BAREFOOT-L Archives

From: Barbara <>
Subject: Barefoot, William M
Date: Sat, 01 Nov 2003 09:38:42 -0600

http://www.pa-roots.com/cgi-bin/data/lancasterbiographies.cgi?read=60

Lancaster County Genealogy Project Biography Board

Barefoot, William M.

Posted By: Carol Eddleman
Date: September 24 2001

William M. Barefoot, of Columbia, one of the favorite conductors on
the Pennsylvania Railroad, was born in Bethania, Salisbury township,
Lancaster county, Nov. 26, 1841, and is a son of Job P. M. and Nancy
(McCaskey) Barefoot, of Bedford and Lancaster counties respectively.
Job and Nancy Barefoot were the parents of nine children, viz: John
M., who died in Chester county; Margaret, who was married to Solomon
Powers, and died in Columbia; Sarah, who died in Cambridge, Ind.;
Isabella, who was married to Dr. J. W. Houston, of Lancaster, and
died in Chester county; Rebecca, the wife of E. Pierce McClelland, a
farmer; Job, a retired railroad man in Philadelphia; William M.;
Kimloe, who died young; and Clara, unmarried and residing in
Philadelphia.

Job P. M. Barefoot was a drover who came to Lancaster when a young
man and remained there until 1860; he then moved to Chester county,
where he passes away in 1869, aged seventy years, and his wife in
March, 1870, aged sixty-seven. The latter was a member of the
Presbyterian Church. The remains of both were brought to Lancaster
county for interment and rest side by side in Leacock cemetery. The
paternal grandparents of Wm. M. Barefoot were William and Polly
Barefoot, of Bedford county, and the maternal grandparents were John
and Margaret McCaskey of Lancaster county.

Willilam M. Barefoot was reared on his father's farm but did no farm
work, as there was amply hired help. He remained at home until
twenty-three years old, when he started West as a salesman, handling
agricultural implements, etc. for four years; he then returned to
Pennsylvania, and at Columbia in 1870 began work with the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company as brakeman; three years later he was
made a flagman and two years after that was promoted to his present
position as conductor.

In January, 1870, Mr. Barefoot married in Dublin, Wayne Co., Ind.,
Miss Martha L. Armstrong, who has borne him three children, namely:
Mary A., who died young; Lynn H., a silk weaver, who married Fanny
Zink, now deceased, and became the father of two children, Martha
B., and Harriet; Oscar F. W., who served in Co. C., P.V.I. in the
Porto Rican war, and is now a fireman on the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Mrs. Martha L. Barefoot was born in Paradise township Lancaster
county, Sept. 10th, 1839, a daughter of John and Mary (Helm)
Armstrong. John Armstrong, a farmer, who was born in March, 1796,
lived in Lancaster county until 1860, when he went to Wayne county,
Ind.; there he died, March 23, 1877, and his widow, a member of the
Presbyterian Church, passed away May 16, 1880, at the age of
secventy-eight years. To this couple were born fourteen children,
viz: Julia, deceased wife of Jacob Tout; Sarah, widow of Jacob
Barmaster, of Wayne county, Ind.; Harriet, widow of Henry Markley,
of the same county; Martin, a retired blacksmith, of Marion county,
Ind.; Harman, a merchant, also of Wayne county; Rebecca, widow of
John Wike, of Wayne county; Jacob, who died in Columbia, Pa.; Mary,
wife of Henry Binkley, a coachmaker at Tipton, Ind.; Barbara, widow
of Samuel Barefoot (brother of William M.), of Cambridge, Ind.;
George, who died young; Martha; John and Jackson, who died in
Indiana; and Elam, of Shelby county, that State. Of this family,
three sons, Martin, Jackson and Elam, were Union soldiers in the war
of the Rebellion. The paternal grandparents of Mrs. Barefoot were
Harman and Mary (Lingerfield) Armstrong, and the maternal
grandfather was George Helm, a native of Germany, all agricultural
people in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Barefoot is a member of the O. of R. C., and in politics is a
Democrat.

(Source: The Biographical Annals of Lancaster County, Beers, 1903,
p. 1254-5.)

This thread:

• Barefoot, William M by Barbara <>