Clark, Robert Carlton, Ph.D. "History of the Willamette Valley Oregon."  Vol. 2.
Chicago: Chapman Publishing Company, 1927. p. 51.
 
JOHN H. FARRAR
 
     John H. Farrar, postmaster of Salem, has faithfully served the government
for nearly three decades and owes his advancement to proven worth and ability.
He is a native of the city and in both the paternal and maternal lines
represents honored pioneer families of Oregon. He was born November 25, 1872,
and is the second of the five children of John F. and Abbie (Hatch) Farrar.
Agnes, the youngest, is deceased and the others are: Edith, who is the wife of
Thomas J. Wilkerson, of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania; Dee, a resident of San
Francisco, California; and Herbert E., whose home is in San Diego, California.
 
     The mother was born in Oregon City and her father. Peter H. Hatch, came to
the Pacific coast in 1838 on a whaling vessel. He afterward made the voyage to
the Hawaiian islands and in May, 1843, became a resident of Oregon City, which
was then a community of only a few persons and stood on the outposts of
civilization. Mr. Hatch moved the first steamer up the river above the falls at
Oregon City. He was a house mover and an honest, industrious man, esteemed by
all who knew him. In 1863 he came to Salem and here spent the remainder of his
life, passing away in 1898, when eighty-seven years of age. His first wife was a
missionary of the Congregational church and a woman of fine intellect and
character. His second wife was a daughter of Dr. Alexander Robert Thompson
Locey, who lived for some time in Greenville, Illinois, and in 1844 made the
overland journey to the Pacific coast, settling in Oregon City, where he spent
the remainder of his life. He was one of the first physicians in Oregon, drew
his practice from a wide area and was an able exponent of his profession, while
his devotion to duty and sympathetic, unselfish nature won for him the high and
enduring regard of all who were brought within the sphere of his influence. In
1827 he wedded Abigail Howell and his second wife was Matilda Hawkins, to whom
he was married December 13, 1843.
 
     John F. Farrar was a native of Yorkshire, England, and a son of John
Farrar, who brought his family to the United States. He worked for a woolen
manufacturer in Massachusetts and in the '60s started for Oregon, by way of the
isthmus route. He secured employment in a woolen mill at Salem and soon
afterward opened a retail grocery store in the city. In 1878 he moved to
Portland, Oregon, and there engaged in the wholesale grocery business until his
retirement. He died at Salem in 1904 but Mrs. Farrar still resides in the
Capital city and has reached the age of seventy-seven years.
 
     John H. Farrar attended the public schools of Salem and also took a course
in a local business college. He was a meat cutter for ten years and then entered
the hop business, with which he was connected for some time. On November
23,1899, he became a substitute mail carrier and as his experience and value
increased he was steadily promoted. He was assistant postmaster for sixteen
years and since July 1, 1922, has been postmaster of Salem. He has a detailed
knowledge of the work and is exceptionally well qualified for the office,
maintaining a high standard of service.
 
     Mr. Farrar was married July 11, 1897, to Miss Lula Sayre, who was horn in
Marion county near Salem. Her parents were Richard E. and Ruth Elizabeth
(Martin) Sayre and the latter was a daughter of John and Fannie (Durbin) Martin.
The Curbing family came to Oregon in 1845 and the Martins migrated to the
Pacific coast in the '40s, settling on a donation claim near Salem.
 
     Mr. Farrar has always manifested a deep interest in matters touching the
welfare and progress of his city and is connected with the Chamber of Commerce,
of which he was formerly a director. He has represented the Young Men's
Christian Association in the same capacity and is an ex-president of the Country
Club. Along fraternal lines he is identified with the Masons and the Elks. He is
a stalwart republican and shapes his conduct by the teachings of the
Congregational church. His life has been rightly lived and the respect accorded
him is well deserved.

     
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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in June 2016 by Diana Smith.  Submitter
has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.