My Genealogy Hound

R. W. FARR (deceased) was born in Ohio, July 23, 1832. His parents moved to Boone county, Ill., when he was seven years old, and there he was reared on a farm and had few opportunities for obtaining an education as the country was new and sparsely settled. He proved to be an industrious youth, however, and took advantage of every opportunity presented him for self-culture. In this way he managed to secure a fair business education, which proved a a great boon to him in after life.

In 1855 he was married to Miss Mary C. Mullen. She was a native of New York and born August 10, 1838. She was a daughter of Philip and Rachael (Canty) Mullen, the former a native of New York and the latter of Wales. Her parents located in Illinois in 1852, and in 1871 they came to Nebraska, where her father died in 1884.

Soon after marriage Mr. Farr concluded to immigrate to Iowa, then being rapidly settled by Eastern people. He finally located near Fayette, Fayette county, that state, where he purchased a farm and entered upon the quiet pursuits of agriculture, but his success in this line was frequently interrupted by ill-health. He suffered from frequent and serious attacks of a complicated nature and at one time he was confined to his room most of the time for four years. He finally disposed of his farm and moved to town, engaging in the livery business, but was sick so much of the time that he was unable to attend to his affairs in a satisfactory manner, so he finally disposed of his business and concluded to try his fortune further West. He set out for Nebraska, where he arrived in March, 1871, locating in Hall county, near Grand Island. He took a homestead, which he sold six years later and located in Buffalo county, where he took a tree claim in Cherry Creek township in August, 1877, but sold this in a few years and purchased a quarter section of railroad land in the same vicinity. He began breaking and otherwise improving until he made it one of the most attractive farms in the community. During these years he suffered from the usual annoyances incident to the early settlement of this part of the country. The crops were either entirely destroyed by the grasshoppers or were injured by hail or drouth. Mr. Farr, though suffering from ill health, was a man of remarkable courage and determination and was always of a jovial disposition and never appeared discouraged, although his patience was many a time put to a severe test.

To Mr. and Mrs. Farr were born two sons — Earnest H., born February 6, 1857, now a prosperous young farmer, and Levi J., born August 22, 1875. The last named has had poor health for some time, and the fond parents, thinking a change of climate would prove beneficial to the invalid youth, spent a year and a half in Tennessee, returning in the spring of 1887. Mr. Farr seemed to have gained renewed vitality as well as his son, and upon his return began his farm work. He was taken suddenly ill, however, and died on the fifteenth day of July, 1887. Mr. Farr was a man who never lacked for friends and who enjoyed the confidence and esteem of all who knew him. To his faithful wife, who bestowed her tender care and sympathy through all his years of sickness, he was ever grateful.