John Alvin Barrick

Notes:

1850 va. census;gloucester co, >pg.17 of 119; living with john g. anderson,age,29, wife, annie w.,age, 24, sarah williams, age 52, lucinda morris, age 40, francis j morris, age,16, and virginia morris, age,1.( apparently orphaned). next census he shows up in is 1900, va.,norfolk co., >western branch>dist.44>pg.24 of 68, william e. , age,63, b.1/1837, wife,sarah b., age47, b.1/1853, son, richard c., age,16, b.4/1884, son, john l., age,13,b.3/1887, son,walter e., age, 6,b.3/1894. 1910 va., census; norfolk co, western branch,>dist.82> pg.73 of 86, william e., age, 73,wife, sarah b, age, 56, son, john i., age,23, son, walter e., age,16, daughter-in-law, elma c., age, 23, grand-dau., laura b, age,2, and grand-dau., elma r., age, 0. also i non-relative. william e. was in the 4th battilion, va.inf.,local defense, at tredegars', ironworks, c.s.a. 1880 maryland census;baltimore, dist.191, pg.,22 of 35, william e. barrick, age,42, born,va., occupation, builder, wife, bettie, age,23, born, va., son, henry, age, 1, born,va.(resided at 172 blueberry st.)
death date and place, supplied by, mr. robert hitchings, archivist/librarian,sargeant memorial room-kirn library, norfolk, va.
this is a newspaper story given to me by william edward barrick, great-grandson of william edward barrick, about the elder.(actual date and name of newspaper were cut off)
NEWS OF TWENTY YEARS AGO, (re-printed , jan.1931)
W.E.BARRICK CELEBRATES SEVENTY-FIFTH BIRTHDAY

W.E.Barrick, a well known Port Norfolk resident, celebrated his 75th birthday anniversary with a reception last evening.
Mr. Barrick's four sons--Messrs.,E.H., R.C.,J.Irving and Walter E.---originated the idea of the celebration and who carried it through, acting last night as a committee to assist their father and mother in recieving the guests, mesdames E.H.,R.C.,and J.Irving Barrick, daughters-in-law of the senior Mr. Barrick, presided over the entertainment.
Walter E. Barrick, youngest son of the household, welcomed the guests in a graceful little speech, and Mr. Barrick's pastor,Rev. I.T.Jacobs, of the Port Richmond Baptist Church, responded for the guests. Then H.H.Rumble spoke on " The Golden Age",a fine allusion to the happy and well preserved host. E.W. Countess was master of ceremonies.There were about a hundred guests present. Many hansome and useful presents were recieved.
Mr. Barrick was born in the Mill Creek neighborhood of Middlesex Co.Jan.21,1837. He recieved a country school education. "There was no college whitewash on my coat"as he himself says,but one who converses with him will be struck with the fact that the "log schools" of those days in old Middlesex must have been creditable institutions. Enlisting in the Confederate Army at Camp Lee in April,1861,Mr. Barrick was assigned to the Fifteenth Virginia Infantry. He was shortly thereafter transferred to the Tredegar Battalion as a pattern maker in Richmond. While thus engaged he made the pattern for"Long Tom", a six inch rifle gun which recieved it's christening at the first battle of Manassas and said to have had the longest range of any gun in action on either side.
When the arsenal equipment at Harper's Ferry fell into the hands of the Confederacy and was removed to Richmond, Mr. Barrick was placed in charge of the gunstock works, where he remained until the arsenal was moved to Alabama. He was urged to to accompany the outfit but refusing to leave Virginia, went back to the Tredegar works.
He saw active fighting during the seven days of McClellan's abortive attempt to invest Richmond, and while he was fortunate enough to escape the enemy's bullets, he not long after became a victim of rheumatism and for several years walked upon cruthes.
Over a pipe the other evening at his home in Port Norfolk Mr. Barrick recalled war-time reminiscences,notably his meeting with General Robert E. Lee.
"Having become practically crippled from rheumatism," he said,"I went before the close of the war to a farm I had in Cumberland county,and was living ther at the time of the surrender. On the main road not far from my house was a blacksmith shop,and I hobbled up ther one day to find that General Lee,Fitzhugh Lee, Surgeon-General Moore and Mrs. Moore,waiting to have their horses shod.The General seemed much fatigued,and I begged him and the members of his party to come to my house and rest which he did.
"Before they left my wife prepared a repast for them and I well remember that the dessert consisted of pears which had been preserved in sugar which was left in the bottom of a barrel of sorgham molasses. I mention this because it will come out in my story later on.
"A year after in Richmond I met General Lee in the street.He seemed lost in deep thought as he walked along and I decided not to intrude, much as I wished to speak to him. I was in the act of passing when he looked up and touched my arm.
" You were going to pass without speaking to me",he said.
" I murmured something about not wishing to disturb the current of his thoughts, when his face lit up with a smile and he said:
"' It was that young man and something else. Wasn't there a little bit of fear that I would not remember your hospitality and that it would be ungracious to presume upon it?"
"As he shook my hand I said: General'you have read my mind.'
"When Fitz Lee was running for Govenor,"continued Mr. Barrick, I boarded a steamer on the Rappahannock on which the future Govenor was a passenger. I had no sooner stepped over the gangplank than he recognized me. He remembered those pears too and he told me that never in his life had he enjoyed anything so much. This is by way of illustrating the marvellous memory of Fitz Lee, which was one of his characteristics."-----











































NEWS OF TWENTY YEARS AGO,(re-printed jan.,1931)

William married Catherine Elizabeth(bettie) Northam in 1878 in , , Virginia, USA. Catherine was born about 1857 in , , Virginia, USA; died in 1882 in , , Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

1880, baltimore, maryland, census, dist.,191, pg.,22 of 35, william e. barrick, age,42,occupation, builder,born,va., bettie, wife, age,23,born, va., son,henry,age,1,born, va, ,border,john pleasant, age,45, born, maryland. residense, 172 blueberry st.