Person:Charles Barnes (41)

Charles and Hallie were born on their parent's farm located 2 miles due east of present day Star Cemetery in Harvey County, Kansas. They were delivered by Dr. Thomas S. Hunt (1830-1900), a successful farmer and rancher, occassional Patterson school teacher, and actual medical doctor with a college degree. Dr. Hunt was generally paid not in money, but in a barter system where people could perform work on his farm instead of using cash money. His bill for staying overnight to deliver the twins Hallie and Charlie was $7.50. (From Dr. Hunt's journal, courtesy of his great granddaughter, Evelyn Hunt Jones.)

Charles attended school through the eighth grade. His daughter said he got bored and attended the eighth grade for three years. Note that the school in the nearby settlement of Patterson, Kansas only went to the eighth grade.

In 1909, Charles, his sister Hallie and their parents moved from their farm to the town of Burrton, Kansas located 1 mile west and 5 miles north. (Per the Burrton newspaper.) It may be that Charles' parents moved to town to retire (Armstead was about 64 yrs. old) and possibly make use of the conveniences of living in a town. Their rent in Burrton was very low and it appears that they never purchased a house there (in Burrton) though Charles' father continued to own their farm near Patterson and one in Ford County, Kansas. It is not known who worked their farm near Patterson when they moved to Burrton.

Charles wrote that he worked on farms until he was about 20 years old and then attended a telegraph school.

In 1913, Charles went to work as a telegraph operator and station agent. He would eventually work for the Union Pacific Railroad and the Frisco Railroad for 46 years.

Charles enlisted for duty in World War I, serving 18 months in the Army. During this time he was stricken with appendicitis and became very ill, but made a full recovery. Also while in the service Charles contracted measles, which caused significant and permanent damage to his hearing. His hearing loss was the reason he was not shipped out for overseas duty. He instead served his duty at Camp Funston, a World War 1 mobilization camp located on the Fort Riley Military Base in Kansas. Though not an officer, one of his duties was to train a squad of black recruits for duty overseas. He told his daughter he thought it was funny the recruits called him Mr. Charlie. Charles wrote that he went to Ekron, Kentucky and saw his Uncle Billy Barnes (William Walker Barnes, 1851-1932) after Charles got out of the Army at Ft. Benjamin Harrison in 1918.

Charles was a station agent and telegraph operator for the railroad for 46 years. He retired from the railroad in 1960.

Charles was very interested in his family history. This is proven by his letters to, and from, several family members. These letters were supplied by his great niece, Thelma (Hickok) Queen of Wichita, Kansas. Charles was corresponding with Frances (Shacklett) Fast (Mrs. Byron M. Fast, 1891-1968) of Meade County, Kentucky to research different parts of his family. Charles wrote that he and his wife Rachel were guests at Frances and Byron's home in September 1967.

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Find A Grave.

   Charles L. Barnes