This biography was auto-generated by a GEDCOM import.[1]
The information for Silas Barnum's parentage taken from The Barnum Family, 1517-1904 and The Barnum Family, 1350-1907, both by Noah G. Barnum, shows him as the son of Ebenezer Barnum (1712-1798) and Sarah Sturdevant. Since the information from Silas' gravestone shows him as being born a few years before his father, that connection has always been suspect.
An update by researcher Bob Furtaw, posted to Ancestry.com on 4 Aug 2005, reads as follows: "I have been working on finding the parents of Silas Barnum, husband of Martha Platt, for several years. I’ve come across some contradictory information and have placed queries on message boards only to be pointed back to contradictory or otherwise inaccurate documentation. The information in the Genealogical Record of the Barnum Family by Eben Lewis Barnum I believe is incorrect, since I don’t see how it’s possible for the son to be born before his father. It’s been pointed out to me that the genealogy is correct and only the dates are wrong. I’ve noticed that Silas’ birth date has been adjusted to fit various genealogies on the internet but not adjusted to fit the facts.
"An entry in Emma Edwards Camp’s diary says that Silas and Martha are the grandparents of Sarah H. Barnum b. September 10, 1801. This concludes that Silas was not born in Jul 1795, as is shown in many people’s genealogy databases on the internet. I think I have found the solution. The answer was always there but I failed to take notice. I took another look at the Barnum family in Beaver Bog Cemetery. I added all the names into my genealogy database (Legacy), Silas and his family included, and noticed:
"I have accounted for 7 Silas Barnums born before 1900. They fall into two clear branches of the family. Thinking that names usually cluster in a family, it makes sense that Silas belongs as a son of said David. He falls into the bigger cluster of 5 Silas’s with very close relationships, and the two other Silas’s are in another distant cousin branch.
"I also looked at all the census from 1790 to 1840 census records. I believe this Silas only appears in the 1820 census. The others are relatives. If you are familiar with these records, you know that all you get is head of household, wife and children by age grouping…no names. If anyone else is living there, you get that person counted in the age group also, and you get no indication about the relationship. Also, looking at neighbors, on adjacent lines and pages provides clues. The 1820 census provides enough clues to show that we have the right Silas. It also indicates he had more children. That makes his age consistent with the properly-calculated age above. Said Sarah H. also fits.
"I don’t why Eben’s book contained such an error but it’s obviously wrong and has been throwing people off for a while. I don’t believe only the date is in error. Silas was misplaced.
"You can find my database on Ancestry.com. Search for Silas Barnum b. Jun 18, 1744 and make sure you have found my database (contact name: Bob Furtaw). Your comments are welcome. Please e-mail me at bob (at) furtaw.com."
Featured German connections: Silas is 16 degrees from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 19 degrees from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 22 degrees from Lucas Cranach, 17 degrees from Stefanie Graf, 18 degrees from Wilhelm Grimm, 22 degrees from Fanny Hensel, 25 degrees from Theodor Heuss, 15 degrees from Alexander Mack, 32 degrees from Carl Miele, 14 degrees from Nathan Rothschild and 18 degrees from Ferdinand von Zeppelin on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.
Categories: United Empire Loyalists | Barnum Name Study