with his wife, and, as they were barren, they longed for a child. Mrs. Travis, according to the tradition, often asked neighbors for one of their children, a practice not unheard of in frontier America. One morning when she went out to the cow pen to milk, she found an infant hanging in a basket on the bar, or rail, of the fence. The Travis' adopted the child, a boy, and named him Bar in honor of his method of coming into their home. Hence, it is suggested, the Bar or Barret that became William's middle name. Actually Travis' middle name as written in the family Bible was simply "B." presumably standing for Barret, after his grandfather. There is a strong element of truth in this fence story, but it is either one generation off, or, if correct in time, only a tale used to ease the embarrassment of indiscretion. The locality of the Travis farm on Mine Creek is correct, and Barret Travis may have first married Elizabeth De Loach but is not known to have produced children by her. It is possible that this is how Barret Travis sired one of his sons. It is likely that this is the right generation but the wrong son, and is a yarn that Mark Travis told to explain his illegitimate son to the neighbors, friends, and family. Mark Travis appears in the family Bible as being born on September 06, 1783 at Cambridge, or Ninety-Six, which is in
