Dr. Barr began his practice in Tilden in 1907. The son of David and Sarah Barr, he was born at Akron, Ohio, July 12, 1884. He attended high school in Sioux City, Iowa, and was graduated from the Sioux City Medical School at the age of 21.
He became house physician at Good Samaritan Hospital after graduation, then came to Tilden temporarily. The small town obviously appealed to him and in a short time, with his bride, Rosa B. Long, whom he married at Dakota City on May 15, 1908.
The Barrs were the parents of four children of their own, Dorothy, Gwen, Carl and Robert, and they adopted Mrs Barr's niece, Ruth. He started the Barr Hospital in Tilden and it was continued by his sons into the 1940's. Three Barr daughters worked in the hospital when they became adults. His career ended suddenly on September 29, 1940 when he died from a heart attack. Mrs. Barr continued to live in Tilden until her death in 1953. Their daughter Ruth died in 1956. Gwen Barr died in January 1985 in Yuma, Arizona.
Source Unknown: Originally submitted for this website in June 2007