The Barr family can be traced back to 1830 when Harvey D. Barr was born in New York state on April 24, 1830. It was in Neilsville, Wisconsin, that he married Bebe M. Brown, where they lived about three and one half years before moving to Rock Falls, Iowa.

H. D. saw three years of service in the Civil War, was wounded once, received his honorable discharge and returned to Rock Falls, Iowa.

In 1870, they moved to Plymouth County, Iowa. Harvey assisted in the building of a mill there. He and his wife were among the early pioneer settlers of the county. Bebe was the first woman resident of Portlandville making the trip by ox team.

Harvey and Bebe were the parents of seven children. (Akron, Iowa, was formerly known as Portlandville, IA.)

~Source: Our Life, 1882-1982 Akron, Iowa, pages 149-150