John William Farrar (1758 - 1830)

Born 1 Aug 1758 in Chesterfield County, Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Abernathy) Farrar — married 3 May 1783 in Lincoln County, North Carolina, United States

Descendants

Died Jul 1830 at age 71 in Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Hal Smith [send private message]

Biography

There is a question as to his middle name. Middle names prior to the revolution were almost unheard of, think George Washington, Patrick, Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin. No otherchild of this father had a middle name. It ispossible that some family researcher conflated two sons, John and William into one.

John was born about 1750. John Farrar ... He passed away about 1830. ^[1]

It is believed by descendants that this John Farrar was a pioneer of Boonsborough, Kentucky in 1775. As an intimate of Judge Richard Henderson of NC, who "bought" Kentucky from the Cherokee Indians for £10,000 worth of trade goods in 1775, John traveled to Watauga for the treaty with the Cherokees. He was chosen to be the transfer agent of Kentucky from the Cherokees to the Transylvania Land Company, of which Henderson was the founder. Daniel Boone had been hired by Henderson to help arrange the treaty and John Farrar was an intimate of Boone from 1775 until Boone's death in 1820.. Farrar went to Boonsborough with Boone and claimed 1400 acres near Otter Creek, a tributary of the Kentucky River. He stayed long enough to make a corn crop as part of his land claim. The claim was officially filed in 29 Dec. 1779 with a certificate for 400 plus 1000 acres issued by the Virginia Land Commission Claim filed 9 Feb 1780. This was during the hard winter of 1779-1780, said to be the coldest in 400 years. John Farrar was a Captain in the Revolutionary War with two enlistments for about 2 ½ years total as follows: 25 May 1778 to 11 June 1779 and 14 July 1781 to 10 January 1783.

Married Elizabeth Abernathy on 3 May 1783 and lived in Lincoln County, NC. Sired 10 children. After her death married Elizabeth Williams and sired 9 children. Had farms in NC and TN and was a carpenter by trade.

However a trade as carpenter does not square with his role as attorney for the Cherokee.

A lawyer giving up the profession to work as a carpenter which requires skills, acquired through apprenticeship.

Two different career paths, two different social classes. Two different studies, one is long hours and days in classroom learning law, the other long hours and days over the workbench.

The two cannot be reconciled in the person of John Farrar born 1750

Henderson was himself a lawyer, and found a legal way around the Crown law that prohibited Colonists from settling more than 100 miles from the coast.

The King was afraid of war with the French, and the Indians (a war which George Washington subsequently started when he didn't control his Indian allies, and the massacred the French patrol out of Ft Duquesne, (Ft Pitt, Pittsburg)

So Henderson cooked up this scheme, he used a Cherokee chief of his acquaintance to sell him land that he didn't own. You see Kentucky or Cain tuck was no mans land, no Indian tribe lived there, it was for hunting only. But Judge Henderson rightly figured if he could present the Crown with a sale, entered into voluntarily, he would not be guilty of treason (which was the name for a crime where there was a flagrant violation of Crown Law).

So John Farrar, a young lawyer, properly remunerated engaged in this charade, it even included the old Saxon tradition of seizen, where the chief scooped up some land and presented it to Judge Henderson.

Too bad that the Cherokee sold something that they didn't own or even occupy. As you know the Indians did not own land, they simply occupied it, farmed it and hunted on it, ownership of land is an Anglo Norman thing, alien to the natives, to all natives everywhere.

Boone's trail, was actually the Indian warpath, first carved out as a game trail, but used by the Indians, mostly the Sioux and Fox, the intrusion of white's was a violation of a long standing tradition, but Henderson, every hungry for the quick buck, knew that and could cared less, leaving the migrants to be butchered.

This is the most authoritative book on the subject: http://www.amazon.com/Daniel-Boone-Wilderness-John-Bakeless/dp/1406761575

A beneficial side effect was that on Sycamore Shoals, a group set up the Watauga Republic, or Independent state of Watauga, which immediately declared itself sovereign and free of Crown rule, laws and taxes.

The Crown could do nothing about it, access was too hazardous and they were out of the public view.

However during the revolution, an English officer by name of Maj Patrick Ferguson, led a group of Loyalist militia to attack, and in his words, wipe out the rebels, http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-revolution/4272

The men of Watauga grabbed their rifles and virtually jogged over the mountains to catch Ferguson and his Loyalist militia on King's Mountain.

It is reported that Ferguson said that not even God could get him off the mountain, and tis true for his grave is the only marked grave on King's Mountain.

About Capt. John Farrar

6. JOHN WILLIAM10 FARRAR (WILLIAM9, GEORGE8, WILLIAM7, WILLIAM6, WILLIAM5, JOHN4, WILLIAM3, HENRIE2, HENRY1)1 was born 01 Aug 1758 in Mecklenburg, Chesterfield County, Virginia1, and died 1830 in Cryuston, Lincoln County, Tennessee1.

He married (1) ELIZABETH "BETSY" ABERNATHY1 03 May 1783 in Lincoln County, North Carolina1. She was born Abt. 1766 in Lincoln County, North Carolina1, and died Aft. 1803 in Perry County, Missouri1.

He married (2) ELIZABETH WILLIAMS1. She was born 1780 in North Carolina, and died 1840 in Lincoln County, Tennessee1.

DAR Ancestor #: A038961 •from http://www.angelfire.com/al2/bcampbell/farrar.html

Notes for JOHN WILLIAM FARRAR: In 1771, prior to the Revolutionary War, he is enlisted by Captain Leonard Bullock to fight the Regulators in a State Militia Company commanded by Captain Nathaniel Hart. John served for 78 days. Then in 1775, he accompanied Nathaniel Hart and Richardson Henderson to Watauga where he represented the Cherokee Indians in the Treaty of Watauga (March 1775), after which he traveled to Boonesborough, Kentucky, where he obtained a land grant for 400 acres at Otter Creek. While he was in Kentucky, the Revolutionary War began and he returned to Granville County, NC, probably in 1776. On May 25, 1778, John enlisted in the North Carolina Militia, and on June 6, 1778, was elected Captain by his company and recommended for a commission, which was granted by Governor Richard Caswell on June 13, 1778. He served in the Battle of Guilford Court House on March 15, 1781, and on July 14, 1781, was appointed by the North Carolina House as Captain of the 5th Company.

John William married Elizabeth: May 3, 1783, Lincoln County, Lincolnton, North Carolina.

“John and Elizabeth (Abernathy) Farrar and family moved to Perry County, Missouri, about 1823 with five of their sons: William, Robert, Miles, John and Moses.” [Sheri L. Acosta, Ancestors of Samuel & Tracy Acosta 10/01/97, Family Tree Maker User Home Page, ‘electronic.]

“He settled in North Carolina and stayed until 1810, when at the age of 70 he moved to the new settlement of Cyruston, Missouri. While some of the Missouri descendants content that John himself continued to Missouri where he died, the only documentation of his death that I know of is his will, which was probated in Lincoln County, Tennessee. When coupled with an article in the May, 1904, edition of ‘The Lincoln County News’ which gives the location of John Farrar’s farm, it is most likely that this patriarch spent the last remaining years of his life in Tennessee. One point of family legend has it that John fought in the American Revolutionary War rising from the rank of Private to Captain, and at one time served under General Nathaniel Greene. However, his service cannot be verified in the National Archive, or any other place for that matter.

While lack of documentation does not disprove the possibility of his service, it is possible that over time his part in the war was confused with his uncle John (brother of his father, William).” [Michael Ray Farrar, Farrar Lineage, (personal home page; printout on January 11, 1998), ‘electronic.’]

“He [John William] received his commission as 2nd Lt. On October 13, 1777, in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, in Cpt. Lewis Parham’s Co., of Militia, under Col. Bennett Goode (Meck. Co. OB 4, 374). He took the oath of Captain in 1783 (Meck. Co. OB 5, 375). His uncle, John Farrar (1728 - 1808) was already a Captain in September, 1777, a month before his nephew was commissioned 2nd Lt.” [Sheri L. Acosta, Ancestors of Samuel & Tracy Acosta 10/01/97, Family Tree Maker User Home Page, ‘electronic.’]

John William’s military service included: American Revolutionary War, Captain who served under General Sevier.

John William’s will was probated: Lincoln County, Tennessee.

Took the oath of 2nd Lt. on Oct 13, 1777 in Mecklenburg Co, Virginia in Captain Lewis Parham's Company of Militia under Col Bennett Goode (Meck. Co. OB 374)

Took the oath of Captain in 1783 (Meck. Co. OB 5, 375)

Under General Seiver

Was with Daniel Boone during the founding of Boonesborough Kentucky in 1775 as reported by son Joseph Farrar in Goodspeed's History of Tennessee 1887.

Cabinet maker by trade.

1771: Prior to the Revolutionary War is enlisted by Captain Leonard Bullock to fight the Regulators in a State Militia Company commanded by Captain Nathaniel Hart. John served for 78 days.

1775: Accompanied Nathaniel Hart and Richardson Henderson to Watauga where he represented the Cherokee Indians in the treaty of Watauga, after which he traveled to Boonesborough, Kentucky where he obtained a land grant of 400 acres at Otter Creek. While in Kentucky the Revolutionary War began and he returned to Granville Co, N.C. probably in 1776.

1778: On May 25, 1778 John enlisted in the N.C. Militia and on June 06, 1778 is elected Captain by his company and is recommended for a commission, which was granted by Governor Richard Caswell on June 13, 1778.

1781: He served in the Battle of Guilford Court House on March 15, 1781.

Sources

1. ↑ Entered by William Farrar, Tuesday, November 5, 2013.

•http://www.worldfamilies.net/forum/index.php?action=printpage;topic=4211.0 DNA Kit Number : 192288

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/46651231/john-william-farrar: accessed 23 September 2022), memorial page for CPT John William Farrar (1 Aug 1758–Jul 1830), Find a Grave Memorial ID 46651231, citing Farrar-Shipp Cemetery, Lincoln County, Tennessee, USA; Maintained by Doc Young (contributor 37552981) .