BARNHART STREET ?

Manor maps as late as 1925 show Barnhart Street running east to west on the south side of the railroad tracks; today that street is named Carrie Manor. When the town of Manor was originally established, east to west streets were named for people who were influential in the early days of Manor.  Knowing this, the question becomes, who was "Barnhart" and why was this person  considered important enough for this street to receive that name? 

Joseph Barnhart was born September 19, 1817 in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. At the age of 19, he enlisted as a member of the Zanesville Voluntary Rifle Company in the Texian Army of the Republic of Texas, serving from September 1, 1836  until April 12, 1839. 

In the spring of 1839 he was part of a group of men who built Kenney's Fort, the first settlement in what was to become Round Rock in Williamson County. Not long after this, Joseph Barnhart settled on some land just north of the fort and on June 25, 1841 he married Mary Elizabeth Smith. Stories say that, with the exception of the fort, settlements in this area were abandoned in 1842 when General Sam Houston advised the settlers to move back east of the Brazos River because of danger from Mexican and Indian attacks.

On November 30, 1844 Joseph Barnhart signed an agreement with James Manor to purchase 200 acres of land on Gilliland Creek, located on the north side of Manor's 1280 acre land grant.  The purchase was completed on December 24, 1849 when Barnhart made his final payment on the $200.00 purchase price.

On June 18, 1848 he purchased 781 acres of land from James Wilbarger, located between Gilliland and Wilbarger creeks and next to the land he had  purchased from James Manor. Final payment on this acreage was made on December 7, 1853. Purchase price was $880.75.

Some time later, according to deed records. it appears that he also purchased more land in this same area (at least 95 acres) just north of his 200 acres, it being a part of the Sumner Bacon Survey.

On September 27,1854 he also purchased sixty-nine and one half acres of land for $208.50 from Daniel and Lavisa Shelp; it being a part of the Oliver Buckman survey which was located south of the area that would become Manor. 

1877 deed records indicate that it was on the land purchased from James Manor that he built his residence, along with a Gin house and a mill. These he legally designated as his homestead property. 

In October, 1846 Joseph Barnhart, James Manor and Mathias Wilbarger were appointed by the Travis County Commissioners Court to lay out a road from Austin in the direction of Post Oak Island; going through or very near the area which would later become Manor. 

At the February 23, 1854 meeting of the Travis County Commissioners Court the following order was made,"Ordered by the Court that _________ George be and he is hereby appointed of Road Precinct No. 3 on the road leading from Austin to Brenham, and the following hands are required to work on the same, viz. James Manor’s hands, Judge Parson’s hands, Judge Rector’s hand’s, Joseph Barnhart, ______ Rapp, Flecher and all other persons not herein enumerated known to said overseer subject to work on the same." 

In 1854 the Texas Legislature passed a law requiring all counties to make a count of families for the purpose of establishing school districts. Travis County was divided into 19 districts. In the sixteen families that were counted in district 8, which includes Manor, Joseph Barnhart is shown along with five of his children. 

A December 14, 1863 act of the Legislature of the State of Texas officially established Joseph Barnhart, James Manor and 5 other leading citizens as the Board of Trustees of Parsons Female Seminary in Manor. This school had been opened in 1858 and was considered one of the leading educational institutions in the area. 

Between the years of 1842 and 1863, Joseph and Mary Barnhart had 12 children. Many of them bought or were given parts of the over one thousand acres of land the Joseph Barnhart had purchased since coming to the Manor area. 

A deed record dated October 18, 1871 show that Joseph Barnhart and his oldest son, John Smith Barnhart, were two of the ten trustees of the "Church on Wilbarger's Creek" when James Manor sold them land on which to put their church building and a cemetery. Purchase price was $1.00.

On September 14, 1872 the Democrats of Travis County held a rally at Manor in support of Horace Greely and B. Gratz Brown for President and Vice President. James Manor was on the committee of invitation and Joseph Barnhart was a member of the committee for arrangements for the rally. A newspaper article after the rally said, "Everyone pronounced it one of the most pleasant and orderly assemblages they ever saw. Hurrah for Manor and Manorites!  - Hurrah for Greely and Brown!

Sometime in the 1870's Joseph and Mary Barnhart moved to Austin. The 1880 U. S. Census shows them living there at that time. In October, 1884 Joseph sold their Manor homestead land to their son Henry Bascomb Barnhart, a prominent Austin attorney. 

Joseph Barnhart died January 2, 1888 and is buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in Austin. 
Mary Barnhart died June 29, 1910 and is buried with her husband in Austin. 

Having been very active and involved in the part of Travis County that would become the town of Manor, it is understandable that when the town was platted and named in 1872, one of the streets would be named Barnhart Street.