Our branch of the surname Barnard is English. The Coat of Arms is a silver shield with three silver escallops on a blue bend, and the Crest is silver demi-lion rampant holding a snake, proper. The Family Motto is "Virtus probata florebit" ("Tried virtue will flourish"). The surname is derived from the Germanic personal name Bernhard, which consists of the elements ber or bern, which mean bear, and hard, which means brave, handy, or strong.
   The surname was first found in Westmorland, where they had been granted lands by King William for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Sir Theophilus, a Norman knight, who assisted William the Conqueror in the conquest of England was succeeded by his son, Sir Dorbard, who took the surname Bernard. Sir Dorbard's descendants settled at Acornbank in the county of Westmorland, but stayed in good favor with the royalty. In 1172 King Henry II took Robert Fitz Bernard with him to Ireland, in the invasion of Ireland, and entrusted to his care the counties of Wexford and Waterford. Fulk Baynard (fl. 1226), was an early Itinerant Justice, seated at Merton, Norfolk, and was specially constituted a justice for a single occasion in November 1226. Robert Baynard (d. 1331), son of Fulk Baynard, was a judge and was elected knight of the shire for Norfolk several times between 1289 and 1327.
   Our line of the family can be traced back to BARTHOLOMEW BARNARD, who sailed to the New World during a politically charged time regarding England's governance during the years 1642 to 1651, when a series of conflicts erupted into what is now known as "The English Civil War." King Charles I summoned supporters to join him against his enemies in Parliament. In October 1642, nearly 10,000 men fought for Charles I and chased Parliament across the River Tamar. Fighting continued for years and was finally ended at the Battle of Worcester on September 3, 1651, with a Parliamentarian victory.
   The Colony where Batholomew emigrated had gone through political change, as well. In early June of 1636, prominent Puritan religious leader Reverend Thomas Hooker left the Boston area with one hundred men, women, and children and set out for the Connecticut valley. The group traveled over one hundred miles through the wilderness and reached their destination in early July. Many members of the Hooker party settled in Hartford, while some located to nearby Wethersfield and Windsor, and others traveled north and settled Springfield, Massachusetts. The Reverend Hooker is responsible for founding the colony of Connecticut as well as helping to create the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, the basic law of Connecticut from 1639 to 1662. All this may sound a bit dry and antiquated, but in a powerful sermon in 1638, Hooker made a revolutionary statement and declared that this colony would not be governed by kings but by colonists. "The foundation of authority is laid, firstly, in the free consent of the people," he said, adding that the people would not only choose who governed them but would also limit the power of those chosen to lead.
   Although Bartholomew was not an original proprietor, he was an early settler of Hartford in the Connecticut Colony of British Colonial America. He married SARAH BIRCHARD on 25 Oct 1647 in Hartford and settled into homelot #33. Sarah was born on 22 Aug 1624 in Fairstead, Essex, England, to THOMAS BIRCHARD (1595-1657) and MARY ROBINSON (1597-1655) of Fairsted, Essex, England. Thomas set sail with his wife and children for the Massachusetts Bay Colony from London aboard the ship "True Love," departing on 19 Sep 1635. He was made freeman in Massachusetts on 17 May 1637, but removed to Hartford before Feb 1639, where his daughter fell in love with Bartholomew.
   The surname Birchard is English of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin, first found in Cheshire, where they held a family seat long before the Norman Conquest in 1066. The surname comes from a family once having lived in Northern England where the term 'of the birk-head,' as in "the head of the birches" was derived. Thus the name literally means "dweller by the birch-covered headland." The family's Coat of Arms is Black with three gold garbs, and the Crest is a silver ram's head.
   Bartholomew was active in the community: in 1655, he was a constable at Hartford, and was made a freeman in 1656. Bartholomew and Sarah were received in the Second Church on 18 Mar 1669-70. When not in the community, Bartholomew and Sarah became the parents of at least four sons and four daughters:

CHILDREN OF BARTHOLOMEW BARNARD AND SARAH BIRCHARD

SARAH BARNARD was born on 3 Dec 1648, in Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut Colony, British Colonial America. She married JAMES STEELE (son of Hartford proprieter GEORGE STEELE) on 23 Apr 1685 in Hartford, Connecticut Colony, British Colonial America. They were the parents of: Mary (1683-1779), Elizabeth (1691-1719), Jonathan (1693-1753), Stephen (1696-1759) and Sarah Steel (1700-1733). She died in 1730, in her hometown, at the age of 82.

RICHARD BARNARD was born on 27 Dec 1649 in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. married SARAH CLARK (1649-1706) on 13 Feb 1670, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, in British Colonial America. They had the following children: He died on 19 Nov 1683 in Springfield at the age of 33, and was buried there.

JOHN BARNARD was born in 1652, in Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut. He died in 1734, in his hometown, at the age of 82.

JOSEPH BARNARD was born in 1652, in Hartford, Connecticut Colony, British Colonial America. He married LYDIA HOWARD in 1679, in Hartford. They were the parents of: Lydia (1688-1778), Joseph (1696-1777), Jane (1699-1783) and Elizabeth Barnard (1699-1783). Joseph died on 24 November 1740, in his hometown, at the age of 88, and was buried in Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut.

ELIZABETH BARNARD was born on 21 Feb 1656, in Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut Colony, British Colonial America. She married Thomas Wadsworth about 14 Nov 1677, in Hartford, and they were the parents of: Sarah (b. 1677), William (1680-1692), Elizabeth (b. 1681), Sarah (1682-1750), Rebecca (b. 1686), Thomas (1687-1716), Hannah (b. 1690) and William Wadsworth (b. 1692). She died on 26 Oct 1710, in her hometown, at the age of 54, and was buried in Hartford, Connecticut Colony, British Colonial America.

HANNAH BARNARD was born in 1662 in Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut Colony, British Colonial America. She married Thomas Olcott on 11 Nov 1695 in Hartfordand they had the following children: Jonathan (b. 29 Dec 1695), Thomas (b. 13 Aug 1697, Mary (b. 23 Apr 1699), Josiah (b. 23 Feb 1701) and Joseph Olcott (b. 23 Mar 1707). They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 1 daughter. She died on 15 July 1755, in Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, at the age of 93, and was buried in Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut.

   There were probably more children, including Mary vand Joseph Barnard, who were listed in Bartholomew's probate records. There is no record of Bartholomew's death but from the sexton's record of burials we learn that it occurred before 16 Mar 1697-8 when the inventory of his estate was taken. We know that Sarah was still living when he made his will on 9 Mar 1691. This same sexton's record shows her burial between January and March of 1695-6, of "Goody Barnard", and it is believed that this entry refers to Sarah, as there is no trace of her after this date.
   Their son RICHARD BARNARD was born on 27 Dec 1649 in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. He grew to manhood and acquired four or five acres on the right hand of the Bay Path at the "dirty gutter," two miles from the town.
   Richard married SARAH CLARK (1649-1706) on 13 Feb 1670, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. She was the daughter of JOHN CLARK (1626-1684), a founder of Hartford, and ELIZABETH STEBBINS (1628-1700). John Clark had emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay colony aboard the ship Lyon, arriving in Boston on 16 Sep 1632 with brothers William and Nicholas. John first resided in Cambridge where he was made freeman 6 May 1635, and served in the Pequot War. He was prominent in the area, owning a great deal of property around Hartford. He had removed to Saybrook by 1647 and served as Deputy to the Connecticut General Court, was a member of the war committee, was selectman and was named as Patentee of the Royal Charter of Connecticut in 1662, and Commissioner for Saybrook. He then removed to Norwich and Milford, and served as Deputy to the Connecticut General court. Needless to say, Richard had married up!
   The English surname Clark was first found in Northumberland, where the ancestral home of the Clark family is thought to be located. The surname comes from one in the family having worked as a scholar, a person serving under religious orders, or as a secretary. The surname originally derived from the Latin form clericus. The name may have been Norman in origin, having descended from the name Le Clerc. The family was first found in Hampshire where Richerius clericus was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 and in early rolls in both Normandy and England. The Family Motto is "Fortitudo" (translated: "Fortitude"). The Coat of Arms is a silver shield with a chevron between three dragons' heads, and three roses on the chevron, and the Crest is a dragon's head.
   They were the parents of the following children:

CHILDREN OF RICHARD BARNARD AND SARAH CLARK

MARY BARNARD was born on 11 Dec 1672 in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. She married BENJAMIN BROOKS (1671-1755)) in 1692, in Springfield,and had the following children: Benjamin (1693-1755), Sarah (1695-1697), Mary (1695-1734), Elizabeth (1698-1738), Mercy (1699-1721), John (1703-1745), Thankful (1704-1729), Abigail, 1706-1774, William (1708-1795), Joseph (1710-1750), Samuel (1712-1765), and Noah Brooks (1713-1755). Mary died on 23 Feb 1741, in her hometown, at the age of 68, and was buried in Springfield.

DANIEL BARNARD was born on 3 Sep 1674, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. He died on 12 Nov 1689, in his hometown, at the age of 15, and was buried in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, in British Colonial America.

SAMUEL BARNARD was born on 3 Sep 1674, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. He married SARAH BAGG-ATCHISON on 30 Mar 1711, in Springfield. He died on 11 Jul 1713, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, in British Colonial America, at the age of 38.

SARAH BARNARD was born on 1 Sep 1681 in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, according to town records (Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts: 'Massachusetts Vital and Town Records.' Provo, UT: Holbrook Research Institute; Jay and Delene Holbrook). No further information

JOSEPH BARNARD was born between 1679-1682, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony. He married ELISABETH MERRICK (1697-1771) on 29 Dec 1721 in Springfield. They were the parents of the following children: Elizabeth (1722-1761), Mary (1724-1817), Sarah (1727-1809) and Joseph Barnard II (1729-1757). Joseph died on 3 Dec 1728, in Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, in British Colonial America, at the age of 47.

BENONI BARNARD (1683-1750) was born on 15 May 30 and lived at Coventry, Connecticut. He married FREEDOM _____ on 13 Jun 1712. They had the following children: Jasper (b. 10 Apr 1713), twins Freedom and Samuel (14 Sep 1718), Joseph (11 Jun 1720), Abigail (b. 16 Mar 1725), Miriam (b. 23 Feb 1726-27) and Daniel Barnard (b. 15 May 1730). He removed to Pittsford, Vermont, in 1784, and died on 19 Nov 1683.

Brookes

   Richard died on 19 November 1683, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, at the age of 33, and was buried in Springfield Cemetery, Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. She died on 19 June 1706, in Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, at the age of 56, and was buried in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. When their daughter MARY BARNARD was born on 11 December 1672, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, her father, Richard Barnard, was 23 and her mother, Sarah Clark, was 22. She married Benjamin Brooks in 1692, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. They were the parents of at least 6 sons and 6 daughters. She died on 23 February 1741, in her hometown, at the age of 68, and was buried in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America.
   When Benjamin Brooks was born on 25 July 1671, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, his father, William Brooks, was 56 and his mother, Mary Burt, was 36. He married Mary Barnard in 1692, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. They were the parents of at least 6 sons and 6 daughters. He died on 3 May 1755, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, at the age of 83, and was buried in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America.
   Their children are:

CHILDREN OF MARY BARNARD AND BENJAMIN BROOKS

BENJAMIN BROOKS was born on 29 Sep 1693, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. He married HANNAH WALKER (1708-1762) on 5 May 1726, in Brookfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony. They were the parents of: Benjamin (b. 1726), Edward (1728-1775), Hannah (b. 1730), Phenias (b. 1732), Simeon (b. 1732), Abner (b. 1734), Elizabeth (b. 1736), Sarah (b. 1738), Martin (1741-1825), Mercy (1743-1793), Caleb (b. 1745), and Ruth Brooks (b. 1746). He died on 3 May 1755, in his hometown, at the age of 61, and was buried in Springfield Cemetery in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts.

MARY BROOKS was born on 26 May 1695, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. She married ISAAC STILES (1696-1790) on 22 Dec 1720, in Westfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony. They were the parents of: Abigail (1724-1754), Saniel (1724-1731), Isaac (1726-1785), Martin (1728-1808), Israel (1731-1780), Daniel II (1732-1765) and Mary Styles (1734-1801). She died on 21 Oct 1734, in Westfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, at the age of 39.

SARAH BROOKS was born on 15 Mar 1696/7, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colonyand died in 1697.

ELIZABETH BROOKS was born on 24 Feb 1699, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. She married HENRY WRIGHT (1700-1738) on 18 Feb 1721, in Springfield. They were the parents of: Elisha (1720-1769), Sarah (1723-1807), Daniel (b. 1723), Elizabeth (1727-1770), George (1725-1813), Phoebe (1730-1813), Mercy (1731-1741), Samuel (1733-1817), Deborah (1736-1738), and Thankful Wright (1736-1814). She died on 13 January 1738, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, at the age of 38.

MERCY BROOKS was born on 12 Mar 1700, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. She died on 10 Jan 1721, in her hometown, at the age of 20.

JOHN BROOKS was born on 21 Mar 1702, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. He married REBECCA TERRY (1700-1800) on 19 Jul 1722, in Springfield. They were the parents of: Mercy (b. 1723), Rebecca (1727-1822) and Martin Terry (b. 1733). He died on 11 Oct 1744, in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, at the age of 42.

THANKFUL BROOKS was born on 3 Feb 1704, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. She married SAMUEL HAINES (b. 1707) on 15 Nov 1729, in Springfield. They were the parents of Desire Haines (b. 1744). She lived in Hatfield, Massachusetts, in 1672. She died on 10 Jun 1748, in Wethersfield, Connecticut, at the age of 44.

ABIGAIL BROOKS was born on 3 Dec 1706, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. She married JOHN STEELE (1707-1793) on 4 Mar 1728, in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. They were the parents of: (John (1729-1790), Abigail (1731-1751), Mary (1734-1804), Rhoda (1735-1809), Ann (1737-1818), Aaron (1739-1777), Seth (1741-1742), Solomon (b. 1744), Ruben (1746-1746), Justin (1749-1774), and Squire Steele (1752-1776). She died on 12 Aug 1774, in her hometown, at the age of 67.

WILLIAM BROOKS was born on 1 Aug 1708, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. He married ESTHER KIBBE (1704-1748) on 2 Mar 1731, in Enfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. They were the parents of Esther (1732-1742), Mary (1734-1819), William (b. 1736), Zerah (1738-1798), Love (b. 1740), and Esther II (1743-1819). He died on 28 May 1795, in Enfield, Springfield, Hartfield, Connecticutt, at the age of 86, and was buried in Enfield Street Cemetery, Enfield, Hartford, Connecticut.

JOSEPH BROOKS was born on 6 Aug 1710, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. He married MARY BLISS or SYKES (1710-1780) on 8 Nov 1734, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. They were the parents of: Joseph (1735-1766), Israel (1736-1794), Silas (1738-1739), Susannah (1740-1780), Chloe (1740-1835), Eunice (1742-1743), Anne (1744-1745), Jonathan (1746-1747), and Thankful Brooks (1748-1749). He lived in Palmer, Hampden, Massachusetts, United States in 1733. He died on 27 November 1750, in Ware, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, at the age of 40, and was buried in Ware, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America.

SAMUEL BROOKS (1712-1765) When Samuel Brooks was born on 2 Aug 1712, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. He married JOANNA WARRINER on 14 Mar 1737, in Longmeadow, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America. They were the parents of: Samuel (1739-1812) and Sybil Brooks (b. 1752). He then married (2) LYDIA STEBBINS (1728-1780) on 19 Jul 1759 in Springfield. He died on 14 Dec 1765, in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, at the age of 53.

NOAH BROOKS (1713-1755) married HANNAH SPENCER, the daughter of Disborough and Abigail (Elmer) Spencer ("Hannah (Spencer) (Nicholson) (Burt) (Glover) Brooks," The American Genealogist, vol. 47; no. 1, p. 33-36 [Jan 1971]).

Steele

   Their daughter ABIGAIL BROOKS was born on 3 Dec 1706, in Springfield. She married her first cousin, JOHN STEELE (1707-1793), on 7 Mar 1727 in Springfield. Her father, BENJAMIN BROOKS (1671-1755), was the brother of her aunt, Mary Brooks. (This makes Benjamin my 8th great-grandfather and my 8th great-granduncle!)
   In Colonial America, while not explicitly addressed in all colonial laws, marrying first cousins was generally legal and socially acceptable. This was partly due to the lack of specific prohibitions in colonial legal codes, which often mirrored English law. In a time when mobility was limited and community ties were strong, marrying within the extended family, including cousins, was not uncommon. This practice helped maintain social and economic networks within communities.
   Abigail died on 12 Aug 1774 in Springfield, but John didn't follow her for another 20 years, finally passing away on the 21 Feb 1793, at the home of Ezra Stebbins in Longmeadow, Hampden, Massachusetts (now in a new country called the United States of America). In their time, Abigail and John had a LOT of kids: