Charles Edward Barns (July 23, 1862 – May 24, 1937) was an American writer, journalist, astronomer, theater impresario, and publisher.

He is found in the 1870 and 1880 Censuses of Burlington, Wisconsin, enumerated in a household of five children and youths, a housekeeper and a domestic servant.

[4] By his mid forties his health was declining, forcing him to abandon the practice of law, and he turned to banking, where he was likewise highly successful.

In 1848 David Wells lost his job as Burlington postmaster, rumored to be a result of his liberal, anti-slavery politics.

[7] In a note to the Teutonia Glee Club, which had recently performed at their house, Charles' dying father, Caleb, had written, But I commend the childhood of my two little boys to your kindness and care so far, that you shall be ever ready to discourage in them every deviation from the path of rectitude and virtue––and whenever in after years, you shall meet them and think of me––tell them that I have charged you to repeat the words: Industry––Integrity and Truth.

[9] Three carefully chosen guardians (family friends Antony Meinhardt and C. E. Dyer and older cousin Asa Eddy Wells),[9][10] oversaw the housekeeper and servant who managed the home.

In their teens, the Barns brothers, who had been educated in Burlington’s schools, enrolled at the newly opened Racine Academy.

[11] Frederick Barns entered Williams College, where he was an outstanding student, but dropped out in favor of a business career.

[12] He was a man of many interests, and soon drifted toward the study of science and math, launching a lifelong fascination with astronomy and related fields.

[13] Mabel was the daughter of a businessman who immigrated from Nova Scotia and sold hay and cotton presses in Brooklyn.

After his travels, Barns published six literary works, all in 1889, and printed by Willard Fracker & Co. of New York:[15] The dedication to The Amaranth and the Beryl stated "In Memoriam, My Brother."

When the contest closed, the $500 prize was awarded to "S. C. Brean," while the work of Charles Edward Barns failed to merit distinction.

[24][25] The reason for the move is unknown, but it allowed his older daughter, Cornelia, to enter the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

[27] Mabel Balston Barns, Charles wife, was listed in 1910 as the buyer of a three-story brick store and dwelling at 2319 Brown St.[28] Son Frederick Balston Barns studied engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and showed up in Philadelphia in 1914, for a group tour of local factories as part of his training.

[34][35] By 1930 in the U.S. Census, he was a “farmer,”[36] while the voter registration called him a “rancher.”[37][38] The addition of a home observatory at Morgan Hill culminated years of interest in astronomy as a hobby.

[40] The book contained 72 color charts prepared by Barns himself, definitions of astronomical terms, photographs, and additional information.

[41] In his dedication to grandson Charles Garbett, Barns described astronomy as a “thrilling adventure” for youth, an “engrossing problem” for adults, and “a joy always” in old age.

[42] The combination of his thorough understanding, unbridled enthusiasm, and missionary zeal made for instant success among both professional and amateur astronomers.

Charles Barns showed readers with clarity and precision how to build their own equipment, while simultaneously urging the pursuit of meaningful science.

[41] Coinciding with the second edition was a Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) press release by San Francisco newspaperman Philip J. Sinnott.

They left the orchard and moved to the San Francisco Bay area, near daughters Anne and Cornelia (Mrs. Garbett).