Papers (1864-1944) consisting of correspondence, financial papers, an account book, nine scrapbooks, and miscellaneous.
The Barnhardt family originated in Anson County and from there spread to the counties of Rowan, Stanly, and Cabarrus. This collection mainly centers around Marshall Barnhardt and his wife Sarah Dunlap, their son George Columbus Barnhardt, their daughter Daisy Barnhardt Parsons, and her son Marshall Parsons.
George Columbus ("Bud Lum") Barnhardt was the most prominent member of the family. An 1888 graduate of the United States Military Academy, Barnhardt was at first assigned to the cavalry. He became the Chief Quartermaster with the Lake Lanas Expedition in the Philippines (1900-1903) and later served in Cuba with the American Army of Occupation (1907-1909). In World War I, Barnhardt commanded the 28th Infantry and later the 2nd Infantry. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his services in the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne offensives. After the cessation of hostilities, he commanded the 178th Infantry in Germany. Upon returning to the United States, General Barnhardt served as chief of the operations branch of the General Staff in Washington, commander of the District of Washington, commander of the 22nd Infantry in Hawaii, and commander of the 1st Cavalry at Fort Bliss, Texas. Barnhardt died at Fort Bliss in 1930.
The correspondence can be divided into four sections. The first part (1864-1875) relates to the courtship and subsequent marriage of Marshall L. Barnhardt and Sallie Pines Dunlap. Though much is of a personal nature, one letter (Feb. 17, 1864) gives a good description of camp conditions at City Point, Virginia. This letter was written while Marshall was a member of the Confederate Army. This group of letters also reflects the conditions in North Carolina immediately after the termination of the Civil War. Also included in this section of correspondence are several letters (1874-1875) of a business nature which were written when Marshall Barnhardt maintained a general store in Cedar Hill, North Carolina.
The second portion of the correspondence consists of letters from George Columbus Barnhardt to his mother while he was stationed in the Philippine Islands. In these letters, Barnhardt describes his activities at Laguna and Batangas. He also describes General Baldwin's expedition in Mindanao and the conditions at Jolo.
The third section (1917-1919) consists of World War I correspondence. Several of the letters are to Daisy Barnhardt Parsons from her son Marshall Parsons while he was a member of the American Expeditionary Force in France. Though little of importance is contained within these letters due to the severe wartime censorship, Marshall does reflect on the hardships of the common soldier involved in trench warfare. Marshall Parsons had been reported killed in action, but a letter from a nurse to Daisy Parsons tells of Marshall's stay in an Army hospital. Another letter (April 21, 1919) that can be included in this section is from General George Barnhardt to his mother written prior to Barnhardt's departure from Germany. In this letter, Barnhardt makes favorable comments as to the conditions of the roads from Paris into Germany. He also comments on an upcoming review of the troops by General Pershing and on the plans being made to remove the troops from Germany.
The last portion (1922-1944) of the correspondence is mainly of a personal nature. The only letters of significance are written by General George Barnhardt while he was stationed in Washington, DC, as commander of the District of Washington and in Hawaii. In these letters, Barnhardt comments as to his duties at these two stations.
The remainder of the collection consists of a few of Marshall L. Barnhardt's financial records, an account book (1875-1892) which belonged to M. L. Waddell of Norwood, NC, a home cure for consumption, and several cake recipes. Also included are a variety of clippings pertaining to the history of Cabarrus County, the history of Catawba College, and descriptions of the Battle of King's Mountain and several North Carolina women who were heroines in the Confederacy. A list of churches in Anson County, with some descriptions given, is included as is a list of the Norwood branch of the DAR.
Loaned by Mrs. Herbert R. Rogers. Originals were withdrawn by the donor on 7/19/1977. Copies of the material were retained by the repository.
Processed by R. Weaver, March 1972
Encoded by Apex Data Services
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.