BIOGRAPHIES - LORIN FARR PART 1

This is the first in a series of articles about Lorin Farr, son of Winslow Farr Sr. and Olive Hovey Freeman Farr, that will be published over the next several letters. Lorin was born July 27, 1820. There was much scurry and worry at Lorin's birth about his safe delivery. Grandfather Elijah Freeman kept things in balance with his wry sense of humor.

Elijah Freeman owned several plots of land in Waterford and was very active in the community. He was a very religious man but had a falling-out with the pastor and members of the Congregational Church in the community. Lorin can remember sitting by the side of Grandfather Freeman as he talked religion with his daughter, Olive, and son-in-law, Winslow. He taught them that the Savior's true church was not on the earth but soon would be. They would recognize the church because it would have all the offices and gifts of the early church. Later Lorin would recognize the truth preached by the Mormon Elders because of the description of the church left by Grandfather Freeman. Lorin's grandparents, Elijah and Olive Hovey had been born in Connecticut and had come to Waterford from New Hampshire in the early 1800's. Lorin's other grandparents, Asahel Farr and Lydia Snow were born in New Hampshire, and also settled in Waterford early in the century. Asahel was more quiet and reserved like Winslow Farr Sr. Aaron more resembled Asahel and Lorin looked more like Elijah. Lorin also had Elijah's quick wit.

All of Lorin's grandparents had died by 1828 and are buried in the Lower Waterford Cemetery, which is located by the Connecticut River. The Farr family consisting of Winslow Farr Sr., Olive, Aaron, Lorin and Olive moved to Charleston, Vermont, north of Waterford and twenty miles south of the Canadian border. Winslow ended up buying about 2,000 acres in Charleston. It was typical for families to build up one homestead and then move on to something bigger. The Farr's had the challenge of clearing 100 acres of Vermont farm land of rocks and timber. The land was located right on the slow moving Clyde River in East Charleston. Aaron and Lorin worked side by side with their father in this difficult labor.

These hardy settlers had to provide most of their own necessities. They made their own shoes, ground corn and wheat, made soap, hats of straw, produced cloth for their clothing and made their own furniture. Pottery was fashioned on a backyard potter's wheel and fired in an oven.

They managed to have parties or bees centered around a work activity like shelling peas, extracting maple syrup, apple paring, berry harvesting, candy pulling, corn popping and other frontier activities. At these parties if a young man spotted a young lady with a red ear of corn he was entitled to a kiss. If he spotted her with a black kernal of corn he was entitled to spank the unlucky girl!

Feathers from geese became quills for the school room and ended up as quilt stuffing. They loved to hear the honking of the night flying geese, the whirr of wild turkey wings and the howling of wolves. The young boys anxiously listened for the explosion of a flintlock used in defense of the settlers' animals against wolf or bear attack. There was much in this wilderness to whet the imagination of these boys.

Wrestling was a popular sport and Aaron and Lorin were eager participants. Lorin developed some expertise in the sport and would later wrestle with the Prophet Joseph Smith. Lorin could throw men larger than himself. Bareback horse racing, horseshoes, ball playing and throwing boulders were other sports common to boys in Charleston, Vt.

Lorin loved to play a form of baseball. They played one-o-cat, rounders and cross-out. The ball was a piece of rag tied tightly with string. The bat was trimmed piece of hickory although baseball bats could be purchased in the larger cities. The bases were usually a pile of willow, flat rocks or cow droppings. The underhand pitch was used and fielders worked themselves up to bat.

Winslow and Olive were active in the community and well respected by their friends and neighbors. They were becoming fully settled into community ways. This would all change with the arrival of two young men preaching an unusual religion. We will treat this subject in our next newsletter.

The source for this article is the book, 'Winslow and Olive Farr,' by David J. Farr.