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Have you heard the one about…
…Judge George Barber who held court in Arthur Thornton’s saloon in the
1880’a and 1890’s? While court was in session, proceedings would temporarily
stop so those present could have a swig of the ol’ juice although the judge was
no drinker himself. There’s more. Since the area was still the wild
west, circuit court was held throughout Union Township, and it was Judge Barber
who toured the circuit court. It seems that on one of these tours by horse
and buggy to Walnut Grove, Barber came upon a hard working Chinese coolie busy
at work building levees by hand in the Delta area soil reclamation.
Barber’s horse never saw a man carrying dirt filled baskets on the end of a long
pole across his back. The horse became so frightened that it jumped into
the river with the buggy and the judge. Although a little soggy from his
ordeal, Judge Barber made it out of the river, but the horse and buggy didn’t!
They were gone.
So, who was this colorful George Barber – really? Are his descendants
still around? Well, it all began shortly after 1872, when the young George
Barber family came here from Summerhill, N.Y. Barber purchased 100 acres
in the New Hope area (now Thornton). Remember Mokelumne City and Benson’s
Ferry from another article? It was there and the land which included the
defunct town of Taison at Beaver Slough that comprised his land holdings.
This land is still farmed by the present generation of Barbers.
Judge Barber had two sons. Edward and George both farmed and served the
community as their father did. The brothers also each kept a dairy and
continued to add to their land holdings. Edward and George eventually
owned 425 acres in addition to 100 acres in the Yaqui Valley in Mexico.
The second George Barber who pursued part of his education in the east,
became a teacher for a year before returning to the farm. His short career
as a teacher probably sparked his interest in the New Hope School in Thornton.
He was elected to serve on the New Hope School Board as its president from 1910
to 1925. However, he could have served even earlier than this. There
are no records prior to this time. The present George Barber held the same
position as his grandfather.
Edward Barber was no less active than his father or brother in community
affairs. He was elected justice of the peace and held this position from
1906 to 1926. Edward also served on the first Galt Joint Union High School
District Board of Trustees. He became a leader in organizing the
Reclamation District in Thornton, and he served on its board for many years.
So, what are he present day Barbers doing? Well, George Barber’s son
James became Thornton’s appointed Constable in 1939 and was continuously
reelected to the position until 1951 when the lower court system was
reorganized. Like his uncle, Edward, he too was elected to the Galt Joint
Union High School Board and served for two terms beginning in 1953. He
also held offices in the Thornton Progress Club which became the Thornton
Chamber of Commerce.
The present George Barber held the New Hope School trusteeship and was
elected to the Delta College Board for two terms until he was elected Supervisor
in San Joaquin County in 1975. He has held the position ever since.
Are there other Barbers doing terrific things? Our very own Alberta
Barber is an active member of the Galt Area Historical Society. Alberta
diligently calls each member of GAHS each month to remind all of us — including
me — that there is a meeting. She also generously shared her newspaper
articles with me so I could write this article. Thank you Alberta.
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