John BARNES b. 1836, East Stoke, Dorsetshire, England son of Joseph BARNES & Elizabeth / Jane ____, was married in 1858 in Dorsetshire to Abigail COBB b. c1838, East Stoke, Dorsetshire daughter of Samuel COBB & Jane CHAMP.
John & Abigail BARNES emigrated to Australia on the "Jessie Munn" arriving at Melbourne in Feb 1859.
Abigail COBB was a half sister to Jane COBB wife of James HISCOCK who were farming at Lower Crawford (near Hotspur) in south-west Victoria.
Abigail BARNES died at Digby and was buried in the Digby Cemetery in 1907.
John BARNES owned land at Digby from 1913 - 1917.
John BARNES died at Digby and was buried in the Digby Cemetery in 1917.
John BARNES & Abigail COBB had the following children:
- Elizabeth Jane BARNES b. 1862, Merino, Vic, d. 1873, Portland, Victoria;
- Bessie BARNES b. 1864, "Barton Station" (nr Ararat), Victoria, d. 1943, Ballarat, Vic. m. 1887 James Johnstone MILNE 1861-1910. James & Bessie MILNE conducted the "Digby Hotel" until the death of James MILME there in 1910, and his burial in the Digby cemetery. His widow Bessie later operated the "Green Hills Hotel" at Condah before her death at Ballarat.
James MILNE & Bessie BARNES had the following children...
- James Anthony Barnes MILNE b. 1888, Brighton, Vic, m. 1912 at Digby to Annie Josephine ALLARDICE
- Louisa MILNE b. 1892, Hotspur, Vic, d. 1976, Ballarat, Vic., m. Donald Roderick McLEOD 1888-1965, son of Norman McLEOD & Jane McLACHLAN of Condah, Vic.
- Arthur BARNES b. 1867, Moyston, Vic, d. 1885, Heywood, Victoria;
- Edwin George BARNES b. 1870, Moyston, Victoria, d. 1949, New Zealand, m. 1899 in New Zealand to Elizabeth Margaret Frances HODGES 1874-1975; (Edwin George BARNES went to New Zealand where he changed his name to Edward George MELVILLE and had a very large family born there from 1899 to 1920s.)
- Carolina Arabella BARNES b. 1872, Stawell, Victoria, d. 1954, Perth, Western Australia, m. 1903 in Perth, WA to Edward CROCKER.