Dewitt County Illinois
Barnetts in Illinois ~
History of the Family
BARNETT, Alexander obituary
April 30, 1886
Death of One of the Early Pioneers
ALEXANDER L. BARNETT Joins the Silent Majority
The history of the BARNETT family is an important part of the early history of DeWitt County. They came from Kentucky, and made their first home in what is now called Barnett township—being named in honor of the family. The Barnetts were of Scotch-Irish stock, and settled in Virginia in the beginning of the eighteenth century. The grandfather of Alexander L. BARNETT was born in Virginia in 1754, and during the revolutionary war served as regimental surgeon in the Virginia continentals. Dr. BARNETT was an ardent admirer of the teachings of Thomas Jefferson, and he resolved that his children should not dwell on a soil tainted with slavery. He did not get to this land of freedom himself, but in his will he provided that his sons and their families should carry out his wishes. Two of Dr. Barnett's sons died without issue, and his surviving son, John, was entrusted the carrying out of the Doctor's wishes. The Barnett family had removed from Virginia to Bourbon County, Ky., at the close of the revolutionary war, where they bought seven hundred and ten acres of land. In the Doctor's will it was provided that three hundred and twenty acres of the land should be sold and invested in free soil for the benefit of his descendants, and the remainder of the land was willed to John BARNETT, the father of Alexander L., and his sister's descendants in fee simple. John Barnett was a soldier in the war of 1812. In 1830 he came to Illinois and bought land in this county. Robert F. BARNETT, the oldest son of John, came to this county in 1832 and settled on lands previously entered by his father. Alexander L., the third son, came from Kentucky in 1831, and located in Clintonia Township, on the farm which he owned till the time of his death. John Barnett, the father of the DeWitt county Barnetts, removed to this county years after his sons came here, and spent the remaining days of his life on free soil, carrying out the wishes of the old revolutionary hero, Dr. Alexander Barnett. So intensely opposed were the elder Barnetts to the institution of slavery that they made no effort to bring slaves to this State, although under the existing laws at that time they could have done so.
Alexander L. BARNETT, who died at the home of his son in this city this morning, at half-past three o'clock, was born in Bourbon County, Ky., on the 15th of October, 1810, so that at the time of his death he was seventy-five years, six months and fifteen days old. His death thins out the number of the early settlers of DeWitt County. There is probably not more than two or three now living in the county who were here when Alexander L. Barnett came. The only name of the early settlers we can now recall is that of Judge John J. McGRAW, who for two or three months past has been confined to his home by sickness.
In early life Alexander L. Barnett acquired a fair education, and in his younger days studied the art of surveying. In 1839, seven years after he came to this county, he was elected the first surveyor of the county, which office he held continually for nearly twenty-one years. Although he was the owner of nearly four hundred acres of land, within four miles of this city, he did not give much attention to farming, his professional duties requiring almost his entire time. Even after he went out of office he did the greater part of the surveying in all parts of the county, as the old settlers thought no one as capable as Mr. Barnett. In 1879 he was again elected county surveyor, and held the office till the time of his death. Indeed it might be said that he died in the harness, for when he was taken sick one week ago yesterday he was engaged in surveying near Kenney.
Politically, Alexander L. Barnett was a Democrat till the time of the organization of the Greenback party a few years ago. His first Presidential vote was cast for Martin Van Buren, and he kept faithfully in the ranks till Peter Cooper's candidacy. He never belonged to any church or secret society.
Alexander L. Barnett was a man of vigorous mind and marked characteristics of character. He was positive in his views and would not swerve from what he considered right. He was not dogmatic, and conceded to others the same rights he demanded for himself—the right to exercise his own judgment in religion, politics, and on all public questions. In his dealings with the world he was fair and honorable, but unfortunately for his own pocket he was not exacting in his demands when it came to his own private business. His friendship could always be relied upon, and he was just as tenacious in his dislikes. An open opponent he respected, but he had the utmost contempt for that class of people who go through the world with a "knife up their sleeves." His home was always open for the entertainment of friend or stranger. In his younger days Mr. Barnett was a great hunter, like all of the early settlers, and the habit clung to him through his life. With his dog and gun he enjoyed the hours he could spare from his business. He said that where Clinton now stands he often enjoyed the chase for deer and other game.
A week ago yesterday he was taken sick while engaged in surveying near Kenney. He was brought to Clinton Saturday and taken to his son's (W. B.'s) house. His disease developed into typhoid-pneumonia, and during the greater portion of his sickness he was delirious. His death was not unexpected. The funeral services will take place from the old homestead, three and one-half miles west of Clinton, on Sunday morning at eleven o'clock.
For fifty years he had lived in the old homestead. There all of his children were born. He was the father of twelve children, six of whom with his aged wife survive him. The four sons living are William B., James R., John A., and Alexander. Mrs. Casandra McDONALD and Mrs. Juliet MORROW are his daughters. He had twenty-one grandchildren and one great grandchild.
From DeWitt County History 1882
Alexander Barnett is the oldest pioneer citizen of Clintonia. He is a native of Bourbon county, Kentucky, and came to the county in the fall of 1831. He first stopped in what was known as the Hall and Bowles settlement, Barnett township. He remained there but a short time, when he returned to his native State. The next year, 1832, he came back to this county, where he has remained a citizen ever since. In the fall of 1834, he entered the land for his present farm in the extreme western part of Clintonia township. At that time Mr. Barnett, Josiah Clifton and Samuel Curtright were the only citizens. In the same year Mr. Barnett married Miss Elizabeth Hall, and early the following spring they went to house-keeping in a pole cabin previously built by Mr. Barnett on his premises
in Section 30. His cabin was euphoniously called the " House that Jack built," from the fact that a man by the name of Jack Bruner superintended the construction of it. It was a rude affair, filled in with chinkings, but not daubed up with mud as were some of the most aristocratic of those times. Soon after moving in a heavy snow storm prevailed, Mr. Barnett was away from home, and when he returned be found his wife sitting, desolate and alone, in the middle of the room, muffled up in a cloak, and the floor covered with snow. He made a rousing fire, swept out the snow, stuffed up the cracks with rags the best he could, and for a time they were comparatively comfortable. The next morning. Mr. Barnett was obliged to wade through several inches of snow before he could reach his clothes to dress. Many years have passed, and Mr. Barnett is now one of the prominent farmers and representative citizens of DeWitt county. He has been a very active man all his, life, and although gray haired, and somewhat bent with age, he is yet active and capable of more endurance than many of the rising generation. He was elected the first surveyor after the county was organized in 1839, served in the office for twenty successive years, and is now the present incumbent.
*James Kenney's daughter Sally was John I. Barnett's wife. He moved to Illinois after her death in Kentucky
Alexander Barnett is the oldest pioneer citizen of Clintonia. He is a native of Bourbon county, Kentucky, and came to the county in the fall of 1831. He first stopped in what was known as the Hall and Bowles settlement, Barnett township. He remained there but a short time, when he returned to his native State. The next year, 1832, he came back to this county, where he has remained a citizen ever since. In the fall of 1834, he entered the land for his present farm in the extreme western part of Clintonia township. At that time Mr. Barnett, Josiah Clifton and Samuel Curtright were the only citizens. In the same year Mr. Barnett married Miss Elizabeth Hall, and early the following spring they went to house-keeping in a pole cabin previously built by Mr. Barnett on his premises
in Section 30. His cabin was euphoniously called the " House that Jack built," from the fact that a man by the name of Jack Bruner superintended the construction of it. It was a rude affair, filled in with chinkings, but not daubed up with mud as were some of the most aristocratic of those times. Soon after moving in a heavy snow storm prevailed, Mr. Barnett was away from home, and when he returned be found his wife sitting, desolate and alone, in the middle of the room, muffled up in a cloak, and the floor covered with snow. He made a rousing fire, swept out the snow, stuffed up the cracks with rags the best he could, and for a time they were comparatively comfortable. The next morning. Mr. Barnett was obliged to wade through several inches of snow before he could reach his clothes to dress. Many years have passed, and Mr. Barnett is now one of the prominent farmers and representative citizens of DeWitt county. He has been a very active man all his, life, and although gray haired, and somewhat bent with age, he is yet active and capable of more endurance than many of the rising generation. He was elected the first surveyor after the county was organized in 1839, served in the office for twenty successive years, and is now the present incumbent.
*James Kenney's daughter Sally was John I. Barnett's wife. He moved to Illinois after her death in Kentucky
The Barnett Cemetery, Barnett Township, DeWitt Co., Illinois; in the middle of a cornfield, completely neglected by the city Photo courtesy of Edd Marks
The following information is from "Kenney Centennial" the Centennial History of Kenney, September 11-17, 1971
The village of Kenney was platted and filed for the record in September of 1871, by Moses Kenney and was named by Moses and John Kenney in honor of their father, *James Kenney. It was incorporated in 1875. Kenney was started primarily as a means of ridding himself of forty acres of ground which had been crossed diagonally by the Illinois Central Railroad, leaving Mr. Kenney with two three-cornered tracts of land. The new town was located almost in the exact center of Tunbridge Township and there were no buildings on the entire forty acres. As one looks backward to the conditions as they existed at that particular time, one can not help but admire the courage of Mr. Kenney in the undertaking of such a project as a new town, as the town of Franklin located 3 miles to the north and east was already in existence with three small stores, blacksmith shop, flour mill, saw mill, post office and school. Also three miles to the north was another small town with stores, blacksmith shop and schools. The only thing Mr. Kenney had in his favor was a railroad-but that proved to be enough. Kenney began to "grow like a weed" and in only a few years became one of the best and most widely known small towns in the entire state. Moses Kenney did not live to see his dream fulfilled as he died four years later in 1875.
*(father of Sallie Kenney who married John I. Barnett born 1780)
My grandfather was born and raised in Kenney.