Grandma Barnes was born Mary Ann Wright April 11, 1853 to John P. Wright Sr. and Nancy Jane (Wall) Wright just east of Nashville, Indiana.

In addition to Mary Ann, there were three other children in the family: Clara, Jane and John Phillip Jr. The John P. Wright family came to Brown County from Belmont County, Ohio.

They purchased land on Greasy Creek Road where they settled. They lived on the first farm located north of Cramer Road, on the east side of Greasy Creek Road. Their nearest neighbor, to the north, was the Hutchison Farm.

Mary Ann Wright first married Andrew Clark, of Bartholomew County, in 1871. Clark passed away four years after their marriage. They had one child, a daughter they named Etta May Clark, born 1872.

Etta married Samuel Sciscoe and they had a family of five children. Etta had double pneumonia, complicated by a heart problem, which brought on a premature labor of child number six. She and the child passed away Feb. 11, 1907, according to her death certificate.

Mary second marriage was to Washington A. Barnes. They married on Jan. 29, 1879. Wash, as he was called, was raised a farm boy, the son of William and Elizabeth Barnes. The Barnes family originally came from England and first settled in Ohio.

In 1860 they moved to Brown County from Barnesville, Ohio. Other families also came to Brown County from the Barnesville area in 1827. Brown County was not organized until April 1, 1836, by Weston A. Goodspeed, 1884. The William Barnes family settled on east Owl Creek Road when they arrived in Brown County.

Wash and Mary Barnes had seven children. Five sons: Sylvester, Oda, Enos, Roscoe and Fred Barnes. And two daughters: Mrs. Nettie Agnes (Bert) Allender and Mrs. Rutha Jane (Ira) Kelly. Three of their sons were teachers and one son, Sylvester, was superintendent of the Brown County schools.

As the grandchildren began arriving, 25 in all, and 12 great-grandchildren, according to her 1940 obituary, they all called Mary, “Grandma Barnes.”

In September 1936, a writer was sent from the National Geographic Magazine to Indiana to write an article about Indiana. He wrote, “About the old village of Nashville an artist colony is gathered, and a gallery there exhibits their paintings of the wild hill country and its fast-vanishing ancients. One lifelong resident is 83 and the whole county calls her, ‘Granny.’” Very few people ever knew her given name.

Grandma and Wash ran a working farm. Wash made brooms to sell and trade. Grandma made butter and sold butter and eggs. In addition to their cow, chickens, ducks and turkeys, they raised black and white pigs. The last known photograph taken of Grandma Barnes was taken near a stack of un-split logs, with several black and white pigs nosing the dirt around her boot clad feet.

Once the train came through Brown County, travel became much easier. Artists and other visitors began coming to Brown County. They traveled by train from faraway places to Chicago, then to Indianapolis, then on into Helmsburg. Once they arrived in Helmsburg they could go by horse and buggy, or ‘the Hack,’ as they called them, on to their destination: Nashville. Some may have walked the seven miles to Nashville.

A writer was sent to Indiana to write an article about Indiana (September issue, 1936) for National Geographic Magazine. His name was Frederick Simpich. His article was called, “Indiana Journey.” When he came to Brown County, one of the people he interviewed was Grandma Barnes. Grandma told him, “The weeds are taking my garden, I’ve hoed all morning, I’m glad you came, it gives me a chance to rest while we talk.”

Grandma Barnes loved growing flowers. You could find her in the flower garden weeding and caring for the flowers in her spare time. She had a beautiful flower garden and she worked very hard to keep it that way.

Grandma Barnes was loved by many and was one of Brown County’s finest citizens, according to writer-photographer Frank Hohenberger. She has been referred to as a Brown County icon.

When Grandma Barnes met Mrs. Ada Walters Shulz, her life was forever changed. Ada Shulz admired Grandma’s flower gardens and wanted to come to the farm to paint them on her canvas. Grandma Barnes let Ada and other artists come to paint and paint they did. They painted pictures of everything in sight: Her flower gardens, the barn, the house, the ducks, the turkeys and they even painted pictures of Grandma Barnes. Everyone seemed to love Grandma Barnes and she always made them feel welcome when they came to paint. The painting of Grandma Barnes with the turkeys was painted by Mrs. Ada Shulz.

Hohenberger’s readers of the Indianapolis Star column, “Down in the Hills of Brown County,” were treated to tales of strolling through the Barnes’ old-fashioned garden and receiving gifts when they left. Grandma Barnes flower gardens were a showplace. He continues, “Grandma was generous with her flowers.”

She always gave her visitors a floral bouquet, a potted plant or seeds from her flowers. He said, “She grew tea roses and peonies with wildflowers tucked in.”

In 1929 a committee was formed to organize and promote a Spring Blossom Festival Parade. The idea was to try to draw visitors to Brown County.

When artist Dale Bessire heard the festival planning committee was looking for a queen for the festival, he insisted Grandma Barnes be chosen queen. On April 13, 1929, Grandma Barnes was given the honor of being the queen of the first ever Spring Blossom Festival Parade.

She wore her Sunday bonnet and carried a large bouquet of apple blossoms.

Frank Hohenberger wrote, “Hands clapped loudly when she passed in review on a flower-bedecked float. She took a prominent part in the crowning of the queen of the second festival the following year.”

Hohenberger wrote that, “Grandma Barnes was loved by many and was one of Brown County’s finest citizens. She has been referred to as a Brown County icon.”

It was said, “She was so well thought of that the county changed the name of Owl Creek Road, that ran past Wash and Grandma Barnes farm, to ‘Grandma Barnes Road.’

Grandma Barnes died Wednesday, April 24, 1940, at her log cabin home on Owl Creek Road, not far from Helmsburg, Indiana.

She was survived by all seven of her children: Sylvester Barnes, Mrs. Bert (Nettie) Allender, Oda Barnes, Mrs. Ira (Rutha) Kelly, Enos Barnes, Roscoe and Fred Barnes. She had 25 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren. Two sisters, Mrs. Clara Huber and Mrs. Jane Ferguson, and one brother, John P. Wright Jr.

She was preceded in death by her daughter, Etta May (Clark) Sciscoe and infant grandson. Grandma Barnes’ funeral was April 26, 1940 at the Nashville Christian Church. In her younger years Grandma Barnes was a member of the Nashville Christian Church.

Washington A. Barnes, a well-known and respected citizen, died at his home on Owl Creek Saturday, Jan. 12, 1929, after a brief illness.

Frank Hohenberger wrote about Wash, “He was a kind and loving husband and father and always had a kind word for everyone and Wash, until a few years before his death was a member of the Baptist Church and very active in church and Sunday school.”

Wash and Grandma Barnes are laid to rest in Brown Ridge Cemetery, now Lanam Ridge. May Brown County’s Beloved Grandma Barnes, aka Mary Ann Wright Barnes, and Washington A. Barnes, her beloved husband, rest in peace.

Please go by the courthouse and look at the Christmas trees on the west lawn. One of the trees is decked out in Grandma Barnes memorabilia. The decorating committee has worked especially hard to make Christmas come alive in our community. Let them know you appreciate and are enjoying their decorations. Don’t miss seeing the tree dedicated to Grandma Barnes.

— Submitted by Pauline Hoover, Brown County Historical Society