Edwin Barnes Jr. was born 1839 in Edgecombe County, NC, the 7th of 9 known surviving children (6 boys/3 girls) born to well-to-do farmer Edwin Barnes, Sr. and his wife, Theresa Simms who moved to Wilson County in the mid 1840's.

He was the paternal grandson of John Barnes & Mary "Polly" Dew of Edgecombe Co.; and gr-grandson of Dempsey Barnes Sr. & Sarah Dew of Bertie Pct, Edgecombe County. He is a direct descendant of this family's patriarch, Edward Barnes (1691-1762) who came to Bertie Pct, Edgecombe Co, NC from Isle of Wight, VA in the early 1700's. On his mother's side, he was the maternal grandson of Benjamin Simms & Tabitha Thomas of Wayne County, and later Edgecombe Co.

Edwin was just 4 years old when his father died in 1843, and he was raised by his widowed mother in Wilson County. When Civil War came to North Carolina, he was 22 years old, and he enlisted on September 19, 1862 with his older brother's regiment, Capt. Arthur Barnes. With his medical training, Edwin was assigned as Assistant Surgeon Field & Staff on June 5, 1862, assigned to the NC 4th Regiment. He was detached from his unit from Dec 1862 - Jan 1863 to serve with the detached companies of 3rd NC Calvary (41st NCST) in Jacksonville, NC and Richland, NC. In July, 1863, he contracted typhoid fever and was admitted to hospital in Richmond, Va, and released back to duty just 11 days later.

Following the war, Edwin returned to Wilson and began the practice of medicine in his hometown. On June 26, 1866, the 27 year old married 20-year old Olivia Vines of Edgecombe County. They would become parents to two sons -- Leslie Edwin Barnes (1874-1960) and Edwin Wilmer Barnes (1881-1937).

Dr. Barnes died June 15, 1882. He was only 43 years old. His wife of 16 years survived him 12 years, passing in 1894 at age 48. After her husband died, Olivia and her sons removed to Kings Mountain, Cleveland County, where her sister Mary Sophia Vines Sugg had moved. She was interred here at Maplewood after her death, as are both their sons.