He was illiterate during most of his life, and their are few family records concerning him. Accountings of his life can be traced through Census documents, Civil War Documents, and Land Patents. In 1850 Census of Marion County, SC, he is sharecropping land on his Father-in-laws place and the name used was "Dock" Barrentine. In the 1860 Census for Appling County, GA, and during and after the Civil war he is recorded with the name "Doctor" Barrentine. His homestead patent, next to his son's homestead in Volusia County Florida also was given in the name of "Doctor" Barrentine. On his son's death certificate, his great-grandson stated his name as "John" Barrentine. In oral discussions with his grandson Edgar Eli Barrentine, he could not recall any of these names, nor could he recall what his name was. Barrentine's of that era commonly used nicknames, middle names, and occasionally thier first real names in written documents. There is no certainty as to his full correct name, but that a legal document signed by the president of the United States stating his name is Doctor, and many Civil War, US governmment documents stating the same name, it is the preferred name being used to date.
