A Little Barnett(e) History

Courtesy of my father, Rev. Jack Sr.:

This Thursday will be my father's 99th birthday. My Dad, Carl
Henrickson
Barnette, was born on October 6, 1906 in Henry Township, Fulton County,
Indiana. The farm he was born on was about 3 miles from Athens....
Indiana. My father was the fourth of 5 brothers. Ed was born in 1900,
Ross in 1902, Dean in 1904, Dad in '06, and Joe in 1908. No girls. We
didn't allow girls in the Barnette family until my niece was born in
1978, and my daughter, Beth, in 1981 (Let's not forget grandaughter Lucie in 2000 Rv, Jack).

My Grandmother was born in Indiana in 1880. Her name was Adda Glenn
Henrickson. She was always known as "Glenn." She was the one who added
the "E" to the name to made it seem a little more dignified. She was a
fairly tough woman who lived into her 90's. She had to be tough being
a
farm wife and trying to raise five wild, barefoot boys at the same
time.
My grandfather, Joseph Burge Barnett, was born in 1872. He was a
cowboy
for a while, and fought in the Spanish-American War. I'm not sure if
he
actually "fought," but he wore a uniform and carried a gun during that
time. For most of his live, he was a farmer, working a small farm
outside of Rochester...Indiana. All farms were organic farms in those
days...maybe that's why those Barnette's all lived so long. Uncle Dean
was a little over 100 when he died, and my uncle Joe is still going
strong at 97. He still lives in Indiana, by the way.

My great Grandfather, Michael Isaac Barnett, was born in Indiana in
1840. He served in the Union Army during the Civil War. He was shot
in
the chest with a rebel musketball, and after that, spent some time as a
confederate prisoner of war. In spire of that, he lived until 1916. My
Dad remembers his funeral. He's buried in the Barnett Cemetery,
between
Kewanee and Grass Creek...Indiana.

The first car that my Grandfather owned was a 1915 Maxwell. The
family's
first radio was purchased in 1926. My father picked up his first date
in
a horse and buggy. For the first 15 or 20 years of his live, Dad had a
lot more experience with horse drawn plows and wagons than he did with
cars and tractors. Wells and outdoor plumbing were a way of life. With
no television or radio for the first 20 years of his life, no wonder my
Dad is so good at horseshoes, and checkers, and cards. He was 2 the
last time the Cubs won a World Series, and 9 when the Sox last won.

In 1994, when he was still relatively young, he took the steam ship QE2
to Europe to participate in the 50th anniversary of D-Day. He took part
in the Battle of Antwerp and the Battle of the Bulge. He served for a
while as a liaison to the British army.

I was born at the Lying-in- Dispensary at the University of Chicago.

In 1946, my Dad got me a toy peddle car (very rare at that time of
shortages) at the Sears store at Irving and Cicero. We lived at Roslyn
and Clark at the time. He had to carry the box on two streetcars -
through the snow - to get it home. He and my uncle "Chich" (his real
name was Frank), worked late into the night to put the car together.
The
car was great, but if I remember correctly, I had more fun playing with
the empty box. At any rate, Happy Birthday Dad. (Gramps, Rv. Jack)

Me again: The pics are of Sgt Carl H. Barnette at a shooting gallery in Antwerp, 1944 on the eve of the Battle of the Bulge and the one on the left is my grandfather being 'arrested' by the local gendarmerie in Normandy (arranged by my uncle Randy).

xoxo Rev. Jack