The Barnes Family- Family Histories - Coleman County, Texas

     D. Joseph Barnes and wife, Elizabeth, moved to Santa Anna in the fall of 1909 with eight of their living children. They had moved from Falls County to Glasscock County in 1907. The three oldest boys went on ahead of the rest of the family, traveling in a covered wagon with some extra horses; they were W. Ford, the oldest, who was 19 years old, J. Q., and Bonner, the youngest of the three. The country they passed through was mostly prairie, with tall, waving grass, a lot of it Mesquite grass.

     They passed through Santa Anna and Coleman camping on the Overall Ranch west of Coleman. They finally arrived in Garden City and shortly thereafter took their wagons to Big Spring to meet the rest of the family who had come over by train.

     While living in Garden City, Ford met Leola Christie, and they were married there on July 12, 1908. In 1909, the Christies had moved to Hamilton County and the Joe Barnes family had moved to Santa Anna. Ford and Leola Barnes raised their family of four in Santa Anna, and all graduated from Santa Anna High School. They are:

       (1) Joe Christie, married Gladis Gilbert from DeWitt County. They spent most of their lives in Coleman County, stock farming around Whon and south of Santa Anna. They raised three children, Joe Gilbert, Christine, and Bobbie. The children attended Santa Anna, Leedy and Whon schools. None of the children are now living in the county.

       (2) William Ford, Jr. (Billy) moved to the Rio Grande Valley shortly after finishing college, where he met and married Dorine Adams. Most of his working years were spent in the field of education. They have four children: William Ford III, Frederick Maurice, Barbara Lynn, and Deborah Elizabeth. Billy and Dorine have retired in Santa Anna.

       (3) Zora Elizabeth (Beth), married Terry Sanders, who was with the State Department for many years. They have two sons, Terry III and Christie Barnes. Beth and Terry are now making their home in Dallas.

       (4) James Quincy (Jimmy), married Jacquelyn Magnon. He is a practicing orthodontist in San Antonio. They have three children - Mary Lou, Quincy, and Glory Beth.

     Ford Barnes was a merchant in Santa Anna for many years. He ran a confectionery called "The Palace of Sweets" for two years, then, in 1912, he bought stock in the Texas Mercantile General Store, which he operated until it closed in 1928. Mr. L. V. Stockard, who was the first Depot Agent for the Santa Fe Railroad in Santa Anna, was one of the stockholders, as were Dr. T. R. Sealy and Jesse Kirkpatrick. After this, Ford put in a Helpy Selfy grocery store and ran that for about three years. Ford was a charter member of the Lions Club, Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, member of the School Board and Mayor of the city of Santa Anna for 16 years. He owned a sizable ranch on the Colorado River, south of Whon, for many years. Ford died February 3, 1983, and Leola, September 18, 1983, both buried in Santa Anna.

Joe Estelle (Joda) was next to Ford, then Letha, J. Q, Bonner, Lucille, the twins, Maurice and Marguerite, and Eileen. Joda married John Poole while the family was living in Cotulla. Joda and John operated a tailor shop in Coleman for many years. She died as the result of a fire in her home a few years ago. Letha married a Santa Anna man, Avery Collier, the son of a pioneering Santa Anna family (see John W. Collier). J. Q. was a clerk in the dry goods department of the Texas Mercantile; he married Ila Ruth Turney, a school teacher in Santa Anna. Later, they moved to Tucumcari and then to Hatch, New Mexico, where they stayed until his death. Bonner married a girl from Bryan, Juliet Castle, whom he met while attending Texas A&M. Bonner worked for Gulf Oil Company all his working years, later becoming a vice-president of that company. Lucille married Jake Lister, a pharmacist, whom she met while they were both working at a drug store in San Angelo. They moved to Lovington, New Mexico, where she still lives, and where they owned and operated a drug store. She was also County Clerk of Lea County and County Superintendent of Schools for many years. Maurice is a doctor living in Waco. Marguerite married Carroll Kingsbery (see Kingsbery) and they still live on the old Kingsbery Ranch south of Santa Anna, the only child of nine still living in Coleman County; only three of which are living.

     D. Joe passed away in Coleman on June 29, 1939. His wife, Elizabeth, died there in 1958. My great-grandfather, J. Q. Barnes, also lived in Santa Anna and Coleman for several years prior to his death in January, 1933. Also, my great-grandfather and mother Bonner, Mrs. D. Joe Barnes' parents, lived in Santa Anna.

pictures to be added

1915 Texas Mercantile Store, Jap Weathers, W. Ford Barnes, Gordon Daniels

Joe C., Beth [baby] Leola, and Billy, about 1918

Billy, J. Q., D. J., and Ford, 1929

Front row: Joda, Marguerite, Lucille, Letha; Back:
Maurice, Ford, J.Q, Bonner, 1979