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Andrew Barbee of Stafford and Fauquier Counties, Virginia (1670 - 1699) is the patriarch of the long line of Barbee descendants who ultimately moved into Culpeper County, Virginia and Kentucky. Many lines moved north and west from there including to Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri.

Barbee's Crossroads adopted its name from the old Barbee family homestead in Hume, Fauquier County, Virginia. Joseph Barbee leased the land from Denny Fairfax in 1787. Barbee's Tavern was well patronized and did a flourishing business because of its location.

Though the family legend handed down to us for generations about our Barbee's in Illinois and Texas suggested Joseph Barbee (b. 1744) was the son of a French man named Louis Barbee, research seems to indicate otherwise. There is an old family letter, written by Harriet Barbee Ano, which indicates this Louis Barbee was married in France in 1799, set sail for the U.S., landed in Virginia, formed a colony, and then started inland and settled in Nashville, Tennessee. Research by Bessie Barbee (1900-1986), who never married, was a school teacher, and devoted most of her life to Barbee history, indicates that Joseph's father was not this elusive Louis but rather was Thomas Barbee (c. 1752). The research of Katherine Chaudri (a Barbee descendant of Joseph and Rachel Compton Barbee) also supports Thomas as Joseph's father.

Many pieces of evidence -- not least the long connection between the Comptons and the Barbees in Virginia -- indicates that Joseph's family originated in Fauguier County, where they lived through several generations.

Some Barbee's are sure the name is English, but it is very likely that ours, at least, are French. The word Barbee means "bearded" in French. It is very likely our Barbee's were French Huguenots and thus emigrated under the persecution of Louis XIV. Likely, the left France for England, where they picked up the habit of using English given names, and then came to the United States. The first of the Hugeuenot wars were between 1562 and 1596. The Massacre of St. Bartholomew was in 1572, and in 1685, Louis XIV revoked the 1598 Edict of Nantes which had given Huguenots some protection by guaranteeing them political rights.

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