Frank Willard Barnes

Mulatto male, born 16 November 1882, probably in Montgomery, AL but possibly in Georgia or Florida.

He first came into my research as the father of an unnamed stillborn son in 1904. Genealogical research reveals he was the son of woman I have found only as Mollie Livingston. I have not identified Frank’s father yet, as his mother appeared as a widow in all records I have for her. She did not use the name “Barnes” in any of them.

Frank Barnes seems to have lived his life in two stages. The first time I identified him in the the records was the 1898 Pensacola City Directory. He would have been about 16; he was listed as Colored, and was working at the Pensacola Sentinel, a Black newspaper of the time. He resided at 514 S. Palafox, as did his mother, Mollie Livingston, who was a dressmaker.

In the 1900 U.S. Census for Pensacola, FL, Frank and his three siblings have the last name Barnes, but they are enumerated in the household headed by their mother, Mollie Livingston. Mollie was 50 years old, widowed, and working as a seamstress. She was born in Georgia, as were both her parents. Frank was 17 years old and single. His occupation was “apprentice.” He was born in Alabama and his father was born in New York (other records say Georgia, Connecticut, and Maine). His sister was listed as “B B Vinings”; though her name appears to have been Beebe. She was 15, born in Pensacola. Like her younger siblings, her father was listed as having been born in the U.S., which makes me think that Frank might have had a different father than his younger siblings. His brother Joseph was 13, born in Florida; sister Zelia was 11, born in Florida. The entire family was identified as Black.

According to Escambia County Marriage records, Frank married Bertha Robinson on 9 June 1902, before a Notary Public by the name of B.H. Burton. Bertha was later described as a creole woman. She came from a settled-seeming family headed by a man from Portugal. She would turn out to be quite the character, involved in several petty crimes and serious assaults over the next few years. My impression of her mishaps is that they are most certainly alcohol-related. In the Pensacola News for 10 January 1905, Bertha was arrested for slashing Frank’s neck during an argument; coverage of the story fizzled before she was sentenced. On 23 February 1907, the Pensacola Journal recorded Frank’s Bill for Divorce from her. In 1913, Bertha was stabbed to death by another woman, apparently in a fight begun over a man at a bar.

Frank appears in the Pensacola City Directory for a few years at several addresses and under a couple of different, but related occupations: In 1905, he was a bartender, listed as boarding at 105 W. Romana St. (This was his mother’s residence, and the place where his stillborn son had been delivered the year before.) In 1908 he was a manager for James Jadrievic and roomed at 13 1/2 W. Zaragossa. (Jadrievic owned several enterprises, but 13 1/2 W. Zaragossa was a pool hall, located in Pensacola’s red light district.) In 1909 Frank appeared again as a bartender.

Frank married Josephine Hernandez on 29 March 1909 before J.H. Spears, N.P. Josephine came from family of Spanish descent which appears to have been at least middle class. The marriage marks a turning point in Frank’s life: While he appeared in the 1910 City Directory and was enumerated in the 1910 census as a bartender, he, 19-year-old Josephine and six-month-old Frank, Jr., were living away from the seedier side of town, at 708 W. Belmont St. Also perhaps a factor in his turning over a new leaf: His bar burned down in September of 1910, possibly from arson.

By 1913, he was in the City Directory as a bookkeeper, and the second stage of his life was well underway. Another son, Edward, was born in 1915; and in 1915 and 1916, Frank was an insurance agent living at 1316 W. Gonzalez St. In 1918 and 1919 he was a bookkeeper for Norman A. Cox (a purveyor of tiles, sheet metal, and other specialized building supplies). During this time, Frank was classified as mulatto more often than not. In fact, in his 1918 WWI Draft Registration card, Frank was identified as White, of short stature, medium build, brown hair and blue eyes.

Frank and his family were still living at 1316 W. Gonzalez in the census of 1920. He was an Inspector in the Insurance industry. The entire family was classified as mulatto.

Some time around 1924-1925, Frank moved his family to Jacksonville, FL. This is also the time his mother, Mollie Livingston, stopped appearing in the Pensacola City Directory, so she either moved or passed away. Frank spent the rest of his life in Jacksonville, listed as working either as a cashier for an insurance company or an agent. He was speficially connected with the Afro-American Life Insurance Co.

In the 1930 U.S. census for Jacksonville, Frank was shown to own his home, which was worth $5,000. He was 47 years old. Josephine was 39; Frank was 18 and Edward 15. They are identified as Black.

In 1935, Frank traveled from Havana, Cuba to the Port of Key West on the S.S. Governor Cobb. This record said he was born in Montgomery, AL – the only record to be so specific – and that his address was in Jacksonville. There was no reason given for his travel, but no one else in his family appeared to have been with him.

The 1940 U.S. Census enumerated Frank at age 57. It recorded that the highest grade he completed was the 8th. Josephine was 49 and completed the 7th grade. Edward, 25, was still at home, working as a mail carrier for the post office. He completed 2 years of college. The family was again identified as Black.

Josephine died in 1948 at the age of 57. I have not located a record that would indicate cause of death.

Frank continued to work for several more years, but in the 1958 and 1960 City Directories for Jacksonville, he appeared without an occupation. Perhaps he retired. He died in January 1965 in Jacksonville, and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery.

FAMILY:

Children: Unnamed son; Frank Willard Barnes, Jr.; Edward Barnes

Wives: Bertha Robinson Barnes; Josephine Hernandez Barnes

Mother: Mollie Livingston

---

SOURCES:

Pensacola births and deaths, 1891-1910, Escambia County (Florida) Health Department. Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1973.

Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.