October Ancestor: Levi Barber

Well originally I had this post titled September, but apparently September got away from me. So here it is October. Obviously I need to get off social media and blog more.

Levi Barber is an ancestor from my mom's side. He is one of my ancestors that takes me back to the Mayflower. He is my 4th great-grandfather.

Levi was born October 16, 1777 in Simsbury, Hartford County, Connecticut to David Barber and Sarah Lawrence. It's hard to tell much about his early life since I don't live near Connecticut, and there aren't many records and information available online for the 1700s. I assume he grew up in Connecticut, as I have found information that said he moved to Ohio in the fall of 1799. He lived many years in Marietta and Harmar.

On February 15, 1803 Levi married Elizabeth Rouse of Harmar in Harmar, Washington County, Ohio. Levi and Elizabeth were the parents of 5 children, of which one died young. David born in 1804 was unmarried, Elizabeth born 1807, Austin born 1809, Levi born 1812 and died young probably before the next child, Levi was born in 1814.

Levi led an active business and civic life. He was a surveyor in the employ of the Federal Government. He was also a merchant in Harmar. He was a State Representative in 1806. He was commissioned as receiver at the U.S. Land Office in Marietta in 1807. He was an aide to Governor Meigs during the War of 1812. He was elected to the U.S. Congress from 1817-1819 and 1821-1823 (the 15th and 17th). After losing his next bid for election Levi was clerk of the court of common pleas and the court of Washington County. He was a justice to the peace and president of the Bank of Marietta.

All this by the age of 55, as on April 23, 1833 Levi passed away. He has an impressive monument at the Harmar Cemetery in Marietta, Ohio. It can be seen at this web site: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=10493877

                                Thanks to Findagrave contributor "BigWoo" for this photo.

As I've not been to Ohio or Connecticut, my information on Levi has largely been gathered by the internet, books and mail. I have a book "The Connecticut Barbers: A Genealogy of the Descendants of Thomas Barber of Windsor, CT" (second edition) which listed some of this information.