Barksdale Chronicles in America, Vol I

 Author's Summary

Barksdale Chronicles in America, Volume I is the first published book by Maj Robert A. Groves. His research into his maternal ancestors began at the millennium due, in large part, to the colorful family stories he recalled his mother and her siblings sharing during his childhood. Family chronicles define and preserve the contributions of ancestors to their families and communities. Through a study of our roots, we gain an appreciation of what helped shape us as individuals and citizens. This edition captures but a small part of the Barksdale family as it starts out in the New World. As followed through the lineage of John Hickerson Barksdale, early ancestors began forging a life for themselves in Virginia, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and Arkansas. They courageously served their country in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War. Some dipped their toes into the political waters of our country and served their communities, states and nation as elected officials. Using their creativeness, they turned resources available to them into entrepreneurial opportunities in agriculture, merchandising, and manufacturing. Some heard a higher calling and faced the moral issues of the time from rural pulpits. Indeed, the early Barksdale ancestors played a vital role in shaping the communities where they settled and the environment into which following generations were born.

MWSA Review

The story of the Barksdale family is presented as a genealogical summary. An excellent example of how to prepare such a record, but not a historical work in the normal sense. Much of the book is short quotes or summaries taken from public records, with summaries written by the author is a few places.

The history begins with Rev. William Barkesdale (1551 - 19 Feb 1625), living in Worcestor and Hampton Counties in England, and follows the various family branches into the twentieth century.

The author provides summaries of events effecting the family, which include brief references to historical facts. A reader obtains a sense of the times, what it took to settle America.

This is a book for historians, family members, persons interested in understanding how America was settled, and those seeking an example of how to prepare a genealogical chronicle of their family.

Reviewed by: Boyland, Lee (2011)