s/o Daniel Barber / Ruth Emm Hinman
Natives of MA & CT respectively

Thomas Barber American ancestor of the Vermontville Barber's

Early Colonist of Vermontville

Came to Vermontville, Eaton County in 1836. The journey took 8 days, traversing the country from Detroit to Vermontville with an ox-tem. He purchased about He purchased about 1200 acres of heavy timber land from the government, mostly in Vermontville Township which he cut with his own hands. In 1840 he was elected Supervisor, and held the office for 6 successive years. Of the colonists Jay Hawkins and he were the only heads of families that did not belong to the Congregational Church. Neither of them, however, was skeptical regarding the truths of Christianity, but my father could not get religion in the usual way. Thoroughly conscientious and with a high ideal of what genuine religion required. he was a Christian on the "silent list" all his life. During a revival, when Rev. Mr. Lord was personally urging him to come out and be a Christian, he said, "I wish with all my heart I was one. If I could only swap sides!" He was too honest to profess more than he saw was attained in practical life, and so never could "swap sides" by merely becoming a member of the church. In politics he was a conservative Whig, but when the civil war came and the first gun was fired on Fort Sumter all his conservatism disappeared and he was earnestly in favor of the abolition of slavery and the putting down of the rebellion. He lived until the struggle ended in the triumph of the cause of national unity and freedom. This was for him a great gratification.

m [1] 2 Feb 1825 Benson, Rutland Co. VT
Rebecca Griswold

They had 5 children - Edward Wilmot, Homer Griswold, Noel Alvin, John Carlos, Rodney Wass

m [2] ca1839 VT Laura E. Root

They had 5 children - Parthenia E. "Phene", Josiah Wilcox, Albert M., Marshall F., Vernon N.

ref: *Laura E. Root; Portrait and Biographical album of Barry and Eaton Co., MI 1891; A sketch of his life was prepared by his son, Edward W., editor of the Jackson Patriot of Jackson, MI, it was orig' published in "The Vermontville Colony: Its Genesis and History, with Personal Sketches of the Colonists."