The family of Henry and Mary Judith Barcus

Henry and Mary Judith Barcus were grandparents to my mother, Doree Martin Votaw. Their daughter, Mary Frances, became my grandmother, Mary Martin.

By Dave

Nov 23, 2020

Henry and Mary Judith Barcus lived in Pomona, but they had a ranch out of town. Henry was a rancher all of his life. They had four children, two boys and two girls. My grandmother (Mary) was the youngest child. We don’t have dates for anyone else in the family, but the birth order is clear from the picture on this page. The older boy was named Reavus, which was his father’s middle name, and known as “Rev.” The second child, Mary’s older sister, was given her mother’s middle name, Judith, and she was called “Judy.” The third child is Nelson, nicknamed “Nels.”

I never met either of Mary’s brothers, but we saw Judy on occasion when we were kids. Of course she was older than our grandmother and seemed very old indeed to me. Her daughter Nan was my mother’s cousin and they spent a lot of time together as children. The video on this page shows all three of Mary’s siblings as younger adults.

Sometime in the 1970s I received a long typewritten letter from Annie (our name for Mary) in which she told stories about her parents and her childhood. Below are some excerpts from that letter that give us a little more information about Henry and Mary Judith.

My Father was one of 12 children, 7 boys and 5 girls. My father was the only boy without a college degree as he stayed home to work the 200-acre farm so the other boys could go to college. 4 were ministers, one a Superior State Judge and the other a college professor. Dad’s father was a circuit rider and was gone from home for weeks at a time, earning $750 a year.

Dad was a very religious man. He was called “God-Fearing” which was supposed to be a compliment – yet we were told God was gentle and knew when even a tiny sparrow fell. We got up early every morning and had “family prayers” before breakfast, and if you were not there on time with your hair combed and fully dressed, you did not get any breakfast. I will have to admit that Mother had one special shelf in the pantry and anything on it could be eaten at any time. For Family Prayers, Dad read a chapter from the Bible and prayed – forever, it seemed to me, while we all knelt beside our chairs. Then at the table another long prayer while the food got cold and I secretly counted the number of pieces on each platter to be sure I got my rightful share. (Dividing by 6 is not easy when you don’t have modern math.)

Sundays were endless. We got up early as Dad was the Sunday School Superintendent and we had to be there to greet the first arrivals.

This is too long a letter, but I want to tell you a little bit about my parents…

My Mother was born before her time, I’m sure. She loved flowers, her garden and made beautiful flower arrangements before such things were heard of. She made up new and unusual recipes, did all of our sewing, and we always had the latest fashions of any of our friends. Everyone wanted to come to a party at our house because Mother always thought up some fantastic way to make the party different and fun. She never belonged to a club or a social group but she was always there when we came home from school.

My Dad, in spite of his religious zeal, was the one who sat by my bed when I was sick at night, brought me baby jack rabbits, and field mice from the ranch for pets, as well as a cat, a baby goat and a lamb. He bought Mother the first electric fan we had ever seen one summer when she was not well, and always found the first wild flowers in bloom to bring to her and the first spray of almond blossoms. Although he was a rancher all his life we always lived in town as he considered education the most important goal in life. He insisted Mother have a woman come in once a week to clean the house and we had an honest to goodness Chinese laundry boy who brought us lichi nuts and Chinese candy at Christmas, but Mother would never let us eat the candy.

Mary Judith and Henry Barcus stand with four of their grandchildren: Nan, Doree, Bert, and one of Nels’ sons.

This picture shows the three older children in the Barcus family at a very young age. The children are all dressed up, but the occasion of the photo is not known. The older boy on the left is Rev, and Judy is on the right holding a parasol. The baby in the fancy carriage is Nels.

Mary Judith and Henry are shown here (in a colorized photo) with their newest granddaughter Dorothy Lee Martin, later called “Doree.” She was born in 1931, and 21 years later became my mother.

In this photo, taken (apparently) a few years after the whole-family photo at right, Mary Judith stands with her four “boys”: Mac McQuiston, Nels Barcus, Rev Barcus, and Herb Martin. Thanks to Meg Fegan for contributing this photo.

Part of the Barcus family, from left to right: Rev, Mary Judith, Henry, and an unknown man. The two boys in front on the right are Nels’ sons, and Nels stands behind them.

The video at left is a medley of 10 short movie clips that my grandparents, Herb and Mary Martin, shot over a span of eleven years (1928-38) with a 16mm movie camera. The clips are short, so here is a list of what you will see in this video.

0:00 Mary Judith rocks her baby grandson Bert Martin.
0:07 Mary Judith and Henry dust the mantle over their fireplace, and show it to Bert.
0:11 Mary Judith holds her grandson, Bert.
0:16 Christmas at the Barcus ranch, 1930. The men sawing the log are Herb Martin (Mary’s husband and my grandfather), Mac McQuiston (Judy’s husband), Nelson Barcus, Rev Barcus, and Henry Barcus. Bert Martin (age 2) is sitting on the log.
0:34 Judy McQuiston holds her daughter, Nan.
0:39 Mary Judith carries the Christmas turkey platter into the house.
0:43 Scene at the Martin home: “And this is how we looked in 1938.” Seated: Henry and Mary Judith Barcus, soon joined by Doree, Bert, and Nan.
0:56 Mac and Judy McQuiston
1:02 Nelson Barcus in a sailor suit, along with his wife and their niece Doree.
1:32 Nelson and his brother Rev share a smoke.

The Barcus family ride a burro! Nothing is written on this photo to show when or why it might have been taken, but it looks like they had some fun. Rev (the oldest boy) is on the far left, pulling the burro. The three younger children are seated on the burro in birth order: Judy, Nels, and Mary Frances. Henry is pushing the burro from behind, and Mary Judith appears to be ready to give the burro a swat with her parasol. Mary Frances was born in 1904, so this photo probably can be dated within a year or two of 1909.

This photo of the Barcus family was sent to me by Meg Reilly Fegan (Judy’s granddaughter and Nan’s daughter). Back row, left to right: one of Nels’ sons, Henry Barcus, Rev Barcus, Mary Judith Barcus, Mary Frances Barcus Martin, Nels Barcus, Judy Barcus McQuiston, another son of Nels, Herb Martin. Front row: Doree Martin (Votaw), Bert Martin, Nan McQuiston (Reilly), unknown, Mac McQuiston. Based on Doree’s age, I would date this photo at about 1940.

Mary Judith and Henry Barcus with their two sons, Nels (left) and Rev.

Here my grandmother (Mary Frances) is shown with her father, Henry Reavus Barcus, in 1953. He was the only great-grandparent still living when I was born (in 1952), but I never knew him as he died in the same year this photo was taken.

This is a photo of Rev Barcus, taken sometime in the 1950s.

Related Posts

Elmer & Ruth Votaw’s family

Elmer & Ruth Votaw’s family

The image at left is probably a wedding picture. Elmer and Ruth Votaw had five children: Vera, Vernon, Clayton, Harold, and Howard. On this page we see pictures of the family through the years.

Lewis Stout and His Grandson (Dick Votaw)

Lewis Stout and His Grandson (Dick Votaw)

At birth, my father was named Lewis Richard Votaw, after his grandfather Lewis Stout. He was the only grandchild that Lewis had, and these photos and postcards give us a glimpse into their relationship.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *