James Barnier 1821 : Short Biography

James was the first child of James Barnier and Susan Lambert of 2 Stephens Street, Dublin who married at St Mark's on 6th August, 1820.

He was educated at the Bluecoat School, Dublin and Trinity College where he graduated in 1845 with a Bachelor of Arts and Divinity Test 2nd cl. He was ordained Deacon by the Archbishop of London, Dr. Whateley as well as appointed Curate of Clonturk or Drumcondra diocese Dublin in that same year.

He lived at 13 Middle Mountjoy Street, Dublin in 1846 when he was appointed Curate of Bilbo diocese Leighlin.

On 30th May, 1847 he was ordained Priest of Limerick for Leighlin by the Bishop of Limerick, Dr. Knox and served as Curate of Killeban diocese Achonry from 1847 to 1849.

On 2nd June, 1847 he was married by the Rev. Robert  O'Callaghan, B.D., Prependary of Ossary, and Rector of Castlenomer, to Letitia Edge, eldest daughter of John Edge of Crettyard House, Queen’s county (Carlow).

Their first child, James Dallas, was born on 8th March, 1848 at Castleview, Crettyard, Laois where his maternal relatives lived and was given his middle name after his maternal grandmather's maiden name, his mother being named after her.

On 8th May, 1849, James was appointed to the diocese of Sydney, New South Wales and on 9th July was appointed Chaplain on immigrant ship UNA to Australia. The 773 ton ship Una under Master Cauzer sailed from Plymouth, England on 16th July, 1849 with James as Ship's Chaplain, his wife Letitia and their 13 month old son, James, as cabin passengers bound for Sydney.

During the voyage to Australia, at the Cape of Good Hope, their first daughter was born on 6th October, 1849 and was named Sarah Jane Una, with her third Christian name commemorative of the ship on which she was born.

Th Una docked at Sydney on 22nd November, 1849 after a safe and uneventful voyage and James and his family entered Australia as Free Settlers with James taking up on 4th December his appointment by the Bishop of Sydney to the temporary charge of St. Peter's, Cook's River, pending the return from England of the Rev. Dr. Steele.

Upon the return of the Rev. Dr. Steele, James was appointed on 11th February, 1850 the Minister Jamberoo, Kiama, Gerrington, New South Wales and was the First Minister of the Parish of Kiama.

He remained there until 1859 where their second son, John Edge Kendall was born in the Parsonage on 24th November, 1852, and became a farmer in the Clarence area and died unmarried in the Kogarah Hospital on 29th August, 1920.

Their third son was born in the Parsonage of Jamberoo, in Kiama on 12th July, 1854 and was named William and given the middle name Orange in remembrance of the family's Huguenot roots. William became a Bank Manager for the Bank of New South Wales, now Westpac, and was the Manager of the Coolgardie Branch, Western Australia during the Gold Rush.

Anna Emma Charlotte, their second daughter was born in the Parsonage, Kiama on 21st July, 1856. She returned to Ireland with her parents in 1858 and died on 9th March,1871 at Dungarvan Vicarage, County Kilkenny, Ireland when 14 year old.

In 1857, James graduated the Testimonium in the School of Divinity placed in the Second Class at the Final Divinity Examination at Trinity College Dublin and on 7th June, 1858 took a 12 month leave of absence for urgent private affairs from the parish and returned to Ireland with his wife and family.

He was appointed Incumbent Dungarvan diocese Ossory from 9th May, 1859 until 1872 where their fourth son, Alfred Hatton, was born in the Dungarvan Vicarage on 1st May, 1860. Alfred returned to Australia and married Eveline Ausburn of Hartley, New South Wales on 3rd December, 1888 at Kingswood and settled at Bondi where they had a family of five children with Alfred owning a Bondi bus route.

James continued being Vicar of Dungarvan and renewed his leave of absence from the Diocese of Sydney for another 6 month, until 1st December, 1860. He still still Vicar at Dungarvan in June, 1861 when he collected from the parishoners 8/- in donations for the Indian Famine Relief Fund.

In 1865 his fourth daughter, Zoe Maud, was born in Kilkenny. Zoe returned to Australia with her mother and siblings and became a nurse at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney. She was married at the Anglican Cathedral, Perth, by the Rev. D. J Garland, to George Henry Edward Hansen, a medical practitioner and eldest son of Henry Hansen, Warragul, Gippsland, Victoria. 

Also in Kilkenny, on 17th August, 1864, their fifth son, Frederick Conrad, was born at Thomastown. Frederick returned to Australia with his mother and siblings and did not marry.

In June, 1865, James was appointed Curacy of Treadingstown, near Bennett's Bridge, by the Dean and Chapter of St Canice and on 16th October, 1866, their fourth daughter Ethelwynne Susan was born in Thomastown, Kilkenny. Ethel did not marry and lived with her father in Clomantagh Parsonage, Clomantagh, Killkenny, Ireland until his death in 1892 whereupon she emigrated to Australia and lived in Bondi near her brother, Alfred.

James and Letitia got news of the death of their eldest child, James, who died in Saginaw, Michigan. United States of America of pneumonia on 27th December, 1866.

in 1867, Mary Letitia, their fifth daughter was born at Clomantagh, Kilkenny. Mary was married on 21st May, 1892 by Rev. Alfred Richards at St. Paul's Church in Rockhampton in Queensland, Australia to Dr Charles G Thorpe, a medical practitioner from Edinburgh, Scotland and son of  Dr. R. C. Thorp, H.M. Indian Medical Service, Bombay. 

Their sixth son, James Lambert, was born in Thomastown, Kilkenny on 4th January, 1869. James emigrated to New South Wales being appointed a Police Constable on 27th May, 1896 but emigrated on 23rd January, 1905 aboard the ship Moana for the United States as a single male steerage passenger. He married Lora V Thomas of Washington in about 1919 and became a veterinarian surgeon in Seattle, King, Washington. They had two children: Lambert and Ruth.

On 20th June, 1871 in Thomastown, Kilkenny, Margery Victoria Alberta, their sixth daughter, was born to them. Margery did not marry and died on 18th February, 1891 at Clomantagh Parsonage, Clomantagh, Urlingford, Kilkenny where she had been living with her father.

It was announced in the Births section of the Belfast News-Letter edition of 24 January 1873 that Letitia had prematurely born a son at Clomantagh Parsonage, Urlingford on 20th January, 1873, however the child did not survive.

James graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, in 1887 with a LLB and LLD.and died at Clomantagh Parsonage, Clomantagh, Urlingford, Kilkenny of influenza on 8th Februaary, 1892. He is buried with his wife and son at Mays Hill Cemetery, also known as Western Road Cemetery, Great Western Highway, Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia.