from The History of Hendricks County (Indianapolis: B.F. Bowen & Co., 1914)----pages 722-724
It is with pleasure the biographer presents the following sketch, that of a plain honest man of affairs, who by correct methods and a strict regard for the interests of his patrons has made his influence felt in Hazelwood and won for himself distinctive prestige in the business circles of that community. Of sterling German ancestry, Mr. Barnes is a man whose integrity and strength of character commands the respect of his contemporaries and who leaves the impress of his individuality upon the community honored by his residence.
Wilson D. Barnes was born in 1852 near Stilesville, Hendricks County, Indiana, the son of Stephen A. Barnes and Lydia Ann Long, his wife. Stephen A. was born in Pennsylvania in 1805, a son of William Barnes, who with his wife emigrated to America about the year 1800. He located in Pennsylvania and there passed the remainder of his life, his death occurring while his son Stephen A. was still a youth. Later on, Stephen A. Barnes and his mother came westward into Indiana and located in Miami County. They remained there a short time, when both came into Hendricks County, where he secured a tract of government land about one mile south of Stilesville and there he lived the balance of his life, farming the tract of land he had secured in a wild state, but which he had with much labor converted into a well-cultivated farm. In the early days he was a bricklayer and helped build the first brick flues which were erected in the then growing town of Indianapolis. The first chimneys had been simply primitive affairs of mud and sticks. Lydia Ann (Long) Barnes, mother of the immediate subject of this sketch, was born in Ohio probably about 1810 and came to Indiana with her parents while she was still a girl, the family locating near Stilesville. Her death occurred when the subject of this sketch was but seven years old, in August, 1859. Stephen A., the subject's father, lived for many years thereafter, his death occurring August 27, 1883. After the death of his first wife, Stephen A. Barnes married the second time, his bride being Mary Ann Davis, whose death occurred several years after he passed away.
Wilson D. Barnes grew up on the homestead near Stilesville, and remained with his father until eighteen years old, when for a few years he worked out as a farm hand. On January 11, 1877, he was united in marriage with Elizabeth D. Richardson, who was born near Hazelwood, this county, a daughter of William B. and Mary (Hurd) Richardson, the former of whom was a native of North Carolina and a son of Daniel and Dorcas Hurd. When William B. was a young man, he came to Indiana with his parents. They made the long journey in a wagon, William B. walking about half the distance. They settled near Hazelwood at an early date. Mary Hurd, mother of Mrs. Barnes, was born in Kentucky, a daughter of Joshua Hurd, who came to Indiana, settling in Montgomery County, when she was but a small child. William B. Richardson and wife passed the remainder of their lives on the farm near Hazelwood, where he carried on general farming and in addition did considerable trading and selling of live stock. He was one of the influential men of the community and a good citizen in every respect, having served three years in the Union cause during the dark days of the sixties. He was a man highly esteemed and respected and because of the unbounded confidence which friends and neighbors reposed in him, he was often appointed guardian for minors and acted as administrator in settling up the business of many an estate.
For two years after his marriage, subject carried on farming near Hazelwood, and then, in the spring of 1880, he engaged in the mercantile business at Hazelwood. In this business he continued for about ten years, when he disposed of his interest and purchased a farm south of Hazelwood. This farm contains seventy-five acres, which he still owns. After about nine years spent on the farm, he again engaged in business in Hazelwood and since that time, with the exception of two years, he has been so engaged.
To Mr. and Mrs. Barnes have been born five children, two of whom have passed away. These are Arthur D., who died when about twenty months old, and Lillie D., who lived to be eighteen years old, her death occurring in 1904. Those living are Minnie, who is the wife of R.D. Stone, the proprietor of the telephone system at Clayton. Myrtle E. remains at home and Conrad W., who was born in 1887, married Emma Turner, of Indianapolis, and is in partnership with his father in the store at Hazelwood. Both Mr. and Mrs. Barnes are members of the Missionary Baptist Church, being devoted and consistent members of the same. For most of the last twenty years Mr. Barnes has served the society as church treasurer. The success attained by Mr. Barnes in his business affairs has been greatly owing to his steady persistence, stern integrity, and excellent judgment, qualities which have also won for him the confidence and esteem of the public to a marked degree. Personally, he is a man of quiet and unassuming disposition though genial and friendly in his relations with others, and he has for many years enjoyed a wide acquaintance and large prestige throughout Hendricks County.