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Born in Union (now Muskingum) Township, Washington County, Ohio, 31 August 1806, Catharine Barker was the daughter of Joseph Barker and Elizabeth (Dana) Barker. Her parents were New England farmers who had traveled west to Ohio in 1789, when the Marietta settlement was new. Catharine's childhood was similar to that of many rural girls of her time period. She attended the local schools and learned from her mother to spin wool and flax. Many of the youthful adventures she describes in her memoir were shared with her sister Frances, who later became famous as Frances Dana Barker Gage, the woman's rights activist.

The marriage of Catharine Barker to Francis Augustus Barker (no relation) occurred 10 April 1827. Catharine then moved to Morgan County, Ohio, with her husband, who was a merchant. Her own days were filled with caring for children and meeting with neighborhood women in prayer groups. Unable to overcome business difficulties in Ohio, the Barkers and their children moved to the area of Marion County, Iowa, in 1844. The family faced many privations and hardships on the far western frontier, and Catharine recounts these in her autobiography. In Iowa, Francis Barker farmed and held numerous political positions. The couple raised seven children to adulthood.

In 1868-69, Catharine and Francis returned to Ohio for an extended visit with family and friends. Francis had suffered a stroke during the Civil War and never fully recovered his health. He died in Iowa, 17 January 1871. Catharine spent her later years coping with her own failing health, but helped care for several of her grandchildren. She died 26 October 1885, near Carthage, Illinois.