Mom’s parents always told her she came from good English ancestry, well that was very true!
In researching her family history her Mother’s maternal grandfather and his family joined the church in the early 1800’s when John Dean was just 8 years old and one of twelve children. The family came to America and crossed the plains with one of the handcart companies. His mother died in Bitter Creek, WY never making it to Salt Lake City. They later settled in Woodruff, Utah.
Barbara’s great-grandfather was Hiriam Yancey and was 21 years old when he met missionaries from the church and baptized in 1853. He then went on to fight in the civil war for the north and settled in Kansas after his grown children moved to Groveland, Idaho. His son Adam’s home is still standing today built in 1905 and listed with the historical society just 3 miles west of Blackfoot, Idaho where Wyora was born and raised.
Mom’s father (Joseph Barney) was born in the church. His grandfather was born in Nauvoo, IL, and his great-grandfather knew the prophet Joseph Smith, they met him in upstate New York where they lived, joined the church then followed the saints to Nauvoo then on to Salt Lake City. The Barney name was highly regarded; Jacob Barney came to America from England in 1636 on the ship ‘The Lyon’ coming to Salem, MA where he settled there. Jacob started the first Baptist church and became one of the first settlers in Massachusetts to sit on the first grand jury. In Salem there is a street named for him called Barney Street, unfortunately the church Jacob founded is no longer standing.
Barbara Yancey Card was the oldest of four children. She was born July 17, 1931 at home delivered by a midwife in Escalante, Utah. Her father, Joseph Theodore Barney was born and raised in Escalante and her mother Wyora Yancey was from Blackfoot, Idaho. Now this was the depression and in order to feed their young family Ted and Wyora would go back and forth from Idaho to Utah helping their parents farm the land and trying to care and feed their growing family. When WWII broke out Ted hitchhiked to southern California looking for work and he landed a job at Lockheed, building aircraft. Ted brought his young family to Van Nuys and while Ted and Wyora worked at Lockheed their children went to school, they all attended their church meetings, until one day Ted had enough money to purchase 20 acres on the corner of Van Nuys Blvd and Plummer in Van Nuys. They lived in a small trailer on the land and her dad would sell parcels off to purchase the things that they needed, eventually he was able to sell enough to build a store and a home. Barbara graduated Van Nuys high school and while in school met her husband Robert Franklin Card. They were married Feb 9, 1951 in Van Nuys; CA. At the time Robert was not a member of the church, but Barbara often said it did not matter to her, she was marrying her sweetheart. Barbara often helped her parents in their store while Bob served in the Air Force reserves and worked getting his certification as an electrician. Then Bob made the decision to join the church, he felt that he could make the same commitment his wife was making to this church and felt their life would be better for it. They eventually were sealed in the Oakland Temple for time and all eternity. When Bob and Barbara’s growing family of 3 boys became too much for the small home they were living in they moved to Hollister, CA on San Felipe road to a farm owned by Barbara’s parents. There Barbara had another child a daughter Loralee and after a couple of years they moved to Gilroy purchasing their first home and then they had their youngest son Scott. Bob worked for Gilroy Foods as a building maintenance supervisor until his retirement and also was a photographer. Bob would photograph weddings and Barbara would make the wedding cake, they became well-known in Gilroy for their talents in this area and this also helped to supplement the income it took to raising their family.
Barbara was always one to be first to do service for anyone in her ward family that may have needed an extra hand. Her mother Wyora was the same type of person and when her Mom died in 1980 of Valley fever it hit her very hard.
Barbara continued to stay busy in her life helping others, helping to care for her daughter Loralee and her grandson Tim. Barbara consistently felt education and learning were necessary tools for life and this reflected in the many books she would purchase and read often giving insight to different areas and always made for great conversation!
