-
Henry C. Wright was a well-known abolitionist who wrote about visiting Barker and his family, who had begun speaking about slavery and religion in Knox County churches and homes.
-
Frederick Douglass, a former slave, was the most famous anti-slavery activist in the U.S., and counted Joseph Barker among his friends.
-
Reverend Jonas Hartzell rhetorically challenged Barker to a debate about the truth of the Bible, a challenge which Barker seems to have ignored.
-
Hartzell was a prominent conservative speaker and writer of the period.
-
This property on Kirk Road in Butler Township (east of Hazel Dell Road) may have been the original property that Joseph Barker and his family settled. It was later owned by another Barker, possibly one of Joseph’s brothers.
-
By 1896, the property had passed from John Barker to William Barker, perhaps a nephew of Joseph Barker.
-
It took some digging, but research finally showed that prominent English abolitionist Joseph Barker once lived near Millwood for a period of time.
GALLERY: History of Joseph Barker
