Asa W. Farr
Asa Walton Farr was an American lawyer, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Walworth County during the 1856 term. Before moving to Wisconsin, he had served as district attorney of Middlesex County, Massachusetts from 1851 to 1853. During the American Civil War, he served as a Union Army quartermaster officer and was murdered by Confederate guerillas in the massacre at Baxter Springs.
Biography
New England
Asa Farr was born in Sharon, Vermont, in February 1821. He was raised and educated in New England. By 1841 he was residing in Lowell, Massachusetts. He worked as a printer was connected with the publication Vox Populi. He became a lawyer in 1845 and two years later formed the firm of Butler and Farr with Benjamin Butler. In 1851, Farr was appointed district attorney of Middlesex County, Massachusetts by Governor George S. Boutwell. He was removed from office for political reasons by Boutwell's successor, John H. Clifford.Wisconsin
Disheartened by his firing, Farr moved to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, with his wife and children. He was admitted to the Wisconsin bar in 1853 and he formed a legal partnership with Charles Minton Baker.Farr was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1855 and served in the 9th Wisconsin Legislature.
Civil War
At the outbreak of the American Civil War, Farr volunteered for service in the Union Army and was enrolled as an assistant quartermaster in the 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment. The 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry was involved in anti-guerilla operations in the Trans-Mississippi theater of the war, especially around the Kansas-Missouri border area.In October 1863, Farr was attached to the escort of General James G. Blunt near Fort Baxter, in Cherokee County, Kansas, when they came under attack from several hundred Confederate guerillas, led by William Quantrill. The Union caravan was overrun and many wounded and captured Union soldiers were murdered, including Farr, in what was referred to as the massacre at Baxter Springs.
Personal life and family
Asa Farr was youngest of seven children born to Jonathan and Rebecca Farr. Through his Walton ancestors, Farr was a descendant of William Walton, a clergyman who emigrated from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony about 1635.Asa Farr married Elisabeth Hadley on May 13, 1845, at Lowell, Massachusetts. They had at least two children.