Blogging about Francis Channing Barlow

Please follow my blog posts about Francis Channing Barlow's life.  From his childhood, to the Civil War, his beloved Arabella, legal / political career and his family will be told. Historically and antidotically focus too much on one day, July 1, 1863. I'll use this blog to share his life and tell his story.

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  1. Andrea QuinnDecember 7, 2022 at 7:10 PM

    Your respectful comments and questions are always welcome.

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Euchre Poker Face...

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In researching Francis Barlow, I recently read an article in the August 1891 edition of the Philadelphia Times In the summer of 1891 Barlow was spending time at his house in Lenox, Massachusetts. His family frequently spent "the season" in the affluent Berkshires, as did many others of society. It was a time of leisure, gatherings, sporting events and rest. The article recounts an August evening at the cottage of Fred Esler, a railroad executive originally from Philadelphia. Barlow, along with others were engaged the gentlemen's card game of Euchre (similar to poker but played with 32-cards v 52). Barlow, holding three kings in his hand, before the draw, challenged Esler's. "I wonder if you are a young man of nerve. Outside of the pot I would like to wager you the enormous sum of ten dollars that my hand will beat yours." Esler, holding a bobtail straight, felt his hand was good enough to beat Barlow and accepted the challenge. By luck of the draw Esler w...
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Death of Major General Francis Barlow ~ October 19, 1834 - January 11, 1896

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Today, 127 years ago, January 11, 1896 Francis Channing Barlow passed away at the age of 61. There were a lot of various announcements of his death at the time but they seemed superficial and did not capture the man I discovered he was through my years of research. So, this blog post is an obituary I wrote which I hope captures Frank as the man he was. Frank wrote very little about himself. He felt it was "not agreeable to speak of oneself" which is why very little personal accounts exists. I, therefore, referenced this blog post with what he personally wrote on June 20, 1880 for the 'Harvard Class of 1855 and Their Deeds Between 1865-1880'. His own personal recollection focused more on his post war career. Of note, in the 1865 'Report of the Secretary of the Class of 1855', Frank did not submit his own writing. He replied to the request regarding submitting a summary of his life since graduation with this of, "I have never written anything, and never mad...
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Mrs. General Barlow - Arabella Wharton Griffith Barlow (2/29/1824 - 7/27/1864)

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Sketch of Arabella by Winslow Homer (distant cousin and friend of Frank) In an earlier blog I briefly mentioned the death of Frank's first wife Arabella. She was his true love and some would say soulmate. Arabella, like Frank, was intensely patriotic and while he fought on the battlefield she labored as a nurse never too far from where he was. Despite personal sacrifices it was their duty to serve the Union. Her death in the summer of 1864 was devastating and more painful than the wounds he suffered. When she died a piece of him died, too. Many would comment that for the remainder of his life he had a sense of sadness about him. In my research, I came across an article in a Rochester, NY publication, The Soldier’s Aid dated July 6, 1864. The article mentions Arabella and the work being done by the Sanitary Commission at Fredericksburg, Virginia under the direction of Chief Inspector Dr. Douglass. She was involved in the work to convert a large storehouse on Commercial Street in tha...
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