Father: James Stout Farnsworth, b. 22 November 1793 at Staten Island, NY
Mother: Abigail Wilcox, b. 1803, d. 11 April 1870

He took a very prominent part in behalf of the Union at the breaking out of the Rebellion. He was elected to the legislature, which was to meet at Richmond in 1861. But as he was for the Union, the war which broke out just before the meeting, prevented his taking a seat there. But by virtue of that election, he became a member of the convention that organized the State government of Virginia at Wheeling, 11 Jun 1861. This body authorized the formation of the new State of West Virginia. He was chairman of the committee that was appointed to draft an ordinance for the formation of the new state and the ordinance was mainly drawn by him; the State of West Virginia was admitted to the Union. He served in the Senate of the new State. for seven years and presided over the Senate two yrs. During his presidency in 1869 on the election of Gov. A J. Borgman to the U.S. Senate, he became Governor of the State for the remainder of his term. He rendered invaluable service to the country during the War of the Rebellion, as it was largely due to his influence that West Virginia became an organized power for the defense of the Union.
DANIEL D.T. FARNSWORTH and his wives had issue; it is not known which ch. were by which wife but it is probable that the 1st four were by Ann M. Gibson and the others by Mary T. Ireland (another source gives Gibson 6 and Ireland 9 children):
7th Gen.
1. Flora L., b.. 1857; m. Floyd Leonard, b. 1853.
2. Roberta M., b. 1859.
3. Clinton I., b. 1861.
4. Mary E., b. 1865.
5. Duane T., b. 1872.
6. Lottie Laurene, b. 1873.
7. Emerson Wirt, b. 1876.

FARNSWORTH, Daniel D. T. (1819-1892), West Virginia's second Governor, served in that post for only six days. He was a native of Staten Island, New York, but lived in Buckhannon after he was two and a half years old. His grandfather was a large landowner in Pocahontas County and what is now Upshur County, having traded his property in New York for his extensive acreage in this state.
Farnsworth was reared on the family farm, but later he became a tailor, merchant, banker and railroad director. During the Civil] War he was known for his fierce patriotism. It was said that, although threatened with death by Rebel soldiers while he was speaking in Philippi, he refused to stop his speechmaking. On another occasion, he reportedly threatened to kill any Rebel who touched the Union flag flying from the courthouse in Buckhannon.
At the Wheeling Convention in 1861 he offered the first resolution leading to the formation of the new state of West Virginia. He was a member of the first House of Delegates of the new state and later was elected to the Senate, where he served seven years. When Governor Boreman resigned in the last days of his term to serve in the U. S. Senate, Farnsworth, under a constitutional provision stating that the Governor's term be filled out by the President of the State Senate, took office. His short term precluded the possibility of any important actions. He was succeeded by William F. Stevenson.
A member of the Constitutional Convention in 1872, Farnsworth almost lost his life attempting to rescue the flag when the convention hall caught fire. See sup. vol. 2, pp. 120, 163; sup.vol. 18,p. 193.
West Virginia Heritage Encyclopedia, Vol. 7

DANIEL DUANE TOMPKINS FARNSWORTH
THE subject of this sketch, D. D. T. Farnsworth, was born on Staten Island, New York, December 23, 1819. His father, James S., and grand-father, Daniel Farnsworth, with their families, moved from Staten Island to the town of Buckhannon, Lewis county, Virginia, now Upshur county, West Virginia, in June, 1821, where our subject has resided the most of his time since. He was brought up a farmer; in early life he learned the tailor trade with Charles Lewis, in Clarksburg, and followed that trade a few years in the town in which he now resides, after which he merchandised for thirteen years. He is now a farmer and owns a fine full-roller mill. When the county of Upshur was formed, in 1852, he was one of the first magistrates. He was elected to the House of Delegates in 1861, to meet at Richmond, Virginia. Soon after his election the civil war broke out and he was deprived of going to Richmond; but by virtue of his election, was a member of the first House of Delegates that met the 1st day of July, 1861, in the city of Wheeling. He was also a member of the Convention of June 11, 1861, which met in Wheeling and re-organized the State government, and took an active part in its proceedings. He offered the first and only resolution looking to the formation of a new State, which motion was quickly tabled by a vote of 50 to 17. The nerves of many failed them when that resolution was offered. He was one of the signers of the Declaration of the State's Independence. At the re-convening of the convention, in August, he was chairman of the committee of six that presented the ordinance of the new State, which passed; he, therefore, claimed to be the author of the ordinance of the State of West Virginia. He was a member of the first House of Delegates of the new State and was a member of the State Senate for some seven years, and for two years was President of the Senate; by virtue of which office he was Governor of the State to fill the unexpired term of Governor A. I. Boreman, who was elected to the United States Senate in the session of 1869. He was one of the committee of twenty that revised the code of 1868; was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1872.
Atkinson, George W., Prominent Men of West Virginia, vol. 1-2. Wheeling, WV: W.L. Callin, 1890, p.314.

Descendant families report created by Gene 4.2, Mon, Jun 30, 1997