I will be telling a Farrar story today, but it will not be about the village of Farrar. It will be about the surname, Farrar. Actually, if you read about the history of the village of Farrar, you will discover that the village was named after someone with the surname, Farrar. However, this tale begins with a girl named Popp.

Today’s birthday girl is Rosette Eva Johanna Popp, who was born on November 18, 1870. That means today would be Rosette’s 155th birthday. Rosette was the daughter of John and Margaretha (Gerstacker) Popp. Rosette’s parents had been married at Peace Lutheran Church in Friedenberg in 1867, but by 1870, they were living in Cape Girardeau. Rosette was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau. A transcription of her baptism record is shown here.

Rosette is found in the 1880 census at the age of 11, although she was probably just 10. Her father was a teamster in Cape Girardeau.

Rosette would get married prior to the next census we can view, so we will now take a look the man who would become her husband. His name was Alonzo Levi Farrar, who was born on September 5, 1862. Alonzo was the son of Jones and Berdiga “Biddy” (Farrar) Farrar. Alonzo’s parent’s had been married in Perry County in 1842. As you can see on that couple’s marriage record below, this was indeed the wedding of a Farrar and another Farrar. I find it also interesting that the justice of the peace that married them was named Alonzo Abernathy.

Alonzo is found in the 1870 census at the age of 7. He was part of a very large Farrar family. His father was a farmer in the Cinque Hommes Township.

Alonzo was still living with his parents when the 1880 census was taken, but in that year’s census, the Farrar’s were living in the newly-formed Union Township. Alonzo was 17 years old at the time.

Alonzo Farrar got married to Elizabeth Farrar on December 26, 1888. Yes, believe it or not, the son of a Farrar/Farrar couple would also get married to another Farrar. That wedding took place in Coles County, Illinois.

This marriage did not last long because Elizabeth died in 1889. Then, on January 11, 1893, Alonzo Farrar married Rosette Popp at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau. The church record for this wedding is pictured below. This document says that Alonzo was a carpenter in Cape Girardeau.

I am also able to display this marriage certificate for this pair.

Alonzo’s entry on Family Search says this couple had 8 children, none of which are included in our German Family Tree. When the 1900 census was taken, we find the Farrar’s living in Cape Girardeau with 4 children. Alonzo was a carpenter in that city.

Next, we find the Farrar family in the 1910 census. This time, there were 7 children in their household. Alonzo was still a carpenter, and the family was still living in Cape Girardeau.

In the 1920 census, Alonzo and Rosette were living with several children, and Alonzo was still a carpenter. Their daughter, Irene, had married Earl Jordan, and that young family was also included in this census entry.

During the next decade, the Farrar’s made a move. By 1930, they were living in Tampa, Florida. Alonzo, at the age of 68, no longer had an occupation. I am thinking that Alonzo may have been one of the earliest men to retire and move to Florida. Or, perhaps the Depression contributed to this move by the Farrar’s.

Alonzo Farrar died in 1933 at the age of 71. I was not able to find out where Alonzo was buried. Then, Rosette is found in the 1940 census living in Miami, Florida as a widow. She was living with her son, Alvin, and her daughter, Naomi, who were still single. Alvin was a woodworker, and Naomi was a stenographer.

Rosette is found in the 1950 census. Her daughter, Naomi, had married Ira Haycock in 1947, and Rosette was living with them. Ira was a lawyer in Coral Gables, Florida which is near Miami.

Rosette Farrar died in 1955 at the age of 84 in Dade County, Florida, which is where Miami and Coral Gables are found. I was also unsuccessful at finding out where Rosette is buried. I have discovered that Florida is not a great place for cemeteries to be documented on Findagrave.com.

This story certainly includes some facts that are quite uncommon. It includes not only one, but two different weddings involving a Farrar marrying another Farrar, but it also focused on a man named Alonzo who married a woman named Rosette. Most of the men written about on this blog have names like Wilhelm, Johann, Heinrich, or Friedrich. And most of the women have names like Anna, Maria, Wilhelmine, or Margaretha. I can almost predict that this is the only post I write on this blog about an Alonzo marrying a Rosette. It is also a rare occurrence when I have a couple that makes their way to the state of Florida.