Born: Jane Barber, August 9, 1816, Fairfield, New York
Died: 1877, St. Louis, Missouri
Religious Order: Visitation of Holy Mary

Jane Barber, later known as Sister Josephine, played a key role in establishing the Visitation Order in the Midwest. Her life was deeply intertwined with the Catholic Church, a connection established early through her family’s religious affiliations.

Early Life and Family:

Jane Barber was born in Fairfield, New York, in 1816. She was the youngest child of Reverend Virgil Horace Barber, who had converted to Catholicism from his previous position as an Episcopal minister.

Her mother, Jerusha Barber, became a Visitation nun and was known as Sister Mary Augusta at the Georgetown Visitation Community.

Jane’s family had strong ties to the Catholic Church. Her brother became a Jesuit priest, and her four sisters became Ursuline nuns in Canada. This familial context is important for understanding the environment in which Jane’s vocation developed.

Education and Vocation:

Jane was educated at the Georgetown House, where her mother was a professed nun.

In 1833, she traveled from Georgetown to Kaskaskia, Illinois, with seven other sisters. This relocation was significant as it established a new Visitation house in the region.

Kaskaskia and St. Louis Foundations:

The Visitation house in Kaskaskia served a specific social segment, primarily educating the daughters of local elite families, including the Menards and Morrisons.

Later Life and Legacy:

Sister Josephine died in 1877 in St. Louis, Missouri, after a two-year battle with cancer. She was 71 years old.

Archival Materials: 

The main source for Sister Josephine’s life is a written account she authored in the 1860s. It was originally solicited by the the publication, “Catholic Memoirs of Vermont and New Hampshire” (though this detail requires further confirmation).

The original handwritten document is preserved in the St. Louis Visitation Archives.