Frank Henry Carr, one of the patriotic men who periled his life in the cause of the Union during the late Civil War, now an enterprising mill-owner of West Hopkinton, was born in West Hopkinton, February 8, 1841, son of Thomas W. and Caroline (Connor) Carr. The grandfather, John Carr, removed from West Newbury, Mass., to Concord, N.H., where he kept an inn for a short time. From Concord he came to West Hopkinton about the year 1821, making his residence on a farm which had been presented to his wife by her brother, Thomas Williams. While a carriage-maker by trade, he had a natural aptitude for general mechanical work. One of the most cherished possessions of his grandson’s family to-day is an old ‘cello made by him in his leisure hours. In politics he was an ardent Whig. He died on the old farm at the age of seventy-five. His wife, Abigail, who survived him some years, attaining the age of eighty-six, was a magnificent specimen of New England womanhood, strong, energetic, and cheerful up to the day of her death. She left a lasting impression upon her grandchildren, then growing up about her. Mr. and Mrs. John Carr had a family of eight children-Anna, Eliza, Emma, Abigail, Almira, Helen, Samuel, and Thomas Williams.
Thomas W. Carr spent his early life upon the farm. While quite a young man, he was a Captain of militia. Later he engaged in farming and lumbering. The latter business was carried on in a factory the beam of which was twenty-four inches square and seventy feet long, and much heavy timber was turned out. He was a well-read man and a Republican in politics. He married Caroline Connor, of Henniker, daughter of George and Hannah (Campbell) Connor. They had eight children-Philip, John Alfred, George Titcomb, Thomas Tyler, Frank Henry, Charles Clinton, Caroline Elizabeth, and Ellen Bruce, Philip died at the age of ten. John Alfred is now living in Boston. Caroline Elizabeth is a trained nurse in Concord. Ellen Bruce, who married William Carpenter, of Manchester, died two years after her marriage. Of this family four sons fought in the Civil War, one giving up his life therein. George Titcomb served in the United States Navy. In September, 1861, Thomas Tyler enlisted in Company B, Second New Hampshire Volunteers, was made Sergeant, served his full term, and was wounded at Fair Oaks and Gettysburg. Charles Clinton enlisted in the Fourteenth Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, on September 23, 1862, being then a boy of nineteen. He was wounded at Cedar Creek, October 19, 1864, and died in the hospital at Winchester, Va., November 2 of the same year. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Carr spent their last years in West Hopkinton with their son Frank Henry.
Frank Henry Carr lived with his parents until he was eighteen years old, at which age he went to Henniker. He enlisted September 28, 1861, in Company G, Second Regiment of United States Sharpshooters, mustering for service December 12, 1861, at Concord. Discharged on the expiration of his term, he enlisted again December 21, 1863, at Culpeper, Va., in the same command; was made November 1, 1864; was transferred to the Fifth New Hampshire Volunteers, January 30, 1865, becoming at the same time Orderly Sergeant of Company B; was promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant in the same company on the first of the following May; and was mustered out July 8 of the same year. This brave soldier and patriot was engaged in over eighty battles and skirmishes, including the second Bull Run, Cedar Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg. At Fredericksburg he was captured by the Confederates, and confined in Libby Prison until January 14, 1863, when he was sent on parole to Annapolis and exchanged, regaining his regiment at Fredericksburg. At Gettysburg he received three slight gunshot wounds, not enough, however, to keep him from duty. He was one of the five members of his company who lost no time in the service except while imprisoned. After the war he returned to Henniker, where he remained until December, 1871, working in a kit factory and grist-mill. In 1872 he bought a mill in West Hopkinton, where he engaged in manufacturing mackerel kits. When the mill-dam was swept away in 1876, besides rebuilding it he put in new machinery, adding a saw-mill and a shingle machine. Since then he has done general saw-mill work, although selling mainly to dealers. He cuts a million feet of timber in a season, and he has cleared off a large acreage of stumpage. Besides the property in West Hopkinton, he owns a farm in Henniker, holding it chiefly for its lumber.
In 1868 Mr. Carr married Mary A. Chandler, daughter of William and Anne (Straw) Chandler. They have four children, namely: Anna Caroline, now married to Arthur W. Dow, of Henniker; William Thomas, a sawmill operator, living at home; Clara Lucy, who was training at a surgical hospital in Boston, and died March 6, 1897, of pleuropneumonia; and John Frank, who lives at home. The family are held in high esteem by their fellow-townsmen. In politics Mr. Carr has always been a Republican. He is greatly respected for his business integrity as well as for his devotion to his country.