There are several Jesse Labars who lived in the Lehigh/Northampton County area in the 19th century, making it difficult to ascertain who is who. A Jesse Labar appears in the 1860 census of Lower Mount Bethel Township as a butcher, 28 years old, with a wife named Mary A. or L. (can’t make it out) and two children: 5-year-old Sylvester and 3-year-old Emma A. or O. (can’t make that out either). A fifth member of the household is Mary Johnson, 65 years old, presumably the mother of either Jesse or his wife. All list their place of birth as Pennsylvania. The value of Jesse’s personal estate is listed at $600. No real estate value is listed. The value of Mary Johnson’s real estate is $600. View my scan of a copy of the original census record obtained from the National Archives.

In The Lehigh Valley history by Jordan and Green, a Jesse is listed as the son of Conrad La Barre, shoemaker, and Hannah Stone. Other children were Peggy A., Reuben, Philip, Mary, Daniel, Jeremiah, Josiah, John C., and Abraham. Conrad was the son of Daniel La Barre, a farmer, and Elizabeth Hess, both of Upper Mount Bethel Township. Conrad’s siblings were Henry, William, Sarah, Susan, Rebecca and Charles.

The 1890 census of Lower Mount Bethel, Northampton County, has a Jesse Labar, age 60, with wife Mary A., also age 60, with a Charles, age 9. I suppose the Charles could be a grandson.

This Jesse is being researched by Sherri Labar of Bangor, PA. According to her, Jesse is a son of Conrad and Hannah. He married a Mary A. Lyons and lived in Upper Mount Bethel. His eldest son Sylvester, was her Great Grandfather. He lived to be 96 and his obituary lists him being the oldest of seven.