Barnesville, MD, originally called “Barnestown”, was named for James Barnes, a quaker who bought the land known as “Jeremiah’s Park” in 1803. His father, David Barnes, the younger son from a prominent English family, emigrated to the United States in 1758 and settled in Frederick. James was born in Montgomery County, MD. He worked as a tenant farmer until about 1798 and first appears as a Maryland property owner in the 1800 Census. James Barnes was married to Nancy Harrison, “an intelligent Quaker lady.” Barnes owned a farm in Montgomery County, and later laid out the town of Barnesville, Maryland, where he operated a country store for a while.
Because of the lack of Quaker meeting houses, James and Nancy Barnes left Maryland in 1804 for Ohio. Initially they settled in St. Clairsville, Ohio, where he operated a tavern and general store. In 1806, the Barnes resettled in central Warren Township in Belmont County where James cleared forest, built a house, established a tannery and general store and planted orchards. In November 1808, the town of Barnesville was laid out, and four years later, Barnes and his family became permanent residents of the new village. Barnesville, Ohio was named after James Barnes, who was the first settler.
In 1818, James Barnes and the citizens of Barnesville lobbied the legislature to bring the new ‘National Road’ through Barnesville. It was the first federally funded interstate highway, connecting the East Coast with the Midwest. It began in Cumberland, Maryland, and extended west through Illinois. When the Central Ohio Railroad made its way through the undeveloped state to connect with the Baltimore & Ohio, James Barnes assured that the rails came through his own meadow in Barnesville in 1847.
Barnesville, Ohio was described in 1833 as having six stores and a steam mill; it was incorporated as a village in 1835. In May of 1888, 139 years after the land was first surveyed, the town of Barnesville was incorporated by the state of Maryland.
In 2024, the population of Barnesville, Ohio was 3950 and the population of Barnesville was 208. Everyone who enjoys the undeveloped countryside in Barnesville should be grateful that the industrious Mr. James Barnes moved on to Ohio.