| Notes |
- Niagara Gazette - 6/14/1895
BARKER'S RETURN
The Missing Son of the Dead. Landscape
Artist, George Barker,
Found in New. York
MISSING FOR SIX LONG YEARS.
LeU Homo Owing lo Domestic Unpleasantness
When a Lad 13 Years Old-Has
Fought the World Well-Did Not
Know His. Father Was Dead.
George Meredith Barker, the missing
son of the late noted landscape photographer, who disappeared from here when
he was 13 years of age, has returned home.
Probably no more startling piece of news
has been received in this city in some time.
The young man, who is now between 19
ftod 20 years of age, was believed by many
to be dead, although some claim to have
seen him in New York city and these
rumors have tumed out to be true.
Young Barker has returned to his old
home and when seen by a GAZETTE repre-.
sentative was surrounded by a group of his
sisters and the neighbors in the pleasant
garden of the Buffalo avenue home. That
all his sisters were very happy over .finding
their long lost brother, who has grown into
a, tall, slender young man, was evinced by
the happy and admiring glances cast at
him and the many questions with which
they plied him. All the neighbors also
gave the prodigal a hearty welcome, and
certainly the young man has everything to
feel happy over in coming back to the home
he left so suddenly many years ago.
The story of the discovery of the missing
brother, for whose whereabouts a reward
had been offered before the will of his
father was found and .admitted to probate
is quite interesting. On Wednesday morning
Miss Mary Barker broke the seal of a
letter written in a strange handwriting
and dated New York. Its contents greatly
surprised and delighted her. It was a letter
purporting to be from her brother,
asking after the family and disclosing his
whereabouts and telling about himself.
Miss Barker intrusted the mission of going
to New York to find the young man to Mr.
Samuel Devlin, her affianced, and the result was that Mr. Devlin and young Mr.
Barker stepped from the sleeping car of the
West Shore train at 8:45 o'clock this morning,
took a carriage and were driven to the
Buffalo avenue house.
The story of the young man's struggle
for a place in the world was interesting.
The cause of his running away from home
was some domestic unpleasantness. He
finally reached New York city and had
quite an experience for the first two or
three years making a living. He adopted
the vocation of an artist and studied hard
to be a sketch artist with varying success..
The last two or three, years he has been
making rapid progress. He chummed with
several artists and newspaper men. who
helped and stimulated the boy in his work,
securing him orders from various publica-
tions, all of which were pleased with his
work, He is now on the way to success in
His chosen profession. He is shrewd and
very clever, and the future promises some
very bright things for him.
Young Barker, in telling about his writ-
ing home said that it cost him quite a
struggle whether to do so or not. He felt
that he had established himself; that his
position was one of which he could well
feel proud, and finally, after a long debate
with, himself, he decided to write. This
he did on Tuesday, and the letter was re-
ceived Wednesday, as noted above, and
Friday morning he was at home. The
young man was ignorant of his father's
death as well as that of his stepmother.
He passed through here two years ago on his
way to the World's Fair, where he passed a
month or more, and again on his return,
but he never disclosed his identity nor
made any enquiries.
The future for the present is out of discussion
with, the boy. His sisters, of
course, will try to keep him here with
them. That he will follow his chosen vocation is assured.
ALSO
Niagara Gazette - 11/21/1946
GEORGE MEREDITH BARKER
To the editor of The Gaiatte:
Announcement of the death of
George Meredith Barker, 71 years
old. at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., a native
of Niagara Falls, recalls that his
father, George Barker, was one of
the most distinguished of Niagara
Falls photographers of a half century
and more ago. On June 3. 1946.
the Gazette published an article by
this writer which Included a description
of numerous historical relics,
pictures and newspaper articles presented
to the writer by James May.
who had retired after a connection
of 21 years with Walker's Laundry
and has removed from the city.
Among these contributions was a
group photograph. Because of the
fact that Miss Bertha Kugel. who
afterwards became Mrs. Brant and
was the mother of Mrs. James May,
was connected with the photograph
studio of George Barker in old Main
street, opposite the Cataract House,
It "was assumed that the photograph
was a Barker famlly group, but
Identification was not Immediate.
The photograph was taken in front
of a house but the building did not
look like the Barker residence in
Buffalo avenue. Only about a week
ago this photogaph was shown to
Mrs. Samuel J. Devlin, a daughter of
George Barker and a sister of
Oeorge Meredith Barker. She Identified
It at once and named the
persons shown In the picture. As
stated In the previous article, the
well groomed whiskers of the central
figure made It almost certain
that It was George Barker.
Mrs. Devlin said that those In the
picture Included Mr. and Mrs.
George Barker, with a small girl in
long dress on Mrs. Barker's lap,
which was the present Mrs. Devlin;
Mr. and Mrs. George Shlpman, Mrs.
Barker's parents, and Miss shlpman.
their daughter. The house In which
the photograph was taken was that
of Miss Elizabeth Porter, daughter
of General Peter B. Porter, and was
connected with the farm that General
Porter bought when the state
of New York sold the Mile Strip In
1805. which was later owned by Peter
A. Porter, General Porter's grand-.
Son. and which was sold by him to
the Niagara Falls Power company
and on which the great power stations
of that company on Buffalo
avenue are now located.
As stated In a previous article
George Barker had an International
reputation and was awarded many
medals both at home and abroad.
The great quantity of stereographs,
which are displayed In the old
fashioned stereoptlcon. were produced
in Niagara Falls, and the
greater quantity of these, as shown
In a large collection at hand, were
made by George Barker.
EDWARD T. WILLIAMS.
Niagara Historian
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Abt 1875 - 1946 (~ 71 years)