History of the Barmore Family

It was in the ante-bellum, while a Miss Barmore was on a visit in Probate Judge Hill's house, that the Judge looked at her mischievously and said, "You don't know that you spell your name wrong." "I don't spell my name wrong," was the laconic reply, with a pert toss of the head, for she thought she knew how to spell her name. "But you do," he laughingly insisted. "I spell it as my ancestors have for four generations." "Your ancestors for four generations, and you of the fifth, have spelled in incorrectly. I will show you," he said, as he turned to his library, took down an old English history (I disremember the author) and read: "Barmore is an English name, and should be spelled Barrymore. The Barmores in America are the descendents of Lord Barrymore of England." "Very well," Miss Barmore replied. "History may be correct, and it may not be; anyway, custom has made the American style of spelling it easy, and we accept it with the 'y' omitted."

George Barmore, Sr. [1725-aft 1790]

We have no means of knowing when George Barmore came to America. It must be in the neighborhood of two hundred years ago. The first we learn of him, he was a poor orphan boy in New Jersey, living with a family who were very unkind to him. Their chief concern for the orphan boy was to see that he should not be a burden to them. Whether he earned his bread and butter or not, we do not know; but it was no unusual thing for him to have to retire at night hungry. Neither do we know when he left New Jersey, nor who nor when he married. His exit from the State must have been early in life, for I think all his children claim to be Virginians. When or at what age he was when he died, we have never learned. he died in South Carolina, having resided in the State several years. He raised one son and three daughters. One daughter married RHONEY, the second SHIRLEY, the third MORRISON.