Life History

Notes

• The Farrar Family Genealogy has a good generational history of the Farrar (Ferrier) family going back to William the Conqueror.  The first excerpt here introduces the origins and the line leading to the Thomas Farrar included in this genealogy.
  
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  From the beginning, the Farrar family name has had many variations: Ferris, Ferrer, Farrer, Ferrier, Farris, Farrar, and Faries. All these families claim to be from the same family, and therefore must be variations of the same name. All are descended from the deFerriers who came to England with William Conqueror in 1066, and then from the Ferris family of Leicestershire, England, descended from Henri deFerriers, son of Gwalchalme deFerriers, who was Master of Horse to the Duke of Normandy. His name is found "upon the Battle Abbey Roll".
  
  We do know that there was a Henry Ferriers who came with William the Conqueror to England from a town named Ferriers or Ferrieres in France. His descendants continue to possess the estate of Baddlesley Clinton, Warwickshire, England. The Ferriers were a distinguished family in England and France. The surname is originally Norman and means "one who works in iron", which could have been in any country.
  
  This line begins with Henrie Farrar, Sr. He was born abt 1480 in Ewood, Halifax Parish, England, and died Nov. 6, 1549 in Yorkshire, England. He married Agnes Barcroft Horsefalls in 1513 in Halifax, England. She was born abt 1480 in Stothlay, Yorkshire, England, and died Nov. 26, 1549 in Yorkshire.
  --  http://www.angelfire.com/al2/bcampbell/farrar.html
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  I include here an excerpt that provides information about Thomas and his father.  This source explains that the Farrar family first settled in Farrar's Island (actually a peninsula within a hairpin bend of the James River) in what was then Henrico County, now Chesterfield County, south of Richmond.
  
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  William Farrar II (son of William, gson of John Jr) was born 1626 at Farrar's Island, Henrico Co., VA, and died Feb. 1, 1678 in Charles City, VA. He married Mary Piggot Baugh abt 1653 VA. She was born abt 1627 VA, and died 1676 VA. This William Farrar was known as Colonel William Farrar. He served Henrico County, VA, as justice and as burgess.
  He and Mary had 6 children:
  (1) William III, b. 1656 Farrar's Island, VA, d. April 3, 1721 Farrar's Island
  (2) Martha, b. 1664 Farrar's Island, married Walter Shipley
  (3) Thomas, b. 1665 Farrar's Island, d. 1742, St. James Northan [Northam], VA
  married first to Mary Ligon and then to Katherine Perrin in 1686
  (4) John, b. abt 1670 VA, d. bef 1729 Farrar's Island, married Temprance Brown
  (5) Cecily, b. abt 1672 Farrar's Island; AND (6) Martha, b. abt 1672, VA
  --  http://www.angelfire.com/al2/bcampbell/farrar.html
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  Note that this source gives Thomas' birth year as 1655.  Another Source reports the year as 1662.  Years of birth were in many cases not recorded or variously reported in contemporary and later sources.
  
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  Farrar, Thomas
  Birth 1662 Farrar's Island, VA
  Death 1742 Goochland Co, VA
  Father Farrar, William Col.,
  Mother Piggot, Mary
  Marriage 2 OCT 1686
  Spouse Perrin, Katherine
  Birth 1667, Death UNKNOWN
  Father Perrin, Richard, Mother Royall, Katherine
  --  Reaves, http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tracks/reaves/dat10.htm#199
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Sources

• 1. Reaves Genealogy, RootsWeb
  • http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com~tracks/reaves/dat10.htm#199
• 2. Farrar Family Genealogy
• 3. Family Data Collection - Births
• 4. Descendants of John Barnett and Catherine Farrar
• 5. Ancestry Trees
  • Rickard - Winfrey, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/7087067/person/-1161287512
• 6. Find a Grave Memorial Registry