Re: Family of Henry Barr
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In reply to:
Family of Henry Barr
Connie Hines 3/05/00
Hi Connie!!
While hunting for family today (Fe. 12, 2001) I came across messages by yourself,Mary Jo Dowd, Gary Wilson (& his neighbor Stanley Barr)and Kathie Terry.My name's Michael John Barr.Dad's name was John William Barr. His dad, Jesse Guiler Barr, grew up in Iowa. However, I have a photo of his dad, Henry William Barr, and on the back of it is written "To Jesse Barr, Omaha, Neb. From Henry Barr, St. Joseph, Mo." Henry's wife was Sarah Fitzgerald. They were from Penn. I understand I'm also related to "Gig Young"(the actor) whose real name was Byron Barr. My dad said there had been a newspaper article him some years ago which talked about him having a cousin of the same name in Iowa.That guy was a cousin, according to dad...so I guess "Gig" was my dad's cousin's cousin.Back to Henry William Barr...My dad's oldest sister Ethel, said that he had married a Cherokee girl as a young man but that she'd died. (Don't have her name or any other info on that.)Henry had a number of children.One was an Episcopal minister.One was a daughter,Ethel,after whom my aunt was named. One was Grandpa Jesse (always called Jess.) He became a heating contractor and lived in Evanston, Ill. with my his wie (Rose Genevieve Hughes) and children (Jesse Guiler, James Frank, Marie Ethel, Mabel Marie and John William, my dad.)They had a farm in Agusta, Michigan, a couple of other places as well, and the house in Evanston Ill. Jesse would take out a second Mortgage on their prioperty and buy more property.Had he lived and been able to pay off those mortgages I suppose I and my sister and cousins would all be multi-millionaries.That was during the "building boom" of the early 1900s in and around Chicago.My Grandma Rose told dad that Jesse had installed plumbing in many of the big buildings that had just been built in Chicago during that period. Jesse died as a young man just about two months short of his 4oth birthday.Grandma Rose and the kids lived with her sister and family on the farm until the outbreak of the First World War.That was when soldiers came and told them to "get out or get shot" as the gov't needed the land for what then became "Camp Custer." (Later it became "Fort Custer.")I don't know if that was legal...or how they could do that, but they did it.So Rose took the Barr kids and moved in upstairs from her mother here in St. Louis.That's where dad grew up.That's where I grew up.
I don't know if any of this will help you or if any of the people I've named will ring a bell, but I hope so.I thought I'd take a shot, just in case anyone in your family might be wondering "what ever hapened to cousin so-n-so."Sooner or later it'll all connect anyway, huh?
I would love to hear from you, or Mary Jo Dowd, or Stanley Barr, or Kathie Terry or anyone else who might have any pieces of the family puzzle.
Kathie's message mentioned Mary Barr Neff.I've visited Nauvoo, Illinois a number of times and on one occasion I checked at the L.D.S. Visitor's Center to see if there had been any Barrs that had lived in early Nauvoo - and sure enough there were some.One of them was Mary Barr who'd married Jeff Neff and had gone west in 1846 as part of Jeddidiah Grant's 100, and had helped build Salt Lake City, Utah.President Brigham Young spoke at her funeraland said that "a finer woman never lived."
I have an article at home about another man named NEFF.His family has lived in and around Nauvoo for generations.It turns out he is a decendant of one of Joseph Smith's sisters. ("Sophronia" I think her name was.) Anyway, that's the same family.The info I picked up there said that the Barrs had come from Pennsylvania, as my great-grandfather had. So, I figure we're probably related.Not sure just how far back.Maybe Kathie could fill me in about that somewhat.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this!!! Please let me hear from you.You can e-mail me at: [email protected]