In 1786 Pittsfield, Mass., had a population of 1100 people of which about 200 were voters. Among the population was a Joseph Farr. His name is on the dial of a handsome tallcase (grandfather) clock at the Berkshire Museum. Little was known about this man, but local research has provided some insight into Joseph, his father, also Joseph, and his son, again, Joseph.

A Joseph Farr of Cummington surfaced with different birth-death dates than Joseph Farr, the Pittsfield clockmaker. Further research discovered yet another Joseph Farr of Cummington, a renowned surveying instrument maker. Relationships, if any, begged resolution. The results are three generations of Joseph Farrs. Their story is provided here. It is based on probate and church records, histories of Pittsfield and Cummington, and the book, Makers of Surveying Instruments. The life of Joseph Farr, clockmaker of Pittsfield, has never been published.

Joseph Farr of Cummington, Massachusetts

Joseph was born April 11, 1718, location unknown. He married Dinah Powers in 1740 in Middlesex, Mass. Although he was voted a proprietor of Township Number 5 (Cummington, Mass.) in 1765, he didn’t settle there until about 1770. Joseph operated its first tavern. He died in Cummington on February 27, 1797.

Joseph Farr of Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Joseph Farr, one of ten children of Joseph, was born in Acton, Mass., August 30, 1743. He died in Pittsfield, February 24, 1796.

Joseph was both a surveying instrument maker and a clockmaker. He was probably apprenticed in the Boston area before arriving with his parents in Cummington. He married 21-year-old Sarah Susannah in Cummington, about 1768. A son, Joseph, was born in Cummington in 1775.

A record of Joseph Farr’s eight children was found in the Pittsfield Congregational Church baptism records of July 1, 1781:

• Jonas
• Eliel
• Percy (Perez)
• Betty (Betsy)—later married Willard Longworthy
• Sally—later married Daniel W. Murphy
• Polly
• Joseph Jnr
• William

Pittsfield was a young and growing town during his early years, and he must have found greater opportunities there than in Cummington. Pittsfield affairs were conducted at the Congregational Church. “Existence of religious denominations other than Congregational was ignored. The town was simply a Congregational Parish.”

Another male joined the family in Pittsfield between the July 1781 baptisms and a 1786 census. This brought the number of his children to nine.

From the 1786 census in the Pittsfield Congregational church records, a rough idea of the family’s ages appears:

Joseph Farr - One House - Two married Persons - One family 2 males under 5, 1 male & 2 females under 10, 1 male & 1 female under 15, 2 males under 20, and 1 male & 1 female under 70.

In a 1797 court probate record, William is not listed, but Bela, Asa, and Levi Farr are added as his children.

Joseph Farr would have needed a substantial source of income to support his large family. Aside from the one high quality clock surviving, no others are known to exist. His clock production must have been so low that he either had to be independently wealthy or needed other endeavors to provide an income. An evaluation of his estate inventory indicates that he was very resourceful. He kept bees and probably sold honey. The large amount of wool, flax, and flannel in his estate indicates that he and his wife probably made and sold cloth. Like other clockmakers, he may have provided blacksmithing services. If Joseph did make and sell surveying equipment, none are known to exist.

At the time of his death at 53 in 1796, the Farr children would have consisted of five under 15, one male and two females under 20, one male and one female under 25, and two males under 30.

From his estate inventory, we can surmise that the nest was emptied of the four older children, although his bed-count indicates he could still sleep 10, if they did not leave. He had a good size fireplace with plenty of cooking utensils. The abundance of good furniture and silverware describes a family living comfortably.

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