Uri FARR [Parents] [scrapbook] was born 1 in 1817 in Ellisburg, Jefferson, New York, United States. He died 2, 3 on 30 Sep 1885 in Beatrice, Gage, Nebraska, United States. Uri married Huldah FILLMORE about 1840 in New York, United States.
Uri Farr, b. abt. 1814, is found in Ellisburgh, Jefferson Co., NY in the 1850 census. He is married to Huldah, b. abt. 1819, with children William C., b. abt. 1841; Julietta, b. abt. 1847; and Lucia, b. abt. Sept. 1850.
FHL film #0017719, Jefferson Co., NY Marriage & Death Notices, Cemetery Inscriptions, lists Farr, Juliette A., daughter of Uri & Huldah Farr, d. July 29, 1853, buried Reed Cemetery, located in the northwest part of the town of Ellisburgh, Jefferson Co., NY. There are no other Farr records on this microfilm.
Uri Farr's family next appears in Coral Twp., McHenry Co., IL, in the 1860 census. In this census, Uri appears as Uriah, and there is a new child, Edmund, b. abt. 1858. Edmund was born in Illinois, therefore the move to Illinois must have come 1858 or before.
Uri's Civil War pension file contains a copy of his discharge papers. These read in part: "Uri Farr, a private of Captain John Eddy's Company, (E) of the 95th Ill Regiment of United States Vols. was enlisted by John Eddy of the 95th Ill Regiment of Vols at Marengo, McHenry Co., Ill. on the 12th day of August 1862 to serve 3 years; he was born in Ellisburgh in the State of New York is 49 years of age 5 feet 7¼ inches high, Fair complexion, blue eyes, Black hair, and by occupation when enlisted a Farmer. During the last two months said soldier has been unfit for duty 40 days. General debility caused by exposure, Dysentary -- Running into Chronic Diarhea Rheumatism of the hips & legs Broken Constitution -- want of vital force -- his age precluding the probability of recovery to health in service. Station: Memphis Tenn, Genl. Hospital. Date: Feb. 20th, 1863. John Eddy Capt Commanding Company."
Appended to the discharge papers is a certification of Uri's disability. This reads: "I certify that I have carefully examined the said Uri Farr… and find him incapable of performing the duties of a soldier because of old age Chronic Diarrhoea and general debility. He is totally unfit for the service in any capacity. Disability entire. S. B. Davis In charge officer's Hospital. Discharged 25th day of Feby. 1863, at Memphis Tenn G. P. Allen, Med. Inspector, U.S.A."
This certification is followed by a note which reads: "Town: Coral. County: McHenry. State: Ill's. This soldier has been employed in Officers Hospital as cook, but is unable to perform his duties."
It would be interesting to learn what prompted Uri to enroll as a private in the Army at the advanced age of 49. It would also be interesting to learn if he served in a combat position, or whether he was a cook throughout his service. Unfortunately, Uri's pension file is mute on these questions, as it is mute on questions of genealogical import.
The pension file shows that Uri Farr, age 55, a resident of Union, McHenry Co., IL, first made a declaration for invalid pension Sept. 10th, 1870, under the Act of July 14, 1862. This declaration reiterated much of the information appearing on Uri's discharge papers, adding that he first contracted "what is termed Chronic Diarrhea and Kidney Complaint" at Colliersville, Tennessee, on the first of January 1863. Uri alleged that his wartime disability (i.e., chronic diarrhea) had continued, rendering him unfit for manual labor, and appointed as his attorney J. A. Parrish of Woodstock, IL. A. S. Stewart and E. W. Fillmore (the latter probably related to Millard Fillmore, Uri's son-in-law) witnessed the declaration. An officer's certificate of disability (signed by Asa Farnam, 1st Lieutenant of Co. E, 95th Regiment IL Vols.), and a statement from the 95th's surgeon, Dr. Geo. N. Woodward, supported the declaration.
In response to Uri's pension application, the Adjutant General's Office reviewed the records of his service, Dec. 16, 1870. The Adjutant General's Office's response adds to our knowledge of Uri's wartime service only that Uri was mustered into the service Sept. 4, 1862, at Rockford, and that he is reported as absent for the months of Jan. & Feb. 1863, "detailed as cook at Hosp. Sept. 18, 1862. Muster out roll dated Aug. 17 [could also read "14"], 1865 reports him: Disch'd at Memphis Tenn. Feb. 25/63 for disability."
The 1870 census, taken in August of that year, shows Uriah Farr as a resident of Beatrice, Gage Co., NE, along with his son, William. Huldah and daughter Lucia (now married to Millard Fillmore) remain in McHenry Co., IL. The separation of Huldah and Uriah might suggest marital problems, but I have seen other examples (e.g., Winsor E. Lott and Katie Case -- not linked to the Farr line until my own generation) where the husband moved to the frontier ahead of his wife to settle affairs and determine whether the family should indeed settle there. That Uri may have been scouting out NE for his family is suggested by his September 10, 1870 declaration for pension, which gives McHenry Co., IL as his residence; and by the fact that Huldah is found with him in Nebraska in the 1880 census.
Uri Farr, a resident of Beatrice, Gage Co., Nebraska, made another declaration Sept. 5, 1871, reiterating many of the above allegations concerning his disability, but now adding that he had contracted "chronic Diarrhoea and Brights Disease" while in the Army, and that he was treated at Jefferson General Hospital, Memphis Tenn. The declaration states that Uri had resided at Union, IL and Beatrice, NE.
The next document in Uri's pension file after the 1871 declaration is a Surgeon's Certificate, dated Feb. 18, 1874. There follow numerous affidavits and Surgeon's Certificates, from throughout the 1870s and 1880s, made for the purpose of continuing, increasing or reducing Uri's pension. As of this writing, I have not examined more than a handful of these in great detail, but have looked all of them over carefully enough to know that they contain no information of genealogical import. All documents from this period show Uri's residence as Beatrice, Gage Co., NE.
A few of these documents from the 1870s and 1880s are worth summarizing for the insight they provide into the alleged nature and severity of Uri's disability. According to a Surgeon's Certificate, dated Oct. 29, 1878, Uri Farr was then a pensioner for "chronic diarrhoea" at the rate of $8/month. His age was 63, his height 5 feet 8 ½ inches, his complexion fair. The surgeon, Joseph L. Webb, wrote of Uri "I find on examination of Uri Farr the tongue red slick and pointed. the bowels tympannetic. the skin rough and dry. his bowels move very seldom less than six times per day and most of the time from twelve too twenty times per day with pain and tenesmus [?] seldom passes a day without one or more bloody stools. he is confined to the house about one half of the time and to his bed more than one fourth of the time. he is frequently atack with pain so severe that without help could not get into the house. he has not been able to do a days work in a day for two or three years." Webb found Uri's disability to be "total third grade."
As is typical of pension cases, Uri sometimes took exception to his doctor's opinions. In an affidavit sworn to August 9th [might instead read "4th"], 1883, Uri stated "that the medical board who examined him at Lincoln May 21 1883 did not in his opinion do him justice and that this affidavit is made for the purpose of having another examination--affiant says that by reason of his said chronic diarrhoea he is wholly disabled from manual labor. That for the past week he has had passages from 8 to 12 times per day each day--That this morning he rose at 5 o'clock and now at 10 oclock a.m. has had five passages since rising--That for years your affiant has not slept a single night without rising to have a passage and most of the time more than once per night--For years affiant says that when his disease troubles him the least he has never had less than four passages in 24 hours. Affiant says that it would be difficult from the nature of his troubles to prove these facts from witnesses outside of his family but that some of these facts can be so proven if it is desired by the department."
As is also typical of pension cases, Uri sometimes balked at the demands imposed by the pension bureau. In a letter to the commissioner of pensions, dated Oct. 9, 1883, on the letterhead of Sabin & Cobbey, Attorneys, Beatrice, Neb., Uri wrote: "I was ordered to appear before the medical board at Marysville Kas. for examination sometime [?] before Dec 6th. I am not able to go at present--and it is quite a task for me to go when in the best of health--my physician thinks it would be dangerous for me to attempt to go for now and there is no immediate prospect of me being able to go--I understand the department have just appointed a board at this place and I would most respectfully request to be ordered to report to this board for examination instead of the Kansas board."
The last Surgeon's Certificate in the file, dated Mar. 12, 1884, states that Uri Farr was then a pensioner at $18.00/month, was aged 69 years, weighed 134 pounds, was 5 feet, and 7¼ inches in height. The Surgeon found Uri "an emaciated and feeble old man. Marked distention of bowels and general tenderness on slight pressure. Tympanistic [?] sound on descending colon and nearly the entire left side of bowels (i.e. on percussion). General dullness on percussion of nearly the entire right side bowels. Stomach tender to slight pressure. Rectum appears irratable [sic] and flaccid. Liver appears about normal, but slightly tender on pressure. Auscultation & percussion of chest reveals nothing abnormal except moist rales [??] occasionally. Heart sounds normal & pulse regular. Spleen appears normal. In our opinion claimants disability from chronic diarrhoea is equivalent to the loss of a hand or foot." The degree of disability was reported as "total 3rd grade."
The pension file concludes with a short document, dated Dec. 4, 1916, stating Uri Farr was last paid to Sept. 4, 1885, and that he died Sept. 30, 1885, "dropped as per letter July 23/86." The disbursing clerk was located Beatrice, Neb. I have no idea why this document was dated 1916, fully 30 years after Uri's stated date of death. Usually pension files contain a "drop report" dated to within a month or two of the pensioner's date of death.
Also lacking from Uri's pension file are any declarations for widow's pension. This might mean that Huldah, though living, never filed for such a pension (presumably out of ignorance of her entitlement thereto) -- however, I have never before seen a pension file where the wife was living and yet failed to file for a widow's pension. I therefore suspect that Huldah had died sometime before Uri. She is found in the 1880 census, therefore she probably died between 1880 and 1886.
Ancestree Articles, Vol V, no. 2, page 53 - Fall 1982, submitted by Mrs. Ernest B. Smethers, Beatrice, NE, to the usgenweb site for Gage Co., NE, reproduces a list of Civil War Veterans buried in Beatrice Cemetery, originally published in the 28 May 1907 Beatrice Daily Express, Gage County. Listed there are the names of Uriah Farr & Millard Fillmore (Uri's son-in-law). No other information (e.g., inscriptions) is given.
Also appearing on the usgenweb site for Gage Co., NE, are transcribed cemetery records originally published in The Nebraska and Midwest Genealogical Record in 1926. The transcribed article was contributed by Mrs. R. J. Kilpatrick. It is noted at this site that Beatrice Cemetery is also known as "Scott Street Cemetery, ... located in Beatrice on the northeast quarter of section 3 of Riverside Township," and the link to this page identifies Beatrice Cemetery as "Elysian Cemetery." This listing does not include Uriah Farr, though it does include Uri's son-in-law "Millard Fillmore, Co. E, 15th Wis. Inf."
CENSUS (all extracted from ancestry.com scans): Oct. 15, 1850. Ellisburgh, Jefferson Co., New York. Page 341R stamped. Lines 36-40. Dwelling 1910, Family 1927. Uri Farr, 36M, farmer, Real Estate valued at 300, no birth place shown; Huldah, 31F, b. Vt.; Wm C, 9M, no birth place shown; Julietta [?], 3F, no birth place shown; Lucia, 1/12F, no birth place shown. No birth places are given anywhere on this page unless they are not New York, which I take to imply that all blank birth places are New York. Jeremiah Farr and family also appear on this page.Aug. 1, 1860. Coral Twp., McHenry Co., Ill. Post Office of Harmony. Page 467. Lines 36-39. Dwelling 3531, Family 3411. Uriah Farr, 45M, Farm Lab., b. VT; Hulda, 40F [might also read 41 or 44], b. NY; Lucy, 10F [might also read 11], b. NY; Edmund [I read this initially as Edwind, but ancestry.com rendered as Edmund, which I think is more likely], 2M, b. Ill. [?]
Aug. 21, 1870. Beatrice, Gage Co., Nebraska. Post Office of Beatrice. Page No. 15 (628 stamped). Lines 8-9. Dwelling 5, Family 5. Uriah Farr, 45M, Carpenter, no property listed, b. New York; Wm. Farr, 26M, Farmer, no real estate, other property valued at 500, b. New York.
Aug. 9, 1870. Coral, McHenry Co., Illinois. Post Office of Union. Page No. 1 (251 stamped). Lines 6-11. Dwelling 2, Family 2. Farr, Huldah, 49F, keeping house, real estate valued at 500, other property valued at 200, b. N.Y.; Farr, Eddie, 12M, b. Ill. Dwelling 2, Family 3. Fillmore, Millard, 26M, Farmer, no real estate, other property valued at 400, b. N.Y.; Lucia, 20F, keeping house, b. N.Y.; Emma, 3F, b. Ill; Viola, 1F, b. Ill.
June 8 & 9, 1880. City of Beatrice, Gage Co., NE. SD 1, ED 347. Page No. 73 (stamped). Lines 3-5. Dwelling 65, Family 65. Farr (could also be read Forr), Uria, 68M, retired carpenter, disabled with rheumatism, b. N York, fb. N York, mb. N York; Farr, Huldah, 60F, wife, housekeeper, disabled with "Cholera M", b. Vermont, fb. Vermont, mb. Ver; Farr, Hurley W. (or perhaps Harley W.), 16M, Grandson, single, b. Illinois, fb. N york, mb. N york.
Children of URI FARR and HULDAH ? are:
WILLIAM C.7 FARR, b. Abt. 1841, NY.
JULIETTA FARR, b. Abt. 1847, NY; d. 29 Jul 1853, Ellisburgh, Jefferson Co., NY.
LUCIA FARR, b. Abt. Sep 1850, NY.
EDMUND FARR, b. Abt. 1858, IL.
