James Cummings Barr Obituary
Dies suddenly in Florida
April 1942
J. Cummings Barr Dies Suddenly in Florida. Word was received in New Ipswich Wednesday of the sudden death in Palm Beach, Florida, of James Cummings Barr on the eve of his return to New Ipswich. He had spent the winter in Florida with Mrs. Barr, and his belongings were packed in readiness for the return trip when death struck the popular and beloved resident of New Ipswich. Arrangements for the funeral and burial have not yet been disclosed. Mr. Barr will be missed greatly as he had the welfare of the whole town at heart. He was born March 15, 1867. He graduated from Harvard College in 1890 and upon graduation entered the scientific study of electricity with the Thomas-Houston company, in connection with which he held very responsible positions in relation to the application of electricity to coal mining. In later years he has been engaged in the railway supply business at Boston. For several years he held a commission in the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, was prominent in aviation work, and was a member of leading clubs in Boston, New York and Washington. Mr. Barr and his sisters own a great deal of real estate in New Ipswich, including attractive homes and much land. His interests of late years have been centered in New Ipswich, where he will be sadly missed. His immediate survivors are his widow, Anne E. S. Barr, one son and two daughters and four grandchildren; two sisters, Miss Laura M. Barr of Boston and Mrs. Winthrop H. Wade of Dedham. Mass. The Barr family has done much for the good of New Ipswich, contributing money in various ways. When we lost our church by fire several years ago Mr. Barr's mother gave the new $5000 pipe organ, also the bell. Miss Laura Barr recently gave the building for the New Ipswich Historical Society. Mr. Barr's home here is one of the beauty spots of the town, a lovely old fashioned house which was the home of his great, great grandfather and which his excellent taste has made a home of surpassing beauty and quality. His taste is manifest in the lovely gardens and grounds around his home. Mr. Barr was a very fine man to meet and talk with.
Moving day
Moving Tiger 1 Engine to Historical Society Building in 1940. John Preston, James C. Barr & Charles Pratt. Photo given by James C. Barr.
Barr gardens
James Roger diary entry
September 18th 1908 (Friday)
Cool morning warm day, wind NW to W. Very smoky all round . Sun red as fire morning and night. David and Henry tried to get turf for Webber lot, but ground too dry. Great need of rain for the springs and also to lay the dust. I took a coop of broilers to Depot in morning and brought grain then gathered some fallen apples and lifted the potatoes. David and Henry digging them. Lifted 36 bushels in all today. Sent pc to Roslin last night.
Hidden History: New Hampshire’s Past of Abolition, Slavery, and Underground Railroad
Presented by Michelle Arnosky Sherburne
Saturday, September 21 at 2:00 p.m.
New Ipswich Library (6 Main Street)
Vermont historian, author, and newspaper publisher, Michelle Arnosky Sherburne will delve into New Hampshire’s fascinating hidden history of abolition, slavery, and Underground Railroad networks, highlighting the work of abolitionists to move freedom seekers northward to safety in Canada.
Despite the fact that Portsmouth served as a slave-trade hub for New England, 19th- century NH historians chose to exclude black heritage and history from their publications. In recent decades researchers like Sherburne have uncovered the rich history and significant contributions of enslaved people and discovered that the Underground Railroad network was active throughout the Granite State. With connections to Massachusetts’ abolitionists, such as William Lloyd Garrison, Nathaniel Peabody Rogers and Stephen Symonds Foster, freedom seekers were certainly prevalent in New Hampshire.
Sherburne will share what she has learned from her extensive research over the past 30 years.
A resident of Newbury, VT, Michelle Arnosky Sherburne has spent four decades in the newspaper business. In 2022, she and her husband took over the stewardship of the Journal Opinion, a weekly publication in Bradford, VT. Sherburne’s longstanding interest in the Civil War inspired her research of Vermont and New Hampshire’s Underground Railroad and the Abolitionist Movement, which has led to TV appearances, consultancies, in-school residencies, and the publication of four books and numerous articles. With a history project always in progress, Sherburne enjoys traveling around Vermont and New Hampshire lecturing and sharing her insights into New England’s rich history.
Wonder if the organ that James C Barr’s mother gave to the Congregational Church was the one that my cousin Isabel Kangas and I played upon. Think it was a Hook & Hastings pipe model. Midge Albree was the organist and generously let me practice there for a subbing gig or two. My father was the sexton and would listen to me play while he worked.