Family Chronicles

I found this information: 1 May 2026
US Family History Books 
Title: Outline of the Bowlby Family in the Vicinity of Washington, New Jersey: of Newark, Ohio and Vicinity of Leroy and Green Valley Illinois Vicinities.
Author Grizzelle, Eva Crumbaugh

Edward Barker of Branford, Conn was born about 1625 and emigrated to America in 1640 was a very prominent man. He died about 1703, leaving numerous descendants. Wife’s name unknown.

The links between the lines of Robert Barker of Plymouth Colony, his brother John of Duxbury, Mass and English ancestors is clearly shown by the coat-of-arms used by the brothers and their father in England. “Barry of then or sable, over all a bend or ”. [Not sure what this means]

The Principal Visitation of Shropshire, England commenced the pedigree of the Barker with Randulph de Calverhall, tenant in fee of the Manor of Calverhall in 1200, his son was William de Calverhall of Balnominster (1219) and his great grandson  (1278) bore the first Barker arms. This man was Randulph de Calverhall whose son William was forced to flee when his king, Edward II became unpopular.

He appeared in Hallon as William le Barker which soon became plain “Barker”. His son was Roger le Barker, his son was William Barker, his son was William Barker, his son was Henry Barker, his son was William, His son was John, his son was John of Colohurst, his son was George and his sons were John and Robert. They came(it is said) to New England about 1628-1630. They left numerous descendents. John Barker, the direct descendant of Randulph de Calverhall of England(1200) He also shows many descendents.

Richard Barker appeared in Andover, Mass in 1643.  James Barker, his wife Grace and son Barzillai came with the twenty Puritans families who arrived at Salem Massachusetts under the leadership of the Reverend Ezekel Rogers in 1638. Left a numerous family. In 1682 William Penn came to America on the ship “Welcome” and with him came his friend Samuel Barker who belonged to the Society of Friends. His descendents lived in the old homestead near Wilmington, Delaware until 1840. He is buried in the Old Swedes Church in Willington, Delaware.

While there were Barkers in Virginia as early as 1624 the first record found of James Barker is that he was born in England in 1726. That he was Captain of a British Man of War and came to America and was with George Washington at Braddock’s defeat in 1755. He married Mary Smith of Portsmouth, England. One of his descendants of the fourth generation Mary Barker married Jame Burwell. The Barkers of West Virginia came from Delaware and their son “Joseph” settled at “Red Stone”. 
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I asked ChatGPT to cleanup and expand on this story,
Here’s a cleaned-up and expanded version of your text, with clearer structure, corrected grammar, and a bit of historical context added where helpful. I’ve kept the original meaning while smoothing out uncertainties and flow:

Edward Barker and Early Barker Lineages in America

Edward Barker of Branford, Connecticut, was born about 1625 and emigrated to New England around 1640. He became a prominent member of the community and remained there for the rest of his life. He died about 1703, leaving numerous descendants. The name of his wife has not been identified in surviving records.

The connection between the lines of Robert Barker of Plymouth Colony and his brother John Barker of Duxbury, Massachusetts, and their English ancestry is believed to be demonstrated through the coat of arms used by the family both in England and in America. The arms are described as: “Barry of ten or and sable, over all a bend or.”
In heraldic terms, this means a shield divided into ten horizontal stripes alternating gold (or) and black (sable), with a diagonal gold band (bend) running across the entire shield.

According to the Principal Visitation of Shropshire, England, the Barker pedigree is traced back to Randulph de Calverhall, who was tenant in fee of the Manor of Calverhall around the year 1200. His son, William de Calverhall, was recorded at Balnominster in 1219. A later descendant, also named Randulph de Calverhall (circa 1278), is said to have been the first to bear what later became known as the Barker arms.

Tradition holds that during the reign of King Edward II, when political unrest made conditions unfavorable, a descendant named William was forced to flee. He settled in Hallon, where he became known as “William le Barker,” a name that soon evolved into the simpler “Barker.” From this point, the surname became established.

The lineage is then traced through several generations as follows:
William le Barker → Roger le Barker → William Barker → William Barker → Henry Barker → William Barker → John Barker → John Barker → John Barker of Colohurst → George Barker → and finally his sons, John and Robert Barker.

It is said that John and Robert Barker emigrated to New England between approximately 1628 and 1630, where they established families and left many descendants. John Barker, in particular, is noted as a direct descendant of Randulph de Calverhall and is associated with a large and continuing lineage in America.

Other Barker families also appear early in New England records. Richard Barker was documented in Andover, Massachusetts, in 1643. James Barker, along with his wife Grace and their son Barzillai, arrived in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1638 as part of a group of twenty Puritan families led by the Reverend Ezekiel Rogers. This family likewise produced numerous descendants.

In 1682, when William Penn sailed to America on the ship Welcome, he was accompanied by his friend Samuel Barker, a member of the Society of Friends (Quakers). Samuel Barker settled near Wilmington, Delaware, where his descendants remained on the original homestead until about 1840. He is buried at Old Swedes Church in Wilmington.

Although individuals with the Barker surname were present in Virginia as early as 1624, a later figure of note is James Barker, said to have been born in England in 1726. He reportedly served as a captain in the British Navy and came to America, where he was present with George Washington at the time of Braddock’s defeat in 1755 during the French and Indian War. He married Mary Smith of Portsmouth, England.

Among their descendants, Mary Barker of the fourth generation married James Burwell. A branch of this family later moved from Delaware into what is now West Virginia. Their son, Joseph Barker, settled at Redstone, contributing to the spread of the Barker family into the western frontier.

If you want, I can also turn this into a more formal genealogical report (with citations and notes about which parts are historically proven vs. traditional/uncertain), since some of these early medieval links are often debated.

George Robinson Barker, “Bob”, passed away on Thursday, September 28, 2023, he was 94 years old. Born on January 8, 1929 to George Myron Barker and Elizabeth Leeds Barker of Fairfield, CT, where he grew up. He attended the Choate School for Boys, Middlebury College and Yale for his master’s degree in silviculture. He enlisted in the Navy in 1950 and was part of a hurricane hunting team stationed out of Jacksonville Florida. 

After a four year stint in the Navy, Bob went to work for St. Regis Paper Company – first as a forester, then as a leading pioneer into GIS Mapping. Through his work, he spent a lot of time commuting from Jacksonville, FL to the computer center at the University of Georgia in Athens. After a long career at St. Regis Paper Co, Bob took his vast knowledge of satellite imaging and went to work in Reston, VA for SPOT Imaging, a French company, where he spent 5 years helping the company get established. After a brief stay in Reston, Bob and Joyce moved to Athens, GA where he became an adjunct professor at the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry. He also served for 10 plus years on the Athens Tree Council and several of those years as President. While serving on the Commission he re-initiated the “Champion Tree” program within the county.

Bob married his longtime friend and sweetheart, Joyce Edwards, on April 25, 1953 and together they raised 4 children: Karen May (Barry), Bruce, Diane Brown (Greg) and George (Rachel). Bob leaves behind four children, 16 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren. Preceded in death by his wife, Joyce and daugher-in-law, Pamela. Bob and Joyce were longtime members of the Arlington Congregationalist Church of Jacksonville, Florida.      

A friend to anyone he met, Bob was always ready to talk and had plenty of funny statements or sayings. He often said his day was complete if he could make someone laugh or smile. He will be missed. 

Cornelia Clarke Barker Edwards was the oldest child of Ralph and Eugenia Barker, my great grandparents – on my father’s side. She married George H. Edwards who was a descendant of Holmes & Edwards Silver Co.

The Holmes & Edwards Silver Co.
The roots for the Holmes & Edwards Silver Co. goes back to the Roger and Brittin Silver Co which was established in January 1880. Edwin Brittin, one of the original founders died suddenly in 1881. C.E.I. Holmes and George Edwards acquired the their company in 1892 and The Holmes & Edwards Silver Co was established in Bridgeport, CT.

George Holmes Edwards
Source: Google Books Biography Pg. 139
George is with International Silver Co. successor to Holmes & Edwards Silver Co., Bridgeport, CT. also Secretary of the Bridgeport Chain Co. Residence 174 Park Place, Bridgeport CT (Vol.1 page 124) Unmarried.
George Holmes Edwards was born on February 26, 1881 at Binghamton, NY, the son of George Clarke Edwards and of Ardelia Esther (Holmes) Edwards. His father is Vice President of the International Solver Co. and President of the Bridgeport Chain Company.
B.A., 1905

” In 1905 after graduation I spent 6 weeks in travel through the British Isles. January 1, 1906, began business with the International Silver Co., Factory ‘C’ being still associated with this concern, paying particular attention to advertising of Factory ‘C’ (Holmes and Edwards). Summer of 1906 spent 6 weeks vacation in England, visiting Devonshire, Sherwood Forest, Ragland , etc. The summer of 1907 took a flying trip through Europe with roommate, William D. Dean, landing in Bremer Haven and visiting Hartz Mountains, Berlin, Dresden, Cologne, Mainz, Heidelberg, Lucerne and London. In early part of 1908 elected Secretary of the Bridgeport Chain Company. Attended dinner of the Yale Alumni Association of Fairfield County, 1908 at which President Hadley spoke”.

My Granduncle
Ralph Federick was the son of Ralph and Eugenia Barker my Great grandfather he was born in 1894. In 1882, Ralph and Eugenia moved from Connecticut to Florida to take a position as secretary and treasurer with the Madison Cotton Ginning Company, which owns the Phoenix Mills.
1910 Census has Ralph living at 143 Coleman Street with his mother and father.
1916 Ralph (22) filled out a WWI draft card – he was tall, slender, blue eyes, brown hair and not bald – (see Ancestry)
1917 Connecticut Military Census – Age 24, height 5′ 7″ weight 107. Do you have a serious disability: Yes . If so name it: Invalid.
1920 Census has Ralph (25) living on Coleman Street with his mother and father.
1924 his mother Eugenia died.
1928 his father died.
1930 Census has Ralph (36) living with Hubert and Eugenia Morfey and his occupation as machinist.
1938 – 1939 Ralph enters Battleboro Retreat.
F. died in 1943 when my dad was 14 years old. Dad doesn’t remember
The middle name Frederick must have come from Eugenia Frear Robinson, Ralph’s mother’s father who was Frederick E. Robinson.

Many different environmental agents can trigger myocarditis including viral or bacterial infections, toxins, and drugs. The reasons why some persons recover and others do not is an area of active investigation.

The Brattleboro Retreat was founded in 1834 as the Vermont Asylum for the Insane through a $10,000 bequest left by Anna Hunt Marsh for the establishment of a psychiatric hospital that would exist independently and in perpetuity for the welfare of the mentally disordered. The institution was renamed as the Brattleboro Retreat in the late 19th century in order to eliminate confusion with the state-run Vermont State Asylum for the Insane.

Taking its inspiration from the York Retreat in England, the retreat originated as a humane alternative to the otherwise demeaning and sometimes dangerous treatment of people with mental disorders. The focus on “moral treatment”, an idea derived from a Quaker concept, introduced by William Tuke in the late 18th century,  which approaches mental disorders as diseases and not as character flaws or the results of sins. This remains the institution’s guiding philosophy.

For much of the 19th and 20th century, treatment methods emphasized fresh air, physical activity, educational enrichment, therapeutic farm and kitchen work, and supportive staff. Some of the techniques used at the retreat were influenced by the Quakers and Benjamin Rush, a physician and American Revolutionary War supporter.

The Brattleboro Retreat has been known throughout its history for adhering to the concepts of moral treatment while integrating advanced methods of care. The administration established the following “firsts” among psychiatric hospitals in the U.S.: patient-produced newspaper, bowling alley, chapel, theater, gymnasium, recreation fields, patient chorus, book discussion groups, outing club, working hospital dairy farm, patient-managed enterprises, and the first swimming pool at a U.S. psychiatric hospital.

Patients enjoyed frequent outings and the community would often join the patients for events. The facility has some secure units but is not separated from the community by fencing. Many aspects of the Brattleboro Retreat’s medical care and physical design have been adopted by hospitals around the world.

The retreat cautiously approached modern treatment modalities such as electroconvulsive therapy (“ECT”) and utilized them in a fairly limited capacity. Today the retreat’s ECT clinic is closed. Most patients have enjoyed a greater degree of freedom than at other institutions, with windowed bedrooms instead of cells or cages. Due to rapid construction, patients had large private rooms even as overcrowding became an issue at other hospitals, leading many historians to conclude that the Brattleboro Retreat is among few long-established psychiatric hospitals with an unblemished history. This dignity ended for many patients when state hospitals began to be built. Many long-term patients feared leaving their beloved home and tried to avoid transfer to state facilities. Unfortunately, some were relocated to new state hospitals against their wishes. This decrease in patient census was compounded by the loss of patients due to the development of mood stabilizing drugs. The hospital has used this open capacity for new programs such as specialty schools and outpatient resources. Recent innovative programs include a new inpatient unit for LGBT individuals, and a partial hospital/residential program for uniformed service professionals (corrections, fire, first responders, military, and police).

The hospital lacks the historical stigma associated with some psychiatric institutions due to its consistent focus on patients’ individuality and fair treatment. A full staff of doctors, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, social workers, and other medical personnel continue this tradition of patient care.^[