Researched and written by Cheri Todd Molter
Jesse Sharpe Barnes
Jesse Sharpe Barnes was born in 1838 to Elias and Mahala Emma Sharpe Barnes of Edgecombe County, North Carolina. When he was about twelve years old, Jesse and his family moved to a plantation in Wilson County, North Carolina. In 1854, he left to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and he graduated fours years later. By 1860, he worked as an attorney-at-law in Wilson, North Carolina.
In the spring of 1861, Jesse helped to recruit members for the Wilson Light Infantry (one of whom was his younger brother, William). That militia unit became Company F of the 4th North Carolina State Troops, and on May 16, 1861, Jesse was commissioned as the company’s captain. About a year later, on May 31, 1862, Jesse was killed in action. His body was returned home, and he was buried in the family cemetery, next to his father, Elias.
William Sharpe Barnes
William Sharpe Barnes was born in 1843 in Edgecombe County, NC. He was one of the sons of the successful farmer Elias Barnes and his wife, Mahala Emma Sharpe Barnes. Around 1850, William moved with his parents and siblings to a farm in Saratoga, Wilson County.
On June 28, 1861, 18-year-old William enlisted in Company F (Wilson Light Infantry), of the NC 4th North Carolina State Troops. The captain of Company F was William’s older brother, Jesse. In late 1861, William was promoted to sergeant. He later transferred to the regimental staff of Colonel Bryan Grimes. William survived the war and returned home to Wilson County in 1865.