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  • Fall 2001, NO. 19 - Contents
  • Early Harlans in Warren County, Ohio

    Were They Abolitionists?
    by Jane Harlan

    Warren County, Ohio, is a treasure of Harlan family history, especially for the descendants of George (#180) and George (#672). There are numerous other Harlans who once lived there, and many are buried there.

    The White Brick Meeting House in Waynesville, Ohio, pictured, was attended by numerous Harlans. It was built in 1811.

    The Miami Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends opened on October 13, 1803. It still holds regular services on Sundays. The modern Quakers have remodeled the building so that it has running water and electricity. Worship is traditional. When I attended, everyone sat in silence for 45 minutes.

    Inside the meeting house is a sign on the wall telling how the Quakers moved to the area for the express purpose of protesting slavery. It reads, "There is no parallel in human history to the migration of Quakers from the South to the Northwest Territory in that it was done as a moral protest against the treatment of another race rather than of those migrating."

    Across the street from the meeting house is the cemetery where many Harlans are buried. There are only a few markers on the early graves in the cemetery. Families were not buried together. They were buried in the order in which they died. To find where a grave might be located, you have to find markers from the period and estimate about where your ancestor is buried. There were no flowers placed on the graves during my visits.

    According to Alpheus Harlan's book, George Harlan (#180) and his family migrated to Warren County, Ohio, in 1805 or possibly earlier. Aaron Harlan (#671), the son of George (#180), is described as arriving in Warren County in 1796. Another son, George (#672) arrived in 1797. George's (#672) and Aaron's (#671) siblings, Sarah Harlan (#674), Samuel Harlan (#675), Moses Harlan (#676) and Silas Harlan (#677) all lived in Warren County at some point.

    Waynesville, Ohio, promotes its history with a brochure telling of its role in the Underground Railroad. The Little Miami River in the area was a thoroughfare for fugitive slaves moving north from the Ohio River. Tunnels connected the Little Miami River with homes in Waynesville. There were numerous hideaways and caves where slaves were concealed before moving onward. Portions of the tunnels are still in existence today. One home even had a tower used to spot approaching slaves and their pursuers. Modern Waynesville is a town that profits from and promotes its history with numerous craft and antique shops.

    George Harlan (#672) was the first Sheriff elected in Warren County in 1803. (One can speculate as to why a Quaker would have been elected Sheriff in a community committed to illegal activities spearheaded by the Quakers!) George (#672) eventually held a number of public offices, served as Associate Judge from 1810-1816 and as a member of the General Assembly from 1807-1808.

    George Harlan (#672) and his wife, Esther, raised ten children starting out in a log cabin in 1797. The log cabin was eventually replaced by a large brick home that still stands and is occupied. It is located on Harlan Road just north of Ridgeville and four miles west of Waynesville. The current owners were thrilled to hear more about the people who built their home and to learn that it is much older than they thought. (Jane visited with them on July 7, 2001.) There are very old trees around the house that may have been planted by the original residents. Inside the house are a number of features that most likely date back to the Harlans.

    Alpheus Harlan, in his book, tells of numerous Harlans who were born in this house. He describes the descendants of Moses Harlan (#2260) as occupying this house when his genealogy book was published in 1914. The current owners are not aware of any personal relationship to the Harlans.

    One of the remarkable accomplishments of George (#180) and George (#672) was their ability to produce public-spirited descendants committed to the law and a fair legal system. George's (#672) son, Aaron Harlan (#2256), also held public offices including service in the U.S. Congress. Harlan Township, within Warren County, is named after him. U.S. Senator James Harlan (#2297) is a descendant of George (#180). James' father, Silas Harlan (#677), migrated to Warren County with his grandparents, George (#180) and Margery Harlan, and he was adopted and raised by them. The daughter of Senator James Harlan (#2297), Mary Harlan (#5864), married Robert Todd Lincoln.

    George Harlan (#672) was the father of seven sons. Six of the seven became lawyers, judges, or in the case of Jacob (#2254), the Clerk of Court. A review of their history in Alpheus Harlan's book shows a remarkable interest in law and public affairs for one family. Justin Harlan (#2255) was a member of the convention that framed the Illinois Constitution of 1847. He served as a Circuit Judge in Clark County, Illinois, from 1848-1861. Aaron Harlan (#2256) served in both the Ohio General Assembly and the Ohio State Senate. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention of Ohio in 1850 and 1851, and he later served in Congress. Robert Barclay Harlan (#2259) served in the Ohio House and as a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Clinton County. Newton Harlan (#2261), a lawyer from Washington D.C., died in Warren County while visiting his brother, Moses. Howard Harlan (#2262) was another lawyer practicing in Washington D.C.

    In addition to having numerous specialty shops, antique shops and historical attractions, Waynesville, Ohio, also has a paved flat bike trail extending a number of miles along the Little Miami River.

    Warren County, Ohio, has a number of resources for those who want to know more about their ancestors in that county. The Mary Cook Public Library is located at 381 Old Stage Rd., Waynesville, Ohio 45068. Lebanon, the county seat of Warren County, has the Warren County Historical Society Museum at 103 S. Broadway, Lebanon, Ohio 45036, and the Warren County Genealogical Society at 190 New St., P.O. Box 296, Lebanon, Ohio 45036.

    Submitted by Attorney Jane Harlan, Somerset, Kentucky, descendant of George (#672), Jacob (#2254), Martin (#5736), Eugene (born 1860, Peoria Co., Ill.,), and Ellis (born 1908, Guthrie Co., Iowa) Her father, Ellis Harlan, played the mouthharp at the 1997 reunion. She played the flute.

     


    HARLAN FAMILY IN AMERICA OFFICERS
    OFFICERS
    President: Robert R. Harlan
    1716 Clark Ave, Yuba City, CA 95991
    Vice-President: Junior F. Harlan
    6218 E. Betty Elyse Ln, Scottsdale AZ 85254
    Secretary: Ruth Harlan Lamb
    4305 S. Bryant Ct., Independence, MO  64055
    Treasurer: John R. Harlan
    422 Aumond Rd, Augusta GA 30909
    BOARD OF DIRECTORS
    Dan Harlan (VA)
    Ridge Harlan (AZ/MT)
    Robert A.Harlan (PA)
    Connie J. King (VT)
    Gerry Harlan Lundgren (IA)
    Liz Harlan Sly (NJ)
    This newsletter is published semi-annually by The Harlan Family in America, a permanent organization established to document the historical contributions made by Harlans in America. Stories, photos, and other information submitted for publication should be sent to The Harlan Family in America, P.O. Box 1654, Independence, MO  64055.
    Editor  -  C. J. King     joking@sover.net
    Editorial Board  -  John L. Harlan,  Diana Harlan Wells, Ed Wynn

    FINANCIAL REPORT- September 1, 2001

    CASH IN SAVINGS ACCOUNT 3/1/01 $10,555.46
    INCOME
    Contributions  1,187.00
    Harlan History Book Sales 1,630.00
    Interest Earned (Savings Account) 80.57
    -- TOTAL INCOME
    $2,897.57
    DISBURSEMENTS:
    Book Storage, Insurance, Shipping 279.01
    Newsletter Printing/ Mailing
      900.00
    Directors Meeting Rental 135.00
    Printing & Postage 308.17
    Chester County Historical Society 100.00
    --TOTAL DISBURSEMENTS $1,722.18
    NET INCOME
    $1,175.39
    CASH IN SAVINGS ACCOUNTS 9/1/2001 $ 11,730.85

    This newsletter is published semi-annually by The Harlan Family in America, a permanent organization established to document the historical contributions made by Harlans in America. Stories, photos, and other information submitted for publication should be sent to The Harlan Family in America, P.O. Box 1654, Independence, MO  64055.



     
    Contributions to the 
    Remembrance Fund
    Since 4/1/2000

    In Memory of ....

    Eva H. Harlan
    by her nieces,
    Maria Fitch (DE), Margaret Maier and Elsa Zeisloft (PA)

    Jessie Carter Harlan and
    Wick R. Harlan Sr.

    by Capt. Wick R. Harlan, Jr. USN (Ret) (VA)

    Mrs. Louis (Willene) Harlan
    by Sarah Surratt (GA)

    Charles T. Harlin
    by Wilma Harlin Robison (CA)

    Anna Harlan Moore
    by Joe Harlan Moore (CA)

    Alice Harlan Pote
    by granddaughter, Phyllis Luckinbill (IA)

     

    Contributors to the
    Harlan Family in America Fund

    AZ- Junior F. Harlan
    CA- Yvette Hammar
    CA- Dennis Harlan
    CA- Forest Harlan
    CA- Linnet Harlan
    CA- Shirley Suttle
    CO- Shirley Harlan Stoner
    FL- Robert B. Harlan
    IL- Ellen L. Davis
    KY- Rachel J. Lewis 
    LA- Ferne B. Tooley
    MI- Cinda Lou Walton Harlan
    MO- James & Dorothy Harlan
    MT-
    Carroll V. Henderson
    NC- Frank M. Harlan
    NC- Barbara G. Haythorn
    NJ- Patricia A. Barker
    OH- Earl C. Harlan
    OH- Kimberly H. Oyer
    WI- Ed & Darlene Norman

    In Memoriam . . .
    Eva Hanson Harlan
    b. Feb. 13, 1899 - d. May 17, 2001
    Eva lived in 3 centuries. She was the wife of George Harlan, son of William E. Harlan #4596.

    Margaretta Douglass ("Dougie") Harlan
    d. Mar. 28, 2001, age 89 See article below.


    FYI
    The History and Genealogy 
    of The Harlan Family

    compiled by Alpheus Harlan, 1914
    Copies are available for $60 from:

    Peggy Harlan Talley
    104 Fern
    Poteau, OK  74953

    Make check payable to The Harlan Familly in America


     

    Do you want an electronic Harlan Record ? 
    If so, e-mail your request to: 
    Ruth Harlan Lamb at 
    harlamb@aol.com

    HARLAN CLOTHING &  SPECIALITY ITEMS

    Start now to get your family dressed for the Reunion in June of 2002 and do your Christmas shopping at the same time. Color pictures of any of the items listed are available by calling (602)992-8364 or e-mailing us at: JHSHDH@aol.com

    As a Reunion special we will be waiving all shipping charges on orders placed prior to November 10 for shipping by December 10, or on orders placed by May 1, 2002, to be shipped by May 25. We have a supply of items on hand at all times but suggest you call or e-mail to see if we have the size you need. We do special orders twice a year for Christmas and prior to Reunion time.

    Ten percent of all sales go to The Harlan Family of America organization.

    ----Sue and Jim Harlan

    Harlan�s Stitchery by Sue, 
    17617 N. 33rd Way, Phoenix, AZ 85032
    phone/fax:  (602) 992-8364
    e-mail: JHSHDH@aol.com 

    HARLAN NATIONAL REUNION, June 27-30, 2002, Brandywine Valley, PA

    On August 18, four members of the Harlan 2002 Reunion planning committee met in Pennsylvania to develop a schedule and settle other details for the upcoming event. Tentatively the schedule is:

    Thursday, June 27
    o Registration: Noon - 7 p.m. (Doubletree Hotel)
    o Reception: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. (Doubletree Hotel)

    Friday, June 28
    o Registration: 9 a.m. - Noon and 5 - 8 p.m.
    o Picnic: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Brandywine Picnic Park
    o Bus Tours: 9 a.m. & 1 p.m.

    Saturday, June 29
    o Registration: 8 a.m. - noon
    o Workshops: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
    o Bus Tours: 9 a.m. & 1 p.m.
    o Area Tours: On own time
    o Board Meeting: 3 p.m.
    o Banquet: 6 - 9:30 p.m.

    Sunday, June 30
    o Worship services: 9, 10, 11 a.m.
    (Old Kennett Meeting House)
    o Reception: 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. (Doubletree Hotel)

    • The Brandywine Picnic Park has been reserved for Friday, and we will have the entire park to ourselves. The cost will be around $25 for adults (10 and up) and $10 for children (age 3 to 9). This includes all the food you can eat plus rides and games. There are more than enough shelters for everyone, plus a stage where we plan to hold a talent show during the afternoon.
    • If you can help someone who would like to attend but who needs financial assistance, please let us know. We want everyone to be able to participate.
    • We are working with a bus company for rides to historic Harlan homes and to the Stargazer Stone, located on Harlan property and used by Mason and Dixon for surveying their famous boundary line.
    • An essay contest will be held for those who wish to write about their heritage. Details will be forthcoming; prizes will be awarded.
    • The banquet site has not been finalized. The program will include Dan Harlan's script "Uncommon Kin" and a reading of winning essays.
    • You should have received a letter in September, 2001, announcing the reunion. If not, contact The Harlan Family in America or e-mail Ruth Harlan Lamb at: harlamb@aol.com to receive the letter and a form to return for more information and a registration form that will be sent out early in 2002.

    THE FAMILY STORY TELLERS

    My feelings are that in each family there is one who seems called to find the ancestors. To put flesh on their bones and make them live again, to tell the family story and to feel that some-how they know and approve. To me, doing genealogy is not a cold gathering of facts but, instead, breathing life into all who have gone before.

    We are the story tellers of the tribe. All tribes have one. We have been called as it were by our genes. Those who have gone before cry out to us: tell our story. So, we do. In finding them, we somehow find ourselves. How many graves have I stood before now and cried? I have lost count. How many times have I told the ancestors you have a wonderful family and you would be proud of us? How many times have I walked up to a grave and felt somehow there was love there for me? I cannot say. It goes beyond just documenting facts. It goes to who am I and why do I do the things I do. It goes to seeing a cemetery about to be lost forever to weeds and indifference and saying I can't let this happen. The bones here are bones of my bone and flesh of my flesh.

    It goes to doing something about it. It goes to pride in what our ancestors were able to accomplish. How they contributed to what we are today. It goes to respecting their hardships and losses, their never giving in or giving up, their resoluteness to go on and build a life for their family.

    It goes to deep pride that they fought to make and keep us a Nation. It goes to a deep and immense understanding that they were doing it for us. That we might be born who we are. That we might remember them. So we do. With love and caring and scribing each fact of their existence, because we are them and they are us.

    So, as a scribe called, I tell the story of my family. It is up to that one called in the next generation to answer the call and take his or her place in the long line of family storytellers. That is why I do my family genealogy, and that is what calls those young and old to step up and put flesh on the bones.

    (Author Unknown)


    Deadline for Harlan Cookbook is Nov. 22

    The coordinator of The Harlan Family Cookbook- Dorothy Harlan Sperry-has been able to extend the deadline, and you now have until November 22 to submit those recipes! The cookbook will premier at the 2002 Reunion. According to Dorothy, she now has 385 recipes from 91 people, just short of her goal of 500 recipes and 100 contributors. She has not received many in the "old time" category.

    Send recipes to her new e-mail address: bobdot_sperry@yahoo.com before Thanksgiving!


    A. J.'s 100th: Good Reason for Noise

    According to a story in The Sedalia (MO) Democrat by Ron Jennings, a friend of Alamander Jeremiah Harlan was to display a sign on A.J.'s lawn August 17, urging motorists to "Honk for A.J.'s 100th Birthday." The friend observed A.J.'s 90th birthday the same way, and A.J. sat on his porch, acknowledging each toot of the horn with a wave and a smile.

    A.J. is listed in Alpheus Harlan's History and Genealogy of the Harlan Family, page 952-a rare distinction these days. He and his two sons attended the 1987 Harlan Celebration 300 in Delaware.

    Before retiring, A.J. was in the poultry business and later became a consultant with large milling companies, retiring from Quaker Oats in 1961.

    He exercises regularly, both physically and mentally, and is a 92-year member of the nearby Wesley United Methodist Church where he has held many lay positions.

     


    PA Harlan House May Be on TV

    Kate "Tolly" Roby, owner of one of the original Harlan houses in Chester County, Pa., has heard from Mason-Dixon expert Ed Danson (The Harlan Record cover story, Spring 2001) that National Geographic Television is interested in producing a series of reports about the MasonDixon line for their weekly news program "National Geographic Today."

    They would like to visit the Stargazer's Stone this fall and see the Harlan house, possibly to film the house and include views of the inside where Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon spent so much of their time.

    Meanwhile, Roby says she is still researching the "1732 deaths" mystery (see The Harlan Record, Spring 2000). She contacted a Temple University historian who has expertise in early mortality statistics in Philadelphia. She didn't have any answers, but said it was an intriguing puzzle, similar to another episode she's aware of that happened nearby, about 30 years earlier. In that instance, eight men died, leaving seven widows and a gang of children behind.


    End of an Era

    The McMurray family who owns Spring Hill in Eastern West Virginia, the original homestead of George #45, announce the death of Margaretta Douglass ("Dougie") Harlan on March 28, 2001. She was 89 years old and was the last of this branch of the family with the Harlan surname. "Harlan Homecoming," a reunion of Harlan relatives in 1998, was in her honor.

    In addition, her first cousin Ida Lefevre Snyder, daughter of Amelia Keerl Harlan Lefevre, died in September, 2000, at the age of 84. Both of the women were the granddaughters of George Boyd Harlan, the great-grandson of George#45.

     


    A Portrait of George Harlan (#672)
    Submitted by Arnold "Tim" Suter, Gibbstown, N.J.
    Extracted from a letter to Phillip Suter, from his aunt, Helen Vickroy Austin (#5759), Jan. 27, 1920

    "I remember Grandfather George Harlan very well. I do not know as much of his history as I ought to. He was a large man, six feet two inches and stout. He and his brother Joshua, who was a pioneer of Connersville, Fayette County, Indianna: [sic] were said to be the two handsomest men between the two Miami Rivers, Mother used to tell us. He was very fair and had blue eyes. He had a heavy beard but always shaved. When I knew him his hair was white. He was fat and fair and quite lame from inflammatory rheumatism. He had been a great athlete in his prime and in wrestling with an Indian "downed" him three times, he used to relate. Grandfather had a strong intellect and was very intelligent and had a library, that for the time was very extensive. He was a great talker and fond of telling anecdotes and "yarns" and was a great laugher and cheerful and cordial and hospitable."

    Correction The burial site of George and Elizabeth Harlan is at Centre Meeting House in Centerville, Del., not Old Kennett Meeting House in Chadds Ford, as mentioned in the September Reunion letter.

    The Bridge Builder

    An old man traveling a lone highway
    Came at the evening cold and gray,
    To a chasm vast and deep and wide,
    Through which was flowing a sullen tide.

    The old man crossed in the twilight dim,
    The sullen stream held no fears for him;
    But he turned when safe on the other side,
    And builded a bridge to span the tide.

    "Old man," cried a fellow pilgrim near,
    "You're wasting your time in building here,
    Your journey will end with the closing day;
    You never again will pass this way,
    You have crossed the chasm deep and wide,
    Why build you this bridge at even-tide?"

    The builder lifted his old gray head:
    "Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
    "There followeth after me today
    A youth whose feet must pass this way.
    This stream which has been as naught to me,
    To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be;
    He, too, must cross in the twilight dim---
    Good friend, I am building this bridge for him.
    --- -Will Allen Dromgoole

    The above poem was submitted by Laurence Harlan, Jr., who relates that around 65 years ago, his father-Laurence Parker Harlan-used to recite poems he learned from his father, Roy, who often read to his family. Larry, Jr. feels it has meaning for the Harlan Family.


    "Home on the Range" Has Harlan Tie
    Information submitted by Mary Barr Norris, great-granddaughter of Virginia

    Life on the Kansas Prairie in the 1870s was not only recalled but recorded by Virginia Jones-Harlan Barr in 1940 as a gift for her grandchildren. Her grand-parents-Sarah and John Carter Harlan #1724 -and their children moved to Smith County, Kansas, in 1871 and homesteaded 480 acres. Later John became a probate judge. Virginia's mother died when she was born in 1866, and she was adopted by her Harlan grandparents.

    The family first built a barn and lived in it while building their house. Times were often difficult, and homesteaders were lonely. In that part of the country, the judge's house was the largest and the only one with board floors, so it was often the scene of entertainment. Virgie's uncles were the only musicians for miles around but were soon joined by Dan Kelley, a man from Rhode Island who knew all the latest songs.

    Dan courted (and later married) Virgie's Aunt Lulu, and at parties they enjoyed dancing while Uncles Eugene and Clarence played the violin and guitar. The men soon formed the Harlan Brothers Orchestra.

    In the early pioneer days of Smith County, Kansas, a poem was written by Dr. Brewster M. Higley, called "Oh Give Me a Home". He showed the words to Dan Kelley who, before coming to Kansas, had been a bugler in the Union Army during the Civil War and had the ability to compose music.

    The next evening when Dan went to the Harlan home to see Lulu, he tried the song out before the family. The judge thought it should have some sort of a refrain, and the group came up with a version, later revised.

    Sarah Harlan liked the tune, and Virgie, age 9, caught up the song quickly and sang with the men as they played the new melody and sang the song. Little Virgie suggested they have a dance and surprise everyone with the song.

    The dance was held on a Friday night in April, 1873, and young people from miles around came for the event. (cont)

    Refreshments were served at 11:00 p.m. Then Dan began to play the music he composed on his violin, and he and Virgie sang the words to Dr. Higley's poem.

    Years later, a lawsuit was filed by a couple in Arizona who claimed that they had written the words and music to a song they called "My Arizona Home" and had copyrighted it in 1905. As a result, the song was taken off the airways, publishing ceased and professional singers could no longer perform it.

    After years of investigating, an attorney hired by the music interests presented evidence that the words were written by Dr. Higley and that Dan Kelley supplied the music, and the Arizona couple lost their lawsuit. In 1947, the Kansas House of Representatives introduced a bill to make it the official state song which was adopted on June 30 of that year.

    Some of the original words to "The Western Home," which had six verses, are:

    Oh, give me a home
    Where the buffalo roam
    Where the deer and the antelope play;
    Where seldom is heard
    A discouraging word,
    And the sky is not cloudy all day.

    Chorus:
    A home, a home
    Where the deer and the antelope play;
    Where never is heard
    A discouraging word,
    And the sky is not cloudy all day.

    Oh, give me the land
    Where the bright diamond sand
    Throws its light on the glittering stream
    Where glideth along
    The graceful white swan
    Like a maid in her heavenly dream.

     


    UPDATED GENEALOGY LINES
    that have been forwarded to
    Esther Harlan Wells - 6553 St. James Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46217 e-mail: bewell123@att.net
    or Director of Harlan Genealogy - Junior F. Harlan - 6218 E. Betty Elyse Ln., Scottsdale, AZ 85254-1947
    e-mail: jfdmharlan@aol.com 10/2001

    #739, p. 240 - John Harlan. Spouse - Catherine (Brown) Harlan Correction: Married October 13, 1815, in Franklin County, IN (Data from copy of marriage record; Book reads about 1816) Contributed by Cynthia Rhodes

    #1559, p. 384 - Jehu Hollingsworth Harlan. Spouse - Hannah Fisler Correction: Book says they had six children, but they had seven. First child, Charles Lukens, b. 3/14/1825, was not in book. Contributed by the late Ernest Albert Howard & Charles Gallaher

    #1623, p. 173 - Ellis Chandler. Spouse - Deborah Barton Contributed by J. Hepperlen

    #2508, p. 567 - George Harlan. Spouse - Malinda Stevens Correction: He died July 26, 1903, in Liberty, Union Co., IN. Malinda died Oct. 27, 1904, in Liberty, Union Co., IN (Data from copies of death certificates). Both are buried in West Point Cemetery, Liberty, IN. (Book reads he died July 26, 1904, and she died Oct. 26, 1906.) Contributed by Cynthia Rhodes

    #2634, p. 585 - Rebecca Baker. Spouse - John Sipple Caldwell Contributed by Theodore S. Overbagh

    #4422, p. 385 - Mary Ann Harlan. Spouse - Joseph Price Correction - She died 11/22/1869, not 11/28/1869, as is in book. (Also sent copies of wills and pictures) Contributed by the late Ernest Albert Howard & Charles Gallaher

    #4903, p. 860 - David R. B. Harlan. Spouse - Alice L. Kinney Contributed by Steve Kinney #5319, p. 464 - Charles Burleigh Meredith. Spouse - Lydia Ann Hall Contributed by Melissa Kay Charbonnel

    #6326, p. 567 - John Franklin Harlan. Spouse - Adeline West Contributed by Cynthia Rhoades

    #6800, p. 609 - Mary Jane Harlan. Spouse - Harvey S. Eagan Contributed by Ruth McCloud

    #6895, p. 615 - Barlow Clemmons. Spouse - *Edna Cooksey * Book shows Edward Cooksey Contributed by Nancy A. (Clemmons) Belz

    #6913, p. 617 - Elizabeth Harlan. Spouse - Lewis Huffman Book shows "George and Elizabeth moved to Gibson Co., Indiana, in 1861" and should read "Lewis and Elizabeth moved to Gibson Co., Indiana in 1861". Book shows Lewis Huffman b. there 2, 14, 1833 and should read b. 2,14, 1833, in Barren Co., KY. Book shows (iii) Elizabeth, b. 6, 27, 1864 and should read Melissa Maud Francis. Contributed by Iris F. Harris

    #7016, p. 628 - George Barton Harlan. Spouse - Sarah Elizabeth Cowden Contributed by Jim Funke

    #7219, p. 946 - Esther Harlan. Spouse - Samuel K. DeArmoun Contributed by Belva Miller Ogren

    #7956, p. 704 - Thomas Samuel Harlan. Spouse - Mary Fleming Harlan, #3489, p. 315 Contributed by Edgar Hill

    #9418, p. 823 - William Sherman Harlan. Spouse - Mary Etta Moore Contributed by Jerry & Shirley Harlan

    Not tied to book: James Harlan. b. c1742. Spouse - Elizabeth Webb Contributed by Laurence Harlan, Jr.


    Work by Wife of Justice John Marshall Harlan Is Published

    Word comes from Joseph B. Harlan, Esq., a member of the Supreme Court Historical Society, that a story by Malvina Shanklin Harlan was recently published in the Society's Journal..

    Some Memories of a Long Life 1854-1911, authored by Malvina Shanklin Harlan in 1915, wife of Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan, encompasses her entire life with John Marshall Harlan from her marriage at age 17 (1826) until his demise (1911). The book is the result of the work of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, her law clerks and the "fine mind and hand of historian Linda Przybyszewski, author of The Republic According to John Marshall Harlan."

    Joseph Harlan believes the Harlan family will find this work of great interest from several perspectives. "The life she called long is filled with anecdotes and insights about politics and religion in that era, the Supreme Court years 1877 to 1911 and the Harlan family. The reader is exposed to the Hayes White House through Malvina's friendship with First Lady Lucy Hayes, nicknamed 'Lemonade Lucy' for her avid temperance.

    "We learn of Malvina's extraordinary encouragement when her husband wrote the lone dissent from the Supreme Court's judgment striking down the Civil Rights Act of 1875, a measure Congress enacted to promote equal treatment, without regard to race, in various public accommodations."

    Note: At this time, extra copies of the Journal are not available. If reprints become available at a later date, the information will be posted on The Message Center of the Harlan Web site.



     

    Harlan-Lincoln House Renovation
    By Lynn Ellsworth

    In the small Midwestern town of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, on the campus of Iowa Wesleyan College, stands the home of James Harlan. James Harlan was an early president of the college, a U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Department of the Interior and friend of Abraham Lincoln.

    James Harlan's daughter, Mary, married Robert Todd Lincoln, son of the President. They brought their three children to this home during summers in the late 1870s and the 1880s. In 1895, the Robert Todd Lincolns became owners and made significant improvements to the home, and in 1907, Mary Harlan Lincoln gave the house to Iowa Wesleyan College "as a tribute to the memory of my father." The house has been used as a home for Iowa Wesleyan presidents and faculty, Pi Beta Phi chapter rooms, the art house, and since 1959, as a museum.

    The museum collection includes Harlan-Lincoln artifacts. Mary Todd Lincoln's mourning veil and a fragment of the coat Abraham Lincoln was wearing when he was assassinated are part of the collection. Currently, the co at fragment is on exhibit at the Lincoln Museum in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. James Harlan's wooden recliner, desk, and game table are some of the original pieces in the house. A door measuring the heights of his three grandchildren, Mary, Abraham II (Jack), and Jessie in 1883 is on exhibit, as well as other family items.

    College personnel and community volunteers are working to renovate the Harlan-Lincoln House, which is listed on the National Historic Register. In 1997, during their reunion in Mt. Pleasant, the Harlan Family gave $2,500 toward an architect's study for renovating the house. The architect's reuse plan calls for building a one-story addition onto the back of the house, including a warming kitchen and restrooms for receptions. The plan also includes adding a wrap-around porch similar to one there in 1895 and a patio and garden west of the House.

    Because the existing 1876 structure is only a portion remaining of the original Harlan residence, it does not convey the complete story of the day-to-day life of the Harlans and Lincolns. However it can serve as the setting to tell the story of this family and their place in local and national history.

    Just as Mary Harlan Lincoln hosted parties here, the house should again welcome friends and guests of Iowa Wesleyan. A dining-reception area, in addition to the museum, will continue to illustrate the story of the family's historical significance. A community relations office, located on the second floor, will bring activity to the house, reflecting graciousness, vitality, and a sense of tradition.

    The Harlan-Lincoln House Renovation Committee and Iowa Wesleyan College continue to work to revitalize the historic home of James Harlan. In June, the State Historical Society of Iowa notified the Committee of its successful grant application for matching funds to reinforce the main floor and do plumbing and electrical updates under the HRDP (Historic Resource Development Program). There were 122 applications, with only 44 recipients. This endorsement by the State Historical Society of Iowa lends a significant boost to the work of the Committee.

    The Committee has also received financial support from various individuals and two local foundations. Lynn Ellsworth, archivist for Iowa Wesleyan and Executive Director of the Harlan-Lincoln House Renovation Committee, has given programs about the house and its famous inhabitants for many local organizations, and the Committee has held open houses, as well as a celebration for James Harlan's 180th birthday! Recently, information about the Harlan-Lincoln House was added to the Web site: http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org Progress is steady, but the ultimate goal of a renovated building with a professionally cared-for museum and a hospitality center is still in the future.

    To contribute to the Harlan-Lincoln House Renovation Project or for more information, contact Lynn Ellsworth at 1-800-582-2383, or e-mail: iwcarch@iwc.edu Contributions are tax deductible. Checks may be made payable to Iowa Wesleyan College; designate to Harlan-Lincoln House Renovation Project. Mail to: Iowa Wesleyan College, Harlan-Lincoln House, 601 N. Main St., Mt. Pleasant, IA 52641.


    Congratulations

    . . . . . . to Dessie Harlan Gilmore, 92, of Webster, N.C., who won her second Gold Medal, outwalking four other ladies in her age group in July (see The Harlan Record, Spring 2001). The National Senior Olympic Games were held in Baton Rouge, La. Dessie trains 2-8 miles a day on a loop behind her home in the mountains. Her daughters are Sara Jo Reynolds of Florida and Susan Yowell, North Carolina.

    . . . to Melba (Harlan) and Raymond King, of Indianapolis, who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in August, 2001. Ray and Melba are parents of C. J. King, Jamaica, Vt., editor of The Harlan Record; Kenny King, Frankfort, Ind.; and Gary King, Arnold, Md. The celebration included family dinners and a reception, attended by many family and friends. It ended with an impromptu piano concert by Ray which brought back many memories.


    Family and Friends by Cindy Harlan Dugan

    "You have a lot to be thankful for," said Aunt Kathy.

    "Yeah, I know," I replied. I thought she was referring to the fact that four generations from across the United States were celebrating Mom and Dad's 50th wedding anniversary on December 28, 2000.

    What Aunt Kathy was referring to was the fact that both my mom and dad- Jim and Sue Harlan of Phoenix-had been able to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sue's parents, Tom and Helen McCann of New Castle, PA, in 1983; and the 70th anniversary of Jim's parents, David and Fanny Harlan, also of New Castle, earlier in 2000.

    Jim and Sue renewed their vows before their siblings, five children and their families, as well as their church family and Harlan Family friends. Jim and Sue own Harlan's Stitchery by Sue.


    The Harlan Family in America Needs Your Support

    It has been a proud tradition of The Harlan Family that no dues are required for membership. The association wants all Harlan descendants to have access to knowledge of the family's heritage. So far, costs of maintaining the organization have been met by contributions from interested Harlans, plus modest profits from the sale of reprints of Alpheus Harlan's The History and Genealogy of the Harlan Family.

    We're gearing up for the 2002 Harlan Reunion in Pennsylvania, and there will be substantial upfront costs for this national gathering of Harlan kinfolk. The Harlan Family in America needs your contributions to help with these expenses, as well as covering the costs of printing and mailing our newsletter, The Harlan Record.

    Officers and board members pay their own expenses to attend board meetings, so any donations you make go directly to expenses incurred for the Reunion plus maintaining the organization, printing and postage. Please consider contributing to the Harlan cause.

    The Harlan Family in America is very appreciative of those who have supported it in the past. The goal of building and maintaining the organization of one of America's leading families again needs your help. Thanks!


    Our Quaker Heritage

    A question was posed to editors of The Old Farmer's Almanac: "Why are members of the Society of Friends called Quakers?"

    The answer: The Society of Friends had its origins in England, where a preacher named George Fox (guided by what he called "Inner Light" and committed to a "priesthood of believers") began to put together the basic tenets of the religion about 1647. In 1650, Fox wrote in his journal: "Justice Gervase Bennett first called us Quakers because we bid him tremble at the word of God."

    Originally, worship was conducted largely in meditative silence unless a member was moved, spiritually, to speak. Years later, hymns and readings were added.

    Some Quakers appeared in the American colonies beginning in the 1650s, only a few years after the Society had been founded in England. Those who settled in New England often experienced cruel persecution, and they later moved to more tolerant colonies. Large scale migration of Friends began in 1675 when the first full shipload of Quakers disembarked in West Jersey. The migration of Friends increased to 23 ships in 1682, sailing into Delaware Bay with more than 2,000 immigrants who founded the colony of Pennsylvania.

    A year before, in 1681, William Penn, an Englishman and Friend, received a tract of land in America from King Charles II-payment of a debt owed Penn's father-that became the "holy experiment" of a Society of Friends colony in Pennsylvania. Charles II gave it its name and established it as a place where religious and political freedom could flourish.

    A few years later-1687-George and Michael Harlan arrived in New Castle, Delaware, and became a part of the Quaker community in America.

    Some basic principles of the Society included a renunciation of war and violence of many kinds, the abolition of slavery, prison reform, temperance and improved education-virtually all still in effect today.

    The early Friends in England split off from the episcopal Church of England, preferring a more direct relationship between believers and God. It is estimated that today there are about 200,000 Quakers worldwide.

    -Excerpts taken from "The Old Farmer's Almanac" and "Shaking Your Family Tree"
    by Myra Vanderpool Gormley

     

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    Harlan Record No. 17, Fall  2000
    Harlan Record No. 16, Spring 2000
    Harlan Record No. 15. Fall 1999
    Harlan Record No. 14, Spring 1999
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    Harlan Record No. 12, Summer 1997
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