My Genealogy Hound

HON. JOHN WATSON BARR, Judge of the United States District Court for the district of Kentucky, comes of an old Kentucky family — his grandfather Barr, a native of Maryland, having emigrated to Kentucky in 1787, and settled in Fayette County. The family is of English origin, but came to America prior to the Revolutionary war. John W. was born in Versailles, Ky., December 17, 1826, and is a son of William and Ann (Watson) Barr, the former a native of Fayette County and the latter of Woodford County. He was educated at schools in his native county and at Lexington. Having read law, he graduated from the law department of Transylvania University, at Lexington, in 1847, and commenced practice at Versailles, where he remained until 1854. He then came to Louisville, and soon attained to a large business. He devoted himself wholly to his profession, eschewing politics in toto, until 1880, when he was appointed United States District Judge, a position he still acceptably fills. During the late civil war he was an unconditional Union man, and was a member of the State Central Committee of the Union party. Since the war he has been identified with the Republican party, and is zealous in that faith. He was married in November, 1859, to Miss Susan Rogers, daughter of Jason Rogers, lieutenant-colonel of the Louisville Legion in the Mexican war, and a native of New York.