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Cherokee County Biographies
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James C. Farr
JAMES
C. FARR, a reliable farmer of Diamond Township, was born at Alderman
Plains, Canada, October 21, 1838. His parents were George W.
and
Martha (Blackburn) Farr, both of whom were born near London, England,
where they were married. They came to this continent and
settled
in Canada in 1834, and in 1840 came to the United States and settled in
Dodge County, Wisconsin. There they took out Government land, and the
father now resides on the place originally settled, near Beaver Dam, at
the age of eighty years. The mother died in August, 1885, at
the
age of seventy-three years. They reared a family of eight
children, of whom J. C. is the third. They are: Charlotte,
wife
of Joseph Clark; Henry, Edwin, Daniel, Mary Ann, who was married and
died at the age of twenty-four years; Martha, wife of Albert Baker, and
Ellen, who also died at the age of twenty-four years. J. C.
remained at home until he was twenty-two years old, when he enlisted in
Company K, Twelfth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, for three months, but
the most of that time he was kept at Carroll, Illinois. After
returning home he enlisted in Company K, Eleventh Wisconsin Volunteer
Infantry, and was mustered in at Milwaukee in the fall of 1862.
His service continued until the close of the war when he was
discharged in Alabama, at Mobile, September 4, 1865. He took
part
in the battles of Magnolia Church, Raymond, Champion Hill, Vicksburg
and Jackson. He held the position of Sergeant under First
Lieutenant Clark S. Gilbert.
Mr. Farr
was united in marriage May 7, 1866 to Miss Catherine A. Stone.
She was born in Lewis County, New York, January 2, 1842 and
is a
daughter of Curtis and Alida (Van Norman) Stone. After their
marriage Mr. and Mrs. Farr settled in Martin County, Minnesota, where
they remained until 1880, when they removed to Iowa and settled in
Diamond Township, Cherokee County. They now own a farm of 160
acres of finely located land, well improved. Their family
consists of Alvin Curtis, Mary A., Charlotte Belle land Kittie Leone.
Thomas Farr, the son of a brother, was adopted into the
family at
the age of nine years, and Mabel Burns, a little girl of five years, a
daughter of John Burns, has made her home with the family of Mr. Farr
since she was two years old and will continue to live under this
generous and hospitable roof. Mr. Farr is a member of the
Masonic
fraternity. In politics he supports the issues of the
Republican
party. The Government has rewarded his services during the
late
Civil War by paying him a pension of $8 per month.
Source: Biographical History of Cherokee
County, IA, W. W. Dunbar & Co Publishers, 1889
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