William H. Tarr
To mention the name of Tarr at Wellsburg, W. Va., or in any portion of Jefferson County, Ohio, is to call forth expressions of respect and esteem, for it is the name of one of the old and prominent families of this section. The early Tarrs were pioneers, thrifty, enterprising, ingenious men, and their descendants of the present generation are men of the same substantial tiber, in notable instances proving themselves masters of business and faithful aud competent representatives of the people's interests in public life. Conspicuous among them is one of Wellsburg'w leading citizens, Hon. William H. Tarr, who was elected to the West Virginia State Senate from Ohio, Hancock and Brooke Counties, in 1870, who served, until 1880, and who was again so honored by his fellow citizens in 1893, serving with distinction until 1896. During the first session Mr. Tarr was honored by being made chairman of the joint senate and House Committee, whose object was the reorganizing the entire judiciary system of the new state, an important part of which was the doing away with the old county court system, and adopting from Ohio aud New York a plan somewhat similar to that of the common pleas of those states, but under a different name. Many old and distinguished lawyers and judges of the new state served on that committee. On the second term Mr. Tarr was made chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
Hon. William H. Tarr was born at Wellsburg, W. Va., February 22, 1832. He is the second son of Campbell and Frances (Hunter) Tarr. The father, Campbell Tarr, was born on King's Creek, Hancock County, Virginia, in January, 1799, and was a son of Peter Tarr, who went to Hancock County from Maryland, in 1792. It is recorded of Peter that he established the first iron furnace ever set up west of the mountains, locating it on King's Creek and the remains of this old furnace were still in evidence there up to 1880. He undoubtedly was a skilled and expert workman and fashioned the pots and kettles that the good housewives used in their great open fireplaces and later made the great sugar kettles for which he had orders from far down the river where sugar cane was grown on every plantation. These goods were taken to their destination on flatboats. He also made the unbreakable chains for the old-time chain bridges. He became the owner of large tracts of land and had many slaves whom he later liberated. He lived to be eighty years of age, dying in 1838. He was married twice, first to Mary Casper and secondly to Mary McConnell, who survived him. By his first wife he had seven children: William, Daniel, John. Campbell, Casper, Mary and Sallie. Of his second marriage two more were born, Jackson and Amanda. Four of the sons, William, Daniel, John and Casper became prominent in the early history of the Ohio Valley as river traders, soldiers and business men generally. William Tarr was out under Harrison in 1812 and was at Fort Meigs. Casper Tarr was supposed to have been in Jackson's army at New Orleans and died on his way home. There was no direct communication witli the South in those days, so his history and fate are uncertain. Daniel and John Tarr joined old Major Congleton's Company of picked riflemen at Wellsburg, Va., and marched across the mountains on foot to defend the capital. Major Congleton was an old soldier of the Revolution. The roster of the company is published in the history of Henry Clay.
Campbell Tarr, when young developed a fondness for river life and later he and his brother, William, became traders and shippers. Shrewd business men, they made a business of buying flour and produce on both sides of the river, which they shipped to New Orleans and Cuba. Both were in business at Wellsburg and both died here, Campbell's death occurring in November, 1859. He married Frances Hunter, a daughter of John Hunter, who had come to Hancock County from Maryland, becoming the owner of several mills and 2,000 acres of land. Mrs. Tarr was born in 1808 and died in 1886. They had eight children born to them, as follows: John C.; William Hunter; Virginia, who married O. W. Langfitt; Washingion; Eugene; Ellen H.; Lucy; and Clarence. Of the above mentioned, John C, Virginia and her husband, Washington and Clarence are deceased.
William Hunter Tarr grew to manhood at Wellsburg, and after attending private schools became a student at Bethany College. Subsequently he became associated with a cousin, Campbell Tarr, in the management of a store at Wellsburg. In 1856, at the first announcement of the government sale of Indian lands, he, in partnership with his brother, John Tarr, an attorney, bought up over 14,000 acres in Kansas, in which state he lived until the opening of the Civil War, when the death of his father, about that time, caused his return to West Virginia in order to look after home affairs.
Mr. Tarr was married May 3, 1860, to Miss Laura J. Johnston, who is a daughter of Smiley Johnston, who was one of the old settlers and large landowners of Wells Township, Jefferson County, Ohio. It was on the suggestion of his father-in-law that Mr. Tarr, in 1862, bought land in Ohio, purchasing first the old William Barrett farm, in Wells Township, afterwards the Hukill farm, in Cross Creek Township, and still later the Blockhouse farm near Brilliant—in all 600 acres, all in Jefferson Couuty. Senator Tarr owns at present 2,000 acres of improved land in Kansas, beside his Ohio lands, and valuable real estate at Wellsburg, including his handsome threestory brick residence located on Main Street. Mrs. Tarr owns 1,100 acres of the old Smiley Johnston estate in Jefferson County. They have three daughters: Anna T., who is the wife of Rev. E. G. Nolan; Frances, who is the wife of C. M. Tarr, and the mother of two children Loren and Virginia; and Bessie A., who is the wife of E. L. Herndon, and has two sons—William H. and Edward L. Mr. and Mrs. Tarr are members of the Presbyterian Church, of which he is a trustee. He belongs to a stanch old Democratic family and has long been an important factor in politics in his section.
From 20th Century History of Steubenville and Jefferson County, Ohio, by Joseph B. Doyle. Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co., Chicago, 1910