That little five-year-old, who lost his daddy all too soon, was my
grandmother, Mary Waggoner’s great-grandfather, Henry
J. Harman.
He was
born in Smyth County Virginia to Mathias and Mary Dunn Harman on 22 February
1797.[1] He was the middle child of five, two
older brothers to pick on him and two younger sisters to annoy him.
Other than losing his father at a young age, no more is
known about his childhood. On 6 December 1826, at age 29, he married the
mysterious Famy Brown.[2] Thus far, I
have not been able to establish the parentage of Miss Brown. The Harman book
gives her name as Famy, and the only other source I’ve found stating her name
is Henry’s death record, where it was recorded as Fanny.[3]
(And, incidentally, this is the only record I’ve found that includes the middle
initial J. for Henry.) Was she named Famy or Fanny? Harman historians I’ve talked to seem to favor Famy.
 |
| Henry J. Harman, photo from Harman Genealogy, p. 160. |
In the Harman book, Henry and Famy are credited with seven
children: Nancy, Hezekiah, Jerome B., Anna F. (my great-great-grandmother),
Louisa, Amanda, and George W,[4] in that
order. There’s a problem with this, however. Amanda was born in 1849,[5]
but Famy had died 9 July 1846.[6] The birth
dates of the other children occurred before 1846. Who was Amanda’s mother?
On 31 May 1849, Henry married a young woman named Catherine
Leedy.[7]
In 1850, Henry’s household included Catherine Harman, age 18, and six of his
known children: Hezekiah (20), Jerome (18), Anne (16), Louisa (11), George W.
(8), and Amanda (1); also included was Mary Harman (75), Henry’s mother.[8]
It seems shocking today, for a 52 year old man to marry an 18 year old woman,
but in those days, it was not unusual for a widower to marry a much younger woman. It seems likely that
Catherine was the mother of Amanda, who was born 28 March 1849,[9]
prior to the marriage of her parents. And in fact, Amanda named Catherine and
Henry as her parents on her marriage record.[10]
At this time, Henry’s real estate holdings were worth $8,000.00, a fair sum in
those days.
By 1860, Henry’s household does not include Catherine. The
reason for this is unknown, but it’s likely that she had died. This time, his
children include Nancy (32), Hezekiah (30), Anna (26), Louisa (23), George W.
(19), and Amanda (11). Also included are Jerome B. (28), his wife Nancy (25),
and daughter Astoria (4 months).[11] That’s a
full house!
I’m curious as to why Nancy, Anna, and Louisa are listed in
Henry’s household because they were married and living elsewhere with their
families. Nancy was enumerated with her husband William Bales and children,
with post office at 7 Mile Ford.[12] Anna was
enumerated with her husband, Jacob Waggoner, and children in Bland County.[13]
Louisa was enumerated with her husband, Eli Groseclose, and children in Wythe
County.[14]
Did Henry list his children
whether or not they were living with him? It seems so. His real estate holdings
were worth $8,000.00, again, and his personal estate was worth $3,000.00. He
lived in the vicinity of 7 Mile Ford, for that was his Post Office.[15]
In 1870, Henry, retired farmer, was living with his son
Hezekiah and family, at Chatham Hill, Rich Valley, Smyth County, Virginia.[16]
Eight years later, he died on 9 July 1878, at age 81.[17]
His daughter, Anna, is the next generation of Harman descendants from which our
branch of the Troutman family descend. She and her siblings seem to have all
led interesting lives. Next week, I’ll fill you in on the details.
© 2014, Z. T. Noble.
[1] John Newton
Harman, Sr., Harman Genealogy (Southern
Branch) with Biographical Sketches and Historical Notes, 1700-1924
(Radford, Virginia: Commonwealth Press, Incorporated, 1925), p. 160.
[2] John Newton
Harman, Sr., Harman Genealogy, p.
160.
[3] Virginia
Deaths and Burials Index, 1853-1917, database Ancesty.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 28 April 2014);
Henry J. Harmon.
[4] John Newton
Harman, Sr., Harman Genealogy, p.
161.
[5] John Newton
Harman, Sr., Harman Genealogy, p.
162. Also, Zion United Methodist Church Cemetery, Nebo, Smyth County, Virginia;
Find A Grave (http://findagrave.com :
accessed 6 May 2014); memorial for Amanda H. Hubble.
[6] John Newton
Harman, Sr., Harman Genealogy, p.
161.
[7] Virginia
Marriages, 1740-1850, database Ancestry.com
(http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 6 May 2014); citing Catherine Leedy and
Henry Harman, 1849.
[8] 1850 U.S.
census, Smyth County, Virginia, population schedule, 60th district, p. 473 (penned),
dwelling 1108, family 1117, Henry Harman family; digital image, Ancesty.com (http://www.ancestry.com:
accessed 6 May 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 976.
[9] Zion United
Methodist Church Cemetery, Nebo, Smyth County, Virginia; Find A Grave memorial for Amanda H. Hubble.
[10] Smyth
County, Virginia, Marriage Register 1, page 22, Amanda Harman and Andrew J.
Hubble; County Clerk’s office, Marion.
[11] 1860 U.S.
census, Smyth County, Virginia, population schedule, 60th district, p. 122 (penned),
dwelling 794, family 796, Henry Harman family; digital image, Ancesty.com (http://www.ancestry.com:
accessed 6 May 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 1377.
[12] 1860 U.S.
census, Smyth County, Virginia, population schedule, 68th district,post office 7 Mile
Ford, p. 52 (penned), dwelling 817, family 819, William Bales family; digital
image, Ancestry.com
(http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 6 May 2014); citing NARA microfilm
publication M653, roll 1377.
[13] 1860 U.S.
census, Bland County, Virginia, population schedule, 60th district, p. 126 (penned),
dwelling 401, family 333, Jacob Wagoner family; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com:
accessed 6 May 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 1385.
[14] 1860 U.S.
census, Wythe County, Virginia, population schedule, 68th district, p. 125 (penned),
dwelling 942, family 834, Eli Groseclose family; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com:
accessed 6 May 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 1385.
[15] 1860 U.S.
census, Smyth County, Virginia, pop. sch. 60th district, p. 122 (penned),
dwell. 794, fam. 796, Henry Harman.
[16] 1870 U.S.
census, Smyth County, Virginia, population schedule, post office Chatham Hill, p. 8 (penned),
dwelling 46, family 46, Hezekiah Harman family; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com:
accessed 6 May 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1679.
[17] Virginia
Deaths and Burials Index, 1853-1917, Henry J. Harmon.
No comments:
Post a Comment