After leaving Christian County, Illinois, the Edward Harris Barrett family moved to Minnesota Territory in the fall of 1854. Winona, a recently formed riverboat town on the Mississippi was the starting point.
They obtained land in the western part of the county, in Utica Township, and built a log home. Their home was the meeting place for Sunday worship. They were 1 of 9 families that established Utica Village. The family also hosted other pioneers that were seeking to establish themselves. There were still Native American Indians in the area when they settled. Their daughter, Carrie Barrett, was among the first white children born in the township.
Here is an 1850 map of the Minnesota Territory, showing the southeast corner of the territory. Utica was north of the Root River and the Wazi Oju River.
The history of the county, Winona and its Environs on the Mississippi in Ancient and Modern Days, by Lafayette Bunnell (1897, Jonas & Kronger, Winona) gives a brief mention of Edward Harris Barrett.
They obtained land in the western part of the county, in Utica Township, and built a log home. Their home was the meeting place for Sunday worship. They were 1 of 9 families that established Utica Village. The family also hosted other pioneers that were seeking to establish themselves. There were still Native American Indians in the area when they settled. Their daughter, Carrie Barrett, was among the first white children born in the township.
Here is an 1850 map of the Minnesota Territory, showing the southeast corner of the territory. Utica was north of the Root River and the Wazi Oju River.
The history of the county, Winona and its Environs on the Mississippi in Ancient and Modern Days, by Lafayette Bunnell (1897, Jonas & Kronger, Winona) gives a brief mention of Edward Harris Barrett.
