Kazia Russell Garr was born on January 17, 1837 in Nelson County, Kentucky to parents Nathaniel and Margaret Cain Russell. She was the sixth of seven children the couple would have. Her somewhat unusual name more than likely came from her aunt, Nathaniel's sister Kazia Russell McKinley. She was also known as Kessie and Kate throughout her life. When Kazia was about a year old, her family moved from Nelson County to Spencer County, and this was where she would grow up. The family farm straddled the Shelby County border, and was close to the Plum Creek Presbyterian Church, where she attended services with her family. Her early life saw much tragedy as her mother passed away when she was very young, just three years old, and she also lost four of her siblings by the time she turned sixteen.
Kazia married Benjamin Louis Garr, a cousin of her father's third wife Elizabeth Garr Walker Hoke Russell, on June 3, 1856 in Spencer County, Kentucky. Together they would have four children: Elizabeth Virginia, Charles Russell, Mary Margaret "Mollie" and Nathaniel Lee Garr. The family made their home in Louisville, on a farm near what is now Hurstbourne Lane. During the Civil War, the family was for the Southern cause, even though Kazia's father supported the Union. In his autobiography, Charles Russell Garr recalls a story of his mother's actions during this conflict. Living in Louisville meant that the Southern supporting Garrs were in close proximity to many Union soldiers, as the city was the headquarters of the Union Army in Kentucky. When soldiers came to raid their farm and look for horses, one of the animals they set their sights on belonged to Kazia. Despite that fact that a solider had already mounted the horse, Kazia took hold of it's bridle, reusing to let go. In response to her actions, the commanding officer ordered the soldier off the horse, saying praising Kazia for her bravery and saying for that for her courage she could keep the horse.
After the war, the Garr family suffered financial setbacks. A portion of their house caught fire, and when rebuilt it was done as a grand house. This caused the family to go into debt, and in the uncertain economy following the Civil War, this was more than they could handle, even though they all worked very hard to pay off what they owed. In 1877 or 1878, the family had to sell the farm. Taking what money they got from the sale, they left their country life and moved to a city house, one on Maple Street. After this time, little is known about Kazia's life. We do know that she suffered even more loss in her life, as her husband and oldest daughter both died before her. Kazia herself passed away on December 24, 1894 in Shelby County, Kentucky at the age of 57. It is likely that she was living with family in Shelby County by this time, as she had been a widow since 1887, and had family in that area. She is buried in Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky.
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