Harbison Orr

As printed in 1910

HARBISON ORR.

Harbison Orr, a part of whose farm is included within the bounds of the village of Onslow, was born in Massachusetts, March 10, 1867. His parents, Samuel and Sarah Orr, were natives of Ireland and came to the United States in the early '50s. After a few years spent in the east they located in Jones county. Iowa, settling upon a farm in Clay township. There the father died in 1875, and there his widow is still residing, being in the seventy-sixth year of her age. Nine children were born to them, six of whom are now living.

Harbison Orr remained at home until he was twenty years old, having received a fair education in the common schools of his locality and practical experience in the tilling of the soil through working upon the farm. About 1887 he began working by the month for neighboring farmers, and then took a trip to California, where he lived for about ten months. Upon his return to Jones county, he worked as a farm hand for a time and then rented the old homestead, which he cultivated for several years, afterward, purchasing the place he now owns. It consists of one hundred and seventy-four acres, twenty of which lie within the village of Onslow. Here he has successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits and has also engaged in the stock business to some extent and has given some attention to dairying. He maintains his fields in a high state of cultivation, employing the most advanced methods, while his buildings are well constructed and in accordance with the modern ideas of sanitation and effectiveness for the purposes for which they are designated. This progressive spirit, united with the industry which has made possible the generous harvests which have yearly rewarded his efforts, has made him one of the more successful farmers of Wyoming township.

On the 22d of June, 1898, I\Mr. Orr wedded Miss Alary Dennison, a native of Jones county and a daughter of John and Mathilda (Campbell) Dennison, a sketch of whose lives appears elsewhere in this work. No children have been born of this union. Mr. and Mrs. Orr are consistent members of the Presbyterian church and actively interested in its work. Politically he affiliates with the democratic party, feeling convinced of the value of its principles, and in the capacities of assessor and school director has rendered the township invaluable service, for he is a man who accepts his responsibilities seriously and has ever promoted the best interests of his fellow citizens. Fraternally he is a member of Wyoming Lodge. Xo. 206. F. & A. M.. and the chapter of the Mystic Workers located in Onslow.

As printed in History of Jones County, Iowa, past and present (1910). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.