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James Barrs 1840 Twiggs County Georgia Census: Age 44: Household: 1 male age 5 or under; 1 male age 10-15; 1 male age 15-20; 1 male age 40-50; 1 female 20-30 and 61 slaves. James Barrs had taken over the plantation farming operations of his older brother Arthur Barrs in Twiggs County Georgia and had the bulk of Arthur's slaves in his household by the time of the 1840 Federal census. This census information validates that James and Arthur Barrs were definitely brothers!

James Barrs ended his days in Pulaski County Georgia where he died sometime after 1870, probably 1872. He had at least two wives and at least three children during his long lifetime. His first wife's name is unknown but is believed to have been of the Grandberry family since their first son was named George Grandberry Barrs. His last wife was Ann E. Pipkin of Pulaski County Georgia.

One son was named George Grandberry Barrs, whose descendants live in Georgia today. Two younger sons were named James Barrs and John Barrs. Both James and Ann Barrs are listed in the 1870 Pulaski County Georgia Census Report along with two males (James Barrs' Grand Sons) named James Grover Barrs age 6 and William Joshua Barrs age 14.

James and Ann Barrs raised his grandsons after their father and mother's death. George Grandberry was killed shortly after the War Between the States ended (in 1866) at Coley's Station Pulaski County Georgia. He was stabbed during an altercation with another individual. He attained the rank of 2nd Lieutenant in the CSA Infantry and was discharged in 1865.

James Grover Barrs and William Joshua Barrs were James Barrs' grand sons and the children of George Grandberry Barrs and Elizabeth Cole. George Grandberry and Elizabeth Cole were married on August 26, 1852. James Barrs and Ann E. Pipkin had taken William Joshua and John Grover into their home to raise after their mother had died and their father was killed at Coley's Station, Pulaski County Georgia. William Joshua married Susan Coley and then later Susan's sister Malinda Coley after Susan's death. James Grover married Sarah Eleanor Manning. William Joshua had a son named James Colquit Barrs. Most of James Colquit Barrs family still lives in Georgia with some scattered through out other states.

James C. Barrs [My G-G Grandfather] at age 29 was in the 1850 Lowndes County Georgia Census. He and his family were in the household of Samual Porter. In James C. Barrs' household was his wife Martha Elizabeth Land, sons Henry age 6, William age 3 and my Great Grandfather Isaac Newton Barrs age 1 were in the household of Solomon Porter, age 41 a farmer born in North Carolina. James C. Barrs was listed as an 'Overseer' for Mr. Porter. James C. Barrs middle name was "Campbell" after his Mother's maiden name.

Members of Great Grandparents James C. Barrs, born in Twiggs County Georgia in 1821, and Elizabeth Barrs (Martha Elizabeth Land a Daughter of Henry Land. Martha Elizabeth Land had 3 brothers and 3 sisters in the 1830 Twiggs County GA Census Report. The Henry Land family lived near Elam Hinson. Elam Hinson's daughter Elizabeth Hinson married Isaac L. Barrs, oldest child of Arthur and Nancy Elizabeth Campbell-Barrs) born in North Carolina in 1821, household were James Henry L. Barrs age 6 born 1845 in Georgia (Lowndes County); William T. Barrs (Taylor) age 3 born 1848 in Georgia (Lowndes County) and Isaac Newton Barrs [My Great Grandfather] age 1 born 1849 in Georgia (Lowndes County).

(Lowndes County was divided into Lowndes and Brooks County in 1858 while James C. Barrs, his immediate family and several cousins and/or nephews were living in Wakulla County Florida where he was operating a 'Salt Works' at the mouth of the St. Marks River with a number of Mr. Porter's slaves. Evidence of the old Salt Works are still visible on the east side of the river at the gulf.)

James C. Barrs and his family went to Wakulla County Florida sometime before 1857. At that time he was an 'Overseer' for Mr. Solomon Porter of Lowndes County Georgia. He took a number of Mr. Porter's slaves, several of his kin (cousins and nephews) and his family to the east side of the mouth of the St. Marks River in Wakulla County Florida on the Gulf of Mexico. He was operating 'Salt Works' on the coast at the mouth of the St. Marks River from about 1855 to 1863, or until the Salt Works were destroyed by Union gunboats and Federal Marine troops during the War Between the States.

James C. Barrs and his family returned to The Nankin District of Brooks County Georgia after the Salt Works were destroyed where he enlisted at Quitman Georgia in the CSA 11th Calvary Georgia State Guards. James C. Barrs' brother William W. Barrs and his oldest son James Henry L. Barrs (Leonard) also enlisted at the same time in the 11 Georgia Calvary for enlistments of 6-months. The youngest son of James C. and Martha Elizabeth Barrs, Henry J. Barrs, was born in Wakulla County Florida in 1857. By age 14 he was called "Andrew" J. Barrs. His descendants knew him as "Ander." James Henry L. Barrs, James C. and Elizabeth's oldest son, and James C. Barrs' youngest and only living brother also enlisted in the CSA 11 Calvary Georgia State Guards.

Andrew J. Barrs bought Federal Homestead land in Lafayette County Florida on May 12, 1899 in Gainesville Florida. Andrew J. Barrs was the youngest son of James C. Barrs and Martha Elizabeth Land-Barrs. Andrew J. Barrs date of death is not known at this time. He was buried in the Day Lafayette County Cemetery in a vault with no headstone. I have been told by one of his grandchildren that he was the first buried in the Day Cemetery and that it was called the Barrs Cemetery for some time afterwards.

One of James C. Barrs' cousins who went to Wakulla Florida with him, James M. Barrs, joined the CSA Florida 5th Infantry Company I, in Wakulla County Florida during July of 1863. The Company was called "The Wakulla Tigers." James M. Barrs was wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg on July 2, 1863 and was discharged on April 26, 1865. James M. Barrs was married to Elizabeth Prince on March 19, 1865 in Leon, Wakulla County, Florida and returned to farming. James M. and Elizabeth Barrs are believed to be buried someplace in Wakulla County Florida.

By all accounts James C. Barrs and some or all of his family were traveling back and forth between Wakulla County Florida and Lowndes-Brooks County Georgia during the period he was operating the Salt Works on the Gulf of Mexico in northwest Florida. He would have been delivering salt to south Georgia and no doubt made the trip to pick up supplies for The Salt Works crew and his own family. There are roads that still exist today which are referred to as "Salt Roads" that were used to transport salt from the Gulf of Mexico to Georgia and beyond.

James C. Barrs at age 39 is listed as an "Overseer" in the 1860 Brooks County Georgia Census report: Household: Elizabeth (Martha Elizabeth Land) 39 born 1821 in NC; James Henry L. Barrs age 15 born Lowndes County GA; William T. Barrs age 12 born Lowndes County GA; Isaac Newton Barrs [My Great Grand Father] age 9 born Lowndes County GA: Francis Marion Barrs age 6 born Lowndes County GA; John Wesley Barrs age 5 born Lowndes County GA; Henry J. (aka Andrew or "Ander") Barrs age 3 born Wakulla County FL; and Parmelia Barrs age 1 born Brooks County GA.

James C. Barrs purchased 320+ acres of land under the 1830 Federal Homestead Act in Taylor County Florida on February 1, 1861. This acreage is in alignment with the major 'Salt Road' that ran from Wakulla County Florida to south central Georgia. James C. Barrs gave his residence address as 'Lowndes County Florida' when purchasing the property in Tallahassee Florida. Why did he give 'Lowndes County Florida ' as his residence?

Today we know that The Nankin District, where G-G Grandfather James C. Barrs and his family had lived before, during and after having been in Wakulla County Florida off and on from the mid 1850's to 1863, is definitely in Georgia today, but it is barely across the state line from Florida. It is only 16 miles north from Madison Florida. The question is, was James C. Barrs' family home in The Nankin District considered to have been in Georgia or Florida in the 1850's and before James C. Barrs and his family traveled to Wakulla County Florida? Would he have know about the change of status for the area that occurred during his absence or that Lowndes County had divided into Brooks County in 1858?

Historic records show that The Nankin District was within a Florida and Georgia state governments boundary disputed area as a result of the Spanish seceding Florida to the United States that included the southern portion of Lowndes-Brooks County Georgia and Madison County Florida. Brooks County Georgia was not divided from Lowndes County until 1858 and while the James C. Barrs family was known to have been in Wakulla County Florida. Today The Nankin District of Georgia is just over the Florida state line inside Brooks County Georgia.

According to the writings of Samuel Moore, a young CSA War Between the States veteran, of his experience during and after The War, "We (He and 'Jim Barrs') walked (in 1865) from Madison Florida the 16 miles to Mr. Jim Barrs home where he let me spend the night before sending one of his sons and me on a mule to my home in Quitman Georgia the next day." Quitman was 12 miles north of The Nankin District and James C. Barrs' home.