James Barnes, of Isle of Wight County - James Bragg and Thomas Barnes

It is true that James Bragg, who wrote his will in 1670, did not have a daughter named Diana. Someone jumped to the conclusion that his daughter Ann was actually called Diana rather than Ann, or that James Bragg had a 4th child named Diana who was not named in the will. This mistake was copied widely on genealogy websites.

There is no proof in records from Isle of Wight County in the early 1600's that Diana Bragg b:1628 was the daughter of James Bragg, son of Thomas Bragg and Mary "Molly" Newport, and wife
Elizabeth that I am aware of, but it is widely accepted to be true.

Thought I would chime in, as this is my direct Barnes line down to my great grandmother Elizabeth Waller Barnes O'Berry. I, too, have Diana "Ann" Bragg as wife of Thomas Barnes, and see that there is no definitive proof that Thomas Barnes' wife was Diana Bragg...she is only mentioned as Diana in Thomas' will. It is true that the supposed father of Diana "Anne" Bragg (James Bragg) leaves an inheritance to "James Barnes, son of Thomas Barnes"...I do believe (as does Wikitree) that James Barnes, son of Thomas Barnes Was James Bragg's grandson. In my years of extensive family research, I have seen many times where one particular grandchild is left an inheritance. In this case, most researchers agree that James Barnes (son of Thomas) was the eldest son, it seems logical that his grandfather would leave him an inheritance (at the time, eldest son was "the heir"). If John Barnes (son of Thomas Barnes was the eldest, the it also seems logical that his grandfather James Bragg might leave the younger son something because the older son would be his father's (Thomas Barnes) heir. Based on your questioning of Diana "Anne" Bragg, I have again spent hours searching for any new evidence...lol, nothing new. Regarding the Diana/Anne controversy...I have no answers. It is possible that her full name was Diana Anne Bragg and her father (James Bragg) called her Anne, but her husband called her Diana. Who knows? I do know that via other descendants of Thomas Barnes (listed on Wikitree), I and my Maternal first cousins have good DNA matches (Gedmatch)...certainly enough matching segments to claim Thomas Barnes as our 9th great grandfather. Although there is no conclusive evidence, I believe there is enough circumstantial evidence to state Thomas Barnes married Diana Anne Bragg. I will keep her as my 9th great grandmother until disproven by primary source, DNA, or even some decent secondary source. Also, some claim Diana Bragg Barnes married John Champion (after Thomas Barnes died). It is widely spread as fact. I also have direct Champions in my tree, but have searched and searched and can find nothing on a John Champion...although it is certainly possible (my Champion line connects to my Fort line that amazingly eventually connects back to this Barnes line (5th great grandparents Jesse (Whitley) Barnes married Orpha Fort). I am not opposed to making changes to my trees (Ancestry & Wikitree) when errors are discovered.

Thank you for posting Barbara. I have spent the past week trying to sort these people out once again.
It is my opinion that Thomas Barnes b:1640 married Diana Unknown b:1645 (refered to as Diana in his will as you said). I am not related to this couple and, obviously, share no DNA with them. .

James Bragg wrote a will in 1670. His named a daughter in the will, Ann, as you said. James Bragg left a heifer named Starr to James Barnes, son of Thomas Barnes. I believe this James Barnes was born in 1652 to Thomas Barnes (b:1624) and Diana Bragg (b:1628). James Bragg's relationship to Diana Bragg is not clear, but she is not a daughter.

Regarding the question of whether Thomas Bragg had a daughter named Diana, he did not. Thomas Bragg and "Molly" Newport had three sons: William b:1624, James b:1598 to 1615 (no one seems clear on this), and John b:1610. Diana Bragg b:1628 is thought to be the daughter of James Bragg, probably born abt 1602, and his wife Elizabeth. Diana married Thomas Barnes b:1628. I share DNA with this Barnes/Bragg family.

The FTDNA Project has Thomas Barnes b:1640 assigned to Group 8 and Thomas Barnes d:1683 (Diana) from Isle of Wight in Group 7.
Thomas Barnes and Diana Bragg Barnes trees can be found on all of the genealogy websites except geni and also on Find A Grave.

Barnes Ancestors to Bryan to Me…
10th Great Grandfather: Edward Barnes (1595 England-1650 VA) married Sharon Kay Mason; parents of
9th Great Grandfather: Thomas Barnes (1624-1683 VA) married Diana Anne Bragg; parents of
8th Great Grandfather: James Barnes (1652-1720 VA) married Sarah Jones; parents of
7th Great Grandfather: Edward Barnes (1680 VA-1760 NC) married Sarah Powell Pope; parents of
6th Great Grandfather: Jacob Pope Barnes (1712 VA-1764 NC) married Julian Whitley; parents of
5th Great Grandfather: Jesse Whitley Barnes (1738 NC-1804 NC) married Orpha Fort; parents of
4th Great Grandfather: Jesse Barnes, Jr (1772 NC-1838 SC) married Elizabeth Jones; parents of
3rd Great Grandfather: Benjamin Barnes (1804 NC-1864 SC) married Elizabeth Herring/Herren; parents of
2nd Great Grandfather: James Alpheus Barnes (1830 SC-1903 FL) married Laura Kate Harris; parents of
Great Grandmother: Elizabeth Waller Barnes (1867 FL-1946 FL) married James Franklin O’Berry; parents of
Grandmother: Elberta “Dolly” O’Berry (1904 FL-1979 NC) married John Nathan Bryan; parents of
Mother: Rose Elizabeth Bryan (1922 FL-1995 NC) married Clifford Henry Bretthauer; parents of
Me

I have spent years on this line, and have the Will of Thomas Barnes (d. 1683) naming son James Barnes; have Will of James Barnes (d. 1720) naming Edward Barnes; have Will of Edward Barnes (d. 1760) naming Jacob Barnes; Will of Jacob (Pope) Barnes naming Jesse (Whitley) Barnes. The Will of Jesse Barnes, Jr. has not been found, but is listed under NC Wills & Probate. In the years before Jesse Barnes, Jr’s. death (1838), he deeded land to his son Benjamin Barnes (in 1835). Jesse Barnes, Jr. may also have deeded land to his other sons. Benjamin Barnes died (1864) as a POW after the Battle of Atlanta. James Alpheus Barnes (my GG grandfather was fishing on a train trestle in Kissimmee, FL; a train ran over him; he died intestate. My Great Grandmother Elizabeth Waller Barnes O’Berry (mother of 9 children) died a few years after her husband – no will, but she left old letters and historical information about the family.

I have most of the documents that are included as links in this threads...plus others. You should see the mess that FTDNA has made of the Bryan Project.

Barbara, you and I are cousins. I have your identical tree down to Jesse Barnes. I descend from Jethro Berry Barnes 1751-1812, and you descend from another Jesse son, Benjamin.

Oops, Barbara, I saw your Jesse Barnes in the tree and didn't look closely enough at my tree. Our tree is the same to Edward Barnes and Sarah Pope. You descend from their son Jacob and I descend from their son Joseph (followed by Jethro, Jesse, Jethro Berry Barnes, and John Houston Barnes).

Hello Cousin Gayle...Yes, I descend from Jacob, son of Edward & Sarah Pope Barnes...I have your Joseph in my tree (Jacob's brother). I have your Joseph (my 6th great grand Uncle) married to an Elizabeth Whitley - is that correct? I also have your Jethro as one of their sons (my 1st cousin 7 times removed). I have not traced Jethro's family and descendants, but I'm sure your info is accurate. Wish the Barnes (like sooo many families) had come up with different first names for their children and cousins, etc...makes research so very difficult.

Erica...yes, I do have the article "Which Edward Barnes was the son of James Barnes, Isle of Wight County, Virginia?" by Margaret Van Ness Nelson, published in "Trees of Wilson: The Newsletter of the Wilson County Genealogical Society", March, 2000, Volume 9, Number 3, pages 4-7. I did not think enough of her article to change my tree in any way...not that my tree is perfect - it is not. But genealogy researchers are constantly coming up with fresh ideas, and I refuse to change my tree with each new idea...especially when I have documents like Wills to support my work. Re the Diana Anne Bragg OR Diana Bragg OR Diana Unknown...at this point there is no primary source that disproves her surname Bragg, and there is circumstantial evidence that supports her surname Bragg. So I will keep it Bragg unless someone finds a primary source that contradicts. Although related families are fascinating to discover, I was mainly interested in the male Barnes line down to my Great Grandmother Elizabeth Waller Barnes O'Berry.

Interestingly, I don't belong to GENI. A long long time ago, I uploaded my Ancestry GEDCOM to GENI...have no idea why. Because Gedcom was so large, only parts were actually uploaded. My main three is on Ancestry (Bryan/Bretthauer/Wheeler)...and I am also part of Wikitree (I love Wikitree because sources are required AND Gedmatch numbers of other descendants are right on the page with your ancestor). Although I somehow have a FamilySearch tree - I never use the tree because people have messed it up terribly, But, I do use FamilySearch for research documents; they are a good source). My Gedmatch # is A352399; my Maternal 1st cousin Robert is GJ6737436; my Maternal 1st cousin LW Bryan is SE3974949. I belong to over 60 FB genealogy/Gedmatch groups that have been very helpful and I have met many truly distant cousins via using reduced cM - and sourced trees - and lots of work to find common ancestor. I can be reached directly at bfroyland at yahoo.com.

Hello again Cousin Barbara...Yes, I have Elizabeth Whitley as wife of Joseph Barnes.
Identical names for sons have tripped me up more times than I can count lol.

The way I read the "Which Edward Barnes?" article is that she is saying that James Barnes b:1666 is not the father of our Edward Barnes who m. Sarah Pope. She is correct. James Barnes b:1666 was the son of Thomas Barnes b:1640/45 and Diana Unknown b:1645 (you think she might be a Bragg until proven otherwise). Mrs. Nelson apparently did not look at our ancestor, James Barnes b:1652 (m. Sarah Jones) as the father of Edward (m. Sarah Pope). I didn't change my tree either because I am not related to Thomas and Diana Barnes born in the 1640's.

The reason I use Diana Unknown b:1645 rather than Diana Bragg is because I feel that Diana was confused with James Bragg's daughter Ann in his 1670 will. Someone decided that Ann was nicknamed Diana or that James actually had a daughter Diana who was left out of the will. This misinformation was widely copied on genealogy websites.

While I agree that Diana "Anne" may not be a Bragg...I am not changing my tree until someone comes up with an alternative (with sources). And you're correct, the article "Which Edward Barnes" did not address "our" Edward Barnes who married Sarah Pope.

Again, I have the Will of Thomas Barnes (d. 1683) naming son James Barnes; have Will of James Barnes (d. 1720) naming Edward Barnes; have Will of Edward Barnes (d. 1760) naming Jacob Barnes; Will of Jacob (Pope) Barnes naming Jesse (Whitley) Barnes. The Will of Jesse Barnes, Jr. has not been found, but is listed under NC Wills & Probate. In the years before Jesse Barnes, Jr’s. death (1838), he deeded land to his son Benjamin Barnes (in 1835). Jesse Barnes, Jr. may also have deeded land to his other sons. Benjamin Barnes died (1864) as a POW after the Battle of Atlanta. James Alpheus Barnes (my GG grandfather was fishing on a train trestle in Kissimmee, FL; a train ran over him; he died intestate. My Great Grandmother Elizabeth Waller Barnes O’Berry (mother of 9 children) died a few years after her husband – no will, but she left old letters and historical information about the family. When new sources are found, I will gladly make changes to my tree.

Regarding the Mar 1719 will of James Barnes, who died in Oct 1720, I believe this to be James Barnes (1668-1720, son of Thomas Barnes b:1640/45 and Diana Unknown b:1645) who m. Sarah Jones (1675-?). They were the parents of sons Edward (1699-1761) of Southampton County, Virginia and Thomas (1708-1769) of Augusta County, Virginia.
This is the will.
Name James Barnes
Date 2 Mar 1719
Location Isle of Wight
Notes This probate record was extracted from microfilmed copies of the original Will Book.
Remarks James Barnes. Leg.-son Thomas; son Edward, ye gun I bought of Philip Thomas; wife Sarah.
Description Decedent
Book 2-55
Prove date Oct 1720

and this
Will of James Barnes.

James Barnes, Isle of Wight County, Virginia, left a will dated 2 March 1719/20 and proved October, 1720, naming his wife, Sarah, and his sons Thomas and Edward. Witnesses were William Thomas, Susanah Gregory, and John Dunkley. The will copy has a missing part down the middle but most of the words are legible. James bequeathed land to both sons who would also receive the rest of the estate after the death of their mother. [Brackets indicate where letters or words are missing and the author¹s interpretation of missing parts.]

"I Give & bequeath unto my loving Son Thomas Barnes a Certain plantation & all the Land thereunto belonging Lying on the South Side of Sea Cock Swamp to him my said son & his heirs for Ever." "I give & bequeath unto my Loving son Edward Barnes the plantation that I Live on and all the Land there unto belon[--belonging] to him my Sd Son & his heirs for Ever.." "It is my will & Desire that all ye Rest of my Estate Good & Chattle [----I] do give & bequeath unto my Loving Wife Sarah Barnes [--during her natural] rall Life and at her Decease to bestow them to her Children [as she may] think fittS" >>>> Land of James Barnes.

The will does not specify how much land James left to his sons Thomas and Edward nor does it specify the location of the plantation James left to Edward except to say that it was where James lived. James owned at least 200 acres, which were sold in 1752 by Edward Barnes of Southampton County, Virginia, in a deed that recites prior ownershiip by James Barnes. We assume that each son received at least 100 acres.

Here is how James acquired the 200 acres:

9 April 1706, Isle of Wight County, VA DB ?:? James Barnes bought from Thomas Joyner, 100 acres on the south side of Seacock Swamp. This was land that "now the said Barnes lives on", being part of a patent for 440 acres taken up by Joyner on 28 October 1702 and adjoined [by] William Thomas and "the said Barnes." Witnesses were Richard Reynolds and Richard Reynolds and the deed was recorded 9 April 1706.

23 March 1715, James Barnes patented 100 acres of New Land on the south side of main Blackwater Swamp "adjoining his own land," Seacock Swamp, and the land of William Thomas, for the importation of two persons, Abraham Brawler and Mary Brawler. Thus by 1715, James Barnes owned at least 200 acres that adjoined Seacock Swamp.