Fulton County in 1871

In 1871, Samuel Farr lived in Pleasant Township (Ipava) and had lived 35 years in Fulton County.

Fulton County, Illinois was created in 1823 from neighboring Pike County, only five years after Illinois became a state. It was named after Robert Fulton, the inventor of the steamboat who was famous throughout the United States. The county seat is Lewistown. Fulton County is rich in history. Some highlights include:

• It was part of the Military Tract of 1812, where land was granted as payment to volunteers of the War of 1812.
• Camp Ellis was the largest U.S. Army training facility of its kind in the nation during World War II.
• Stephen A. Douglas served as a Circuit Court judge
• Abraham Lincoln practiced law here and in 1858 delivered his “Return to the Fountain” speech
• It was the childhood home of Edgar Lee Master, who wrote the famous Spoon River Anthology in 1915
• Fulton County is well known for the Spoon River Scenic Drive Fall Festival, which attracts 1,000’s of people from all over the country. The event, started in 1968, occurs every year during the first two weekends of October.

The first members of the Farr family to move to Fulton County were Cooper Farr, Samuel Farr and Elizabeth Farr Lindsey in 1836. They came from near Cincinnati, Ohio in covered wagons. The journey took a month to travel from Ohio across Indiana and Central Illinois. Samuel Farr was the first to purchased land in Fulton County on October 24, 1836. He bought 43 acres of land for 53 dollars. On March 15, 1837, his brother Cooper Farr purchased 120 acres from the Federal Government in the southeast quarter of section three of Astoria Township for $150 dollars. Nathan Lindsey, Elizabeth Farr’s husband, purchased 83 acres of land in Fulton County on March 14, 1837 for $103. They all bought in the Ipava, Vermont, Astoria area of Fulton County.