James P. Starr

STARR, FELLOWS, SMITH, BOWEN

Posted By: Volunteer - Cathy Joynt Labath
Date: 5/8/2004 at 12:40:35

Harlan, Edgar Rubey.
A Narrative History of the People of Iowa. Vol IV.
Chicago: American Historical Society, 1931 p. 176

JAMES P. STARR, attorney-at-law, now at Fairfield, grew up and had his early associations with the legal profession in Van Buren County, where his father was also an honored and respected lawyer.

Mr. Starr has lived most of his life in Iowa, but was born in Missouri, November 3, 1869. The Starr family is of Quaker ancestry and were identified with the early settlement of Pennsylvania. The records of the family go back to the time of John Starr, who lived at Old Castle, County Meath, Ireland. All his sons and daughters came to America between the years 1674 and 1697 and located in Pennsylvania. Moses Starr was one of the first settlers in Berks County, Pennsylvania, and was the first representative from that county to the Provincial Assembly.

Robert H. Starr, father of James P., was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania, April 16, 1840. He was visiting his sister in Illinois when he enlisted in Company K of the Thirty-sixth Illinois Infantry for service as a Union soldier, and continued his military career until honorably discharged on January 6, 1865, in consequence of a gun shot wound in the right leg. His leg had to be amputated. On December 25, 1865, Robert H. Starr married Mary C. Smith, also a native of Berks County, Pennsylvania, where she was born April 4, 1846. Both the Starr and Smith families had moved out to northeastern Missouri before the Civil war. Robert H. Starr made his home in Clark County, Missouri, until 1874, when he moved to Iowa and settled at Keosauqua in Van Buren County. While living in Clark County, Missouri, he was elected county officer and while in that office took up the study of law and was admitted to the bar in 1874. He qualified for practice in Iowa in 1875, and gained a fine reputation as lawyer, particularly in the civil practice. He kept up his professional work until almost the time of his death in 1901. In 1906 his widow retuned to her old home in Clark County, Missouri. Robert H. Starr served two terms of mayor of Keosauqua. He was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic.

James P. Starr was one of ten children. He was five years old when his parents came to Iowa, and he grew up in Van Buren County, attending public schools and the law department of the University of Iowa. He was admitted to the bar in 1892, and at once became associated with his father in practice at Keosauqua. For four years, 1893-97, he was deputy clerk of Van Buren County, but with that exception he was associated with his father until the latter's death and then formed a partnership with J.C. Calhoun. The firm of Starr & Calhoun constituted an able firm in Van Buren County until December, 1906, when Mr. Starr dissolved the partnership and moved to Fairfield. Here for over twenty years he has engaged in general law practice and has won the most substantial honors of his profession. He was appointed mayor of Fairfield on the resignation of Dr. J.F. Clark in October, 1910, and in March, 1911, was elected for the full term in that office. Mr. Starr is a member of the Christian Church and is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

He married March 3, 1893, Miss Chloe Fellows, of Keosauqua, daughter of S.D. and Ann (Bowen) Fellows. Her people were among the pioneer families of Van Buren County. Mr. and Mrs. Starr have four children, Helen M., Keo. F., Io M and James Carlton.