Kirby
Quick look identifies a Barnabas Bledsoe b 1814 NC in the 1860 census in Butler county. He is listed as a Probate Judge via Deems History of Butler County.
Deems History of Butler County Missouri By David Bruce Deem
Probate Judge, Butler County, MO
The County Court page #50
Men mentioned in records as taking active part in the county
matters were Jacob C Blount, County Clerk; John Stephenson,
Presiding Judge of the County Court; Solomon Kittrell and
Jonathan Sandlin, Associate Judges. John Stephen of Cape
Girardeau, William Henby of Stoddard county; Martin Sandlin
of Ripley county; John F. Martin of Ripley county; Thomas B.
Davis (appointed to take enumeration of school children in
Black river township). Gabriel of Otter Creek township,
John N. Yarber, Justice of the Peace, John Eudaley, John
Walton and William Johnson (appointed inspectors for school
purposes), James T. Graham, Lemuel L. Bergin, Martin Franklin, Chas. C. Appleby, Samuel Morris, Ephriam Vaughan,
Henry C. Bollinger, N. G. Ferguson, Obediah Epps, Issac Holder, Merritt Harviell, John Epps, Joseph Lawthorn, Obediah Green, Jas. S. Ferguson, Thomas R. Davis, John Casinger, Joseph Wilson, Matthew Hedspeth, Wm. Vandover,
L. B. Kittrell, Theodore Vandover, Peter Rushin, Sampson Lewis, Stephen Absher, James Brannum, Thomas Kerby, John
Macom, Barnabus Bledsoe, Samuel Griffith, Isaac Shipman,
John I. Davis, Joel Hobbs and Louis Buis.
This corroborated by this history: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mobutle2/history/hbc.htm as well.
Barnabas and the afore mentioned Thomas J Bledsoe both had several land patents in Butler county the latest for both being 1855.
There is a reference to a "Doc" Bledsoe and a Jim/James Bledsoe in Turnbo's Tales of the Ozarks: War and Guerrilla Storys but my online book source seems to have been taken down except for the index. I THINK can't prove that his Doc Bledsoe is Dr Willis Bledsoe held for a time in St. Louis
According to the House Journal TJ Bledsoe of Butler county was present at first roll call January 5 1861 and was present as late as March 4 1861.
FWIW
John R