Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-06-20
GRANDPA FARRER TO
TAKE COLLEGE COURSE
Fund Of $500 Created 30 Years
Ago For His Education Swell
led By Interest TO $1,000.

Durant. Okla.-J. c.. Farrer. q car.
penter. 81 years old, is going to NASH
vile to enter Vanderbilt university for
q three-year course.
Farrer wa the son OF "Harashe!i''
Baptist parents. and was born AND
reared in Williamson county. Tenmes-
see, the center of Southern Methodist
educational circles. He early manifest
ed an inclination toward the Methodist
faith. and when a church was organ
lied at Edwards Grove. near his coun-
try home. by Rev. r. n. Jones, early ina
the summer of 1873. he became Il mem
Der.
The Methodists created a fund Of
$500 for the education of Young I'arrer
at Vanderbilt university, their expecta-
ton evidently being that he would en-
ter the ministry otter leaving the
school. II was to be a one-year course
In English n a two-ysar course in
theology. Up to that time Farrer's ed
ucatfonal advantages had been limited
md he hesitated to avail hirasslf OF the
opportunity offered for Il college educa-
ton because of his UMPIRE paredness.
The chairman of the committee and
the trustee of che funds raised for Far
rer's benefit was Dave Corlett. a FARM
Pr, who also Il one of the most Liberal
subscribers to the fund. The money
was deposited in a bank to await the
young mans order. subject to the APP
PIoNaAI vi tic SCHOOl. iUlc DuSStu ~,
months grew to years. and still the
young man delayed. All tho while the
fund was increasing through the inter
est. Repeatedly Corlett and other menu
bers OF the little Tennessee church be-
sought young Farrcr to enter the.
school, according to their wishes. Nor
lid they give up hope when two years
later he married and commenced life az;
a farmer.
When, after another two years. Far
rer's wife died, he departed for the
unsettled southwest. Corlett and his;
wife frequently ~importuned him to re-
turn to Tennessee.
This interest continued even after
Farrer left Fort Worth and went to-
north Texas. married again and began
to rear q family.
Farrer later crossed Red river into,
indian territory. n for many years
resided in this section. working alter
nately at the bench n in the field.
He came to Durant from Madill. Okla-
For some time Farrer had heard but
little from his friends in Tennessee. but
a few months ago a letter from a
stranger at the county sea of William
son county announced that Corlett had
died and that the writer had been APP
pointed administrator Of the estate.
Among Corlett's papers was found ii
young Farrer. which, in the went Of
the death of the beneficiary, vas to gc
to the Methodist church. The admins
traitor stated that the legacy had grown
by reason OF the accumulation of inter-
est until now it was nearly $1,000.
According to the last wish Of Corlett
the administrator besought Farrer tor
return and enter the school ever this
late in life. Farrer's heart was touched
and he decided to comply.
Farrer now has nine children. four of
them married n having children of
khRtr nyUn 1lfo Jyn,1pOoct r,ill ca-,, -
10. Farrer says he willingly would give.
the advantage OF the schooling to one
OF his children. but the provisions ot
the gift forbid.