Chronicles of Boone County

Barkshire, Samuel

Item

Title

Barkshire, Samuel

Gender

Male

Biography

Samuel Barkshire was born enslaved in Harrison County, Kentucky in 1798. While he was held Boone County, Kentucky, he was enslaved by Dickey Barkshire, then transferred to his son, Felix Barkshire, then to Joseph Hawkins. Joseph Hawkins manumitted Samuel in 1833.

After moving his family to Rising Sun, Indiana he operated as an UGRR agent in Rising Sun and Boone County, along with his family and Joseph Hawkins' widow, Nancy. Barkshire was baptized at Middle Creek Baptist church in 1818 ( as "Barkshire's Sam").

Samuel was a cooper by trade, and ran a safe house for fugitive slaves, many from Boone County. In 1840, he appears on the Dearborn County, IN census; his household has 10 free “people of color”. In 1850, Samuel’s household consists of Samuel, his wife, Frances, and 7 young adults and children who are listed as “Barkshire”, but may be other freed slaves, not his birth family.

Several of the children are listed as “black”, while Samuel, Frances, and others of child-bearing age are “mulatto”. There is also an elderly man, Thomas James, 93 years of age, black, born in Maryland who is in the Barkshire home at this time. He is listed as a pauper, and may have been freed when he became too old to work, as he cannot be found on any other census records in the area.

The Barkshire family helped abolitionist Laura Smith Haviland in her attempt to free the wife and children of escaped Boone County slave, John "Felix" White. Samuel was most likely the same Sam Barkshire who purchased land as a free man of color in the Hathaway Road area of Boone County in 1833. Because of the placement of this property, he was possibly helping slaves to freedom even while living in a slaveholding state.

It was a great risk for anyone to assist in slave escapes, particularly free people of color, who often risked being kidnapped and sold into slavery if caught.

Member

Berkshire family

Birth date

1798

Place of birth

Harrison County (Ky.)

Life event(s)

Marriage: date unknown

Boone County (Ky.)

Spouse(s)

Newman, Frances Harriet

Child(ren)

Barkshire, Arthur

Barkshire, Garrett [1]

Barkshire, Matilda

Barkshire, Emily

Barkshire, Woodford

Barkshire, Minerva Ann

Barkshire, Harriet

Death date

11 Apr 1875

Place of death

Rising Sun (Ind.)

Death and burial information

Union Cemetery (Rising Sun, Ind.)

Participant in

1833--Samuel Buys His Freedom

1848--Freedom for Arthur Barkshire

1848--Freedom for Emily Barkshire

1848--Freedom for Garrett Barkshire

1848--Freedom for Matilda Barkshire

1848--Freedom for Minerva Barkshire

1848--Freedom for Woodford Barkshire

between 1850-1860--Two Young Women Escape

Related resource

'Station Master Samuel Barkshire' by Hillary Delaney [PDF]

Member of

Belleview Baptist Church (Belleview, Ky.)

Relationship

Slaveholder(s): Barkshire, Dickey; Hawkins, Joseph; Ryle, Larkin

Barkshire, Dickey

Hawkins, Joseph

Ryle, Larkin [2]

Bibliographic citation(s)

Boone County Deed Book I, page 28

Source(s)

Sixth Census of the United States, 1840

Seventh Census of the United States, 1850

Eighth Census of the United States, 1860

Ninth Census of the United States, 1870

Ohio County, Indiana Sexton's Records

A Woman's Life-Work: Labors and experiences of Laura S. Haviland.

Samuel Sold, Emancipation Terms Set

Samuel Barkshire Purchase of Land Mentioned in Land Transfer

Sale and Emancipation of Samuel Cancelled

Joseph Hawkins Manumits Samuel Barkshire

Item sets

AA--Barkshire story--Enslaved

AA--Enslaved--Kentucky--Boone County--B

AA--Enslaved--Kentucky--Boone County--H