History of Barnesville
Settlement, 5 mi. SW of Upham, on road to Upper Loch Lomond: Upham Parish, Kings County: John Barnes settled about 1820: first called South Stream: community name changed to honour Thomas G. Barnes, first postmaster: PO Barnesville 1854-1957: in 1866 Barnesville was a farming community with approximately 53 resident families: by 1866 Barnesville included Droylan Settlement which was a farming community with approximately 5 resident families, Erin Go Brah wihch was a farming community with approximately 10 resident families and Primrose Settlement which was a farming community with approximately 10 resident families: in 1898 Barnesville had 1 post office, 2 stores, 2 churches and a population of 200: today it is a dispersed community.
History of St Barnabas – Jean Kilpatrick 2001 by Jean Kilpatrick
When our Rector asked me to do a write up on the cemetery & church, I didn’t think I could do it. But things kept coming into my mind, so I just jotted a few things down, which I hope will be of interest to everyone here. First, I would like to say how much this little church & cemetery mean to me and many more.
I was baptized, confirmed & married in this church, so it has been like a second home to me for the past 70 years more or less.
A lot of work has been done on the cemetery this year. Trees & bushes have been cut all the way around fence, fence repaired & grass mowed. Some graves filled in. graves are supposed to be looked after by family or relatives, but sorry to say some neglect to do so. Some painting has been done also posts etc. We bought a new ride on lawn mower & cutting shears & some paint, which I’m sure will make the work a lot easier. More work will be done this fall, such as more cedar trees, painted new fence posts & work at back entrance etc.
Most work has been done by volunteers. Our many thanks to them. We won’t mention names. We are also in the process of getting a new map drawn up of cemetery. Thanks to Jack King, we have a new committee in charge now, so I wish them well. A very special thanks to Robert Grant who has kept the cemetery mowed for a number of years. He has done a wonderful job, so a big hand for Robert please.
Now I want to tell you something about our church.
St. Barnabas Church is in very good repair. New basement, complete with bathroom, cabinets, hot & cold water, new roof, siding, windows repaired, steel doors & electric heating.
I hope this church will be a lasting memorial to those that have passed away and are buried in this cemetery. All the work has been done without grants or any cost to the parish. Many thanks to all the people who contributed in any way.
Lastly, I would like to give you a little bit of the history of our church & cemetery.
St. Barnabas has a very rich history. IN 1846 the Diocesan Church Society made a grant to The Rev. T McGhee (sp?), first rector of the Parish of Upham for the building of a church at Londonderry. The church at Londonderry was not built at this time, but rather McGhee used the grant to build St. Barnabas Church at Southstream, now Barnesville. Saint Barnabas was built on a piece of land originally granted to the Madras School, controlled by the Church of England in 1784. The church was built in 1848 and was consecrated in 1854, so this year marks its 153rd anniversary.
While it is believed the cemetery predates the church, the oldest marked grave in the cemetery is that of James Cother (sp?) who died in 1859. Although there are two unmarked graves at the back of the church, I believe the name was Lyons who lived at that time up past the cemetery, but we have no record at this time.
Some of the other names found in the older part of the cemetery are: Allen, Armstrong, Barnes, Braydon, Hempkill, McFall, McLaren, March, Montogomery, Rodgers, Sherwood, Sommerville, Steele, Tays, Warrell & Wood.
Today, St. Barnabas is one of the four points in the Parish of Upham & the priest in charge is The Rev. Marian Lucas-Jefferies.
Upham Parish
Established 1835, Named for Josua Upham (1741-1808), Loyalist and NB judge, and Jabez Upham (1747-1822), Loyalist and settler 1800 after living at Woodstock for 12 years.
