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Mini Bios of People of Scots Descent
Barr, Rev. John Christie


Barr, Rev. John Christie, D. D., son of Thomas and Grace (Pearce) Barr, was born at the corner of Chartres street and Esplanade avenue, in New Orleans Oct. 27, 1872. Thomas Barr came from Glasgow, Scotland, to America, as a child. His people settled in St. Louis, and from there he entered Co. G, 2nd Mo. cavalry in the United States army, and served during the last half of the Civil war. Most of his service was in Arkansas. After the war he was engaged in different kinds of construction work, serving under Capt. Eads on the St. Louis bridge, and on the jetties at the mouth of the Mississippi river. He came to New Orleans with Capt. Eads, and remained here, and is still living in the city of New Orleans. He has spent most of his life in river and harbor work, but is now retired. Dr. Barr's mother came with her parents from Scotland to New Orleans, where she still lives and has passed nearly all her life. She was married to Thomas Barr in 1871, and became the mother of 8 children, 6 of whom are now living: J. C., the subject of this sketch), Thomas, Jr., William, Jean, Grace, Alice, James Eads Barr died of yellow fever in 1878 in New Orleans, and Janet also passed away in infancy.

John Christie Barr spent the first 6 or 7 years of his life in New Orleans. He was baptized by Rev. John F. Girault, rector of St. Anna's church on Esplanade avenue. When 7 years old he went with his parents to Port Eads and lived there 3 years. During 6 months of that time he attended a private school. Previous to this, however, he had attended a parish school in the basement of the Third Presbyterian church on Washington Square, in New Orleans. When 10 years old, he returned from Port Eads to New Orleans and for a few months attended a private school kept by Mrs. Mary I. Bard, on Eighth street. He then entered McDonough School No. 10, and passed from that to the boys high school where he graduated in 1889 with the class honors, and received a scholarship in Tulane university, which was given to the graduate of the highest rank from the high school. He also received from the high school the Peabody medal, and the Alumni gold medal. He graduated from Tulane in 1893 with the degree B. S., and received a fellowship in that university, in which he took post graduate work in Greek, Latin and Ancient History, receiving the degree of M. A. in 1895. This unusual case of the second degree in Arts following the first degree in Science was occasioned by the fact that before receiving the first degree, he decided to enter the ministry and so rearranged his work as to carry some classical work along with the scientific. During part of his graduate period in Tulane he served as instructor in ancient history. In the meantime, he had united with the Lafayette Presbyterian church in New Orleans. After taking the master's degree, he entered the Theological seminary of the South Western Presbyterian university at Clarksville, Tenn., from which he received the degree of B. D., in 1897, and then entered the ministry. He at once received a call from the St. Francis street church in Mobile, Ala.

The first church he really served was the Prytania street Presbyterian church of New Orleans, where he acted as a licentiate for 6 months. While at Prytania street church be was called to the First church of Covington, Tenn., and also to the Lafayette Presbyterian church in New Orleans. He accepted the latter and has been the pastor of that church to the present time. The honorary degree of D. D. was conferred on Mr. Barr by the South Western Presbyterian university about 7 years ago. Dr. Barr represented the Presbytery of New Orleans in the General Assembly which met in Little Rock in 1901. He was a member of the Theta chapter of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity at Clarksville, and is a member of the Tulane Alumni association. Feb. 5, 1901, Dr. Barr was married to Miss Anna Mabry, of Clarksville, Tenn. Mrs. Barr is a sister of Edmund Mabry, an attorney in New Orleans, and daughter of Thomas L. and Elizabeth (Dabney) Mabry. Mr. Mabry died some years ago, but Mrs. Mabry is still living. Dr. Barr's church is numerically the largest Presbyterian church in the state of Louisiana and is second in age among the Presbyterian churches in the City of New Orleans. It was founded in 1843, by Jerome Twitchell, and has been served by 5 ministers. Jerome Twitchell served for 10 years and was succeeded by J. Sydney Hayes, who died of yellow fever in the second year of his pastorate. Mr. Hayes was succeeded by Thomas R. Markham, D. D., who remained for 37 years. Under Dr. Markham's ministry, Dr. Barr joined this church. The fourth pastor was Rev. S. C. Byrd, who served for 4 years, and then Dr. Barr was chosen and ordained Feb. 27, 1898. Dr. Barr has been much interested in the Presbyterian hospital in New Orleans, and has been its president from the first. Starting with a fund of $15, that institution has acquired its present fine property and equipment in a period of about 5 years. It is under the direction of a board of managers composed largely of members from the Presbyterian churches in New Orleans. Dr. Barr is also much interested in Sunday school extension work. His church has a number of branch Sunday schools which are developing into churches at Harvey, Gretna, Algiers, and at corner of Octavia and Camp streets, and the Westminster Sunday school, at 3324 St. Charles avenue. He was recently made one of the directors of the Oglethorpe university, a Presbyterian institution in Atlanta, Ga. This school has about $1,000,000 of resources, of which $250,000 was recently donated by citizens of Atlanta.

Source: Louisiana: Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form, volume 3, pp. 747-749. Edited by Alc e Fortier, Lit. D. Published in 1914, by Century Historical Association.


 

 


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