The collection is part of the larger Charles E. Frohman Collection. Typed transcripts of the Barker correspondence may be found with this collection and in the vertical files of Charles E. Frohman (FR 9). Related collections include the John G. Camp, Jr., Collection (FR 3), the Zalman Wildman Collection (FR 5), and the John Gardiner Collection (LH 287).

Jacob A. Barker was born in Lebanon County, New York, in February 1793, the son of Judge Zenas Barker, a soldier during the Revolutionary War. Judge Barker moved his family to the Erie County, New York, area in 1803. During the War of 1812, Jacob was taken prisoner and held in Canada. He escaped on a raft he built and floated across the ice-strewn Niagara River, returning to Buffalo, New York, in the spring of 1814.

Jacob A. Barker was elected to positions in both state and local governments. According to his obituary in the Commercial Advertiser, he was a "leading commercial man under the firm of Barker & Holt." His interest lay in shipping via lakes, canals, and railroads and in developing businesses and transportation companies. Jacob A. Barker died in late May or early June 1859.

The collection includes 125 letters spanning the years 1833-1851, the bulk dating from 1833-1839. More than two thirds of the letters are from Jacob’s brother Zenas Ward Barker and from John G. Camp. Both Camp, an attorney and banker, and Zenas W. Barker moved their families to the Sandusky, Ohio, area from Buffalo, New York, in 1834. The letters from Camp discuss primarily business concerns: growth in the town of Sandusky; setting up lumber and grist mills; freight and passenger traffic on Lake Erie; and developing the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad. The letters from Zenas include both family and business concerns, particularly financial difficulties encountered as he ran the grist mill. Other correspondents include representatives of other business and banking interests in Sandusky and family members and friends.

ANDERSON, George
    To "Dear Sir" [May 7, 1834]
    See verso J.G. Camp this date.

BARKER, Catharine A.
    To Mrs. J. A. Barker, Mar. 29, 1839.

BARKER, Hiram C.
    To his brother J.A. Barker, Apr. 4, 1847.

BARKER, Jacob A.
    To J. T. Stafford, Oct. 30, 1839.
        See verso J.R. Stafford to J.A.B., Oct. 27, 1839.
    Note: Most of this correspondence is addressed to Jacob A. Barker.

BARKER, Jacob A., Junior
    To J. A. Barker, Mar. 17, 1839.To J. A. Barker, Feb. 9, 1842.
    To Uncle J. A. Barker, Aug. 22, 1846.

BARKER, Z. W.
    To brother, Jacob A. Barker, Mar. 28, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Jne. 4, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Nov. 30, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Dec. 10, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Dec. 26, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Feb. 20, 1836.
    To J. A. Barker, Apr. 5, 1836.
    To J. A. Barker, Jly. 23, 1836.
    To J. A. Barker, Dec. 18, 1836.
    To J. A. Barker, Jan. 31, 1837.
    To J. A. Barker, [Feb. 2, 1837].
    To J. A. Barker, Feb. 19, 1837.
    To J. A. Barker, Mar. 16, 1837.
    To J. A. Barker, Sept. 20, 1837.
    To J. A. Barker, Sept. 22, 1837.
    To J. A. Barker, Oct. 15, 1837.
    To J. A. Barker, Jan. 15, 1837.
    To J. A. Barker, Feb. 27, 1838.
    To J. A. Barker, Apr. 10, 1838.
    To J. A. Barker, [Sept. 24, 1838].
        See verso Rev. T. H. Quinan this date.

BARKER, Z. B.
    To J. A. Barker, Oct. 14, 1838.
    To J. A. Barker, Oct. 31, 1838.
    To J. A. Barker, Nov. 22, 1838.
    To J. A. Barker, Jan. 9, 1839.
    To J. A. Barker, Feb. 12, 1839.
    To J. A. Barker, Apr. 23, 1839.
    To J. A. Barker, Oct. 1, 1839.
    To J. A. Barker, Oct. 15, 1839.
    To J. A. Barker, Dec. 4, 1839.
    To J. A. Barker, Feb. 29, 1840.
    To J. A. Barker, Mar. 23, 1840.
    To J. A. Barker, Oct. 17, 1840.
    To J. A. Barker, Jly. 7, 1841.
    To J. A. Barker, Nov. 11, 1841.
    To J. A. Barker, Nov. 25, 1841.
    To J. A. Barker, Dec. 14, 1841.
    To J. A. Barker, Apr. 30, 1842.
    To J. A. Barker, Nov. 30, 1842.
    To J. A. Barker, Dec. 22, 1842.
    To J. A. Barker, Jan. 22, 1842.
    To J. A. Barker, Dec. 4, 1843.
    To J. A. Barker, Feb. 13, 1844.
    To J. A. Barker, Mar. 23, 1844.

BURWELL, B. M.D.
    R. G. Snow to B. Burwell, Jan. 28,1836.

BURWELL, George A.
    Mrs. R. C. Snow to GAB, May 22, 1836.

CAMP, John G.
    To Jacob A. Barker, Nov. 27, 1833.
    To Jacob A. Barker, Dec. 10, 1833.
    To "Dear Sir", Dec. 28, 1833.
    To "Dear Sir", May 7, 1834.
    To Jacob A. Barker, May 19, 1834.
    To Jacob A. Barker, May 19, 1834.
    To Jacob A. Barker, May 29, 1834.
    To Jacob A. Barker, May 30, 1834.
    To Jacob A. Barker, Jne. 10, 1834.
    To Jacob A. Barker, Jne. 18, 1834.
    To Jacob A. Barker, Jne. 24, 1834.
    To Jacob A. Barker, Jne. 30, 1834.
    To Jacob A. Barker, Jly. 30, 1834.
    To Jacob A. Barker, Aug. 4, 1834.
    To Jacob A. Barker, Aug. 10, 1834.
    To Jacob A. Barker, Nov. 2, 1834.
    To Jacob A. Barker, Nov. 17, 1834.
    To Jacob A. Barker, Dec. 9, 1834.
    To Jacob A. Barker, Jan. 21, 1835.
    To Jacob A. Barker, Jan. 24, 1835.
    To Jacob A. Barker, Feb. 23, 1835.
    To Jacob A. Barker, Mar. 3, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Mar. 17, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Apr. [9] 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, May 15, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Jly. 2, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Jly. 20, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Jly. 30, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Jly. 30, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Aug. 8, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Sept. 10, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Oct. 7, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Oct. 10, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Mar. 6, 1836.
    To J. A. Barker, May 13, 1836.
    To J. A. Barker, Aug. 11, 1836.
    To J. A. Barker, Sept. 21, 1837.
    To J. A. Barker, Sept. 24, 1837.
    To J. A. Barker, Aug. 31, 1838.
    To J. A. Barker, Apr. 8, 1839.
    To J. A. Barker, Jly. 9, 1839.
    To J. A. Barker, Oct. -, [1839].
    To J. A. Barker, Oct. 9, 1839.
    To J. A. Barker, Oct. 27, 1839.
    To J. A. Barker, Nov. 4, 1839.
    To J. A. Barker
        See verso H.H. Smith to JGC, Nov. 30, 1839. H. H. Smith to J. G. Camp, Nov. 30, 1839.
        Letter on verso.
    To J. A. Barker, Feb. 19, 1840.
    To J. A. Barker, Mar. 9, 1840.
    To J. A. Barker, Apr. 2, 1840.
    To J. A. Barker, Nov. 15, 1840.

CAMP, John G. Junior
    To J. A. Barker, Apr. 7, 1839.
    To J. A. Barker, Jne. 26, 1850.
    To J. A. Barker, Mar. 5, 1851.
    To J. A. Barker, Mar. 20, 1851.

CAMP, Mrs. Rhoda [Mrs. J. G.]
    To J. A. Barker, Jly. 25, 1839.

CAMP & BARKER [Z.W.]
    To J. A. Barker, May 27, 1835.

CAROL, Platt
    Dickinson, R. to Platt Carol, Oct. 2, 1841.

DICKINSON, R.
    To Platt Carol, Oct. 2, 1841.

FOLLETT, O.
    To Jacob A. Barker, Sept. 22, 1834.
    To Jacob A. Barker, Oct. 6, 1834.
    To J. A. Barker, Jly. 30, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Aug. 5, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Oct. 1, 1839.

HOSMER, S. S.
    To J. A. Barker, Sept. 9, 1839.
    To J. A. Barker, Sept. 16, 1839.
    To J. A. Barker, Jan. 13, 1840.

NEILL, Thomas
    To J. A. Barker, Dec. 23, 1836.

QUINAN, Rev. Thomas H.
    To J. A. Barker, Sept. 24, 1838.
    To w/Z.W. Barker to JAB on verso.

REBER, George
    To J. A. Barker, Aug. 26, 1839.
    To J. A. Barker, Oct. 7, 1839.

ROOT, A.
    To J. A. Barker, Mar. 6, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Oct. 13, 1835.

SMITH, H. H.
    To J. G. Camp, Nov. 30, 1839.
    To J. A. Barker, Dec. 18, 1839.

SNOW, R.G
    To B. Burwell, Jan. 28, 1836.
        w/Mrs. [Susan] R. G. Snow to "Dear Sister" on verso.

SNOW, Mrs. R. G. [Susan]
    To "Dear Sister".
        See verso R. G. Snow to B. Burwell, Jan. 28, 1836.
    To George A. Burwell, May 22, 1836.

STAFFORD, J. R.
    To J. A. Barker, Oct. 27, 1839.
    To J. A. Barker, Nov. 6, 1839.

WHITNEY, R. [Bank of Sandusky]
    To Jacob A. Barker, Jan. 29, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Feb. 19, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Mar. 10, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Mar. 20, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Apr. 8, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Jly. 17, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Sept. 29, 1835.
    To J. A. Barker, Oct. 10, 1835.

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