Born March 7, 1828 Brookville Pennsylvania
Died Febuary 16, 1907 Boscobel Wisconsin
James Barnett was the eldest son of Andrew and Elizabeth Craddock Barnett. He was born and raised in Brookville Pennsylvania, an area that his grandfather, Joseph Barnett, had pioneered just thirty years previously. As the founding family, the Barnetts were prominent, serving in government positions, establishing the first church and school, while generally being involved in every enterprise in the county. In particular, the family ran the store/trading post/hotel that served as post office and housed the county government.
Despite their position in the community, the family left Brookville in 1840s, following Red Bank Creek (the brook in Brookville) down to the Ohio before ending up in Cassville, Wisconsin in 1847. They settled in Lancaster, running a hotel and transport service. In 1848, James and his father drove the first governor of Wisconsin, Nelson Dewey, to Madison for his inauguration, a trip that took two days.
In 1849, James went with a Lancaster contingent to California seeking wealth in the gold fields. After two years he returned to Lancaster, where he married Eliza Callis in 1855. James’ sister Mattie (Martha) Barnett was married to Eliza’s brother, John Benton Callis. Mr. Callis served as a Major in the Iron Brigade, for one term in Congress and a term in the Wisconsin state Assembly.
The Barnett family open a hotel in Boscobel in 1857, but it was destroyed in a fire in 1858. It was rebuilt and the Barnett house was run by Andrew and then James before passing out of the family’s hands. James stayed in Boscobel as a merchant and stock buyer. After serving in several capacities, James was elected Village president in 1872 and then mayor of the new city in 1873, 1875 and 1895. He was instrumental in passing the new charter and the construction of the bridge and causeway that ensured Boscobel’s future. At that time, it was the only bridge on the lower Wisconsin River between Sauk City and Prairie du Chien. He also served four terms as a county supervisor, three terms as Boscobel township supervisor.
Of James and Eliza Barnett’s children, two achieved prominence. Martha (Mattie) Barnett Nixon was one of the first co-eds at the University of Wisconsin and is credited with being the first female county superintendant of schools in the United States. George Barnett attended Annapolis and served in the Marine Corps in Alaska, the South Pacific and the Imperial Court in China. He later rose to command the Corps from 1914-1920, overseeing their efforts in WWI.