bˈɑːɹni wʌz bˈɔːɹn ɪn bˈɔltɪmˌoːɹ ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪtiːn, ðə sˈʌn ʌv jˈuː.ˈɛs. kˈɑːŋɡɹəsmən dʒˈɑːn bˈɑːɹni ænd ᵻlˈɪzəbəθ nˈɪkəlsən hˈaɪndmən ænd ðə ɡɹˈændsʌn ʌv juːnˈaɪɾᵻd stˈeɪts nˈeɪvi kˈɑːmədˌoːɹ dʒˈɑːʃjuːə bˈɑːɹni.
Barney was born in Baltimore in 1818, the son of U.S. Congressman John Barney and Elizabeth Nicholson Hindman and the grandson of United States Navy Commodore Joshua Barney.