Bio of Farrar, George (b.1833) Wabasha Co., MN
=========================================================================
USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information
on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities,
as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is
obtained from the contributor of the file.
These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or
presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to
use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written
consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter,
and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent.

If you have found this file through a source other than the MNArchives 
Table Of Contents you can find other Minnesota related Archives at:
http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/mnfiles.htm
Please note the county and type of file at the top of this page to find 
the submitter information or other files for this county.
FileFormat by Terri--MNArchives

Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: Barbara Timm and Carol Judge
=========================================================================
This bio comes from "HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY" 1884.
Check out Barbara's site for more great information on this book:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~mnwabbio/wab1.htm
There are also some pictures and information from descendents for some 
of the bios on her pages.

Farrar, George, farmer, of the village of Elgin, resides in one of the
handsomest and most substantial frame dwellings to be found in this
section of the country, situated on the southwest quarter of section 27,
where he conducts his farm. He is a son of Calvin and Almira H. Farrar,
and was born in Moretown, Washington county, Vermont, May 31, 1833. In his
early youth our subject worked on his father's farm in his native state,
attending the common schools of the district during the winter. During the
month of September, 1853, when twenty years of age, he determined to
strike out on his own account, and went west as far as Beloit, Wisconsin,
where he hired out by the month to a farmer in whose employ he remained
for eleven months, when he pushed farther west to St. Charles, Minnesota.
In the spring of 1855, in company with George and Curtis Bryant and Henry
H. Atherton (the latter of whom had accompanied our subject from Vermont,
and shared his fortunes with him), he left St. Charles to seek his home
yet farther west, and about April 7, 1855, arrived in that part of
Greenwood Prairie now known as Elgin, where he determined to locate. Mr.
Farrar is therefore not only one of the original four pioneers of the
town, but he is also "boss carpenter" of the first log house ever erected
in Elgin, and afterward kept the first hotel started in the town. In the
fall of 1855 he filed on the E. 1/2 of the S. W. 1/4 of Sec. 17 , in the
timber-land. He had also previously taken a claim consisting of an eighty
on section 26, and an eighty on section 27, about April 8 or 9, 1855,
which was jumped by Leonard Laird, in the spring of 1856, during Mr.
Farrar's absence in the east, where he went December 6, 1855, returning to
the prairie from his native state during the month of May, 1856, his
brother Waldo, who was afterward killed while serving his country as
second lieutenant of Co. I, 1st regt. Minn. Inf., at the battle of
Gettysburg, coming with him. The first marriage of residents of the new
town of Elgin was that of George Farrar to Miss Emeline Bryant, daughter
of John and Lavinia Bryant. The ceremony was performed at Winona,
Minnesota, August 13, 1856. The issue of this union consists of two sons,
Will E. and Frank F., both of whom assist their father on his farm in the
summer, and teach school during the winter months. Mr. Farrar has
frequently been called upon by the people to represent them in different
political offices in his adopted town, having held the offices of
supervisor, chairman of board of supervisors, town treasurer and
constable, besides having received from the state the appointment of
captain in the 9th regt. Minn. State Militia, on January 28, 1863. Besides
being one of the pioneer settlers of the town, Mr. Farrar justly deserves
mention as one of the pioneers in religious matters and temperance work.
He was connected with the first religious society organized in the town,
has always contributed largely to the cause of Christianity, and is now
one of the influential members of the Methodist Church South, which he and
his wife joined during the winter of 1877-8, while he has ever been a most
active and effective worker in the great temperance cause, identified with
and holding offices in the various societies formed in the town from early
days to the present time. He is now P.W.C.T. of Elgin lodge, No. 76,
I.O.G.T., besides being a member of the Masonic fraternity, and holding
the office of J. D. in Elgin lodge, No. 115, A.F.A.M. Mr. Farrar suffered
great damage by the destructive cyclone of July 21, 1883, his barn and
outbuildings being completely demolished, and causing him a loss of
fifteen hundred dollars.
War of 1812
War of Rebellion (Civil War)
Indian Wars