 years of age. He is believed to be an older son of John Barrs, (Sr.) and Sarah Spears.

NOTE: My mother, Evia Adetha Bell's family also lived in and was plantation owners during the American Revolutionary War. We believe the Bell family immigrated to America in the early 1600's from Lanark, Lanarkshire, Scotland UK.The Bell family settled in Florida before the Spanish ceded it to the United States. Duncan Bell was an early Florida Pioneer and fought in the Seminole Indian Wars…Al Barrs, Jr.

1774

Dobbs

Dobbs County, NC

George Bell, Lieutenant, returned home to Dobbs County NC with the rest of the Regiment Officers of the “Regiment of Militia in Dobbs County”, NC, on July 14, 1774. He reached the rank of Captain in the Revolutionary War militia of NC. NOTE: I am not positive that this George Bell is our family line George Bell. Anyone with validated information to the contrary is asked to contact Al Barrs at e-mail albarrs@wfeca.net.

1777

Dobbs

Dobbs County retains the same geographical boundaries

John Barrs, Sr. returned to Dobbs County, NC sometime in 1777 with Charles Young's 10^th North Carolina Regiment. John Barrs, Jr. was drafted July 26, 1777 in Captain Kennedy's Company of Dobbs County, NC. He may have been in the battle of Brandywine during September 1777 Revolutionary War. The Battle of Brandywine was the largest battle of of the Philadelphia Campaign and the American Revolutionary War.

1779

Dobbs and Wayne

Dobbs County shrank in size and Wayne County, NC was formed

Wayne County, NC was formed from Dobbs County, NC in 1779.

1781

Duplin

Duplin County, NC

Hezekiah Bell served in the military in 1781 in NC. The American Revolutionary War

1787

Sampson

Sampson County, NC.

Duncan Bell born 1787 or 1795 and died about 1861 in Lafayette County, FL. He and unknown wife had 7 children. They were the parents of Abram Bell. He served in the Confederate Calvary.

1790

Surry

Formed 1770 from Rowan County, North section.

1790 Surry County, NC Federal Census: Leonard Barrs age over 16 years and single appears. He may have been one of the younger sons of John Barrs, Sr. and a brother of John Barrs, Jr. of Dobbs-Lenoir Counties, NC.

1791

Dobbs

Dobbs County split up again.

Dobbs was split into Lenoir, south section and into Green County north section.

1790

Dobbs

Formed 1758 from Johnson. Became Glasgow & Lenoir Counties in 1791.

1790 Lenoir County, NC Federal Census: John Barrs, Sr.  2 males 16 or older; 1 male less than 16; 8 females

1790

Dobbs

Formed 1758 from Johnson.  Became Glasgow & Lenoir Counties in 1791.

1790 Lenoir County, NC Federal Census: George Bell
2 males 16 or older ; 1 male less than 16 ; 8 females ; 7 blacks/slaves

1790

Dobbs

Dobbs County was formed in 1758.

John Barrs, (Sr.) and George Bell were both in the first (1790) Federal Census Report for Dobbs County, NC.

1796

Lenoir

Lenoir County, NC

Arthur Barrs was born 1792 in Lenoir County, NC to John Barrs, Jr. and unknown. Arthur and Nancy Elizabeth Campbell-Barrs, born 1793, were the parents of sons Isaac L., James C. and William W. Barrs and 2 unknown daughters and the youngest daughter Julian F. Barrs born 1835. All children were born in Twiggs County Georgia.

1800

Lenoir

Formed 1791 from west section of Dobbs County, NC.

1800 Lenoir County, NC Federal Census: John Barrs, Sr. Age 45 or older. Born in England in 1727 in Toft Hamlet, Warwickshire, England to John Barrs of Toft and Mary. (John Barrs of Toft parents were Abraham and Joan Barrs) John Sr. was in the 50 to 60-age range in 1800. Household: 1 male 0-10 & 1 male 45 or older 1 female 16-26 & 1 female 45 or older ª Unknown son age 0-10 John Barrs, Jr. Age 27-45. Born 1755 to 1773 (about 1758). Household: 2 males 0-10; 1 male 11-16; 1 male 16-26; 1 male 27-45 2 females 0-10; 1 female 11-16 & 4 females age 27-45 Sons:; Arthur Barrs b. 1792 ª Gideon Barrs; Dempsey Barrs; James Barrs b. 1795

1810

Lenoir

Formed 1791 from Dobbs County, NC.

1810 Lenoir County, NC Federal Census: John Barrs, Sr. He does not appear in the 1810 Census. We believe he died between 1800 and 1810 around age 73-75 in Lenoir County, NC. John Barrs, Jr. Household: 2 males 0-10; 2 males 10-16 & 1 male 26-45. 1 female 10-16; 1 female 16-26 & 1 female over 45. Sons: Arthur Barrs; Dempsey Barrs; Gideon Barrs; James Barrs

1820

Lenoir

Formed 1791 from Dobbs County, NC.

1820 Lenoir County, NC Federal Census: John Barrs, Jr. Household: 1 male 10-15; 1 male 16-18 and 1 male 26-44. 1 female 10-15 and 1 female 44 or older; One male age 10-15; One male age 16-18 Dempsey Barrs Household: 1 male 0-10 and 1 male 18-25. 2 females age 0-10 and 2 females 26-44. ª One male age 0-10

1820

Twiggs

Twiggs County, GA

Isaac L. Barrs was born to Arthur and Nancy Barrs 1820 in Twiggs County, GA. He died at age 30 in August 1850 in The Nankin District of Brooks County GA and left a wife, Elizabeth Hinson and 4 young children.

1821

Twiggs

Twiggs County, GA

James C. Barrs was born to Arthur and Nancy Barrs 1821 in Twiggs County, GA. He died in Suwannee County FL between 1800 and  1887

1824

Twiggs

Twiggs County, GA

William W. Barrs was born to Arthur and Nancy Barrs 1824 in Twiggs County GA. He died in Nankin Brooks County GA either 1900 or 1910

Twiggs

Twiggs County, GA</