MSS 50 Jacob Barker Papers

              MSS 50
Jacob A. Barker Papers
1/ 4 cubic foot
Preliminary inventory
Collection Synopsis
Provenance: The Ohio Historical Society acquired the Jacob A.
Barker Papers in 1954. Mary Higley processed the collection
in December 1978, and Kay Weisman revised the inventory in
October 1979.
Property rights: The Ohio Historical Society owns the
property rights to this collection.
Copyrights: Copyrights to this collection have not been
dedicated to the public. Consideration of the requirements
of copyright is the responsibility of the author and publisher.
Access: This collection is open under the rules and regulations
of the Ohio Historical Society.
Citation: Researchers are requested to cite collection name,
collection number, and the Ohio Historical Society in all foot-note
and bibliographic references.
Related collections: A collection of Jacob A. Barker papers is
located at the Rutherford B. Hayes Library in Fremont, Ohio.
See Andrea D. Lentz, ed., A Guide to Manuscripts at the Ohio
Historical Society ( Columbus, Ohio: Ohio Historical Society,
1972).
Biographical sketch: Little information is available on Jacob
A. Barker's life. He was born probably in the 17901s, the son
of Judge Zenas Barker, who settled in Buffalo, New York, around
1804. In his youth, Barker worked as a store clerk for a Buffalo
merchant ( ca. 1812). Around 1820, he became a junior partner in
the freight forwarding firm of ( John) Scott & Barker, which later
became Barker & Holt. With Capt. Levi Allen, Barker also owned
part of the lake steamer Buffalo.
In 1835, Barker and other Buffalo businessmen formed the Maumee
Land and Rail Road Company. Its purpose was to build a town at
Manhattan, Ohio, which would become the eastern terminus of the
Wabash and Erie canal. By 1836, they had constructed roads and
bridges leading to the town, as well as docks, warehouses, and
a hotel. In spite of its auspicious beginning, the town did
not remain the terminus of the canal. Poor site characteristics
and Toledo trade routes caused Manhattan to lose many of its
merchants to that city. The court of common pleas granted a
petition to vacate the town plat of Manhattan in 1848.
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