Partner Sarah Jane "Jenny" Wollstonecraft Bullard
Queer Places:
275 Marlborough St, Boston, MA 02116, USA
61 Exeter St, Boston, MA 02116, USA
79 Main Street, New Ipswich, NH 03071
Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA
Laura Maria Barr (July 22, 1859 - April 18, 1949) was born on July 22, 1859, the daughter of George Lyman Barr and Mary Ann Barrett. Following the death of her father in April 1877, her mother, Mary Ann, subsequently married George Robert Barrett. Through this family network, Laura became part of a prominent Boston household. On December 9, 1889, following a foreclosure sale initiated by mortgage holder Charles A. Vialle, Laura's mother (recorded as Elizabeth Maria Lawrence Barr Barrett) purchased the notable Back Bay townhouse at 275 Marlborough Street, which had originally been built in 1886 for George Hayward Binney and Edith (Marsh) Binney.
Living alongside her mother and step-father—who also maintained a historic ancestral residence in New Ipswich, New Hampshire, inherited in 1887—Laura, her sister Caroline, and her brother Daniel resided at 275 Marlborough Street for years. Following Caroline's marriage to attorney Winthrop Howland Wade in April 1897, Laura, her brother Lawrence, and her parents continued living at the Marlborough Street residence until transitioning to the Lenox Hotel at 61 Exeter Street for the 1907-1908 winter season, shortly before the property was sold to Maud Elizabeth Appleton in June 1907. Unmarried and living an unconventional life for her era, Barr established herself as a dedicated feminist, suffragist, activist, and agent of social change, spending a significant portion of her life, particularly during the summers, residing at the Old Barrett Place in New Ipswich. Her life concluded with her death on April 18, 1949, at the age of 89, and she was laid to rest at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.
Barr's primary LGBTQ-linked connection centers around her relationship with Sarah Jane "Jenny" Wollstonecraft Bullard. Bullard, an independent nineteenth-century figure associated with progressive and feminist circles, lived in New Ipswich, where census and historical records place Barr alongside her as a housemate. Beyond sharing a domestic sphere as unconventional, unmarried women, Barr was closely tied to Bullard as her step-second cousin. When Bullard passed away in 1904, Barr served as her probate executor and primary heir, preserving her legacy and maintaining a deep historical and personal continuity with her life and work.
Support this project
This website is a passion project researched, developed, and funded entirely by me. If you find the content valuable and would like to help support the ongoing research and hosting costs, any contribution is deeply appreciated.
Thank you for keeping this independent resource alive!
My books on Amazon: Elisa Rolle's books