William Washington Farwell (1817 - 1894)

Born 5 Jan 1817 in Morrisville, Madison, New York, USA

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 30 Apr 1894 at age 77 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, USA

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Biography

WILLIAM WASHINGTON FARWELL was born in Morrisville, N.Y., January 5, 1817. His early life did not differ much from that of other farmers' sons in that day and region.^[1] He made the most, however, of his educational opportunities, passing through the primary schools and acadeny of his native town, and entered Hamilton College, at Clinton, New York, in 1833.^[2] Before attaining his majority in 1837, he was graduated from that old solid institution of learning with credit to himself and his alma mater.^[3][4] He was a student of law with Surrogate O. P. Granger, of Morrisville, and with Potter & Spaulding, of Buffalo. Was admitted to the bar at Rochester, in October, 1841, and practiced law in Morrisville until May, 1848.

In the spring of 1849 went to California by the overland route, and returned to New York in 1850 by way of Panama. Was married to Mary E. Granger, of Morrisville, February 12, 1851, and practiced law in Morrisville until his removal to Chicago in November, 1854. He had been admitted to the Bar of Illinois in 1848, and he now devoted himself assiduously to the labors of his profession, rapidly winning for himself a reputation for soundness and ability.^[5] In the spring of 1855, the firm of Goodrich, Farwell, & Scovell was formed.^[6] In June, 1870, he was appointed one of the judges of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill., and held this office nine years. In 1880 he was chosen professor of equity, jurisprudence, and practice in the Chicago Union College of Law, and held this position thirteen years.^[7] His practical experience, his ripe scholarship, and sound judgment made him especially useful in preparing young men for the practice of law, and his resignation was received with regret by faculty and students.^[8] He died of pneumonia, April 30, 1894, at 534 West Monroe Street, Chicago. His wife survives, and two sons, Granger Farwell and John W. Farwell.^[9]

Judge Farwell was a faithful member of the Congregational Church, in which he appropriately and consistently filled the office of Deacon for some time.^[10] In every relation of his life he was true, and the history of his life stands as an inspiration and encouragement to young men everywhere.^[11] Especially are his upright life and official course commended to the emulation of all who wish to win friends and enjoy the good opinion and blessing of their fellows.^[12]

From Industrial Chicago: William Washington Farwell first came to Chicago in 1846 and here remained until 1849. In the latter year he caught the prevalent California fever, and having suffered considerably from ill health previously, and believing the trip would do him good, he crossed the plains with an emigrant train, and in due time reached the "el Dorado " of the West. He was thus one of the famous "forty-niners" who opened the way to the " Golden Gate," who gave the wealth of the Pacific Slope to the world, and who, in many instances, left their bones to whiten in the gulches of the mountain mines. He remained a short time, and then returned by water to his old home in New York State, where he continued the practice of his profession of law. In 1856 he came to Chicago for permanent residence. Old practitioners will recollect well the firm of Goodrich, Farwell & Smith, of which he became a member soon after his arrival. The fame of this well-known firm soon gave them one of the most profitable practices in the city. In 1870 he was elected judge of the circuit court here, and served with distinction continuously until 1879. For several years past he has been one of the lecturers of the Union Law College, and has had charge of several large estates. His career has been one of distinction and honor.^[13]

Sources

1. ↑ Album of Genealogy and Biography, Cook County, Illinois. Chicago, IL: Calumet Book & Engraving Company, 1896. 4th Edition. Page 458.
2. ↑ Album of Genealogy and Biography, Cook County, Illinois. Chicago, IL: Calumet Book & Engraving Company, 1896. 4th Edition. Page 458.
3. ↑ Album of Genealogy and Biography, Cook County, Illinois. Chicago, IL: Calumet Book & Engraving Company, 1896. 4th Edition. Page 458.
4. ↑ Farwell, William Washington. 1837 Class Annalist's Letter. Delivered June, 1887. https://www.hamilton.edu/about/history/half-century-annalists-letters/1837. Accessed 5 Feb 2021
5. ↑ Album of Genealogy and Biography, Cook County, Illinois. Chicago, IL: Calumet Book & Engraving Company, 1896. 4th Edition. Page 459.
6. ↑ Album of Genealogy and Biography, Cook County, Illinois. Chicago, IL: Calumet Book & Engraving Company, 1896. 4th Edition. Page 459.
7. ↑ Album of Genealogy and Biography, Cook County, Illinois. Chicago, IL: Calumet Book & Engraving Company, 1896. 4th Edition. Page 459.
8. ↑ Album of Genealogy and Biography, Cook County, Illinois. Chicago, IL: Calumet Book & Engraving Company, 1896. 4th Edition. Page 459.
9. ↑ Hamilton College Catalogue. Clinton, NY: Hamilton College, 1893. Page 64.
10. ↑ Album of Genealogy and Biography, Cook County, Illinois. Chicago, IL: Calumet Book & Engraving Company, 1896. 4th Edition. Page 459.
11. ↑ Album of Genealogy and Biography, Cook County, Illinois. Chicago, IL: Calumet Book & Engraving Company, 1896. 4th Edition. Page 459.
12. ↑ Album of Genealogy and Biography, Cook County, Illinois. Chicago, IL: Calumet Book & Engraving Company, 1896. 4th Edition. Page 459.
13. ↑ Hotchkiss, George Woodward. Industrial Chicago: The Lumber Interests, Volume 6. Chicago, IL: Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1894. Pages 513-515.

• "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MX42-R5Z : 10 November 2020), Wm M Farwell, 1860.
• "Illinois State Census, 1865," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCKC-7MN : 27 November 2020), Wm Farwell, Ward 1 - 12, Chicago, Cook, Illinois; citing Ward 1 - 12, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, Census, p. 484, Illinois State Archives, Springfield; FHL microfilm.
• "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXN5-FZT : 12 November 2020), William Farwell, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States; citing enumeration district ED 94, sheet 248B, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,254,192.
• "Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1871-1998," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2M3-YW32 : 8 March 2018), Wm W Farwell, 30 Apr 1894; citing Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States, source reference 5041, record number 78, Cook County Courthouse, Chicago; FHL microfilm 1,030,994.
• American Ancestry: Giving Name and Descent, in the Male Line, of Americans Whose Ancestors Settled in the United States Previous to the Declaration of Independence, A. D. 1776, Volume 3. Albany, NY: Joel Munsell's Sons, 1888. Page 109.
• "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVVT-9D16 : 1 June 2020), William Washington Farwell, 1894; Burial, , Lake Forest Cemetery; citing record ID 27992258, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.