John Farrar

John Farrar (circa 1632 - March 1685) was a Virginia planter and politician.

Early life The youngest and last surviving son of William Farrar, who had married the widowed Cecily (a/k/a Cisley) Jordan. His father had emigrated from England and became a lawyer, planter and member of the Virginia Governor's Council, but died in 1637 when both his sons were boys. John may have been named to honor his grandfather (died 1628), or his great-uncle John Ferrar (1588–1657) who was the deputy governor and treasurer of the Virginia Company of London. He had a brother (William Farrar Jr.) and sister (Cicely Jr.) who survived infancy. In February 1678 he deeded some land to William's heirs, including William Farrar III who would also sit in the House of Burgesses at century's end. He also rose to become Lieutenant Colonel in the local militia (militia service being mandatory for all white men in the era) and served as justice of the peace for Henrico County from 1677–1684, as well as the county sheriff in 1683.

Death and legacy

John Farrar died around March 1685, never having married. He was probably buried on Farrar's Island, or on the mainland from which the peninsula jutted, but subsequent floods have obliterated the gravesite.

Farrar's Island would remain in the family for about a century; William Farrar IV and his uncle Thomas both sold their parcels to Thomas Randolph in 1727. In modern times, Farrar's Island is part of the Dutch Gap Conservation Area and Henricus Historical Park, both administered by Chesterfield County, Virginia.