The following email appears to connect here.
Dear Tim Farr. My name is Charles Logan Mckinney of Neoga Illinois. My mother who passed away in 1988 was Inez (Farr) McKinney. Her line is. George Eddie Farr, William Logan Farr, James L Farr, James Farr, Benjamin Farr, Joseph Farr, Stephen Farr, Stephen, Farr etc. Before she passed we had only been able to go back to Benjamin Farr, but thanks to you and the internet we are now able to go way back. I just wish my mother and others could have seen this. My great grandfather William Logan Farr was a civil war vet and I have some history on him. Any way thank you so much for all your research.
Charles Logan Mckinney
The following is from The Ancestors and Descendants of Julius E. Farr by Milton Farr Kilroy:
Joseph Farr and his older brother, Stephen Farr III, lived for many years in the Acton area, but around 1770, they moved to Cummington, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, a new settlement on the western frontier. This was a time of migration from the eastern Massachusetts towns into the newly opened Berkshire Hills area. In 1762, John Cummings, Esq. of Concord was the leader of a group of men who purchased from the Massachusetts Bay Company, a township in Hampshire County called Plantation No. 5. Later the town was to accept the name of Cummington from its original owner.
There is no clearer way of showing the early settlement of this town than by quoting from the proceedings of the Proprietors, as they are preserved by the town clerk. Cummington was not settled as many other towns of that time by people going into the forest and building their cabins alone in the wilderness. In Cummington, organization was before settlment. On 2 June 1762, a meeting of the Proprietors was held at Concord, and it was voted that Charles Prescott, Esq. be the moderator of said Propriety. A clerk, treasurer and an assessor were selected, as well as a committee to call future meetings. The group voted that the minister's lot and the school lot in the first division of lots be laid where the committee for laying out the lots would think most convenient, and were not to be drawn by the Proprietors.'
At this first meeting, the committee laid out sixty-three 100 acre lots, 160 rods in length and 102 rods in width. The contents in each lot were 102 acres, the two acres in each lot being laid in order to make roads as would be thought proper.
The first drawing of lots was on 19 December 1762, but it was not until the second drawing took place on 26 September 1764 that we find the name of Stephen Farr; he drew lot Number 28. The following year, in May 1765, his brother, Joseph, was voted to be a Proprietor. Records of deeds show that Joseph Farr came to Cummington in 1770, followed by Stephen in 1771. This was a courageous move for Joseph with his large family of nine children!
Joseph Farr was an innholder in 1771, being most probably the first landlord in the town. His tavern was in the southwest part of town, possibly the first inn, and undoubtedly the first house in the town. It was situated on an old route from Northampton to Berkshire County, winding into the town for only a mile or two.
Joseph Farr was very active in the affairs of the town, and there are many mentions of him in the old town records. Listed below are some of the items, but it might be well to consider that a few of them might refer to his son, Joseph, who also lived there for many years.
1771 The Town Proprietors met at the home of Joseph Farr.
1774 Joseph Farr allowed costs.
1776 Joseph Farr's road mentioned.
1779 Joseph Farr was one of the original members of the Cummington Congregational Church, which church records begin in 1779.
1784 Joseph Farr's account allowed. His name mentioned on a tax list.
1785 Joseph Farr of Cummington, MA, County of Hampshire, yeoman, sells to Jasile Farr 60 acres of land. The deed was signed by Joseph Farr and Dinah Farr.
Joseph Farr chosen Constable to collect Jasile Farr's Tax bills which are uncollected.
Joseph Farr excused from one half fine for refusing to serve as Constable. [The writer wonders if there is an interesting story behind these last two items!]
In the town records of Cummington, there are two different dates for the death of Joseph Farr, a year apart on 24 February 1796 and 27 February 1797. Most researchers agree that this is probably a mistake in transcribing the records, because the younger Joseph moved to Manlius Village in New York and died there, Since the inventory of Joseph Farr's estate is dated 3 May 1796, it seems quite clear that the 1796 date is the correct one.
Joseph Farr died intestate, and the inventory of his estate is interesting in that it gives an overview of the life style of that time period. The possessions seem to indicate a fairly affluent way of life, and there appears to have been close family ties as his son Jacob signed the paper which appointed his grandson, Anselm, as Administrator of the estate. His personal estate, after the bills were paid, amounted to $572.75. His widow received $190.91, and the remaining amount was divided among his nine children.
Joseph Farr's widow, Dinah Powers Farr, continued to live in Cummington, Massachusetts, where she died 1 June 1802.
THE INVENTORY OF JOSEPH FARR, LATE OF CUMMINGTON, DECEASED
A Fur Hat at $2.50, his best suit of clothes at $8.32 $10.82
A suit of clothes at $8.00, three waistcoats at $2.50, a pair of S(?)clothes $12.30
A Great coat at$3.25, A Coat at $1.50, A pair of wooling shirts at $1.00 5.75
Three pair of Stockings at $1.66, old clothes at $2.00 3.66
A pair of silver kneebuckles at $1.00, a pair of brass shoebuckles at 50¢ 1.50
A pair of sleeve buttons at 3¢, a pair of small buckles at 3¢ .06
A pair of boots at $3.00, a pair of shoes at $1.00, a pair of spectacles at 12¢ 4.12
A razor at 12¢, two beds with their steeds and furniture at $30.50 30.62
7 sheets at $8.75, 5 old sheets at $2.08, 5 piller cases at 83¢ 11.66
A table cloth at 75¢, three blankets at $3.0O, three old coverlets at $1.50 5.25
Three towels at 5O¢, two chests at $1.25, a stone chest at $3.00 5.75
A chest with draws at $3.50, two Tables at $1.66, 8 chairs at $1.50 6.66
11 Ivy casts at $4.49, one Hogsheed and half at $1.33, a churn at 12¢ 5.94
A ½ Bushel measure at 12¢, a rope at 25¢, Foal leather at 83¢ 1.20
A pair of steelyards at 83¢, a warming pan at $2.42 3.25
Iron wsre at $9.61, a toasting iron at 50¢, a slice and tongs 66¢ 10.77
Old pewter at$2.80, A 1antern at 33¢,7 glass bottles at 75¢ 3.88
A case of knives at 50¢, Tin ware at 66¢, Crockery wsre at 58¢ 1.74
[One line where the original document was folded is illegible]
A pair of canes at 9¢, ½ ca1fskin at 62¢,2 bibles at $1.25 1.96
Old backs at $1.16, four trays at $1.29, two wooden dishes 50¢ 2.95
Old wooden ware at 92¢, two sieves at 58¢, a toom at $3.00 4.50
Two spinning wheels at $2.50, a Bread trough at 50¢ 3.00
A cheese press at 75¢, 38 sap tubs at $4.23, an old saddle at $2.00 6.98
5 baskets at $1.00, Horse tackling at $1.25, 2 chains at $3.0O, old hoes at 33¢ 5.98
An adz at 75¢, 2 clevis at 41¢, a stave at 25¢, a hand saw at 16¢ 1.57
A inch auger at 14¢, a ox yoke at $1.00, a axe at 41¢, two fish hooks at 55¢ 2.10
Old tools at $1.25, a old plow at $1.50, 23# of iron at $1.28 4.03
A cider tunnel at 22¢, a pickle tub at 50¢, two meet tubs at $1.58 2.30
A apple chest at 33¢, ll0 pounds of pork at $10.83, 9 bushels of corn $6.00 17.16
4½ bushels of wheat $6.75, ½ bushel of sault at 75¢ 7.50
3 bushels of oats at $1.00, one Bushel of dry apples at $1,00 2.03
24 Bushels of potatoes at $5.33, 45 pounds of shugar at $4.37 9.70
4 berrels of cider at $6.83, A cart tine at $7.16 13.99
20 pounds off Flax at $8.75, a flax comb at $1.16 10.41
A locking glass at 50¢ .50
A horse at $75.00, an old mare at $23.00, a colt at $40.00 137.00
A pair of oxen at $82.00 82.00
A pair of Steers at $39.16 39.16
Two cows and one calf at $50.00, two cows without their calves $46.00 96.03
A yearlin heiffer at $7.00 7.00
Eight sheep and half at $14.00 14.00
A swine at $6.00, three Tons and ½ of hay at $13.00 19.03
Total $616.42
[Signatures] Robert Robinson
Jacob Whitmarsh
Benoni Pratt
Anselm Farr, Administrator
E. Porter, Judge of Probate
Dated: May 3rd 1796
