According to "The Farr Genealogy" by the Rev. Charles N. Sinnett, Asahel real name was spelled Ansell but was known as Asahel.
According to Caledonia Co. probate records dated March 1823, the last two children (Mary and Jonathan) were given to Sylvanus Hemmingway of Waterford for guardianship. It states their ages as 13 and 10. Levi R. Farr was appointed Administrator of the Estate.
Source: Copy of probate in possession of Tim Farr
Asahel Farr Deed To Winslow Farr:
Know all men by these presents that I Asahel Farr of Waterford in the count of Caledonia and State of Vermont for and in consideration of three hundred dollars to me well and truly paid before the delivery hereof by Winslow Farr of Waterford aforesaid the Receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge have given granted bargained and Sold and by these presents do give grant bargain sell alien enfeoff convey and confirm unto him the said Winslow Farr his heirs and assigns forever the following tract or parcel of land lying and being in Waterford aforesaid described as follows, viz. Lot number Eleven in the tenth range and is the first division of the Right of Noah Crittenden except thirty five acres off of the south end of said lot which I have heretofore Deeded.
To have and to hold the said granted premises with all the privileges and appurtenances to the same belonging to him the said Winslow Farr his heirs and assigns to him and their own proper use and benefit forever and I the said Asahel Farr for myself my heirs executors and administrators do hereby covenant grant and agree to and with the said Winslow Farr his heirs and assigns that at and until the sealing these presents I am the lawful owner of the said premises am_____________thereof in my own right in fee Simple to have good right and lawful authority to sell and convey the same in manner aforesaid and that the said premises are free and clear of all and every incumbrance whatsoever And I the said Asahel Farr for myself my heirs executors and administrators engage to warrant and defend the said premises to him the said Winslow Farr his heirs and assigns against the lawful claims and demands of any person or persons whomsoever.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and on the thirteenth day of February one thousand eight hundred and seventeen.
Signed and Sealed and delivered in the presence of Sylvanus
Hemingway Hemingway
Asahel Farr (Ls)
State of Vermont Waterford February 13, 1817
Caledonia County Personally appeared Asahel Farr Signer and Sealer of the above instrument and acknowledged the __________ to be his free act and Deed.
Sylv. S. Hemingway Justice Peace
Aforesaid April 1st 1824 the above is a true record
Attest. Sylv. S. Hemingway, Town Clerk
DEATH: 57 years, 29 days, wife; Lydia, cemetery; Lower Waterford.
DEATH: 49 years, 11 months, 5 days, husband; Asahel Farr, cemetery; Lower Waterford.
Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah, p.866
FARR, WINSLOW (son of Ashael Farr, baptized March 23, 1776, at Chesterfield, Vt., and Lydia Snow, born March 18, 1772, Chesterfield, Vt. married 1786). He was born Jan. 14, 1794, Chesterfield, Vt, Came to Utah Sept. 30, 1850, Joseph Young company. Married Olive Hovey Freeman Dec. 5, 1816, Hanover, Vt. (daughter of Elijah Freeman, born Nov. 3, 1757, Mansfield, Conn., and Olive Hovey, born Oct. 30, 1761, died Oct. 21, 1820 married Dec. 27, 1781). She was born June 23, 1799, Lebanon, NH., died March 10, 1893, Big Cottonwood, Utah. Their children: John b. Dec. 14, 1817, d. infant; Aaron Freeman b. Oct. 31, 1818, m. Persis Atherton Jan. 16, 1844; Lorin b. July 27, 1820, m. Nancy B. Chase; Olive Hovey b. March 18, 1825, m. William Walker Nov. 3, 1843; Diantha b. Oct. 12, 1828, m. William Clayton Jan. 1845; Winslow b. May 11, 1837, m. Emily Jane Covington Oct. 17, 1858. Family resided Waterford and Charleston, Vt., before coming to Utah. Appointed one of municipal high council of twelve 1846. Settled on Big Cottonwood river 1851. Died Aug. 25, 1867, Big Cottonwood, Utah.
Archibald F. Bennett, Saviors on Mount Zion, p.113 In the Genealogical Library are bound volumes of the Era, in one of which appears this story:
Concerning Gratitude
by President George Albert Smith
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33.)
My great-grandparents lived in New England. When the message of the restored gospel was first taken to that section by Orson Pratt and others, the houses of worship were not open to them. They had a difficult time in finding a place in which to preach. They came to a small village and thought surely they would readily find someone who would offer to open a place for the preaching of the gospel, but they found none. At length they inquired of a man on the street as to where they could secure a place. He said, "Go find Winslow Farr. I think he can help you. So they went to see Winslow Farr; he was easily found; everyone knew him. They told him what they wanted to find a place in which to preach the gospel. He asked, "What are you going to preach about?" They answered, "Jesus Christ and the gospel." He said, "I will help you. They found a place and invited the people to come. Orson Pratt told them God had spoken again from the heavens, and that a young man named Joseph Smith had received heavenly manifestations. The Lord had directed him to an ancient record which the Prophet translated the Book of Mormon. It was a divine record, the story of the ancestry of the American Indians.
Orson Pratt's testimony was so effective that Winslow Farr came up to him, took his hand, and said, "I have enjoyed your meeting tonight. Where are you going to stay?" On learning that they had no place to stay, he said, "You come home with me. The missionaries didn't know that Winslow Farr's wife was dying of a dread disease tubercular consumption. But this servant of the Lord, Orson Pratt, seeing her condition and realizing how kind her husband had been, looked at her and asked, "Have you faith to be healed?" The doctor had said she could not be healed, could live but a few days. When asked that question she said, "I don't know if I have that faith or not, but I know God could heal me if he wanted to. And then this servant of the Lord said, calling her by her given name, "Olive, in the name of God, I command you to be healed." She was healed and in a few days was going about performing her household duties.
It was not long after that the Farrs came [p.114] down where our people were situated in Nauvoo. And when our people came farther west, the Farrs were among the first to come. Winslow Farr, my great-grandfather, and Olive Farr, his wife, had three sons and a daughter born to them. They were among the first people to live in Ogden. The last time the Farr family assembled to celebrate her birthday, they found she was grandmother, great-grandmother, or great-great-grandmother to more than three hundred and twenty people, and I was one of the great-grandchildren.
Excerpts From A Patriarchal Blessing Given By
Patriarch John Smith On The Head Of Winslow Farr Sr.
On 7/23/1845 At Nauvoo, Ill.
Thou has obeyed the Gospel with an honest heart, hast not regarded the scorn of thy friends, nor the persecutions of thine enemies, has suffered and labored much for the moving forward the cause of Zion. The lord is well pleased with thee and thy name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life to remain there forever. Thou are of the Blood of Ephraim thy posterity shall be exceedingly numerous and I seal upon thee a continuation of lives. Thou art called to be a counselor in the House of Israel and this shall be thy salvation through all the generations of thy posterity, thou shall do a great work to bring about much restoration for the House of Israel and gather thy thousands into the church and establish them in the Land of Zion with very much treasure thou shalt be able to do any miracle that ever was done by man when it is necessary to forward thy work. Thou shall be able to prevail over thy enemies and not a hair of thy head shall fall by their hands...(15)
Volume 9, p. 312 #935 ( Church Historical Department)
An excerpt from:
Biography of Diantha Farr Clayton
by Sharon Jeppson
It is no surprise that the Farr family had receptive hearts for the message of the gospel. T. Earl Pardoe, a family historian, recorded a family story told to him by his grandfather, Lorin Farr. Prior to Diantha's birth, Grandfather Elijah Freeman came to visit the family. Lorin was just six years of age, but he would sit by his grandfather, and hear him say again and again that the true Church of Christ was not upon the earth. Grandfather Freeman was a devout man who had withdrawn from the Congregational Church, because he felt that it covered-up serious wrongdoing and protected the offenders. He had immersed himself deeply into the scriptures and would tell his loved ones that when the true church was restored it would have apostles, prophets, and gifts of the Spirit. He told them that Israel would be gathered again and Jerusalem would be rebuilt. He informed his family that they were living in the last days and that they might be fortunate enough to see the gospel restored in all of its beauty.
By the time the Mormon Elders arrived, Grandfather Freeman had passed on, but his family recognized the truth. When Lorin first heard the teachings of the Elders, he exclaimed, Why that is what my grandfather said. After his baptism, Father Winslow was ordained a Teacher, a Priest, and then, in July of 1834, an Elder in the Melchizedek Priesthood. As the Farr family began serving in the church, they found their testimonies growing, and they developed a yearning desire to join the body of the Saints in Ohio. (3, pp. 23-25)
This desire was realized four years after their baptism, when Diantha was eight years of age. As Winslow was a man who was highly respected in the community, the townsfolk were not pleased to hear of his desire to move from the area and join the Mormons in their gathering place.
Tullidge in his biographies of Men of Northern Utah, p. 177 writes:
Father Farr sold out his property, he having some 2,000 acres of land, but found it difficult to sell for anything near its worth, his neighbors throwing every obstacle in his way to prevent him from selling as he was a prominent and influential man in the country, they did not want him to leave to gather with the deluded Mormons. Determined, however, to leave in the fall and winter of '36-7, he sold a portion of his property for one-fourth less than its true value. By September 1837, he got his teams ready and the entire family prepared to go to Kirtland, Ohio.
A village party was given the Farrs for their leaving, but many of Winslow's and Olive's friends stayed away, telling them frankly that such going showed little wisdom and warranted naught but trouble and ultimate disgrace.(3, p. 26)
Marriage: Water Town Clerk, Index of Marriage Records Book 2, page 229. Married by Sylvanus Hemingway.
CENSUS: Age 57. Listed with wife Olive and son Winslow.
CENSUS: Winslow had a household of 6, a real wealth of $1500, and a personal wealth of $600.
Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah, p.866
FARR, WINSLOW (son of Ashael Farr, baptized March 23, 1776, at Chesterfield, Vt., and Lydia Snow, born March 18, 1772, Chesterfield, Vt. married 1786). He was born Jan. 14, 1794, Chesterfield, Vt, Came to Utah Sept. 30, 1850, Joseph Young company. Married Olive Hovey Freeman Dec. 5, 1816, Hanover, Vt. (daughter of Elijah Freeman, born Nov. 3, 1757, Mansfield, Conn., and Olive Hovey, born Oct. 30, 1761, died Oct. 21, 1820 married Dec. 27, 1781). She was born June 23, 1799, Lebanon, NH., died March 10, 1893, Big Cottonwood, Utah. Their children: John b. Dec. 14, 1817, d. infant; Aaron Freeman b. Oct. 31, 1818, m. Persis Atherton Jan. 16, 1844; Lorin b. July 27, 1820, m. Nancy B. Chase; Olive Hovey b. March 18, 1825, m. William Walker Nov. 3, 1843; Diantha b. Oct. 12, 1828, m. William Clayton Jan. 1845; Winslow b. May 11, 1837, m. Emily Jane Covington Oct. 17, 1858. Family resided Waterford and Charleston, Vt., before coming to Utah. Appointed one of municipal high council of twelve 1846. Settled on Big Cottonwood river 1851. Died Aug. 25, 1867, Big Cottonwood, Utah.
Archibald F. Bennett, Saviors on Mount Zion, p.113 In the Genealogical Library are bound volumes of the Era, in one of which appears this story:
Concerning Gratitude
by President George Albert Smith
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33.)
My great-grandparents lived in New England. When the message of the restored gospel was first taken to that section by Orson Pratt and others, the houses of worship were not open to them. They had a difficult time in finding a place in which to preach. They came to a small village and thought surely they would readily find someone who would offer to open a place for the preaching of the gospel, but they found none. At length they inquired of a man on the street as to where they could secure a place. He said, "Go find Winslow Farr. I think he can help you. So they went to see Winslow Farr; he was easily found; everyone knew him. They told him what they wanted to find a place in which to preach the gospel. He asked, "What are you going to preach about?" They answered, "Jesus Christ and the gospel." He said, "I will help you. They found a place and invited the people to come. Orson Pratt told them God had spoken again from the heavens, and that a young man named Joseph Smith had received heavenly manifestations. The Lord had directed him to an ancient record which the Prophet translated the Book of Mormon. It was a divine record, the story of the ancestry of the American Indians.
Orson Pratt's testimony was so effective that Winslow Farr came up to him, took his hand, and said, "I have enjoyed your meeting tonight. Where are you going to stay?" On learning that they had no place to stay, he said, "You come home with me. The missionaries didn't know that Winslow Farr's wife was dying of a dread disease tubercular consumption. But this servant of the Lord, Orson Pratt, seeing her condition and realizing how kind her husband had been, looked at her and asked, "Have you faith to be healed?" The doctor had said she could not be healed, could live but a few days. When asked that question she said, "I don't know if I have that faith or not, but I know God could heal me if he wanted to. And then this servant of the Lord said, calling her by her given name, "Olive, in the name of God, I command you to be healed." She was healed and in a few days was going about performing her household duties.
It was not long after that the Farrs came [p.114] down where our people were situated in Nauvoo. And when our people came farther west, the Farrs were among the first to come. Winslow Farr, my great-grandfather, and Olive Farr, his wife, had three sons and a daughter born to them. They were among the first people to live in Ogden. The last time the Farr family assembled to celebrate her birthday, they found she was grandmother, great-grandmother, or great-great-grandmother to more than three hundred and twenty people, and I was one of the great-grandchildren.
Excerpts From A Patriarchal Blessing Given By
Patriarch John Smith On The Head Of Winslow Farr Sr.
On 7/23/1845 At Nauvoo, Ill.
Thou has obeyed the Gospel with an honest heart, hast not regarded the scorn of thy friends, nor the persecutions of thine enemies, has suffered and labored much for the moving forward the cause of Zion. The lord is well pleased with thee and thy name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life to remain there forever. Thou are of the Blood of Ephraim thy posterity shall be exceedingly numerous and I seal upon thee a continuation of lives. Thou art called to be a counselor in the House of Israel and this shall be thy salvation through all the generations of thy posterity, thou shall do a great work to bring about much restoration for the House of Israel and gather thy thousands into the church and establish them in the Land of Zion with very much treasure thou shalt be able to do any miracle that ever was done by man when it is necessary to forward thy work. Thou shall be able to prevail over thy enemies and not a hair of thy head shall fall by their hands...(15)
Volume 9, p. 312 #935 ( Church Historical Department)
An excerpt from:
Biography of Diantha Farr Clayton
by Sharon Jeppson
It is no surprise that the Farr family had receptive hearts for the message of the gospel. T. Earl Pardoe, a family historian, recorded a family story told to him by his grandfather, Lorin Farr. Prior to Diantha's birth, Grandfather Elijah Freeman came to visit the family. Lorin was just six years of age, but he would sit by his grandfather, and hear him say again and again that the true Church of Christ was not upon the earth. Grandfather Freeman was a devout man who had withdrawn from the Congregational Church, because he felt that it covered-up serious wrongdoing and protected the offenders. He had immersed himself deeply into the scriptures and would tell his loved ones that when the true church was restored it would have apostles, prophets, and gifts of the Spirit. He told them that Israel would be gathered again and Jerusalem would be rebuilt. He informed his family that they were living in the last days and that they might be fortunate enough to see the gospel restored in all of its beauty.
By the time the Mormon Elders arrived, Grandfather Freeman had passed on, but his family recognized the truth. When Lorin first heard the teachings of the Elders, he exclaimed, Why that is what my grandfather said. After his baptism, Father Winslow was ordained a Teacher, a Priest, and then, in July of 1834, an Elder in the Melchizedek Priesthood. As the Farr family began serving in the church, they found their testimonies growing, and they developed a yearning desire to join the body of the Saints in Ohio. (3, pp. 23-25)
This desire was realized four years after their baptism, when Diantha was eight years of age. As Winslow was a man who was highly respected in the community, the townsfolk were not pleased to hear of his desire to move from the area and join the Mormons in their gathering place.
Tullidge in his biographies of Men of Northern Utah, p. 177 writes:
Father Farr sold out his property, he having some 2,000 acres of land, but found it difficult to sell for anything near its worth, his neighbors throwing every obstacle in his way to prevent him from selling as he was a prominent and influential man in the country, they did not want him to leave to gather with the deluded Mormons. Determined, however, to leave in the fall and winter of '36-7, he sold a portion of his property for one-fourth less than its true value. By September 1837, he got his teams ready and the entire family prepared to go to Kirtland, Ohio.
A village party was given the Farrs for their leaving, but many of Winslow's and Olive's friends stayed away, telling them frankly that such going showed little wisdom and warranted naught but trouble and ultimate disgrace.(3, p. 26)
Marriage: Water Town Clerk, Index of Marriage Records Book 2, page 229. Married by Sylvanus Hemingway.
CENSUS: Age 57. Listed with wife Olive and son Winslow.
CENSUS: Winslow had a household of 6, a real wealth of $1500, and a personal wealth of $600.
Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 5, p.196
As the St. Lawrence River leaves Lake Ontario, it flows in a northeasterly direction and on into southern Canada, thus forming part of the boundary line between the United States and Canada. To the east lies Lake Champlain and to the south the Mohawk Valley. This section of the state of New York is known as St. Lawrence County. Early day records give little information as to the exact locations of birthplaces, consequently the birthplace of Almina Randall is designated merely as St. Lawrence County, New York. The date of her birth is given as 28 November 1814. Almina's parents were Henry and Sarah Randall.
The Henry Randall family were staunch Methodists and as such took part in the community in which they resided until 1834, when they moved to Niagara County, New York. Niagara County is joined on the south by Erie County, on the north by Lake Ontario, and on the west by the Niagara River which includes the great Niagara Falls. Into this region came Samuel Milliner, a convert from Edinburgh, Scotland. In April, 1843 Almina Randall was baptized a member of the Church by Samuel Milliner, and in 1845 she migrated to Nauvoo, Illinois. Here she found confusion and the disorder which existed prior to the expulsion of the Saints the following spring. Evidently Almina Randall was not accompanied to Nauvoo by members of her family. It became necessary for such members of the Church to be cared for by others and Almina was fortunate in being sent to the Winslow Farr home. These kind and gracious Saints gave her a good home and loving care. As the time arrived for departure to the west, it was decided that Winslow Farr should marry Almina Randall, as a plural wife (1845), and as such she left Nauvoo with the family.
Not much information is available concerning Almina's life in Utah, but the following report was given in the newspaper at the time of her death: "After her (Mrs. Farr's) arrival in Great Salt Lake City in 1850, she occupied a lone habitation near the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon where she was exposed to great danger from maurading Indians. Subsequently, she lived for a time on a farm in Big Cottonwood where her husband died in August, 1866. Previous to his death, however, she moved to Salt Lake City. For over forty [p.197] years she followed the profession of midwife and in that capacity waited upon thousands of her sisters."
Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 5, p.197
Another incident which influenced her life was when Mary W. Huff, a widow with five children whom she had known in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, came into the valley. Mary had been a member of the Uriah Curtis company and while crossing the plains they were married. The Huff children became very fond of "Aunt Mina" and sometimes stayed a day or two with her. Following the move south at the coming of Johnston's Army Mary and her family remained in Springville, but her daughter, Lavina Huff, was permitted to return to Salt Lake with Almina Farr. Here Lavina continued her attendance at school and assisted her foster mother with the care of some of her patients. The young girl appreciated the love and care "Aunt Mina" gave to her and Almina was truly grateful for the comfort which Lavina brought to her lonely abode.
On the 13th of October, 1865, Lavina, now twenty years of age, was married to William H. Folsom as third wife. Almina Farr cared tenderly for her foster daughter during the delivery of her first five children who were born in Salt Lake City. Then, in 1877, Lavina and her family bade Almina goodbye for they were moving to Manti where they were to live while Mr. Folsom took charge of the construction of the Manti Temple.
Almina Randall Farr made her home on North West Temple Street in Salt Lake City in the 17th Ward. It was here she passed away on February 26, 1891, at the age of seventy-seven years.Nina Folsom Moss
Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah, p.866
FARR, WINSLOW (son of Ashael Farr, baptized March 23, 1776, at Chesterfield, Vt., and Lydia Snow, born March 18, 1772, Chesterfield, Vt. married 1786). He was born Jan. 14, 1794, Chesterfield, Vt, Came to Utah Sept. 30, 1850, Joseph Young company. Married Olive Hovey Freeman Dec. 5, 1816, Hanover, Vt. (daughter of Elijah Freeman, born Nov. 3, 1757, Mansfield, Conn., and Olive Hovey, born Oct. 30, 1761, died Oct. 21, 1820 married Dec. 27, 1781). She was born June 23, 1799, Lebanon, NH., died March 10, 1893, Big Cottonwood, Utah. Their children: John b. Dec. 14, 1817, d. infant; Aaron Freeman b. Oct. 31, 1818, m. Persis Atherton Jan. 16, 1844; Lorin b. July 27, 1820, m. Nancy B. Chase; Olive Hovey b. March 18, 1825, m. William Walker Nov. 3, 1843; Diantha b. Oct. 12, 1828, m. William Clayton Jan. 1845; Winslow b. May 11, 1837, m. Emily Jane Covington Oct. 17, 1858. Family resided Waterford and Charleston, Vt., before coming to Utah. Appointed one of municipal high council of twelve 1846. Settled on Big Cottonwood river 1851. Died Aug. 25, 1867, Big Cottonwood, Utah.
Archibald F. Bennett, Saviors on Mount Zion, p.113 In the Genealogical Library are bound volumes of the Era, in one of which appears this story:
Concerning Gratitude
by President George Albert Smith
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33.)
My great-grandparents lived in New England. When the message of the restored gospel was first taken to that section by Orson Pratt and others, the houses of worship were not open to them. They had a difficult time in finding a place in which to preach. They came to a small village and thought surely they would readily find someone who would offer to open a place for the preaching of the gospel, but they found none. At length they inquired of a man on the street as to where they could secure a place. He said, "Go find Winslow Farr. I think he can help you. So they went to see Winslow Farr; he was easily found; everyone knew him. They told him what they wanted to find a place in which to preach the gospel. He asked, "What are you going to preach about?" They answered, "Jesus Christ and the gospel." He said, "I will help you. They found a place and invited the people to come. Orson Pratt told them God had spoken again from the heavens, and that a young man named Joseph Smith had received heavenly manifestations. The Lord had directed him to an ancient record which the Prophet translated the Book of Mormon. It was a divine record, the story of the ancestry of the American Indians.
Orson Pratt's testimony was so effective that Winslow Farr came up to him, took his hand, and said, "I have enjoyed your meeting tonight. Where are you going to stay?" On learning that they had no place to stay, he said, "You come home with me. The missionaries didn't know that Winslow Farr's wife was dying of a dread disease tubercular consumption. But this servant of the Lord, Orson Pratt, seeing her condition and realizing how kind her husband had been, looked at her and asked, "Have you faith to be healed?" The doctor had said she could not be healed, could live but a few days. When asked that question she said, "I don't know if I have that faith or not, but I know God could heal me if he wanted to. And then this servant of the Lord said, calling her by her given name, "Olive, in the name of God, I command you to be healed." She was healed and in a few days was going about performing her household duties.
It was not long after that the Farrs came [p.114] down where our people were situated in Nauvoo. And when our people came farther west, the Farrs were among the first to come. Winslow Farr, my great-grandfather, and Olive Farr, his wife, had three sons and a daughter born to them. They were among the first people to live in Ogden. The last time the Farr family assembled to celebrate her birthday, they found she was grandmother, great-grandmother, or great-great-grandmother to more than three hundred and twenty people, and I was one of the great-grandchildren.
Excerpts From A Patriarchal Blessing Given By
Patriarch John Smith On The Head Of Winslow Farr Sr.
On 7/23/1845 At Nauvoo, Ill.
Thou has obeyed the Gospel with an honest heart, hast not regarded the scorn of thy friends, nor the persecutions of thine enemies, has suffered and labored much for the moving forward the cause of Zion. The lord is well pleased with thee and thy name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life to remain there forever. Thou are of the Blood of Ephraim thy posterity shall be exceedingly numerous and I seal upon thee a continuation of lives. Thou art called to be a counselor in the House of Israel and this shall be thy salvation through all the generations of thy posterity, thou shall do a great work to bring about much restoration for the House of Israel and gather thy thousands into the church and establish them in the Land of Zion with very much treasure thou shalt be able to do any miracle that ever was done by man when it is necessary to forward thy work. Thou shall be able to prevail over thy enemies and not a hair of thy head shall fall by their hands...(15)
Volume 9, p. 312 #935 ( Church Historical Department)
An excerpt from:
Biography of Diantha Farr Clayton
by Sharon Jeppson
It is no surprise that the Farr family had receptive hearts for the message of the gospel. T. Earl Pardoe, a family historian, recorded a family story told to him by his grandfather, Lorin Farr. Prior to Diantha's birth, Grandfather Elijah Freeman came to visit the family. Lorin was just six years of age, but he would sit by his grandfather, and hear him say again and again that the true Church of Christ was not upon the earth. Grandfather Freeman was a devout man who had withdrawn from the Congregational Church, because he felt that it covered-up serious wrongdoing and protected the offenders. He had immersed himself deeply into the scriptures and would tell his loved ones that when the true church was restored it would have apostles, prophets, and gifts of the Spirit. He told them that Israel would be gathered again and Jerusalem would be rebuilt. He informed his family that they were living in the last days and that they might be fortunate enough to see the gospel restored in all of its beauty.
By the time the Mormon Elders arrived, Grandfather Freeman had passed on, but his family recognized the truth. When Lorin first heard the teachings of the Elders, he exclaimed, Why that is what my grandfather said. After his baptism, Father Winslow was ordained a Teacher, a Priest, and then, in July of 1834, an Elder in the Melchizedek Priesthood. As the Farr family began serving in the church, they found their testimonies growing, and they developed a yearning desire to join the body of the Saints in Ohio. (3, pp. 23-25)
This desire was realized four years after their baptism, when Diantha was eight years of age. As Winslow was a man who was highly respected in the community, the townsfolk were not pleased to hear of his desire to move from the area and join the Mormons in their gathering place.
Tullidge in his biographies of Men of Northern Utah, p. 177 writes:
Father Farr sold out his property, he having some 2,000 acres of land, but found it difficult to sell for anything near its worth, his neighbors throwing every obstacle in his way to prevent him from selling as he was a prominent and influential man in the country, they did not want him to leave to gather with the deluded Mormons. Determined, however, to leave in the fall and winter of '36-7, he sold a portion of his property for one-fourth less than its true value. By September 1837, he got his teams ready and the entire family prepared to go to Kirtland, Ohio.
A village party was given the Farrs for their leaving, but many of Winslow's and Olive's friends stayed away, telling them frankly that such going showed little wisdom and warranted naught but trouble and ultimate disgrace.(3, p. 26)
Marriage: Water Town Clerk, Index of Marriage Records Book 2, page 229. Married by Sylvanus Hemingway.
CENSUS: Age 57. Listed with wife Olive and son Winslow.
CENSUS: Winslow had a household of 6, a real wealth of $1500, and a personal wealth of $600.
Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah, p.866
FARR, WINSLOW (son of Ashael Farr, baptized March 23, 1776, at Chesterfield, Vt., and Lydia Snow, born March 18, 1772, Chesterfield, Vt. married 1786). He was born Jan. 14, 1794, Chesterfield, Vt, Came to Utah Sept. 30, 1850, Joseph Young company. Married Olive Hovey Freeman Dec. 5, 1816, Hanover, Vt. (daughter of Elijah Freeman, born Nov. 3, 1757, Mansfield, Conn., and Olive Hovey, born Oct. 30, 1761, died Oct. 21, 1820 married Dec. 27, 1781). She was born June 23, 1799, Lebanon, NH., died March 10, 1893, Big Cottonwood, Utah. Their children: John b. Dec. 14, 1817, d. infant; Aaron Freeman b. Oct. 31, 1818, m. Persis Atherton Jan. 16, 1844; Lorin b. July 27, 1820, m. Nancy B. Chase; Olive Hovey b. March 18, 1825, m. William Walker Nov. 3, 1843; Diantha b. Oct. 12, 1828, m. William Clayton Jan. 1845; Winslow b. May 11, 1837, m. Emily Jane Covington Oct. 17, 1858. Family resided Waterford and Charleston, Vt., before coming to Utah. Appointed one of municipal high council of twelve 1846. Settled on Big Cottonwood river 1851. Died Aug. 25, 1867, Big Cottonwood, Utah.
Archibald F. Bennett, Saviors on Mount Zion, p.113 In the Genealogical Library are bound volumes of the Era, in one of which appears this story:
Concerning Gratitude
by President George Albert Smith
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33.)
My great-grandparents lived in New England. When the message of the restored gospel was first taken to that section by Orson Pratt and others, the houses of worship were not open to them. They had a difficult time in finding a place in which to preach. They came to a small village and thought surely they would readily find someone who would offer to open a place for the preaching of the gospel, but they found none. At length they inquired of a man on the street as to where they could secure a place. He said, "Go find Winslow Farr. I think he can help you. So they went to see Winslow Farr; he was easily found; everyone knew him. They told him what they wanted to find a place in which to preach the gospel. He asked, "What are you going to preach about?" They answered, "Jesus Christ and the gospel." He said, "I will help you. They found a place and invited the people to come. Orson Pratt told them God had spoken again from the heavens, and that a young man named Joseph Smith had received heavenly manifestations. The Lord had directed him to an ancient record which the Prophet translated the Book of Mormon. It was a divine record, the story of the ancestry of the American Indians.
Orson Pratt's testimony was so effective that Winslow Farr came up to him, took his hand, and said, "I have enjoyed your meeting tonight. Where are you going to stay?" On learning that they had no place to stay, he said, "You come home with me. The missionaries didn't know that Winslow Farr's wife was dying of a dread disease tubercular consumption. But this servant of the Lord, Orson Pratt, seeing her condition and realizing how kind her husband had been, looked at her and asked, "Have you faith to be healed?" The doctor had said she could not be healed, could live but a few days. When asked that question she said, "I don't know if I have that faith or not, but I know God could heal me if he wanted to. And then this servant of the Lord said, calling her by her given name, "Olive, in the name of God, I command you to be healed." She was healed and in a few days was going about performing her household duties.
It was not long after that the Farrs came [p.114] down where our people were situated in Nauvoo. And when our people came farther west, the Farrs were among the first to come. Winslow Farr, my great-grandfather, and Olive Farr, his wife, had three sons and a daughter born to them. They were among the first people to live in Ogden. The last time the Farr family assembled to celebrate her birthday, they found she was grandmother, great-grandmother, or great-great-grandmother to more than three hundred and twenty people, and I was one of the great-grandchildren.
Excerpts From A Patriarchal Blessing Given By
Patriarch John Smith On The Head Of Winslow Farr Sr.
On 7/23/1845 At Nauvoo, Ill.
Thou has obeyed the Gospel with an honest heart, hast not regarded the scorn of thy friends, nor the persecutions of thine enemies, has suffered and labored much for the moving forward the cause of Zion. The lord is well pleased with thee and thy name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life to remain there forever. Thou are of the Blood of Ephraim thy posterity shall be exceedingly numerous and I seal upon thee a continuation of lives. Thou art called to be a counselor in the House of Israel and this shall be thy salvation through all the generations of thy posterity, thou shall do a great work to bring about much restoration for the House of Israel and gather thy thousands into the church and establish them in the Land of Zion with very much treasure thou shalt be able to do any miracle that ever was done by man when it is necessary to forward thy work. Thou shall be able to prevail over thy enemies and not a hair of thy head shall fall by their hands...(15)
Volume 9, p. 312 #935 ( Church Historical Department)
An excerpt from:
Biography of Diantha Farr Clayton
by Sharon Jeppson
It is no surprise that the Farr family had receptive hearts for the message of the gospel. T. Earl Pardoe, a family historian, recorded a family story told to him by his grandfather, Lorin Farr. Prior to Diantha's birth, Grandfather Elijah Freeman came to visit the family. Lorin was just six years of age, but he would sit by his grandfather, and hear him say again and again that the true Church of Christ was not upon the earth. Grandfather Freeman was a devout man who had withdrawn from the Congregational Church, because he felt that it covered-up serious wrongdoing and protected the offenders. He had immersed himself deeply into the scriptures and would tell his loved ones that when the true church was restored it would have apostles, prophets, and gifts of the Spirit. He told them that Israel would be gathered again and Jerusalem would be rebuilt. He informed his family that they were living in the last days and that they might be fortunate enough to see the gospel restored in all of its beauty.
By the time the Mormon Elders arrived, Grandfather Freeman had passed on, but his family recognized the truth. When Lorin first heard the teachings of the Elders, he exclaimed, Why that is what my grandfather said. After his baptism, Father Winslow was ordained a Teacher, a Priest, and then, in July of 1834, an Elder in the Melchizedek Priesthood. As the Farr family began serving in the church, they found their testimonies growing, and they developed a yearning desire to join the body of the Saints in Ohio. (3, pp. 23-25)
This desire was realized four years after their baptism, when Diantha was eight years of age. As Winslow was a man who was highly respected in the community, the townsfolk were not pleased to hear of his desire to move from the area and join the Mormons in their gathering place.
Tullidge in his biographies of Men of Northern Utah, p. 177 writes:
Father Farr sold out his property, he having some 2,000 acres of land, but found it difficult to sell for anything near its worth, his neighbors throwing every obstacle in his way to prevent him from selling as he was a prominent and influential man in the country, they did not want him to leave to gather with the deluded Mormons. Determined, however, to leave in the fall and winter of '36-7, he sold a portion of his property for one-fourth less than its true value. By September 1837, he got his teams ready and the entire family prepared to go to Kirtland, Ohio.
A village party was given the Farrs for their leaving, but many of Winslow's and Olive's friends stayed away, telling them frankly that such going showed little wisdom and warranted naught but trouble and ultimate disgrace.(3, p. 26)
Marriage: Water Town Clerk, Index of Marriage Records Book 2, page 229. Married by Sylvanus Hemingway.
CENSUS: Age 57. Listed with wife Olive and son Winslow.
CENSUS: Winslow had a household of 6, a real wealth of $1500, and a personal wealth of $600.
Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah, p.866
FARR, WINSLOW (son of Ashael Farr, baptized March 23, 1776, at Chesterfield, Vt., and Lydia Snow, born March 18, 1772, Chesterfield, Vt. married 1786). He was born Jan. 14, 1794, Chesterfield, Vt, Came to Utah Sept. 30, 1850, Joseph Young company. Married Olive Hovey Freeman Dec. 5, 1816, Hanover, Vt. (daughter of Elijah Freeman, born Nov. 3, 1757, Mansfield, Conn., and Olive Hovey, born Oct. 30, 1761, died Oct. 21, 1820 married Dec. 27, 1781). She was born June 23, 1799, Lebanon, NH., died March 10, 1893, Big Cottonwood, Utah. Their children: John b. Dec. 14, 1817, d. infant; Aaron Freeman b. Oct. 31, 1818, m. Persis Atherton Jan. 16, 1844; Lorin b. July 27, 1820, m. Nancy B. Chase; Olive Hovey b. March 18, 1825, m. William Walker Nov. 3, 1843; Diantha b. Oct. 12, 1828, m. William Clayton Jan. 1845; Winslow b. May 11, 1837, m. Emily Jane Covington Oct. 17, 1858. Family resided Waterford and Charleston, Vt., before coming to Utah. Appointed one of municipal high council of twelve 1846. Settled on Big Cottonwood river 1851. Died Aug. 25, 1867, Big Cottonwood, Utah.
Archibald F. Bennett, Saviors on Mount Zion, p.113 In the Genealogical Library are bound volumes of the Era, in one of which appears this story:
Concerning Gratitude
by President George Albert Smith
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33.)
My great-grandparents lived in New England. When the message of the restored gospel was first taken to that section by Orson Pratt and others, the houses of worship were not open to them. They had a difficult time in finding a place in which to preach. They came to a small village and thought surely they would readily find someone who would offer to open a place for the preaching of the gospel, but they found none. At length they inquired of a man on the street as to where they could secure a place. He said, "Go find Winslow Farr. I think he can help you. So they went to see Winslow Farr; he was easily found; everyone knew him. They told him what they wanted to find a place in which to preach the gospel. He asked, "What are you going to preach about?" They answered, "Jesus Christ and the gospel." He said, "I will help you. They found a place and invited the people to come. Orson Pratt told them God had spoken again from the heavens, and that a young man named Joseph Smith had received heavenly manifestations. The Lord had directed him to an ancient record which the Prophet translated the Book of Mormon. It was a divine record, the story of the ancestry of the American Indians.
Orson Pratt's testimony was so effective that Winslow Farr came up to him, took his hand, and said, "I have enjoyed your meeting tonight. Where are you going to stay?" On learning that they had no place to stay, he said, "You come home with me. The missionaries didn't know that Winslow Farr's wife was dying of a dread disease tubercular consumption. But this servant of the Lord, Orson Pratt, seeing her condition and realizing how kind her husband had been, looked at her and asked, "Have you faith to be healed?" The doctor had said she could not be healed, could live but a few days. When asked that question she said, "I don't know if I have that faith or not, but I know God could heal me if he wanted to. And then this servant of the Lord said, calling her by her given name, "Olive, in the name of God, I command you to be healed." She was healed and in a few days was going about performing her household duties.
It was not long after that the Farrs came [p.114] down where our people were situated in Nauvoo. And when our people came farther west, the Farrs were among the first to come. Winslow Farr, my great-grandfather, and Olive Farr, his wife, had three sons and a daughter born to them. They were among the first people to live in Ogden. The last time the Farr family assembled to celebrate her birthday, they found she was grandmother, great-grandmother, or great-great-grandmother to more than three hundred and twenty people, and I was one of the great-grandchildren.
Excerpts From A Patriarchal Blessing Given By
Patriarch John Smith On The Head Of Winslow Farr Sr.
On 7/23/1845 At Nauvoo, Ill.
Thou has obeyed the Gospel with an honest heart, hast not regarded the scorn of thy friends, nor the persecutions of thine enemies, has suffered and labored much for the moving forward the cause of Zion. The lord is well pleased with thee and thy name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life to remain there forever. Thou are of the Blood of Ephraim thy posterity shall be exceedingly numerous and I seal upon thee a continuation of lives. Thou art called to be a counselor in the House of Israel and this shall be thy salvation through all the generations of thy posterity, thou shall do a great work to bring about much restoration for the House of Israel and gather thy thousands into the church and establish them in the Land of Zion with very much treasure thou shalt be able to do any miracle that ever was done by man when it is necessary to forward thy work. Thou shall be able to prevail over thy enemies and not a hair of thy head shall fall by their hands...(15)
Volume 9, p. 312 #935 ( Church Historical Department)
An excerpt from:
Biography of Diantha Farr Clayton
by Sharon Jeppson
It is no surprise that the Farr family had receptive hearts for the message of the gospel. T. Earl Pardoe, a family historian, recorded a family story told to him by his grandfather, Lorin Farr. Prior to Diantha's birth, Grandfather Elijah Freeman came to visit the family. Lorin was just six years of age, but he would sit by his grandfather, and hear him say again and again that the true Church of Christ was not upon the earth. Grandfather Freeman was a devout man who had withdrawn from the Congregational Church, because he felt that it covered-up serious wrongdoing and protected the offenders. He had immersed himself deeply into the scriptures and would tell his loved ones that when the true church was restored it would have apostles, prophets, and gifts of the Spirit. He told them that Israel would be gathered again and Jerusalem would be rebuilt. He informed his family that they were living in the last days and that they might be fortunate enough to see the gospel restored in all of its beauty.
By the time the Mormon Elders arrived, Grandfather Freeman had passed on, but his family recognized the truth. When Lorin first heard the teachings of the Elders, he exclaimed, Why that is what my grandfather said. After his baptism, Father Winslow was ordained a Teacher, a Priest, and then, in July of 1834, an Elder in the Melchizedek Priesthood. As the Farr family began serving in the church, they found their testimonies growing, and they developed a yearning desire to join the body of the Saints in Ohio. (3, pp. 23-25)
This desire was realized four years after their baptism, when Diantha was eight years of age. As Winslow was a man who was highly respected in the community, the townsfolk were not pleased to hear of his desire to move from the area and join the Mormons in their gathering place.
Tullidge in his biographies of Men of Northern Utah, p. 177 writes:
Father Farr sold out his property, he having some 2,000 acres of land, but found it difficult to sell for anything near its worth, his neighbors throwing every obstacle in his way to prevent him from selling as he was a prominent and influential man in the country, they did not want him to leave to gather with the deluded Mormons. Determined, however, to leave in the fall and winter of '36-7, he sold a portion of his property for one-fourth less than its true value. By September 1837, he got his teams ready and the entire family prepared to go to Kirtland, Ohio.
A village party was given the Farrs for their leaving, but many of Winslow's and Olive's friends stayed away, telling them frankly that such going showed little wisdom and warranted naught but trouble and ultimate disgrace.(3, p. 26)
Marriage: Water Town Clerk, Index of Marriage Records Book 2, page 229. Married by Sylvanus Hemingway.
CENSUS: Age 57. Listed with wife Olive and son Winslow.
CENSUS: Winslow had a household of 6, a real wealth of $1500, and a personal wealth of $600.
One of the first pioneers of Waterford CT and a Captan, he came in 1796.
He belonged to the Congregational church. He was sheriff and once attached property of one Tim Richardson in a way, which Richardson said, was crooked. The church called a council of ministers to hear the case and they met at the house of Joseph Hale. Among the witnesses were Joseph Knights and Vine Taylor.
Taylor, who was a curious genious, got old Tim well "beered up" for the hearing and took a seat by the side of him. Capt. Freeman got up and began to tell a pittiful story about the attachment, during which old Tim kept whispering, "He lies." Vine said, "Now is your time to tell him". Tim jumped up and boldly exclaimed, "Capt. Freeman, you lie, and I can prove it by Joseph Knights, Vine Taylor and God Almighty." The witnesses were reliable and the church dismissed him. Freeman lived with his son Aaron until he died not far from 1825.
Source: Lorin Farr Pioner by T Earl Pardoe page 9
From the records of Ben W Farr Sr:
Young Lorin Farr believed in the testimony, every word they said on the first night, and never in his life since has he doubted. While Elder Pratt was preaching his first sermon, stating that the true Church of Christ was again on the earth, with all the gifts and blessings of the gospel, and spoke of the literal gathering of the house of Israel, to rebuild Jerusalem, his mind reverted back to what he had heard his grandfather Freeman say.
When Lorin was about six years old, and grandfather Freeman came to visit Father and Mother Farr, Lorin would, sitting in his little chair by their side, hear his grandfather often say that the true Church of Christ was not on the earth. Grandfather Freeman was a religious man, having been raised in the Congregational Church, and was a devout man. He had discovered that the Church he belonged to, covered up sin and iniquity, and screened persons from justice. On this account he withdrew from the Church, notwithstanding the urgent importunings of his minister to remain with them. He was very conversant with the scriptures; Lorin heard him talk for hours with his parents, showing to them when the true church should be restored to the earth that there would be in it apostles and prophets, and the believers would enjoy all the gifts and blessings of the gospel, as they did in the days of Christ and His apostles; that the time would come when the children of Israel would be gathered back to their own lands to rebuild Jerusalem, and that we were living in the last days, and that Lorin's father and mother might Live to see the true Church of Christ organized upon the earth. it was about five years from the time that Lorin heard his grandfather talk thus, that he heard Elders Pratt and Johns on preach and tell the same thing which his grandfather said would come to pass. Believing what he had heard his grandfather say, Lorin' s mind was prepared to receive this testimony
-36-
of these servants of God; and thus believing, he obeyed at eleven years of age, and was baptized by Lyman E. Johnson in Clyde River, which was near his father's house. He was confirmed by Orson Pratt. He often retired to a bower which he had built in a grove nearby, and there obtained a testimony of the truths of the Latter-day work, which has remained with him to the present day.
Page 176. Grandfather Freeman passed away about two years before, but his children lived to realize what he said they would, Lorin has often said that his grandfather was to him and his parents, what John the Baptist was to his people. Why, that is what my grandfather said. he exclaimed to the elders.
DEATH: 71 years, husbamd of Olive Freeman.
Archibald F. Bennett, Saviors on Mount Zion, p.118 [p.119] Still more prolific are results on the Hovey line. The published Hovey Book (A6E33) is well indexed. Since numerous Olive Hoveys are listed in it, it saves time to look for the Freemans. Elijah, Olive and Olive Hovey Freeman are all shown on page 188, where the record comes down to the family of Olive Hovey who married Elijah Freeman, and their children, including Olive Hovey Freeman who married Winslow Farr. With this and a beginning we are able to chart the names of 201 forefathers of Olive Hovey, and printed pedigrees on each line, sometimes many. One line traces back from Olive Hovey Freeman Farr twenty-two generations to an Earl of Winchester in England, who was one of the Barons who forced King John to sign the Great Charter in 1215, and who died a few years later on a Crusade to Jerusalem. Nor does the pedigree end here.
DEATH: 59 years, wife of Elijah Freeman.