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  • Spring 2002, NO. 20 - Contents
  • Still Time To Register For June's Harlan Family Reunion
    Thought it was too late? Haven't heard about it? Don't panic!

    We're holding a spot for you and your family for "Celebration 315", commemorating the 1687 arrival of the Harlan Family in America on the shores of Delaware. The four-day affair will be held June 27-30, 2002, in Wilmington, Delaware.

    Great News! Thanks to generous donations, we have made your family reunion family-friendly with very reasonable prices and lots of fun for all ages.

    Highlights include:
    o a spacious, comfortable hospitality room with refreshments, displays, the Harlan Store and more;
    o a complimentary Thursday evening reception;
    o free bus tours of Harlan sites in the gorgeous Brandywine Valley (seating limited);
    o a Friday afternoon picnic with lots of good foods, games, rides, sports, swimming, a family talent show and more;
    o informative workshops;
    o time to tour historic and fun attractions in the Philadelphia region;
    o a Saturday night banquet featuring Dan Harlan's short play, "Some Uncommon Kin";
    o a special Sunday Quaker Meeting; and more!
    o a Sunday Brunch.

    Sounds fabulous?
    A registration kit is easy to get, and you can look it over with no obligation. Just e-mail a request to Ruth Harlan Lamb at harlamb@aol.com or write to The Harlan Family in America at P.O. Box 1654, Independence, MO 64055. (If you already have a registration form, please fill it out and return it at your earliest convenience.)

    The Doubletree Hotel in Wilmington (302-478-6000) will be Reunion headquarters and is the location of the opening reception and Saturday evening banquet. When you book your rooms, be sure to mention that you are with the Harlan Reunion. If we meet our room goal at the Doubletree, we'll receive a break on expenses. The block of rooms for Harlans will only be held until June 3.

    Please do us a favor by telling your Harlan relatives about the reunion and encourage them to join you for the most pleasant, fun time you've had in a long, long time.

    We look forward to seeing you "where it all began" this June in Delaware.


    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/CA)
    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- March 1, 2002

    CASH IN SAVINGS ACCOUNT 9/1/01
    $11,730.65
    INCOME
    Contributions  13,160.00
    Harlan History Book Sales 1,020.00
    Interest Earned (Savings Account) 93.43
    Harlan Store Percentage
    25.00
    -- TOTAL INCOME
    $14,298.43
    DISBURSEMENTS:
    Book Storage, Insurance, Shipping 319.87
    Newsletter Printing/ Mailing
      825.40
    Cook Book Printing 1,400.00
    Reunion Letter & Postage 874.91
    --TOTAL DISBURSEMENTS $3,420.18
    NET INCOME
    $10,878.25
    CASH IN SAVINGS ACCOUNTS 3/1/2002 $ 22,608.90

    Contributions to the 
    Remembrance Fund
    Since 9/1/2001

    In Memory of ....

    Ruth Elizabeth Harlan
    by Elizabeth Crow,
    great-granddaughter

    Ruth Harlan Hoaglin
    by Charles H. Benton and
    Mary Sue Hoaglin, daughter

    Ethel Harlan Kraemer
    by Paul E. Kraemer

    Eva Harlin Sadler (KY)
    by Beth S. Moses

    Contributions to the
    Harlan Family in America Fund
    Since 9/1/2001

    AR - Virginia P. Harlan
    CA - Edna E. Harlan
    CA - Elmer & Mandy Harlan
    CA - Hellen O. Harlan
    CA - Wilma M. Robison
    CO - Norman F. Meyer
    DE - William A. & Carol W. Hayden
    IA - Mary Lou Rogers
    IL - Ellen L. Davis
    KY - Mary F. Whiteside
    MD - Mary H. Kiraly
    TN - Robert L. Hughes
    VA - Annette Beacham
    VA - Katherine B. Harlan
    WA
    - Mozelle Holloway

    2002 Reunion Patron List
    Donations received prior to March, 2002
    A complete listing of Patrons will be printed
    in the 2002 Reunion Brochure.
    Mary Lou Robertson - CA
    Rose Van Veen - CA
    Frank Corum - KY
    William & Debra Harlan - MI
    Robert & Marion Bassett - MS
    Marjorie Harlan Sgroi - NY
    Wilbur V. Harlan - OR
    Louis & Sadie Harlan - VA

    In Memoriam . . .
    Ruth Harlan Hoaglin
    b. Aug. 30, 1910 - d.Oct. 10, 2001
    Ruth was the historian and storyteller for her family. She attended both the 1987 and the 1997 Reunions.


    Over 10,000 Harlans are listed on over 1,000 pages in this valuable family reference book. 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


    The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a Web site about U. S. political history and cemeteries. Check out the Harlan ancestors by visiting: http://politicalgraveyard/com/bio/harlan.html

    Check out the Harlan Family Web page!
    http://www.harlanfamily.org

    Links include:
    The Association
    Cousins Ancestries and Web sites
    Documents
    Genealogy and Genealogy Data
    "The Great Trek"
    Historical Sites
    History
    Messages (and Inquiries)
    Name Origins
    Newsletter
    Ninety-Plus Club
    Reunions
    The Store
    Stories of Harlans
    Tours
    Who's Who of Harlans

    The Harlan Family in America is grateful to the founder and sponsor of the site, Jonathan V. Harlan (TN); the very capable Web master, Pam Ellingson (WI); Web site coordinator, Larry Harlan (MN); and Tom & Marylee Harlan (WA), directors.

    Retiring: Jim and Sue of Harlan Clothing

    Harlan's Clothing came about through a planning meeting in St. Louis, Mo., prior to the 1987 Reunion in New Castle, Del. Jim and Sue Harlan, residents then of Ill., received a letter from Dan Harlan, originator of the 1987 reunion. Dan asked them to attend the meeting and to bring ideas for the reunion.

    "We took samples of golf shirts, T-shirts and baseball caps with the red, black and white logo supplied by Dan. We had silk-screened items at that time. Some of those shirts are still being worn by family members," Sue said. Prior to the Harlan Family tour of England and Ireland, Jim and Sue's children had the Coat of Arms printed for them on sweatshirts. Many of the trip participants asked about, ordered and wore Harlan family items on the streets of the UK. "They got a lot of attention," Sue related.

    During the trip, there was a meeting of folks wanting to work on a future reunion in 1997. Jim and Sue decided to just enjoy the day and didn't go to the meeting. At breakfast the next morning, they learned they had been nominated by the group to continue with the clothing, and they accepted the job.

     

    Prior to the reunion in Mt. Pleasant, the logo was updated, using red, white and blue to be more patriotic as The Harlan Family in America. At that time, Jim and Sue began offering items embroidered with the Harlan Coat of Arms and now have both the Coat of Arms and The Harlan Family in America logo embroidered on items.

    Jim and Sue decide what to sell after sending pictures and ideas to Harlan reunion groups, board members and the many extended Harlan family members they have in Phoenix where they now reside. They do not run a commercial store; they just do custom sewing for individuals, most of the time lettering sports uniforms. They hire someone else to do the embroidery and silk screening. After the 1997 reunion, they bought their first computer for handling orders from the family.

    Sue writes that, "We always suggest that folks e-mail or call us to see if we have what they want on hand." Their e-mail address is: JHSHDH@aol.com. "We usually have lots of clothing in our home, but it isn't always the right size or color the customer wants. We usually do two big orders a year, around Christmas and prior to summer reunions. We give ten percent of our sales to the Family as a donation.

    "This past year, sales have been very low. We have always tried to have quality products at a good price. We have decided that after the 2002 Reunion we will be closing The Store. Hopefully, before closing, we will be able to take care of all your needs and have your family dressed for the occasion. We have patriotic colors that we have been using, even prior to Sept. 11. "It has been enjoyable. The best part is meeting Harlan family all over the country. The challenge has been trying to decide the sizes of items to keep in stock."

    The venture has always been financed completely by Jim and Sue. They have money tied in inventory, and they suggest that anyone trying such a venture should keep a very minimum of inventory instead of trying to have items on hand that you believe people will want.

    "We have taken ideas from folks-items they were sure we would sell. Some had to be purchased in large numbers, and we sold very few. So we still have a lot of pins, patches and prints on hand," Sue said. Items sold through the store must have a definite Harlan connection, and some proceeds must go to the organization. Since the store was begun as part of the 300th Reunion, anyone who wants to sell items must obtain permission from the organization.

    Jim and Sue have five children, nine living grandchildren and a great grandson. They had the largest group at the 1987 reunion, from Jim's parents, aunts, and cousins, to their children and their families, including the youngest child, Maureen Dugan.

    Items ordered by May 15 will be shipped by June 5, in time for the 2002


    Our Historian-Alpheus H. Harlan

    Did you know the first issue of The Harlan Record has a preview of Alpheus Harlan's work?

    Volume I, Number I, of The Harlan Record was published in St. Louis December 1, 1901. Under the title is the sentence: "Published in the Interest of the Harlans and Their Friends."

    On page one of this Harlan newspaper is a short article about Alpheus H. Harlan (#4816), the faithful compiler of the Green Book (or red or tan, depending upon the publishing date), entitled History and Genealogy of the Harlan Family and in smaller print-And Particularly of the Descendants of George and Michael Harlan who Settled in Chester County, Pa., 1687.

    Copying from this one hundred-and-one-year-old newspaper article about Alpheus we read:

    Hon. A. H. Harlan, of New Burlington, Ohio, the historian of the Harlan family, has for the last twenty years been devoting his time to the preparation of a volume which, when finished, promises to be one of the most complete compilations of history and incidents relating to the descendants of George and Michael Harlan that was ever before attempted by any one.

    This work, which we understand will be ready for publication in the very early future, will be as near a perfect history of the Harlan family as could well be conceived, and, coming from the pen of the recognized historian of the family, cannot fail to be all that is expected of such work.

    The Harlan Record being intended as a medium through which may be cultivated a closer relationship between the Harlans and their friends everywhere, does not pretend to take the place of or in any way imitate this most valuable history. We congratulate the members of our family upon the prospect of this great work and hope soon to be able to say something about it after an inspection of its pages.


    Volunteers Wanted
    If you would like to serve The Harlan Family of America in some capacity, please let us know. Eventually there will be vacancies on the board or on the Web site committee, so let us hear from you.

    Please send your name and contact information, along with an explanation of your interest, to: The Harlan Family in America P. O. Box 1654 Independence, MO 64055.


    Sir Edward Harland Honored with Plaque
    Sir Reginald Harland CBE unveiled a plaque to honor Sir Edward Harland in Scarborough, Yorkshire, U.K., on December 4. Family members and officials from Scarborough Council attended the ceremony which was held at the house of Sir Edward's father, Dr. William Harland, whose family lived in the house in the 1840s.

    Sir Edward was a founder of the Belfast shipbuilding company, Harland & Wolff, builders of the Titanic.


    To the Harlan Record from Linda Przybyszewski
    Associate Professor, P.O. Box 210373, History Department, Univ. of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH

    I noticed the article on Malvina Harlan's memoirs in your latest Harlan Record. You will be pleased to know that the memoirs will be reprinted by the Modern Library, a division of Random House, May 7, 2002.

    I'm forwarding a quote, sent by the publishers, by Stacy Schiff, Pulitzer-prize winning author of Vera (Mrs. Vladimi Nabokov):

    "I'm pleased to share this advance quote for Some Memories: 'Malvina Harlan's are the observations you wish they wouldn't leave out of history books. A charming slice of domestic-and national- history, worth the price of admission for the story of the disappearing Dred Scott inkstand alone. Mrs. Harlan was one wise woman.'"

    Excuse the self-promotion, but here's a bit of a review of my book, available at http://www.uncpress.unc.edu/

    Review of Linda Przybyszewski, The Republic According to John Marshall Harlan (Univ. of North Carolina Press, 1999), by Stanley N. Katz, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University: "Linda Przybyszewski's volume on 'the first Justice Harlan,' John Marshall Harlan (1833-1911), deserves a place on the library shelf that holds the finest recent examples of the genre: Gerald Gunther's Learned Hand, Andrew Kaufman's Benjamin Cardozo or, a little further back, R. Kent Newmyer's Joseph Story. I could name other candidates, but I want to make clear that Przybyszewski belongs on this special shelf.

    "Or does it? I could make the argument that the Przybyszewski volume deserves a shelf all to itself, since it is such a wonderfully innovative approach to judicial (and especially United States Supreme Court) biography."

    So maybe you'll want to look at it too.


    The Story of Murillo & Jim Bob as told by Ralph D. Reynolds
    After the death of Murillo Elizabeth Harlan Smith, a former member of the Harlan Ninety Plus Club, an interesting story of her life surfaced.

    Murillo's father, James Henry Harlan (#6058), was born in 1839 and served in the Civil War with Hood's Alabama Brigade, fighting in eight major battles, never wounded. He fought against Captain Arthur MacArthur, General Douglas MacArthur's father, at the Battle of Missionary Ridge. Captain Arthur MacArthur was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his action that day. James Henry played dead until dark, and then ran away to fight another day.

    James and his first wife, Sarah, had nine children. The family moved to Texas in 1883 and attended the Blue Ridge Baptist Church in Reagan. The church organized in 1859 on land donated by George Harlan (#2405).

    In 1897, Sarah died, and James later married Williean Spurgeon Mathews in 1902. Williean had a daughter by a previous marriage, and in the 1918 flu epidemic, both the daughter and Williean died, leaving five children from the second marriage, one of whom was Murillo, born in 1908.


    Murillo, age 15

    Murillo was named after a famous Civil War ballad. She and a neighbor boy became parents of a son in 1925, and despite family pressure to marry, Murillo refused. She went to Pilot Point (Texas) Rest Cottage for the birth of her son, named Jim Bob Harlan, and he was put up for adoption.

    The first day the infant was on display, Maggie Reynolds saw him and fell in love. The baby, Jim Bob, had a big grin, and she chose him for her child. He was renamed Ralph Douglas Reynolds, after his adoptive father.

    Meanwhile, Murillo married an abusive bootlegger, and they had two children. After he was sent to prison for life, she divorced him. To support her two children during the Depression, she became a bootlegger. Several relatives say they would have starved if it hadn't been for Murillo.

    She later married Glen Smith, and they moved to California in the mid-1930s, where they worked in a laundry. Glen was drafted in the Army during World War II, was captured at the Battle of the Bulge, and was a POW in Germany. Eventually he returned to Murillo but was so shell-shocked that he couldn't hold a job.

    The child Murillo Harlan gave up, now Ralph Douglas Reynolds, graduated from Tyler (Texas) High School in 1942 and married Virginia Lee Ellis in April of 1943. He joined the Navy in September and served in the Naval weather bureau.

    After his discharge in 1946, he worked for the weather bureau and then for the U.S. Army in Arizona as a research meteorologist. He transferred to stratospheric balloon research for the Air Force, which included four manned balloon missions. In 1962 he transferred to the Army Atmospheric Science Lab at the White Sands Missile Range and finished a degree in Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics in 1966. He held various positions in several states and retired from the Physical Sciences Laboratory, New Mexico State University, in 1991.

    Ralph and Virginia have a son and three daughters. After Ralph's adoptive parents died, his daughter, Sue Reynolds, noticed an article in the Albuquerque Journal about groups that help people find their natural parents. With Ralph's permission to search for and obtain the release of his adoption papers, Sue got in touch with Ralph's birth mother, Murillo Harlan Smith. After talking by phone, Murillo and her son were reunited, and Ralph describes it as "love at first sight." The two were able to share her last 20 years of life. The families of both Murillo and Ralph got together several times a year, and the children and grandchildren adored their newfound relative.

    In October of 1999, Murillo, nearly 91 and an Oklahoma resident, wanted to attend the annual reunion at the Blue Ridge Baptist Church in Reagan, Texas, and Sue volunteered to take her. Murillo then wanted to go to Las Vegas, and a nephew agreed to accompany her. But she collapsed just as they got to the airport and died the following day, November 17, 1999. At her funeral service, the families Murillo had helped were there, recounting the sacrifices she made to clothe, feed and love them in the terrible Depression years.

    Ralph D. Reynolds, 1943


    A HARLAN FAMILY JOURNEY by Cynthia Rhoades, Hagerstown, Indiana

    In looking for clues on the migration route of Aaron #41 and his family, I found a list of early tax records (1755) for Orange County, N.C., which included Aaron Harling; Valentine Hollingsworth, Aaron's father-in-law and father of Sarah Hollingsworth; as well as Joseph, Steven and Thomas Howard, names that appear frequently with the Harlans as they moved from place to place.

    The history of Union County, S.C., tells that relocation to South Carolina started around 1751, encouraged by the availability of free frontier land. The Treaty of 1755 between South Carolina Governor James Glen and Old Hop (the principal Cherokee chief) accelerated this migration.

    Among the early Union County settlers were English Quakers and Baptists. The Quakers established two churches: Padgett's Creek and Cane Creek. Some of these early Quaker families included the Gists and Hollingsworths. Many Union County Quakers left between 1800 and 1810, moving on to Ohio and Indiana because they objected to the large-scale slavery being developed in the area.

    A group of Separate Baptists arrived in Union County from North Carolina and settled on the Broad River in 1759. In 1762 the congregation moved up Fairforest Creek to Dining Creek, in southwestern Union County. This Fairforest Baptist Church was the first Baptist church in the South Carolina up-country. Families in this group included Phillip Mulkey, Obediah and Stephen Howard, Benjamin Gist and others.

    Aaron Harlin is listed as a resident of the "Old 96th District" in South Carolina in 1779, in records compiled as a type of census. The Old 96th District, created from parts of the original seven judicial districts, included Union County, which wasn't created until 1798.

    We now have new information about the date of Aaron's death in Union District, S.C., in November, 1796, based on Letters of Administration of the estate of Aaron Harlan. Aaron's estate was administered by three of his sons: Samuel #195, George #197 and Jacob #198. The list of Aaron's estate includes two tracts of land to be sold, one with 205 acres and the other with 183. Besides the animals and farm equipment, the household goods were also listed. >From that, one must presume Sarah had preceded Aaron in death. Alpheus Harlan's History and Genealogy of the Harlan Family confirms this, although no date is given. Sarah reportedly died in Laurens District, part of the "Old 96th District."

    We know that Aaron's son, James #199, and his wife, Edith Howard, left South Carolina in 1799 with their six children, which included Valentine #736, Elihu #737, Joshua #738, John #739, Jacob #740 and Nathan #741. They traveled first to the area of Pigeon Creek, Tenn., staying for about a year, then moving on to what was then Barren County, Ky., but in 1820, became part of Monroe County.

    According to the meeting minutes, a church called Mill Creek Baptist Church, or Old Mulkey Meeting House, had been established in 1798. A small band of pioneer Baptists from North and South Carolina established the church led by Phillip Mulkey. John Mulkey was the first preacher of record. Among its members were James Harlan and his wife, who joined the church in March of 1800, as well as Gists and Howards and other Harlans.

    Old Mulkey Meeting House is now a State Historic Site and is located near the town of Tompkinsville, Ky., close to the Tennessee state line. The current building was built in 1804, during a period of religious revival.

    By 1809, a large congregation worshipped in the log meeting house. A controversy arose over the teachings of John Mulkey, leading to several heresy trials. Failing to gain a majority vote against him, the church decided to "choose sides." The majority who believed as Mulkey did continued to worship in the church, which became known as "Old Mulkey." The other congregation built the Second Mill Creek Baptist Church.

    A copy of the land grant to James Harlan, for 135 acres in Barren County, dated January 1804, indicates James purchased land in 1804. The grant states that one boundary of the parcel is the east fork of the Big Barren River, and another boundary starts at a white oak tree on John Mulkey's line. That property boundary is one more link or proof that James was living in Kentucky prior to his journey on to Indiana.

    He is also listed on the 1810 Federal Census in Barren County, along with his wife and nine children, six males and three females. By 1810, James #742, Edith #743, Polly #744, and Anna #745 had all been born and were part of the family. Since James' son Valentine was 23 by then, we can presume he was no longer living at home.

    According to the history of the Harlan Family, James and his family lived in Barren County until 1817, when they moved to Darke County, Ohio, where James and Edith lived until their deaths. James is actually credited with settling the town of Bethel, Ind., in 1817, across the state line from Darke County, Ohio. The town was actually called Crossroads until 1844, when it was renamed Bethel after the Bethel Christian Church, established in 1827.

    In the meantime, James' son, John #739, had moved to Union County, Ind, circa 1813-1815. There are two land entries for a John Harlan. One is dated April, 1813, and the other is March, 1815, but the actual copies of those land entries have not been confirmed. What is certain is that John married Catherine Brown Harlan on October 13, 1815, by James Lewiston, the Justice of the Peace in Franklin County, Ind. Franklin County is just south of Union County.

    John and Catherine appear to have bought and sold a lot of land while they lived in Union County with the last parcel being sold in May of 1851. >From there they moved to Iowa, where they lived the rest of their lives. (Several from my line had the opportunity to visit the Iowa grave site during the 1987 Harlan Reunion, thanks to one member.)

    John and Catherine's son, George #2508, was born in Union County, Ind., in 1818, just two years after Indiana became a state. George married Malinda Stevens in Union County in November of 1841. They raised ten children and remained in Union County their entire lives.

    One interesting note is that George was elected a trustee of the Brownsville Christian Church in 1846. Somewhere along the line, the family became members of the Christian Church, as George's grandfather was also credited with establishing a Christian Church in Bethel, Ind. The 1860 Indiana census lists George as a farmer with property valued at $12,000 and personal property worth $2,000. Contrary to what the History and Genealogy of the Harlan Family reports, George died on July 26, 1903, and Malinda died October 27, 1904.

    Their son and my great-grandfather, John Franklin #6326, was born in 1844. He is the last of my direct line to be listed in the History and Genealogy of the Harlan Family. I think the value of my efforts in both Warren County and Clark County is that they illustrate how the genealogy book really only tells part of the story. There is no substitute for going to the scene and checking out other resources to get a more complete picture of what our ancestors were up to. Information that might not have been important to Alpheus in 1914, or that might have been thought boastful or scandalous, may not appear that way at all today.


    Editor's Note

    You are welcome to submit family stories for publication in The Harlan Record. Please accept our apologies ahead of time if we have to cut a story for the sake of space.

    If you feel strongly that we have out left something important, you can resubmit it for a future issue. We may occasionally run a story in installments.

    Send stories to C.J. King joking@sover.net


    Harlans Have Native America Connection

    Some Harlan kin are members of the Omaha Tribe, located on a reservation outside the city of Omaha, Neb. Major T. L. Harlan relates that "we produced the first female Indian Doctor," and several of our kinsmen are members of the Tribe, including Joe Harlan, Sr., who is quite active in social events.

    For anyone wanting to connect their Native American roots to Alpheus Harlan's genealogy, the early 1800s U. S. Census in Nebraska showed Indian Harlans in Omaha. In 1892, about a dozen Harlans were living on the Reservation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau records, copies of which are available from the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.


    Echoes of Andersonville - Part One By Edward Harlan Wynn, Contributing Editor

    By the winter of 1863-64, the Confederacy was near the last of its resources and manpower. Knowing this, Union General Ulysses S. Grant refused to continue the prisoner-exchange agreement that had been in operation during most of the war. This action cut down on the number of Confederate soldiers Grant's army would have to face in the coming campaign, but it also meant death to a great number of Union prisoners who would otherwise have been exchanged.

    The concentration of war prisoners in Richmond, Va., drained the local food supply and was a source of danger should the Yankees attack. To relieve the burden, a new prison site was selected in the heart of Georgia, near the village of Andersonville, in Sumter County. The prison was officially named Camp Sumter.

    When the first prisoners arrived in late February, 1864, they found 16.5 acres of open land enclosed by a 15-foot-tall stockade. The not-yet-completed prison provided little in the way of housing, clothing, or medical care. The only fresh water was a stream that flowed through the prison yard, with the downstream end serving as the camp latrine.

    During the next few months, 400 more prisoners arrived each day, and in June the prison was expanded to 26 acres. By then, there were 26,000 men enclosed in an area intended to hold 10,000. By August, the prison contained more than 32,000 Union prisoners.

    Conditions at Andersonville were worse than at any other war prison, North or South. The Georgia heat, along with disease, filth, exposure, and lack of adequate medical care, took a fearful toll.

    In September 1864, General William T. Sherman's Union army captured Atlanta and brought its cavalry within reach of Andersonville. The Confederacy relocated surviving prisoners to other camps, and Camp Sumter operated as a smaller facility for the rest of the war. But the summer had taken a terrible toll: of the 45,000 Union soldiers confined at Camp Sumter, 13,000 died, including several Harlan men.

    Wilbur Fisk Massey (#6787, son of Matilda Harlan #2712) was a fair complexioned 27-year-old teacher with blue eyes and light hair when he enlisted as a Private in Company D, 111th Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He enlisted in Xenia, Ill., on August 11, 1862, for a period of three years. On November 5, 1863, he was reported missing in an action against a guerrilla force at Gravel Springs, Ala.

    Confederate records listed him on December 3, 1863, as a prisoner of war confined at Richmond, Va. He was sent to the prison camp at Andersonville in February, 1864, and was reported confined there on March 25. On May 15, 1864, he was admitted to the Hospital at Andersonville, where he died on May 28 of diarrhea, according to the Prisoner of War Records housed in the National Archives. The list of interments at Andersonville indicates that Wilbur is buried in Grave #1428.

    Another young Illinois man, James C. Harlan (#6959), son of Jehu (#2751) and Rachel Sutton, was only 19 years old at the time of his enlistment in the Union army. His home was in Table Grove, Ill., where he farmed. At the time of his enlistment he was described as 5 feet 9 inches tall with a fair complexion, gray eyes and brown hair.

    James was a farm boy who provided his own horse and horse-related equipment when he signed up as a Private in Company L, 7th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry. For a time he served as the Blacksmith for his unit, for which he received an additional .40 per day.

    On October 11, 1863, during a charge near Collierville, Tenn., his horse was shot, and he was captured. Records reflect that he was confined in Richmond, Va. On March 21, 1864, he was sent to the prison camp at Andersonville. He was admitted to the hospital at Andersonville on July 22, 1864, where he died on August 24. The cause of James' death is listed as "Scorbutus" in existing records. James is buried in grave #6684. (To be continued in next issue)


    Post Card Has Mysterious Origin

    Liz Harlan Sly found a post card in her belongings. It is a picture of Edward Harlan Stever, aged one year, and was addressed to Liz's grandfather, George W. Harlan, 244 St. Charles, Atlanta, Ga., who lived at this address in the early 1900s. The card was unstamped and probably not mailed.

    The card has a photographer's identification: "Reid Studio, Ottumwa, Iowa." The message is: "This is Harlan at a year. It's fine of him except his hair. It is curly but after he wears his hood a while, it looks stringy … We are all well and busy. Expecting to spend New Years with Eula …"

    The signature is "Lillie B. Stever, Batavia, Iowa." Liz will be happy to send this picture to a descendant. Her address is 18 Ravine Drive, Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677, or you may contact her at esly@mindspring.com


    Texas May Day Singing to be May 5

    The 115th annual May Day Singing will be held at the Blue Ridge Baptist Church on Sunday, May 5. The church is located about 40 miles southeast of Waco on FM-1771. The church was organized in 1859 on land donated by George Harlan (#2405) which was granted to his father from Mexico, and the cemetery is filled with Harlan descendants and spouses. There will be singing from 10:00 until noon, followed by a covered dish lunch. Singing will then continue until 3:00pm. For information, contact: J. R. Hunnicutt - 254-587-2259 The Richardsons - 254-587-2210 Robert Powers - 254-662-4792


    Restoring Historical Harlan Buildings

    • The Monterey County (CA) Historical Society is in the process of restoring the former home of Benjamin Caleb Harlan (#9335) in Salinas. The 1890s house is historic since it is one of the early examples of a collaboration between an owner, builder and architect. It has classic examples of a master carpenter’s craft and early prefabricated parts. The Society is seeking any photographs of the house to assist in the restoration, as well as photos of Benjamin and his family. The house was saved from demolition in 1989 and was moved to the Boronda Adobe History Center. Anyone with photos or information can contact the executive director of the Historical Society at mchs@dedot.com.

    • The city of Marshall, Iowa, has purchased an opera house built in 1871 and named Harlan Hall for its builder, Howard Harlan (#2262). The hall has recently been added to the National Register of Historic Places. Howard was a businessman, builder, owner of the Sherman House hotel and a brick livery stable with the opera hall above. The city of Marshall plans to make the hall into a community center, with a theater upstairs. They intend to have a small museum above the hall, housed on an original balcony, and perhaps an interpretive center about the heritage of the National Road. If anyone would like a tour of Harlan Hall to see the work in progress, contact the secretary of the City of Marshall, Iowa, at 217-826-8087, Monday-Friday.



    Welcome to a New 90-Plus Member

    Lulu M. Harlan Horning is the newest member of the Ninety-Plus Club. She was born in May, 1906, and lives in Illinois.


    2002 Harlan Family Reunion Talent Show and Volunteer Band

    Are you coming to the Harlan Reunion in the Brandywine Valley June 27-30? Do you have a performing talent you’d share at the Friday afternoon Talent Show? Then step right up and let us know! Contact Junior Harlan at mailto:JFDMHarlan@%20aol.comor write him at 6218 E. Betty Elyse Lane, Scottsdale, AZ 85254, and give him the details. ALSO . . . VOLUNTEER BAND at the BRANDYWINE PICNIC PARK If you play a guitar, violin, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, harmonica, or whatever, please contact Junior Harlan (see above for address). Perhaps a family band can play at the Picnic Park sometime on Friday.


    Become a Harlan Family 2002 Reunion Patron

    You are invited to become a Reunion Patron and help support the 2002 national meeting of Harlans in Delaware/Pennsylvania from June 27­30, celebrating our Harlan heritage. Contributions of any size are welcome and will help defray expenses associated with the gathering. Names of Reunion Patrons will appear in the Commemorative Reunion Program. All donations go directly to the costs of rentals, printing, postage, and other related expenses. (Officers and board members pay their own expenses to planning sessions and board meetings.) Your faithful support for both The Harlan Family in America organization and the 2002 Reunion is deeply appreciated. Checks, designated for the 2002 Reunion, may be mailed to The Harlan Family in America, P. O. Box 1654, Independence, MO 64055, and designate “2002 Reunion.” Thank you.

     

    THE HARLAN FAMILY IN AMERICA

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    A Membership & Contribution Form that can be printed



    The Harlan Family in America is sending its newsletter, The Harlan Record, and other Harlan-related material to those interested in the organization and its mission.

    If you do not wish to receive mailings of The Harlan Record  and future reunion notices, kindly return this form to The Harlan Family in America  P. O. Box 1654   -   Independence, MO  64055

    or e-mail your request for discontinuation to Ruth Harlan Lamb at harlamb@aol.com
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    Harlan Record No. 19, Fall  2001
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    comments or suggestions to Ruth Harlan Lamb harlamb@aol.com
    P.O. Box 1654, Independence, MO  64055