John Farmer

Background

He was born at Chelmsford, Massachussets, the eldest son of John and Lydia (Richardson) Farmer and seventh in descent from John Farmer whose widow Isabella came to New England in 1669.

Education

In his native town he attended a private school kept by the Rev. H. Packard.

There he attended school, when business was dull, and also studied medicine with a local physician, but his slender physique discouraged him from entering the profession.

These studies won him recognition among scholars, and in 1822 he received an honorary degree of M. A. from Dartmouth College.

Career

In 1810, and for a few years thereafter, he taught school, an employment in which he excelled. His keenest interest, however, was in genealogy and in local history.

In 1813 he published A Family Register of the Descendants of Edward Farmer of Billerica, in the Youngest Branch of his Family (Concord, New Hampshire).

In the following year the Massachusetts Historical Society printed "A Sketch of Amherst, N. H. " (Collections, 2 ser. , vol. II) which he had prepared.

This was followed by An Historical Memoir of Billerica, Massachussets (1816), and "Note on the County of Hillsborough, New Hampshire" (Massachusetts Historical Society Collections, 2 ser. , vol. VII, 1818).

In 1821 Farmer moved to Concord, New Hamphire, where he formed a business connection with Dr. Samuel Morril and opened an apothecary store. From this vocation he acquired the title of "Doctor. "

His hours of leisure were devoted to the study of New Hampshire annals and New England genealogy, and he produced a number of books in rapid succession: An Ecclesiastical Register of New Hampshire (1821); The New Military Guide (1822); The New Hampshire Annual Register (1822 - 38 inclusive); A Genealogical Register of the First Settlers of New England (1829); A Catechism of the History of New Hampshire (1829); and a one-volume edition of the first two volumes of Jeremy Belknap's History of New Hampshire (1831). In conjunction with Jacob B. Moore he published A Gazeteer of the State of New Hampshire (1823), and Collections, Historical and Miscellaneous (3 vols. , 1822 - 24).

Of all these works the Genealogical Register is the most important, and it is significant that James Savage used it as the basis for his Genealogical Dictionary. In the American Quarterly Register Farmer published sketches of early graduates of Dartmouth College, 1771-83; a list of the graduates of all the colleges in New England; and memoirs of the ministers who graduated at Harvard before 1657.

In the last year or two of his life he was appointed by the legislature to examine, arrange, and index the state papers at Concord. This difficult task he performed admirably.

The cause of antislavery took a deep hold upon him and he was for a number of years corresponding secretary of the New Hampshire Anti-slavery Society. He was deeply interested in the formation of the New Hampshire Historical Society in 1823, and was its corresponding secretary from 1825 until his death in 1838.

Achievements

• Farmer is considered the founder of systematic genealogy in America. Before Farmer's efforts, tracing one's genealogy was seen as an attempt by colonists to secure a measure of social standing within the British Empire, an aim that was counter to the new republic's egalitarian, future-oriented ethos. As Fourth of July celebrations commemorating the Founding Fathers and the heroes of the Revolutionary War became increasingly popular, however, the pursuit of "antiquarianism", which focused on local history, became increasingly acceptable as a way to honor the achievements of early Americans.

Works

More photos

• book

  • An Historical Memoir of Billerica, in Massachusetts...

    (Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We h...)

  • Collections, historical and miscellaneous

    (This book was originally published prior to 1923, and rep...)

  • A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692, on the Basis of Farmer's Register; Volume 02

    ( This work has been selected by scholars as being cultur...)

  • The History of New-Hampshire

    ( This work has been selected by scholars as being cultur...)

  • Collections, Historical and Miscellaneous; Volume 3

    ( This work has been selected by scholars as being cultur...)

  • A Gazetteer of the State of New-Hampshire (Classic Reprint)

    (Excerpt from A Gazetteer of the State of New-Hampshire I...)

Religion

He was highly religious and thoroughly orthodox in his belief.

Views

Farmer capitalized on the increasing acceptability of antiquarianism to frame genealogy within the early republic's ideological framework of pride in one's American ancestors. He corresponded with other antiquarians in New England, where antiquarianism and genealogy were well established, and became a coordinator, booster, and contributor to the burgeoning movement. In the 1820s, he and fellow antiquarians began to produce genealogical and antiquarian tracts in earnest, slowly gaining a devoted audience among the American people.

Membership

He was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1819.

Personality

Farmer was of average height, erect and extremely thin. In spite of his very uncertain health there was an animated cheerfulness in his whole aspect.

Connections

Father:

John Farmer

mother Lydia (Richardson) Farmer

Partner:

Dr. Samuel Morril