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Barnum Family History & Genealogy

2,681 biographies and 8 photos with the Barnum last name. Discover the family history, nationality, origin and common names of Barnum family members.

Barnum Last Name History & Origin

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Summary

Barnum family history, dating back to England in the 14th century, is well documented and begins with the story of Sir Walter Barnham. Sir Walter was the ancestor of Thomas Barnum, who emigrated to the United States of America (then the American Colonies) in the 17th century.  Continue reading for much more information on the Barnum family.

History

Sir Walter Barnham, L.C.B., was born prior to 1350 in County Kent, England and flourished during the times of Edward III (1312-1377) and Richard II (1367-1400). He is reliably believed to be the scion of the family from which was descended the immigrant American ancestor, Thomas Barnum (1625-1695). [Note: the initials L.C.B. after his name designate Sir Walter as the Lord Chief Baron of England].
It is believed that Sir Walter took his surname from his residence in the village and civil parish of Barnham, in the Saint Edmundsbury district of Suffolk, England. Barnham is about 3 miles south of Thetford. According to the scholar Bror Oscar Eilert Ekwall, the meaning of the village name is “Beorn's homestead”. The Domesday Book records the population of Barnham in 1086 as 36 persons.
The patent of nobility (coat of arms) granted to Sir Walter is the oldest of four such patents known to have been granted by the English Crown to members of the Barnham family who were his descendants. According to Sir Bernard Burke, Extinct and Dormant Peerages of Great Britain, all four have since lapsed in default of male heirs.
Noah G. Barnum, in both the 1904 and 1907 editions of The Barnum Family, states that Sir Walter was probably the father or grandfather of Sir Nicholas Barnham (about 1455-1485). Although the dates involved make such a close relationship unlikely, the information given above does seem to indicate that there was a relationship by descent. The Genealogical Record of the Barnum Family (1912) also indicates that the branch of the family headed by Sir Nicholas and his father (whose given name is not known) is probably descended from Sir Walter. In spite of the probable line of descent from Sir Walter to Sir Nicholas, the names of Sir Walter’s wife (or wives) and child (or children) are not known, and there are apparently several additional generations between him and Sir Nicholas for which no documentation has yet been found.
The published Barnum family tree begins with the father of Sir Walter’s descendant Sir Nicholas Barnham (whose given name is not known) and continues without interruption down to the present time.
The immigrant ancestor (to the American Colonies) Thomas Barnum was born in 1625 in County Kent, England and died on December 26, 1695 in Danbury, Connecticut Colony. Noah G. Barnum, in The Barnum Family, 1517-1904, states that Thomas was the 15th child (11th son) of Sir Francis Barnham and his wife the Honorable Elizabeth Lennard, Baroness Dacre of the South. Noah Barnum also states that Thomas left England in 1640 to come to the American Colonies, where he first settled in what is now Bethel, Fairfield County, Connecticut. Although none of this can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, many family genealogies do include it as documentation for the origin of the Barnum famliiy in North America. What is certain is that all the Barnum families for which a complete and well-documented family tree has been prepared are directly descended from this same Thomas Barnum. Barnum family history, dating back to England in the 14th century, is well documented and begins with the story of Sir Walter Barnham. Sir Walter was the ancestor of Thomas Barnum, who emigrated to the United States of America (then the American Colonies) in the 17th century.  Continue reading for much more information on the Barnum family.

Name Origin

Sir Francis Barnham, M.P. (1576-1646) discussed in his journal the origin of the surname and family of Barnham. He stated that, “Our Name as we have it by tradition, strengthened with probable circumstances, and some good records (which I have heard some of my friends say they have seene) was first gentilized, or at least advanced, by Sir Walter Barnham, a Baron of the Exchequer in the time of Richard II, and soe continued in a flowrishinge estate (at a place called Barnham in Suffolke not far from Thetford, where divers descents of them lye now buried) till the time of Henry VII, all which I have received from my grandmother, father, and uncles, who spake it with much confidence, as being deliverd to them, by theire friends of the former age, and the truth of it assured by divers records, however it is not that which I will binde on as an infallible truth, because I my self have not seene that which may soe absolutly assure it, and because I for myne owne parte care not to fetch a pedegree farther then from the certaine memory of a grandfather that was rich and honest, and a father that was virtuous and wise….”
Before the Norman Conquest of Britain, people did not have hereditary surnames; they were known by only a personal name or nickname. When communities were small each person was identifiable by such a single name, but as the population increased it gradually became necessary to identify people further – leading to the development of names such as John the butcher, Henry from Sutton, Mary of the wood, Roger son of Richard, etc. After 1066, the Norman Barons introduced surnames into England, and the practice gradually spread. Initially, the identifying names were changed or dropped at will, but eventually they began to stick and to be passed on. So, such identifiers as trades, nicknames, places of origin, and fathers’ names became fixed. By 1400 most English families, and those from Lowland Scotland, had firmly adopted the use of hereditary surnames.
When surnames first began to be used in England, several persons living in an English town named Barnham adopted the name of the town as a personal identifier. Additional research into place names has led to a clarification of the origin of the Barnham surname. It has been found to be of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a locational name for any of the towns or villages called Barnham in the English counties of Sussex, Norfolk and Staffordshire. Barnham in Sussex is recorded as “Berneham” in the Domesday Book of 1086, while the two places in Norfolk and Staffordshire appear in the same source as “Bernham”. All of those place names have the same derivation.
The place name Barnham arises from a combination of the pre-7th-century Old English byname Beorn(a) [from Beorn (Old Norse Barn), a warrior] with the Old English suffix “ham”, meaning homestead or village. The name Beorn, in addition to its meaning of warrior (or freeman in Anglo-Saxon society), was also a name used by some noblemen (since “nobleman” was an alternate meaning). It is related to the Scandinavian names Björn (Swedish) and Bjørn (Norwegian and Danish), meaning bear. The word Baron also developed from Beorn. The basic meaning of Barnham in Old English, then, was “the homestead (ham) of the family or followers of a man named Beorn”.

Spellings & Pronunciations

By virtue of an apparent connection to Thomas Barnum (1625-1695), the immigrant ancestor in North America, the ancestors of the Barnham family in Great Britain are most likely also the ancestors of those residents of North America who today bear the surnames Barnham, Barnam, and Barnum (the latter two of distinctly American origin).
In spite of the singular uniformity of descent in North America, the same can’t be said of the European record. As a result of the many linguistic changes which have affected the English language during the nearly seven centuries that have passed since the first recorded appearance of the surname Barnham, numerous other spellings have been encountered in the genealogical and historical record. References have been found to (among others) Simon de Bernham (1273), Willelmus Barnum (1379) and Stephen Barneham (1592). The current English spelling of Barnham first appears in historical documents dating from the mid-14th century. As a note of caution, it should be mentioned that no family connection has been found between the surname Barnham and the similar-sounding surnames Bernham and Burnham.

Nationality & Ethnicity

It is believed that Sir Walter Barnham (fl. 1350) took his surname from his residence in the village and civil parish of Barnham, in the Saint Edmundsbury district of Suffolk, England. In any case, that is where he lived and the surname which he passed down to his descendants is of English origin. The original members of the Barnum family were English. Subsequent to the arrival of the immigrant ancestor in North America, about 1640, the vast majority of Barnums were born and raised in the British colonies of North America and in what later became the United States. As of mid-2012 there were about 5,800 members of the Barnum family residing in the US, while 28 Barnhams (the original spelling) and 532 Barnums still resided in England.

Famous People named Barnum

In addition to Sir Walter Barnum, and those of his English descendants who were members of the minor nobility, Alice Barnham, Viscountess Saint Alban (1592-1650) became famous when she married the Lord Chancellor of England Sir Francis Bacon on 10 May 1606 in London, England.


The most well known member of the Barnum family is, without a doubt, Phineas Taylor "P.T." Barnum (1810-1891) the famous showman and entrepreneur.


Among other famous members of the family in the US are several clergymen, senators, congressmen and judges, as well as three recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor. The latter are: James Barnum (b. 1816), Boatswain's Mate, US Navy; Henry A. Barnum (1833-1892), Brevet Major General, US Army; and Harvey C. Barnum, Jr. (b. 1940), Captain, US Marine Corps.

Early Barnums

These are the earliest records we have of the Barnum family.

Anna Barnum was born in 1754 in Connecticut, and died at age 30 years old on February 19, 1785 in Kent. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Anna Barnum.
Charles Barnum of Australia was born in 1843, and died at age 25 years old in 1868.
Charles Barnum of Melb E H Australia was born in 1855, and died at age 49 years old in 1904 in Melb E H.
Alonzo Barnum of Peru, Miami County, Indiana was born on October 20, 1869, and died at age 96 years old in July 1966.
Ward Barnum of Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee was born on September 16, 1870, and died at age 98 years old in July 1969.
Roy Barnum of Ohio was born on September 17, 1874, and died at age 88 years old in July 1963.
Virginia Barnum of Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky was born on January 25, 1874, and died at age 95 years old in February 1969.
Elvin Barnum of Moro, Sherman County, Oregon was born on August 21, 1874, and died at age 96 years old in November 1970.
Mary Barnum was born on December 26, 1875, and died at age 100 years old in January 1976.
Nelle Barnum of Cheyenne, Laramie County, Wyoming was born on January 10, 1875, and died at age 93 years old in July 1968.
John Barnum of Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan was born on January 21, 1875, and died at age 90 years old in November 1965.
William Barnum was born on January 18, 1875, and died at age 70 years old in October 1945. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember William Barnum.

Barnum Family Photos

Discover Barnum family photos shared by the community. These photos contain people and places related to the Barnum last name.

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Barnum Family Tree

Discover the most common names, oldest records and life expectancy of people with the last name Barnum.

Most Common First Names

Updated Barnum Biographies

Patrick Barnum is the webmaster of the website "Barnum Family Genealogy" [www.barnum.org] and the compiler and editor of Barnum Genealogy: 650 Years of Family History (Boston: Higginson Book Company, 2006) and Barnum Genealogy 2nd edition (Boston: Higginson Book Company, 2011).
Phineas T. Barnum
P. T. Barnum Born: Phineas Taylor Barnum, July 5, 1810, Bethel, Connecticut, U.S. Died: April 7, 1891 (aged 80) Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S. Resting place Mountain Grove Cemetery, Bridgeport Political party Democratic (until 1854) Republican (after 1854) Spouse(s) Charity Hallett (m. 1829; died 1873)​ Nancy Fish (m. 1874)​ Children 4 Occupation Showman, entrepreneur (entertainment as founder and promoter), politician, author, publisher, philanthropist Known for Founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus Signature Phineas Taylor Barnum (/ˈbɑːrnəm/; July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus (1871–2017) with James Anthony Bailey. He was also an author, publisher, and philanthropist, though he said of himself: "I am a showman by profession ... and all the gilding shall make nothing else of me." According to his critics, his personal aim was "to put money in his own coffers". He is widely credited with coining the adage "There's a sucker born every minute", although no evidence has been collected of him saying this. Barnum became a small business owner in his early twenties and founded a weekly newspaper before moving to New York City in 1834. He embarked on an entertainment career, first with a variety troupe called "Barnum's Grand Scientific and Musical Theater", and soon after by purchasing Scudder's American Museum which he renamed after himself. He used the museum as a platform to promote hoaxes and human curiosities such as the Fiji mermaid and General Tom Thumb. In 1850, he promoted the American tour of Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind, paying her an unprecedented $1,000 a night for 150 nights. He suffered economic reversals in the 1850s due to bad investments, as well as years of litigation and public humiliation, but he used a lecture tour as a temperance speaker to emerge from debt. His museum added America's first aquarium and expanded the wax-figure department. Barnum served two terms in the Connecticut legislature in 1865 as a Republican for Fairfield, Connecticut. He spoke before the legislature concerning the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude: "A human soul, 'that God has created and Christ died for,' is not to be trifled with. It may tenant the body of a Chinaman, a Turk, an Arab, or a Hottentot—it is still an immortal spirit". He was elected in 1875 as mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut where he worked to improve the water supply, bring gas lighting to streets, and enforce liquor and prostitution laws. He was also instrumental in starting Bridgeport Hospital in 1878 and was its first president.[6] Nevertheless, the circus business, begun when he was 60 years old, was the source of much of his enduring fame. He established "P. T. Barnum's Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan & Hippodrome" in 1870, a traveling circus, menagerie, and museum of "freaks" which adopted many names over the years. Barnum was married to Charity Hallett from 1829 until her death in 1873, and they had four children. In 1874, a few months after his wife's death, he married Nancy Fish, his friend's daughter who was 40 years younger than P. T. Barnum. They were married until 1891 when Barnum died of a stroke at his home. He was buried in Mountain Grove Cemetery, Bridgeport, which he designed himself. Early life Barnum was born in Bethel, Connecticut, the son of innkeeper, tailor, and store-keeper Philo Barnum (1778–1826) and his second wife Irene Taylor. His maternal grandfather Phineas Taylor was a Whig, legislator, landowner, justice of the peace, and lottery schemer who had a great influence on him. Barnum had several businesses over the years, including a general store, a book auctioning trade, real estate speculation, and a statewide lottery network. He started a weekly newspaper in 1829 called The Herald of Freedom in Danbury, Connecticut. His editorials against the elders of local churches led to libel suits and a prosecution which resulted in imprisonment for two months, but he became a champion of the liberal movement upon his release. He sold his store in 1834. He began his career as a showman in 1835 when he was 25 with the purchase and exhibition of a blind and almost completely paralyzed slave woman named Joice Heth, whom an acquaintance was trumpeting around Philadelphia as George Washington's former nurse and 161 years old. Slavery was already outlawed in New York, but he exploited a loophole that allowed him to lease her for a year for $1,000, borrowing $500 to complete the sale. Heth died in February 1836, at no more than 80 years old. Barnum had worked her for 10 to 12 hours a day, and he hosted a live autopsy of her body in a New York saloon where spectators paid 50 cents to see the dead woman cut up, as he revealed that she was likely half her purported age. Showman Entertainers associated with Barnum: Charles Stratton ("General Tom Thumb") and his bride Lavinia Warren, alongside her sister Minnie and George Washington Morrison Nutt ("Commodore Nutt") Barnum had a year of mixed success with his first variety troupe called "Barnum's Grand Scientific and Musical Theater", followed by the Panic of 1837 and three years of difficult circumstances. He purchased Scudder's American Museum in 1841, located at Broadway and Ann Street, New York City. He improved the attraction, upgrading the building and adding exhibits, then renamed it "Barnum's American Museum"; it became a popular showplace. He added a lighthouse lamp that attracted attention up and down Broadway and flags along the roof's edge that attracted attention in the daytime, while giant paintings of animals between the upper windows drew attention from pedestrians. The roof was transformed to a strolling garden with a view of the city, where he launched hot-air balloon rides daily. A changing series of live acts and curiosities were added to the exhibits of stuffed animals, including albinos, giants, little people, jugglers, magicians, exotic women, detailed models of cities and famous battles, and a menagerie of animals. Fiji mermaid and Tom Thumb 1866 newspaper advertisement for Barnum's American Museum located on Ann Street in Manhattan In 1842 Barnum introduced his first major hoax: a creature with the body of a monkey and the tail of a fish known as the "Feejee" mermaid. He leased it from fellow museum owner Moses Kimball of Boston who became his friend, confidant, and collaborator.[10][11] Barnum justified his hoaxes by saying that they were advertisements to draw attention to the museum. "I don't believe in duping the public", he said, "but I believe in first attracting and then pleasing them." He followed the mermaid by exhibiting Charles Stratton, the little person called "General Tom Thumb" ("the Smallest Person that ever Walked Alone") who was then four years old but was stated to be 11. With heavy coaching and natural talent, the boy was taught to imitate people from Hercules to Napoleon. In 1843 Barnum hired the Native American dancer fu-Hum-Me, the first of many First Nations people whom he presented. During 1844–45 he toured with General Tom Thumb in Europe and met Queen Victoria, who was amused but saddened by the little man, and the event was a publicity coup. It opened the door to visits from royalty throughout Europe, including the Tsar of Russia, and enabled Barnum to acquire dozens of new attractions, including automatons and other mechanical marvels. During this time he went on a spending spree and bought other museums, including artist Rembrandt Peale's Museum in Philadelphia,[14] the nation's first major museum. By late 1846, Barnum's Museum was drawing 400,000 visitors a year.
Roland M Barnum of Ashtabula, Ashtabula County, Ohio was born on November 25, 1922, and died at age 85 years old on November 12, 2008.
Willis J Barnum of Painesville, Lake County, OH was born on April 7, 1918, and died at age 75 years old on March 16, 1994.
Lee N Barnum of Windham, Windham County, CT was born on March 11, 1913, and died at age 88 years old on June 27, 2001.
Olivia Barnum of Dallas, Dallas County, TX was born on February 5, 1937, and died at age 56 years old on June 14, 1993.
Louis William Barnum of Lufkin, Angelina County, Texas was born on June 2, 1920, and died at age 63 years old in January 1984.
Clarence E Barnum of Niles, Berrien County, MI was born on May 20, 1920, and died at age 69 years old on November 18, 1989.
Stanley W Barnum of Mount Shasta, Siskiyou County, CA was born on July 29, 1916, and died at age 82 years old on August 25, 1998.
Kenneth R Barnum of New Hartford, Oneida County, NY was born on June 28, 1919, and died at age 80 years old on March 11, 2000.
Curtis W Barnum of Marion, Linn County, IA was born on September 30, 1923, and died at age 77 years old on July 20, 2001.
Waverly M Barnum of Newport News, Newport News City County, Virginia was born on July 30, 1923, and died at age 62 years old in April 1986.
Theodore B Barnum of New Orleans, Orleans County, LA was born on January 17, 1920, and died at age 76 years old on January 16, 1997.
George Edwin Barnum of Sumner, Pierce County, Washington was born on June 19, 1925, and died at age 85 years old on March 14, 2011.
Burrall Barnum of New York County, New York United States was born on October 17, 1913, and died at age 29 years old on April 1, 1943. Burrall Barnum was buried at Long Island National Cemetery Section H Site 8107 2040 Wellwood Avenue, in Farmingdale.
Richard P Barnum of Toledo, Lucas County, Ohio was born on March 17, 1916, and died at age 66 years old in March 1982.
Melvin Barnum of Mineral Wells, Palo Pinto County, TX was born on May 23, 1924, and died at age 73 years old on May 11, 1998.
Caleb W Barnum of Wichita, Sedgwick County, KS was born on August 27, 1915, and died at age 89 years old on April 9, 2005.
Walter T Barnum of Woodland Hills, Los Angeles County, California was born on September 1, 1922, and died at age 56 years old in February 1979.
Walter F Barnum of Fowlerville, Livingston County, Michigan was born on February 4, 1920, and died at age 65 years old in June 1985.

Popular Barnum Biographies

Patrick Barnum is the webmaster of the website "Barnum Family Genealogy" [www.barnum.org] and the compiler and editor of Barnum Genealogy: 650 Years of Family History (Boston: Higginson Book Company, 2006) and Barnum Genealogy 2nd edition (Boston: Higginson Book Company, 2011).
Cheryl L (Barnum) Horn of Edwards, Kern County, CA was born on April 5, 1955 in Bakersfield, and died at age 40 years old on December 2, 1995.
Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Wanda (Barnum) Norwood.
Phineas T. Barnum
P. T. Barnum Born: Phineas Taylor Barnum, July 5, 1810, Bethel, Connecticut, U.S. Died: April 7, 1891 (aged 80) Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S. Resting place Mountain Grove Cemetery, Bridgeport Political party Democratic (until 1854) Republican (after 1854) Spouse(s) Charity Hallett (m. 1829; died 1873)​ Nancy Fish (m. 1874)​ Children 4 Occupation Showman, entrepreneur (entertainment as founder and promoter), politician, author, publisher, philanthropist Known for Founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus Signature Phineas Taylor Barnum (/ˈbɑːrnəm/; July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus (1871–2017) with James Anthony Bailey. He was also an author, publisher, and philanthropist, though he said of himself: "I am a showman by profession ... and all the gilding shall make nothing else of me." According to his critics, his personal aim was "to put money in his own coffers". He is widely credited with coining the adage "There's a sucker born every minute", although no evidence has been collected of him saying this. Barnum became a small business owner in his early twenties and founded a weekly newspaper before moving to New York City in 1834. He embarked on an entertainment career, first with a variety troupe called "Barnum's Grand Scientific and Musical Theater", and soon after by purchasing Scudder's American Museum which he renamed after himself. He used the museum as a platform to promote hoaxes and human curiosities such as the Fiji mermaid and General Tom Thumb. In 1850, he promoted the American tour of Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind, paying her an unprecedented $1,000 a night for 150 nights. He suffered economic reversals in the 1850s due to bad investments, as well as years of litigation and public humiliation, but he used a lecture tour as a temperance speaker to emerge from debt. His museum added America's first aquarium and expanded the wax-figure department. Barnum served two terms in the Connecticut legislature in 1865 as a Republican for Fairfield, Connecticut. He spoke before the legislature concerning the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude: "A human soul, 'that God has created and Christ died for,' is not to be trifled with. It may tenant the body of a Chinaman, a Turk, an Arab, or a Hottentot—it is still an immortal spirit". He was elected in 1875 as mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut where he worked to improve the water supply, bring gas lighting to streets, and enforce liquor and prostitution laws. He was also instrumental in starting Bridgeport Hospital in 1878 and was its first president.[6] Nevertheless, the circus business, begun when he was 60 years old, was the source of much of his enduring fame. He established "P. T. Barnum's Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan & Hippodrome" in 1870, a traveling circus, menagerie, and museum of "freaks" which adopted many names over the years. Barnum was married to Charity Hallett from 1829 until her death in 1873, and they had four children. In 1874, a few months after his wife's death, he married Nancy Fish, his friend's daughter who was 40 years younger than P. T. Barnum. They were married until 1891 when Barnum died of a stroke at his home. He was buried in Mountain Grove Cemetery, Bridgeport, which he designed himself. Early life Barnum was born in Bethel, Connecticut, the son of innkeeper, tailor, and store-keeper Philo Barnum (1778–1826) and his second wife Irene Taylor. His maternal grandfather Phineas Taylor was a Whig, legislator, landowner, justice of the peace, and lottery schemer who had a great influence on him. Barnum had several businesses over the years, including a general store, a book auctioning trade, real estate speculation, and a statewide lottery network. He started a weekly newspaper in 1829 called The Herald of Freedom in Danbury, Connecticut. His editorials against the elders of local churches led to libel suits and a prosecution which resulted in imprisonment for two months, but he became a champion of the liberal movement upon his release. He sold his store in 1834. He began his career as a showman in 1835 when he was 25 with the purchase and exhibition of a blind and almost completely paralyzed slave woman named Joice Heth, whom an acquaintance was trumpeting around Philadelphia as George Washington's former nurse and 161 years old. Slavery was already outlawed in New York, but he exploited a loophole that allowed him to lease her for a year for $1,000, borrowing $500 to complete the sale. Heth died in February 1836, at no more than 80 years old. Barnum had worked her for 10 to 12 hours a day, and he hosted a live autopsy of her body in a New York saloon where spectators paid 50 cents to see the dead woman cut up, as he revealed that she was likely half her purported age. Showman Entertainers associated with Barnum: Charles Stratton ("General Tom Thumb") and his bride Lavinia Warren, alongside her sister Minnie and George Washington Morrison Nutt ("Commodore Nutt") Barnum had a year of mixed success with his first variety troupe called "Barnum's Grand Scientific and Musical Theater", followed by the Panic of 1837 and three years of difficult circumstances. He purchased Scudder's American Museum in 1841, located at Broadway and Ann Street, New York City. He improved the attraction, upgrading the building and adding exhibits, then renamed it "Barnum's American Museum"; it became a popular showplace. He added a lighthouse lamp that attracted attention up and down Broadway and flags along the roof's edge that attracted attention in the daytime, while giant paintings of animals between the upper windows drew attention from pedestrians. The roof was transformed to a strolling garden with a view of the city, where he launched hot-air balloon rides daily. A changing series of live acts and curiosities were added to the exhibits of stuffed animals, including albinos, giants, little people, jugglers, magicians, exotic women, detailed models of cities and famous battles, and a menagerie of animals. Fiji mermaid and Tom Thumb 1866 newspaper advertisement for Barnum's American Museum located on Ann Street in Manhattan In 1842 Barnum introduced his first major hoax: a creature with the body of a monkey and the tail of a fish known as the "Feejee" mermaid. He leased it from fellow museum owner Moses Kimball of Boston who became his friend, confidant, and collaborator.[10][11] Barnum justified his hoaxes by saying that they were advertisements to draw attention to the museum. "I don't believe in duping the public", he said, "but I believe in first attracting and then pleasing them." He followed the mermaid by exhibiting Charles Stratton, the little person called "General Tom Thumb" ("the Smallest Person that ever Walked Alone") who was then four years old but was stated to be 11. With heavy coaching and natural talent, the boy was taught to imitate people from Hercules to Napoleon. In 1843 Barnum hired the Native American dancer fu-Hum-Me, the first of many First Nations people whom he presented. During 1844–45 he toured with General Tom Thumb in Europe and met Queen Victoria, who was amused but saddened by the little man, and the event was a publicity coup. It opened the door to visits from royalty throughout Europe, including the Tsar of Russia, and enabled Barnum to acquire dozens of new attractions, including automatons and other mechanical marvels. During this time he went on a spending spree and bought other museums, including artist Rembrandt Peale's Museum in Philadelphia,[14] the nation's first major museum. By late 1846, Barnum's Museum was drawing 400,000 visitors a year.
Grace D (Barnum) Hanna was born on December 20, 1881 in Newaygo, Newaygo County, Michigan United States, and died at age 88 years old in 1969 in East Rapid springs, Kent County. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Grace D (Barnum) Hanna.
Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember May Ninny Barnum.
James Barnum was born on December 12, 1942, and died at age 34 years old in November 1977. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember James Barnum.
Julia Barnum was born on January 15, 1907, and died at age 65 years old in April 1972.
John Barnum was born on June 22, 1917, and died at age 55 years old in July 1972. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember John Barnum.
Katherine Barnum of Rocky Hill, Hartford County, CT was born on September 15, 1901, and died at age 73 years old in September 1974.
Marjorie Barnum of Greenwich, Fairfield County, CT was born on April 18, 1893, and died at age 85 years old in October 1978.
Elsie Barnum of Darien, Fairfield County, CT was born on November 25, 1899, and died at age 84 years old in September 1984.
Richard Barnum of Trumbull, Fairfield County, CT was born on September 13, 1957, and died at age 27 years old in June 1985.
Llewellyn Barnum of Newington, Hartford County, CT was born on August 24, 1889, and died at age 93 years old in April 1983.
Thomas J Barnum of Norwalk, Fairfield County, CT was born on December 30, 1942, and died at age 59 years old on October 16, 2002.
June Barnum of Iron River, Iron County, MI was born on June 11, 1897, and died at age 85 years old in May 1983.
Helen H Barnum of Spokane, Spokane County, WA was born on July 11, 1899, and died at age 95 years old on June 19, 1995.
Dorris Barnum of East Aurora, Erie County, NY was born on October 30, 1898, and died at age 80 years old in December 1978.
Keith Barnum of Guilderland, Albany County, NY was born on March 20, 1962, and died at age 24 years old in August 1986.
Robert R Barnum of Hartford, Hartford County, CT was born on April 3, 1946, and died at age 49 years old on April 25, 1995.

Barnum Death Records & Life Expectancy

The average age of a Barnum family member is 74.0 years old according to our database of 2,304 people with the last name Barnum that have a birth and death date listed.

Life Expectancy

74.0 years

Oldest Barnums

These are the longest-lived members of the Barnum family on AncientFaces.

Vern Barnum of Redwood Falls, Redwood County, Minnesota was born on December 16, 1881, and died at age 104 years old in November 1986.
104 years
Hazel L Barnum of Hesperia, San Bernardino County, CA was born on February 12, 1897, and died at age 105 years old on April 11, 2002.
105 years
Velma R Barnum of Lansing, Ingham County, MI was born on October 14, 1904, and died at age 103 years old on May 27, 2008.
103 years
Jessie Barnum of Eureka, Humboldt County, California was born on May 12, 1880, and died at age 103 years old in June 1983.
103 years
Vivian Barnum of Alhambra, Los Angeles County, California was born on November 30, 1879, and died at age 102 years old in May 1982.
102 years
Ferrell M Barnum of Scottsdale, Maricopa County, AZ was born on December 25, 1894, and died at age 101 years old on April 5, 1996.
101 years
Laura M Barnum of Marquette, Marquette County, MI was born on September 7, 1892, and died at age 101 years old on February 4, 1994.
101 years
Louise V Barnum of Houston, Harris County, TX was born on January 31, 1899, and died at age 102 years old on July 24, 2001.
102 years
Mary Barnum was born on December 26, 1875, and died at age 100 years old in January 1976.
100 years
Margaret M Barnum of Darwin, Meeker County, MN was born on December 18, 1902, and died at age 100 years old on August 29, 2003.
100 years
Doris Hermine Barnum of Seattle, King County, Oregon was born on June 24, 1909, and died at age 100 years old on January 23, 2010.
100 years
Helen L Barnum of Brookings, Curry County, OR was born on August 6, 1896, and died at age 100 years old on November 3, 1996.
100 years
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