Major General Hezekiah Barnes (c. 1760–1813) was an American military officer of the

United States Militia The militia of the United States, as defined by the U.S. Congress, has changed over time.Spitzer, Robert J.: ''The Politics of Gun Control'', Page 36. Chatham House Publishers, Inc., 1995. During colonial America, all able-bodied men of a certai ...

, tavern proprietor, and politician from

Charlotte, Vermont Charlotte is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. The town was named for Queen Charlotte, though unlike Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlottesville, Virginia, and other cities and towns that bear her name, the town's name is pronou ...

. He was an early settler of Charlotte and became the city's

Postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

. He also served as an officer during the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, alongside his father, Colonel Asa Barnes, and built the Stagecoach Tavern.

Early life

Hezekiah Barnes was born in about 1760 in

Wallingford, Connecticut Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, centrally located between New Haven and Hartford, and Boston and New York City. The population was 44,396 at the 2020 census. The community was named after Wallingford, in En ...

, the son of

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Asa Barnes and Lois Yale, daughter of Abel Yale, members of the

Yale family Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

. His father fought in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, being Colonel of a

Berkshire County Berkshire County (pronounced ) is a county on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 census, the population was 129,026. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield. The county was founded in ...

regiment. His mother was the great-granddaughter of Capt. Thomas Yale, co-founder of

. His grandfather, Capt. Gershom Barnes served in the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

. Barnes served as an officer during the

, and moved to

, becoming an early settler of this territory, along with his father and other men.Barnes-Alexander-Pinney House
The Stone House, National Register of Historic Places, United States Department of the Interior, Item No. 7, page 2, 1984, p. 5-13 He was elected one of the

surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...

s of highways, with Capt. Hill as sealer of the weights and measures. He was made a juryman, along with his father, Col. Barnes, and Dr. Hough, Capt. McNeile, Capt. Hill, and others.History of Chittenden County, Vermont
William S. Rann, D. Mason & Co., Syracuse, New York, 1886, p. 151-544-545-546-549

Biography

At the organization of the town of

, his father was chosen as one of the selectmen. The meeting on 27 March would be held at Hezekiah Barnes's house, today named the

Stagecoach Inn The coaching inn (also coaching house or staging inn) was a vital part of Europe's inland transport infrastructure until the development of the railway, providing a resting point (layover) for people and horses. The inn served the needs of tra ...

. The house was used as a trading post along the main trading route from

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Lake Champlain , native_name_lang = , image = Champlainmap.svg , caption = Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = New York/Vermont in the United States; and Quebec in Canada , coords = , type = , ...

. The home was built in traditional

Georgian style Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarchs of the House of Hano ...

, with a ballroom and ten fireplaces. In 1800, Capt. Harrington of the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

founded a distillery business in the city, supplying Barnes's trading post.Historical Markers and War Memorials in Chittenden County, Vermont
Historical Marker Data base, Accessed March 5, 2024 He became wealthy with his

tavern A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that h ...

, as Charlotte became a fast-growing city with its lakefront location and fertile agricultural land. A future competitor would be the Tavern on Mutton Hill of Nathaniel Newell. The city of Charlotte was larger than

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

at the time, today Vermont's largest city. He was a sergeant in Capt. Read's company, and Capt. in his father's company, being Col. Barnes's regiment. He was part of the

Saratoga campaign The Saratoga campaign in 1777 was an attempt by the British high command for North America to gain military control of the strategically important Hudson River valley during the American Revolutionary War. It ended in the surrender of the British ...

, marching from Lanesborough to Saratoga. Barnes became a captain in the

Colonial army Colonial troops or colonial army refers to various military units recruited from, or used as garrison troops in, colonial territories. Colonial background Such colonies may lie overseas or in areas dominated by neighbouring land powers such ...

and Major General of the Vermont militia. He became a member of Col.

Benjamin Simonds Benjamin Simonds (12 February 1725/6-11 April 1807) was a militia commander of Massachusetts during the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War. He was colonel of the all-Berkshire regiment of about five hundred men known as the � ...

's regiment named

Simonds' Regiment of Militia Simonds' Regiment of Militia also known as the 2nd Berkshire County Regiment was raised in Berkshire County, Massachusetts during the American Revolutionary War. The Regiment was at Fort Ticonderoga during the winter of 1776–1777. Simonds' Reg ...

.Genealogy of the Durand, Whalley, Barnes and Yale families
Hewitt, Frances Bailey, Lakeside Press, Chicago, 1912, p. 77-84-107 In 1810, Barness was made Assistant Judge to Chief Judge

Ezra Butler Ezra Butler (September 24, 1763July 12, 1838) was an American clergyman, politician, lawyer, judge, the 11th governor of Vermont, and a United States representative from Vermont. Biography Butler was born in Lancaster in the Province of Mass ...

, future

Governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of 2 years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every ...

.The Vermont Historical Gazetteer
Vo. I, No 7-11, Abby Maria Hemenway, p. 736-744 He then became County Court Judge and a member of

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

. Barnes was

Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

, along with

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

John Newell, Oliver Hubbell as

Quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In m ...

-sergeant, Nathaniel Newell as Captain of

Cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

, David H. Griswold as Lieutenant, and with his cousin Lyman Yale as captain, the grandfather of inventor Caroline Ardelia Yale.Cousin Chart—How to Calculate Family Relationships
Jessica Grimaud, Familysearch.org, July 23, 2019 They will be involved in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. Barnes was also

of Charlotte. He was representative of Chittenden County from 1798 to 1809. Barnes died during the epidemic of 1813, along with 70 inhabitants, including Rev. Abel Newell and Dr. James Towner. He died on March 20, 1813, in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Hezekiah 1760s births 1813 deaths Yale family People from Charlotte, Vermont People from Wallingford, Connecticut Major generals United States Army generals Members of the Vermont House of Representatives 19th-century American businesspeople 18th-century American businesspeople