BARNES, Robert (1815-1859) and Hannah L. (c. 1824-1856)

Members of the group of Sabbatarian Adventists in Canaan, Maine, in the 1850s, and farmers. On two occasions conferences took place in the Barneses’ house, and in 1855 a tent meeting was held at their property, with 500 in attendance. In 1851 Ellen White wrote to Robert Barnes, encouraging him in his struggle to overcome his tobacco habit. Hannah died at age 32 and Robert at 44, having “been afflicted with fits for about thirty years, caused by the bite of a dog.”1EGWLM 787.3

See: Obituary: “Robert Barnes,” Review, Aug. 18, 1859, p. 103; obituary: “Hannah L. Barnes,” July 10, 1856, p. 86; 1850 U.S. Federal Census, “Robert Barnes,” Maine, Somerset County, Hartland, p. 28; search terms “R. Barnes” and “Robert Barnes” in Words of the Pioneers; Ellen G. White, Lt 5, 1851 (Dec. 14).1EGWLM 787.4