Fall 2002, NO. 21 - Contents National Reunion--Back to Where Our Family Story Began Officers & Board of Directors Financial Report Harlan Cookbooks Were a Hit at 2002 Reunion Harlan Family Tour Changes in The Harlan Family Association Welcome to New Members of the Ninety-Plus Club In Memoriam Updated Genealogy Booklets In 1830-- A Harlan in Afghanistan Harlan Store to Close Soon "Family of Friends" on New CD Trace Your Ancestors at the 53rd Annual Texas Reunion Harlan Descendant Travels the World Echoes of Andersonville Cards of Thanks Malvina Shanklin Harlan's Book Available Winning Essays "What the Harlan Family Means to Me" Available: Some Reunion Items Contributions to the Harlan Family in America A Thank You from Iowa Wesleyan College Excerpts from Remembering Independence Day Harlan Family in America Mailing List Past Issues of The Harlan Record

National Reunion—Back to Where Our Family Story Began By C. J. King

Nearly 400 attended the National Harlan Family Reunion in Wilmington, Del., June 27-30, centered at the Doubletree Hotel. The hours were packed with activities celebrating our heritage and sharing fellowship and fun.

The events started with registration Thursday afternoon, followed by a reception at the hotel that evening. We welcomed familiar faces and met new cousins, filled up on a wonderful buffet of appetizers, and studied family history and previous reunion displays set up around the room.

Tours of Harlan family historical sites were offered throughout the morning and afternoon on Friday and Saturday. The tours lasted about three hours each and included stops at: • Centre, London Grove, and Old Kennett Meeting Houses; • the Log House, built in 1727 by Joshua Harlan (#13), son of George (#3), part of a building that is now a bed and breakfast (for more information, see issues No. 7 and 14 of The Harlan Record); • the stone house built by #4 Michael Harlan’s son, George (#14), and occupied by Harlan descendants until 1950 (see issues No. 5, 16, 19), now the home to veterinarian and “adopted” Harlan family member Kate Roby, who has generously given tours to many Harlans over the years; • the Stargazer Stone (issues # 7, 18) near Roby’s house that British astronomers Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon used to help plot the Mason-Dixon line; • and other significant sites. Thanks to all of our guides, arranged for by Mary Harlan Murphy, one of the reunion organizers.

Seated: Elgene Smith, Beverly McCausland (owner of The Log House), Martha Smith; Standing: Kate Roby, (owner of The Stargazer House)

Many members of the group also went to the family picnic at the Brandywine Picnic Park, which lasted from late morning until late afternoon Friday and included all the food we could eat and activities: train rides; a dunk tank; softball, volleyball and basketball; a petting zoo; a rock climbing wall; balloon toss; dance contests; swimming and tubing. We also had a sing-a-long led by our musical cousin, Becky Gaskill, of Sellersburg, Ind., accompanied by Mary Ellen Black, of Randolph, Vt. Of course, we sang Becky’s song, “A Family of Friends,” written by her for her mother, but adopted as our organization’s theme song. We also sang our way through a list of old-time favorites.

On Saturday, several workshops taught us about:
• “How Old Is That Photograph?” (clues to help figure out the date of old photographs), led by Pam Powell, Chester County Historical Society;
• “Fashionable Dress of the Early 19th Century—A Brief View of Costuming From Outside In”—this G-rated undressing act, led by Harlan cousin Carol Meeks, of the Conner Prairie Living History Museum, near Indianapolis, Ind., showed us the fashions, from what a proper lady would have worn to go calling, down to her underwear and sleepwear;
• “Quaker heritage of Chester County,” led by Paul Rodebaugh, West Chester Historic and Architecture Review Board;
• “The Harlan-Lincoln Women,” led by C.J. King, of Jamaica, Vt., writer, teacher and Harlan Family Board member;
• “Along the Brandywine River,” a historical overview of the settlements there, led by Bruce Mowday, curator of the Brandywine Battlefield State Park and husband of Katherine Harlan;
• and about how to use Alpheus Harlan’s History and Genealogy of the Harlan Family to trace family lines from the first American settlers to around 1900 (led by family members Esther Harlan Wells, Junior Harlan, Ruth Gove, and C.J. King).

At a family banquet Saturday night, plaques of appreciation were presented to family members who have faithfully served the Harlan Family in various ways and for extended periods of time, including Martha and Elgene Smith, Ridge Harlan, Jim and Sue Harlan, Becky Gaskill, John R. Harlan, Peggy Harlan Talley and Lowell B. Harlan.

Thanks were also extended to Larry Harlan, Pam Ellingson, and Jonathan Harlan for their work on the Harlan Web site; to Judi and Gene Graber for maintaining the mailing list; to Esther Harlan Wells for collecting genealogy updates; to Dorothy Harlan Sperry for producing the family cookbook; and to Kate Roby for her continued hospitality while giving tours of her home.

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of Dan Harlan’s play, “Some Uncommon Kin: A Celebration of Harlan Family Diversity,” which told about several courageous and unusual Harlans. Nearly three dozen cousins participated in the production, some acting out scenes on stage, others reading from backstage, or singing choruses between scenes. The stories included:
• Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan’s fight against Jim Crow laws (throughout his term, he gained the nickname “The Great Dissenter”);
• George and Elizabeth Harlan’s trek from Michigan to California (1845-46);
• Philadelphian Josiah Harlan’s travels in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan from 1923 to 1842;
• David Harlan’s travels under the command of Lieutenant Charles Wilkes, on the U.S. Navy sloop Peacock, including a trip to Antarctica (1838-1840);
• and Mary Harlan Lincoln’s experiences as friend of the President during the Civil War and as his daughter-in-law after his death.

Sunday morning, some cousins attended a Quaker-style silent meditation service at the Old Kennett Meeting House, where many Harlan ancestors are buried.

All too quickly, it was time for the final brunch and the family business meeting Sunday morning, then time to say good-bye to each other and head home, our heads and hearts full of special memories, new knowledge, and renewed pride in the kinds of people we get to call our kin.

Hospitality Chairperson Becky Harlan Shavel & son, Nicholas Harlan Shavel

Perhaps the youngest Harlan to attend this reunion was three-month-old Nicholas Harlan Shavel, son of Becky and Scott Shavel, and grandson of Bob and Cindy Harlan, all of Greensburg, Pa. “Pennsylvania Bob” (a nickname we’ve adopted to distinguish him from the Bob who is president of our organization) and Mary Harlan Murphy, of Wayne, Pa., were the reunion’s two coordinators. One of the younger attendees at the last reunion (1997, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa) was Alexandra Harlan, daughter of Jonathan and Fiona, of Jackson, Tenn. Alexandra was four at the time, and while she probably doesn’t remember much of that reunion, this time she was really impressed. With a note of wonder in her voice, she was overheard pointing at the reception room Thursday night and asking one cousin, “Do you know that all those people in there are my family?” Alexandra’s younger brother, Niall, turned eight that Thursday, and he received a rousing chorus of “Happy Birthday” from the group during the opening reception. Jonathan Harlan is the host of our family’s Web site.

Next March, the Harlan Family board members will meet, and among the other business to discuss will be preliminary plans for our next reunion, to be held out West in 2007. So mark your calendars and plan to join us!

---

HARLAN FAMILY IN AMERICA OFFICERS

Harlan Cookbooks Were a Hit at 2002 Reunion The Harlan Cookbook made its debut at the 2002 Reunion, thanks to the efforts of Dorothy Harlan Sperry and to all who contributed the 517 recipes. We think you will be pleased with the attractive book, which also contains a brief history of The Harlan Family in America by Louis R. Harlan, as well as sketches and information on some historic Harlan sites. To order your copy, contact: Dorothy Harlan Sperry 3230 Kingman Rd. Ames, IA 50014-3941 The books are $10, plus $2.50 for postage and shipping. Make your check payable to The Harlan Family in America.

Many Thanks to Additional Reunion Helpers
Volunteers in the Hospitality Room at the 2002 Reunion in Wilmington, Del., were listed in the Reunion Program. In addition to the printed names, Ruth Harlan Gove and Cindy Harlan volunteered, and those bringing displays included Esther and Bob Wells, Virginia Harlan Hess, Mary Sue Hoaglin, Harold J. Johnson, Ray and Melba King, Darlene and Ed Norman, Marjory Harlan Sgroi, Bob Sly and Ruth Harlan Lamb.

Dorothy Harlan Sperry spent many hours at the cookbook table, and she was helped at various times by Bob Sperry, Melba King, Christine Lundgren, Caitlin Brick, Virginia Hess, Bob Harlan, Sue and Jim Harlan, and Nancy Harlan.

Accommodations will be in country and city hotels. Come along for another truly unforgettable trip. Included in the tour are trips to:

• mysterious Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plain, dating from the late Stone and early Bronze Age (about 3000-1000 BC);

• the beautiful city of Bath, with its great Roman temple and bathing complex (built almost 2000 years ago) and No. 1 Royal Crescent (considered one of the finest achievements of urban 18th century architecture);

• Woodstock and Blenheim Palace (home of the 11th Duke of Marlborough and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill); to Banbury for a visit to Broughton Castle, home of Lord & Lady Say and Sele and their family. The original medieval Manor House, much of which emains today, was built in 1300 by Sir John de Broughton and stands on an island site surrounded by a three-acre moat. This castle was used as the home of the heroine in the recent film Shakespeare in Love;

• Chipping Campden, a charming Cotswolds wool town; to Cots-wolds country market day sites; to the Guildhall of Handicraft (established in 1888 by C. R. Ashbee, now the home of third generation silversmith David Hart and his workshop, this stop includes a demonstration on how they make their silverware using traditional methods);

• Coventry Cathedral and perhaps a visit to the mother plant of Jaguar Daimler Motor Car;

• York and a visit to Sutton Park, the site of the Harland home site described in Alpheus Harlan’s History and Genealogy of the Harlan Family (page 968). The Yorkshire house there today is the home of Sir Reginald and Lady Sheffield. Here we will see a rich collection of 18th century furniture, paintings and porcelain. Then we cross the lane to the nearby parish church which contains the remains of several generations of Harlands from Sutton Hall;

• James Herriott sites (author of All Creatures Great & Small);

• Durham’s outdoor market and Durham Cathedral, the burial place of St. Cuthbert and the Venerable Bede, hopefully in time for evensong at 5:30. (Durham Cathedral is the castle in the recent movie Elizabeth.);

• Sunday Eucharist at our family church site, St. Peter’s in Monkwearmouth, followed by a guided tour and coffee, plus a trip to the Moors and Harlan site nearby;

• the beautiful Lake District , with a morning cruise on Lake Windermere;

• Liverpool, most likely departure site of the Harlans for the first leg of their journey to America, by way of Ireland, including a visit to the Maritime Museum and the Cathedral, with their unique collection of church embroidery;

• the lovely seaside town of Southport, with free time for shopping and wandering.

Price: $2,599 per person, twin basis; $350 single supplement. Anyone making his/her own airline arrangements will receive a $500 reduction.

This price includes air transportation to/from London and Manchester from the East Coast departure site; superior hotel accommodations, transfers and tours as described; some meals and refreshments; baggage tips and service charges included in hotel and restaurant bills; government taxes.

Reservations must be confirmed with a $750 deposit by November 15, 2002. A fifty-percent refund of the deposit will be made for cancellations in writing by December 15, 2002. No refund for cancellations after that date. We strongly recommend trip cancellation insurance and will provide those forms. The maximum number of reservations is 40.

For registration forms, contact Marjorie Harlan Sgroi at:

Ashton-Drye Associates 95 Squire Place Orchard Park, NY 14127

Telephone/Fax: (716) 667-3359 or 1-800-785-7785

e-mail: [email protected]

---

Changes in The Harlan Family Association

At the national Harlan Family Reunion held in Wilmington, Del., June 27-30, 2002, the following changes were announced:

Director of Genealogy­ Cynthia Rhoades (IN) has accepted the duties of this position, replacing Junior F. Harlan. Cynthia can be reached by e-mail: [email protected]

Web Site Coordinator—Upon the resignation of Larry Harlan, these duties will be handled by Junior F. Harlan (AZ)
[email protected]

Technical Advisor to the Site Coordinator—Kurt Harlan (OR) will be joining the Web Site group to help with this area.

The Ninety-Plus Club—The membership in this group will be handled by Ruth Harlan Lamb (MO) [email protected]

Board of Directors—Mary Harlan Murphy (PA) has been elected to the Board. Ridge Harlan and Dan Harlan have resigned from the active Board and have agreed to serve as board members emeritus.

We welcome the new additions and thank those who have faithfully served the family association in these positions in the past.

Welcome to New Members of the Ninety-Plus Club

Agnes Harlan Johnsen and Mary Jo Harlan Lee are the newest members of this special group.

Agnes was born in Millvale, Pa., and now resides in Cogburn Nursing Center in Huntsville, Ala. Agnes’ birthdate was March 22, 1912.

Mary Jo resides in Palatka, Fla., and is the grandmother of Annette Beacham. She was born November 15, 1905.

We Need Your Help!
Please update e-mail addresses

Previously, e-mail addresses were shown on the Cousins’ Page of the Harlan Family’s Web Site < www.harlanfamily.org >. In order to maintain privacy, we decided to remove them. However, Junior Harlan, the Web Site coordinator, has the file of e-mail addresses.

If you want someone’s e-mail address, send a request to Junior. He will forward your request to that person who can either contact you directly or reply to Junior.

Many e-mail addresses in the file are no longer valid. For us to provide this service, please send address updates to Junior Harlan:
[email protected]

In memory of . . .

Alamander Jeremiah “AJ” Harlan, 100, passed away May 28, 2002, in Sedalia, Mo. His wife, Mary, died in April, 2002. An article about AJ’s 100th birthday appeared in the 2001 Fall issue of The Harlan Record. He is listed in Alpheus Harlan’s genealogy book on page 952.

Marian Garrett Gibbs, of Marlin, Texas, died April 11, 2002, a victim of a car accident. Marian and her sister, Joydell Wolfram, attended the 1987 Harlan Reunion in Delaware. Both are listed in the Texas Red Books, compiled by Joydell, and are descendants of Elizabeth and Aaron Harlan (#194).

Roland W. Harlan, died April 2, 2002, at the age of 100 years. He was born in Slippery Rock Twp., Lawrence County, Pa., on January 19, 1902, the son of William and Carrie Taylor Harlan.

Updated Genealogy Booklets

Alpheus Harlan’s book of the History and Genealogy of the Harlan Family in America, published in 1914, had its beginning in the Fall of 1881 when he visited some of his father’s cousins in order to learn from them something of the life and history of his great-grandfather Harlan. His visit began his journey to set down in permanent form all that could be learned concerning the family.

The effort to continue recording the family history was revitalized at the Harlan Family Tricentennial, held in Wilmington, Del., in 1987. As a result of this effort the “Texas Red Books” were printed in 1990 by Joydelle Wolfram on the descendants of Aaron (#194) and Elizabeth (Stuart) Harlan, Samuel Harlan (#195), and Valentine Harlan (#200).

Esther Harlan Wells began her efforts to continue gathering Harlan family data in 1998 and is putting it on a database.

Genealogy booklets from this data have been created, displayed, and are now placed at Chester County Historical Society. These booklets are only available for viewing, in person, at Chester County Historical Society.

Esther Harlan Wells will continue to update the database with additional family information and will periodically create booklets and forward them to the Chester County Historical Society.

A list of updated lines will soon be listed on the Harlan Web site. Corrections or additions to Alpheus Harlan’s book are noted by an asterisk. To obtain more information regarding the details of the updated lines and contributor contact, e-mail Esther Harlan Wells at: [email protected]

Thanks to all contributors for sharing their data in an effort to continue recording the Harlan Family History that Alpheus Harlan began.

In 1830—A Harlan in Afghanistan
By Harry V. Harlan
New Orleans, La.

I recently started reading a book entitled Central Asia, the Personal Narrative of General Josiah Harlan (1823-1841). General Harlan (#1200) tells of his adventures in Afghanistan during that period. The book was published in 1939 by Luzac & Co. of London.

The book opens with the words, “Josiah Harlan was beyond doubt a unique figure in the history of Central Asia. He was in a sense a pioneer: the first American to operate in that part of the world.” Then, as now, for the foreigner in Afghanistan.

The book continues: “In 1823, young Josiah Harlan journeyed to the East Indies. There he found hostilities in progress and doctors much in demand. Although there is no record that Harlan ever studied medicine, he entered the service of the East India Company as an officiating assistant surgeon and was attached to Colonel George Pollock’s Bengal Artillery during the First Burmese War.

“Harlan’s brother, Richard (1796-1843, #1199), was a doctor and subsequently attained some degree of fame as a naturalist. Josiah may have taken a few of his brother’s medical books with him and then decided to use their contents in treating persons other than himself. Certainly young Josiah’s later career causes this hypothesis to seem both reasonable and probable. It is quite in keeping with his character.”

Later it says, “Harlan then entered the service of Maharajah Ranjit Singh, sovereign of the Punjab. During the ensuing seven years Harlan attained high favour at the Court of Lahore and became governor, successively, of the provinces of Jesraota, Noorpore and Guzerath.” Although he was born a Quaker and had no formal military training, he became a general and led various detachments in the ensuing wars of that period.

The book continues: “Angered at some action of the Punjab monarch, Harlan left the Court of Lahore. Journeying to Kabul, he urged the mortal enemy of his former master to further hostilities. Becoming aide-de-camp to Dost Mohammed Khan and the general of regular troops of the Afghan army, he instructed the troops in the European military tactics. So effectively did Harlan do his work, aided by an Englishman named Campbell, that the Afghan troops ... defeated the Sikh army ... in the battle of Jamrud (April, 1837).

“Wrote Harlan, ‘The proud King of Lahore quailed upon his threatened throne, as he exclaimed with terror and approaching despair, “Harlan has avenged himself, this is all his work.” ’ ” (page 13).

The book is filled with extraordinary detail about the people, places and events of Afghanistan in the 1830s. It has been of great interest to me, considering the contemporary events in Afghanistan and lets us know that not much has changed in that country in the last 170 years. More than ever, the people of Afghanistan need our help.

In passing, I will note that my father, Jack R. Harlan, and his brother, Wilbur V. Harlan, both spent some time in Afghanistan in their work. Their father, Harry V. Harlan (#9778), for whom I am named, never visited Afghanistan but did go to several of the surrounding areas, including Pakistan, India and Kashmir. He was a plant explorer whose primary interest was barley, but he was apt to collect anything of interest.

Wilbur took a job teaching English at an English speaking school in Kabul in 1938. He went there because as an agriculture instructor at George Washington University, in Washington D.C., he was not being paid very well (it was the height of the Great Depression), and someone in Afghanistan contacted his professor, a Dr. Griggs, through the Turkish embassy, looking for teachers. My uncle signed up. He tells me that in those days Afghanistan was a pretty primitive place. Most of the houses in Kabul were of adobe construction, and the women in the cities were entirely covered, whereas not as much so in the countryside.

Note from Richard Harlan Moore: Josiah Harlan is featured on the cover story on a recent issue of SPAN, a magazine published by the U.S. Embassy in India. It is available online at: http://usembassy.state.gov/posts/in1/wwwh19.html

The Harlan Store to Close Soon

The Harlan Store will take orders until November 1, 2002, for items that have been available through Harlan’s Stitchery. After this final order, the Store will close as no one has stepped up to keep it open.

We are offering reduced prices on specialty items to reduce the inventory. We will ship the final items in November so you will have them in time for Christmas. See the updated price list under "Store" on the Harlan Web site.

Note that sales tax for Arizona residents is 8.1%.

It has been a pleasure serving all of you.

—Sue & Jim Harlan

“Family of Friends” on New CD

In 1987 the talented vocalist and songwriter, Rebecca Gaskill, wrote the hauntingly beautiful song, A Family of Friends, as a tribute to her mother, Mary Harlan Gaskill, and to her Quaker Harlan heritage. It became the cherished theme song of The Harlan Family in America and has been sung at every major gathering since that time. The title of the song was also chosen as the Harlan slogan and is part of the new Harlan logo.

Now Rebecca is proud to announce that a new arrangement of the song is included in her latest album, Lifted in Love. This inspirational album contains more of Becky’s musical compositions, a few old favorites with a different twist, and creations by two other writers/composers.

Becky’s voice and heartfelt musical interpretations have wowed audiences all around the country. Everyone who has listened to this album says it is truly wonderful. If you like having a time of peaceful prayer and meditation, the three most soothing songs (lasting about 27 minutes) are conveniently placed at the end so as to not interrupt your quiet time by having to turn off the CD/cassette player at its completion. The album itself is about 60 minutes long.

Lifted in Love can be purchased for $15 per CD/$10 per cassette. Shipping and handling costs: $3 for 1-2 items and $.50 for each additional item. Send orders, plus check or money order, to: Rebecca Gaskill, 8505 Starview Ct., Sellersburg, Ind. 47172.

Becky also has individual cassettes and sheet music of A Family of Friends as well as a successful children’s album, Believing in Yourself, released by Unity School of Christianity. For questions, contact Becky at (812) 246-8286 or [email protected]

Trace Your Ancestors at 53rd Annual Texas Reunion

Calling all Harlans of Texas! Trace your ancestors back to Dr. Isaiah Harlan (1798-1847). Bring your children, grandchildren and any Harlan cousin.

Do you know your lineage back to Dr. Harlan? He settled on a league of land purchased from land impresario Sterling Clack Robertson in 1835. His six surviving children settled in the Republic of Texas, now Falls, Montgomery and Robertson counties.

Isaiah’s eleventh child, George (1835-1919), donated land for the present day Blue Ridge Church and Cemetery. He also gave land for a now-abandoned rural school there.

Isaiah’s daughter, Mary (1820-1902), married John Sanford Millerman. They built a home in 1854 in Blue Ridge, and it is still occupied by their descendants.

WHEN: Saturday and Sunday, October 5 and 6, 2002.
WHERE: Blue Ridge Baptist Church on FM-1771, 10 miles southeast of Marlin, Texas.

REUNION AGENDA
Saturday, 2 to 5 p.m. - Tracing Your Harlan Ancestors. We’ll meet at the Church’s pavilion.
7 p.m. - Dutch treat meal at Los Pepe Restaurant in Marlin.

Sunday - 10:30 a.m. - Church services. All are welcome.
Noon - Catered dinner under the church pavilion. $8 each. RSVP required, with money, no later than September 30 to: Bill Richardson, P.O. Box 7, Reagan, TX 76680-0007, Ph: 254-587-2210.
2 p.m. - Business meeting and election of officers for 2003.

Other contacts: M. F. Turner, president, 972-252-1194; Robert Powers, secretary, 254-662-4792

Harlan Descendant Travels the World

Stevan Miller Armstrong is a Captain in the Naval Reserves with the Seabees, on task forces that are often involved in humanitarian ventures.

In 2000, Steve directed a bridge-building project over the Poltsama River in central Estonia. While there, the task force also built a pavilion and new play facilities for an orphanage, renovated a soup kitchen for the homeless in the country’s capitol, and repaired storm damage to another public facility.

He served in Albania in 2001, where the Seabees repaired a vital section of road. Steve and his family lived in Europe for five years and traveled extensively, visiting every European country except the Scandinavian ones.

Steve and wife, Donna, have two daughters and two sons. They have been foster parents to over 100 children over a 17-year-period. While not on duty, he has his own engineering firm with projects located throughout the country.

Though leaving home in 1971, he maintains close ties to his hometown of Chambersburg, Pa. His Harlan lineage is: George #3, James #11, George #45, Jehu #212, Daniel #822, Jehu #2865, Esther Harlan DeArmoun #7219, Jehu Harvey DeArmoun, Eula DeArmoun Miller, and his mother, Phyllis Miller Armstrong of Chambersburg. Phyllis attended the 2002 Harlan Reunion with her sisters, brother and niece.

Echoes of Andersonville, Part Two

By Edward Harlan Wynn, Contributing Editor

(Continuation of an article published in the Spring, 2002, Harlan Record)

In Part One, I chronicled the deaths in Andersonville of Wilbur Fisk Massey (#2712) and James C. Harlan (#6959). Unfortunately Wilbur and James were not the only members of the Harlan family to suffer and die at Andersonville.

Conditions at the Confederate Prison Camp 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.

Isaac Richards Brinton (#4283), the second of four children of Ann Richards (#1477) and Caleb Brinton, of Lancaster County, Pa., enlisted as a Private in Company D, 1st Independent Battalion, 157th Pennsylvania Infantry on October 22, 1862, at Lancaster, Pa.

He was mustered into the Army on October 24 in Philadelphia. He was made a Corporal on March 1, 1863, at which time he was reported “sick in hospital at Cliffton Barracks, Washington, D.C.” He remained sick through August of that year. On December 1, 1863, he was reduced in rank to Private and was reportedly on daily duty.

In the Company D Muster Roll for March/April 1864 he was “dropped as a deserter, but supposed to have been captured April 16, 1864.” Isaac had indeed been captured. His service records reveal that he died on July 17, 1864, of dysentery, as a Confederate prisoner at Andersonville. He is buried in grave #3442 at the Andersonville National Cemetery.

Newton Bray (#6868), the son of Henry Bray and Pamela Harlan (#2731) of Monroe County, Ky., was the tenth of 12 children. The Harlan book reports that he died “while in the Union Army in May 1863 at Andersonville at the age of twenty.” He was unmarried at the time of his death. The compiler has been unable to locate any records of Newton’s military service through a National Archive search. The Harlan book was no doubt in error as to the year of his death, since Andersonville Prison did not exist in May of 1863. More likely, he died in May of 1864. Despite this discrepancy concerning Newton Bray, this author feels that he deserves his place among the Harlan men who suffered and died at Andersonville.

A search of the Andersonville records has revealed two additional Harlan men. To date, I have not connected them to anyone in the Harlan book.

Harvey Harlan was a Wagoner in Company I of the 13th Kentucky Infantry. He enlisted on October 13, 1861, and was mustered into his unit on December 31, 1861, at Camp Hobson, Ky. Harvey was one of two men from his regiment to die at Andersonville. Andersonville records list his date of death as April 6, 1864, while Kentucky records list his date of death as March 24, 1864.

The last Harlan identified thus far as being held at Andersonville was M. Harlan, a Private in Company H of the 1st Michigan Cavalry. His Andersonville records indicate he was a member of Squad #5 and that he was exchanged on April 15, 1865, just six days after General Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. Thus, “M” became the only known Harlan to survive the horrors of Andersonville.

I have requested the service and pension records of Harvey Harlan and M. Harlan from the National Archives but had not received them at the time of this writing. Hopefully these records will enable us to establish their links to the family.

I am certain that I will uncover more “cousins” held in the Confederate prison at Andersonville. It appears that over 600 men with the Harlan(d)
surname served in the Union Army during the Civil War, and more than 200 served in Confederate Grey.

Cards of Thanks . . .

Malvina Shanklin Harlan’s Book Available

Some Memories of a Long Life 1854-1911, published in 1915 and authored by Malvina Shanklin Harlan, wife of Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan (#2969), is available through the Supreme Court Historical Society. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her clerk, Laura W. Brill, discovered this work and had it republished.

The book, which covers Malvina’s courtship and marriage to the elder Justice Harlan, is available online through the bookstore of the Supreme Court Historical Society: http://www.supremecourthistory.org/ or by calling (202) 543-0400.

Available: Some Reunion Items

Among the commemorative items seen at the recent 2002 Harlan Reunion were business card-sized magnets with the Harlan logo in red/white/blue, and packs of playing cards with a royal blue background and gold foil logo. Still available are 100 magnets and 35 decks of cards. Either or both will make great Christmas stocking stuffers.

The magnets are available for $1.50, including postage. The cards are “seconds” as the date, 1687, is not perfectly clear on some of the cards. It is readable, but on some, the date is overfilled a bit with the heat applied gold foil. Each deck of cards, including the postage, is $3. The magnets and/or cards are available by ordering from:

Checks should be made to: The Harlan Family in America.
(To check on availability, e-mail Ruth Harlan Lamb at [email protected]
Beautiful red/white/blue Harlan Family Afghans
with Harlan logo, crocheted to order, are available for $100 (plus shipping)
from Judy Knight. If interested, e-mail her at: < [email protected] > or
contact her at:
304 N. Main
Eolia, MO 63344
(573) 485-3570

A Thank You from Iowa Wesleyan College
At the Reunion in Wilmington, Del., The Harlan Family in America approved contributions for Old Kennett Meeting House, Centre Meeting House and Iowa Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. Most of the funds were raised by a raffle and a collection taken after the Saturday night banquet.

September 2, 2002 Dear Harlan Family: On behalf of the Harlan-Lincoln House Renovation Committee at Iowa Wesleyan College, I sincerely thank the Harlan Family in America for your contribution of $750.00. You should have heard my shout for joy when I opened the envelope! Your generous support is very much appreciated and a great shot in the arm. This summer, the Iowa Wesleyan College administration has committed to projects totaling $23,000 which were recommended by a historical architect to stabilize the Harlan-Lincoln House property. In addition, we will be using our restricted account funds to install a new heating, air conditioning, and ventilation system to provide climate control, and we will install a security system to protect against theft, fire, and fluctuating temperature. Our committee is dedicated to preserving our part of the Harlan Family’s history here in Mount Pleasant. We are excited about the possibilities for the Harlan-Lincoln House, and we are working diligently to develop them. Please convey our gratitude to the other members of the Harlan Family Board and to your membership. I hope many of you will again visit us and will note our progress. Sincerely, Lynn Ellsworth, archivist Iowa Wesleyan College 601 N. Main Street Mt. Pleasant, IA 52641 [email protected]

---

Excerpts from REMEMBERING INDEPENDENCE DAY Submitted by Earl C. Harlan, Courtesy of his Masonic Lodge Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? • Five signers were captured by the British as traitors and tortured before they died. • Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. • Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured. • Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. They signed and pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners—men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence, knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Frances Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died in a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart.

Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates. Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more.

They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books never told you a lot about what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn’t fight just the British. We were British subjects at that time, and we fought our own government!

Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn’t. So take a few minutes and silently thank these patriots. It’s not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: Freedom is never free!

---

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 [email protected]
Thank you.

I wish to be removed from the Harlan Family mailing list.

Name _____________________________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________________________________

City, State, Zip_________________________________________________________________
 

Return To  Harlan Family Home Page

This site hosted courtesy of

comments or suggestions to Ruth Harlan Lamb [email protected]
P.O. Box 1654, Independence, MO  64055