Morning journal and courier., 1883-10-05
Henry Farnam.


 Life and Usefalness-A Public Bene-
 1actOr-LOss to New Haven.
 MT. Henry Farnam died yesterday noon at
 20 minutes of o'clock at his residence on Hill
 house avenue. His death was caused by par
 alysis, with which he was attacked last Satur-
 day shortly after having returned from a
 drive to East Rock Park, with which benef-
 cent public institution his name is insepara-
 bly connected through his benevolence and
 public spirit. New Haven and the State
 loses one of it's best men in the death of Hen
 ry Farnam. Few men not of national fame, i and of private station, leave a more honored
 name. He was liberal man and public
 spirited in the use of wealth. He was also
 man of much more than ordinary energy of
 character, enterprise, foresight and executive ability resume of the work of his active
 life is given below. He and the late Mir.
 Sheffield were among the pioneers in railroad
 building in the United States, and won wealth
 and reputation and honors by their forecast and genuine ability, coupled with solid worth
 of character. Yale college is indebted to him for one of it's finest buildings, which bears his
 name, and for other gifts, and New Haven is
 largely indebted to him for the grand road
 way in it's splendid new park, now fast ap-
 preaching completion, and ftly named Far. nam Drive In the West his name was vide
 ly known thirty years ago in connection with
 railroad building, and for years he was presi-
 dent of one of the prominent railways out of
 Chicago, a road which he with his late life
 long friend and associate, Mir. Sheffield,
 built. Mir. Farnam's death strikes from
 off the roll of the living true gentleman and
 worthy Christian worshipper, and in many
 humble home in this city his name will be
 gratefully cherished as that of kind bene-
 factor. Few if any of our public institutions
 of benevoIence but have time and again had
 generous help from his hand, and to any
 worthy public or private cause his heart and
 purse were open. His was a well known
 form and figure as he rode by on our streets, 8
 man of fine and dignifed presence, hale and
 ruddy, with face speaking man of stable
 mind and commanding power of resource,
 and the enlightened, liberal and philanthrop-
 ic gentleman.
 Henry Farnam was born November 9, 1903, in Scipio. Cayuga county, New York. His father, Jeffrey Amherst Farnam, was born in Killingly and his mother, Mercy Tracy, in Norwich The parents of his father and mother emigrated to Orange county New York, when the latter were children. The parents of his father died in Orange countrywide those of his mother re- moved to Cayuga county, where they died. His father went to Scipio when about twenty
 one years old, immediately after his mar riage, and settled upon an uncleared farm
 He had eleven children, of whom Harry was
 the sixth. The subject of this memoir spent his childhood and early youth in laboripg upon his fathers farm in the summer and attending upon the public schools for the few months of every year in which they were provided Though strong
 for labor he was especially interested in books and study. The few books of history and literature which were found in the li- brary and log houses of the..neighborhood he
 read with greate avidity. He delighted es- ! pecially in mathematics and by strict stud iousness he learned the clements of trigonom etry and surveying before he was sixteen years of age and the elements or algebra without 8 text book. In the spring of 1921 MT Farnam was employed as sfrod man. by David Thomas, the then surveyor of the Erie canal west of Rochester, and after three months became assistant engineer and served until the winter set in. when he taught school. In the spring of 1922 he re- sumed his post in the field. In 1923 he su- perintended the location and construction of a canal connecting the Tonawanda and Oak Orchard creeks. He continued his services till the Erie canal was finished in the fall of 1924, and taught school again in the winter. In the spring Of 1925. arrangements having been made by the Pennington Canal company for the construction of canal from New Haven to Northampton, Mr Farnam was in- { duced to accept position as assistant engi- neer; wvde which position he retained signed and MT. Farnam took his place as engineer and superintendent and subsequently, finished the canal from the State line to Northampton. His connection with this enterprise brought him into the ! most intimate relations with the distinguish ed president of the company, Hon. James Hillhouse. Though himself young he soon became to Mir. Hillhouse the strong staff on which he leaned in many dark and trying hours In 1S4O Joseph B. Shefhe Id became large proprietor and afterward almost the sole owner of the canal. The canal was and direction and he was brought into the most intimate relations with MT. Sheffield, which led to mutual esteem and to lasting relations of cordial and faithful friendship. Mir. Farnam was married December 1, 1889, to Miss Ann s. Whitman, of Farming ton, and immediately established his resi- dence in this city, where he remained till he removed to Chicago. They have had five children, four sons and one daughter. In 1846, in view of the changed condition of
  ways, it was decided to substitute railway for the Pennington canal and in 1849 the Canal railway was completed to Plainville. It was subsequently, extended to Williams burg, Mass In 1850 the railway was leased
 to the New York and New Haven railway the office which he had held from the first as engineer and superintend- ent. In the autumn of 1850 MT. Farnam was invited to Chicago by William B. Ogden, esq.,, then president of the Galena and Chi cago Union railway, with the purpose, If possible to induce him to bring his engineer ing skill as well as his influence with eastern capitalists to the service and advancement of the railway interest in the great North west. This interest was at that time in it's infancy and was laboring under very serious endorsements. What was imperatively needed were perfected railway connections with Lake Erie and the East, which would facilitate the ready access of emigrants over tn csc immense tracts of fertile soil and bring eastward the products which their labor was certain to create. Then it was that MT. arnam and MT. Sheffield brought every requisite to meet these conditions. They were known at the East as possessing skill and enterprise, pecuniary ability and integ- rity, and they had proved their capacity for prompt and independent action In railway construction which had made them favorably known in the best circles in Wall street. In 1850 Mir. Farnam and Mir. Sheffield were in- duced to examine the route from Chicago to Rock Island with view to their undertaking the construction of a railway which should connect Chicago with the Mississippi, follow ing in part the course of the Illinois canal and river. They were so favorably impress ed as to agree to construct the whole and to - furnish the capital, provided suitable charter could be obtained. While
 this was pending, MT. Farnam was solicited by John B. Jarvis, the chief engineer of the Michigan Southern railway, to superintend
 the running of the portion of the road so far as it was finished. To this he replied that he should prefer to contract for its completion
 within year, and would pledge himself to do this and to furnish the capital on certain conditions. The proposal was listened to with some incredulity, but was soon accepted and the pledge was redeemed. In February, 1852, connection by railway had been par tially effected between Chicago and Lake Erie, the Michigan Central railway had been l excited to avail itself of the two dormant charters of two projected railways and in May, 1852. before the year was finish ed. trains upon both these railways entered Chicago. For the prosperity of this city this event was new starting point. Real estate at once rose rapidly in value and the city in