Tuesday, April 7, 2015

A to Z April Challenge: F is for Farrar


“We need to get together more often and not at a funeral.” How many times have you and a cousin said that? Funerals are much like a family reunion. You can learn a lot about a family just by looking at who showed up. Using my grandparents’ guest books and sympathy cards, I’ll be exploring “Who came to the funeral?


is for Farrar, Lewis Granville Farrar to be exact, the husband of Elta Sullivan, my maternal grandfather’s cousin.

Lewis and family attended the funeral for Orvin Davis in October 1963. They also sent a spray of yellow gladiolas.




Lewis was born in 1898, but I could not find him in the 1900 census.  In 1910 Lewis (11) and his mother Sarah (44) were listed as servants in the home of Edwin Hamilton in Augusta County.  Sometime before 1920, they moved to Shenandoah in Page County where Lewis went to work for the railroad.

My collection of photos indicates my grandfather was always close to his Sullivan cousins, frequently at one another’s home. I imagine Lewis and my grandfather became good friends. 
 
Lewis Farrar, Orvin Davis, Elta Sullivan  http://jollettetc.blogspot.com
Lewis Farrar in sunglasses, Elta, Orvin Davis,
Laura Sullivan, Pearl Sullivan

Lewis Farrar, Elta S. Farrar, Pearl Strole, Maxine Strole, Minnie Breeden  http://jollettetc.blogspot.com
Lewis Farrar
Pearl Sullivan Strole, Elta S. Farrar
baby Maxine Strole, Minnie Sullivan Breeden
Lewis and Elta married about 1920 and lived with her parents in Shenandoah for a time. Lewis began working for the N & W Railroad as a car repairman, but by 1930 he was an electrician. They bought a house on Second Street and began their family.

The 1940 census for Norfolk County indicates the Farrars were still in Shenandoah in 1935; daughter Phyllis was 4 years old, so it appears that Lewis and Elta moved their family to Portsmouth in 1936 when jobs for electricians were plentiful at the shipyard. He remained an electrician at the shipyard the rest of his working days.

Lewis died in November 1970. He and Elta are buried together in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens in Chesapeake, Virginia.












For more Frivolity, Fantasy and Fun, do yourself a Favor and Find your way to the A to Z Challenge


© 2015, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.

16 comments:

  1. Two great old photos in this post - they always fascinate me.

    Sorry it's taken me so long to find you on A-Z, Wendy. The pale 'orange' links on the participants lists are straining my eyes!!

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    1. No problem! I didn't realize you were doing AtoZ until I saw your comment on Kristin's blog. I should have remembered that you are a regular AtoZ-er.

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    1. Me too -- maybe it was Easter. Thanks for reading.

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  3. How fun to do an A to Z on your family history!

    Stopping by from the A to Z: www.marie-everydaymiracle.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks -- I enjoy family history so AtoZ lets me do random stories about people that are not family and/or have only brief stories since I am not invested in spending lots of time on them. Thanks for visiting and commenting.

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  4. I love how ladies used to wear hats back in the day. A few years ago I finally started wearing a hat because I realized these are great for keeping the sun off your face.

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    1. My sister can rock a hat -- I just look ridiculous.

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  5. I am just amazed as always at all that you have for your family and you do such a beautiful job at bringing it all together in your posts about them. Fun post!

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    1. You're just being kind. I'm afraid these AtoZ stories are very thin.

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  6. I love the picture of Lewis with the ladies, those sunglasses look snazzy almost for the time. I do marvel at your research and the info you have on the various people in your family or attended the funeral (I know I'll probably say that a lot but I do marvel). I had an aunt who did a lot with ancestry, etc., but I think when she passed no one picked up the sword so to speak to carry on. It is fascinating to learn about the past.

    betty

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    1. I love those sunglasses -- he has a Blues Brothers vibe.

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  7. I don't know what it is about that picture that interests me so much. Maybe the eyes?

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    1. Oops, should say the LAST picture.

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    2. Elta looks a little bug-eyed to me. The picture makes me wonder where the other sisters were.

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  8. I guess Lewis and Granddaddy were electricians in the shipyard together. Another great post!

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