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Ridge was proud of his family heritage. As Chair-person of the 310th
national reunion in Mount Ridge served on the Board of Directors from 1997-2002 and became a board member emeritus in 2002. He was instrumental in creating the Harlan Family association’s mission statement. Harlan Family Vice President Junior Harlan said the following about his relationship with Ridge: “I met Ridge on the first Harlan family trip to England in 1994 – this was after Celebration 300 which commemorated the 300th anniversary of the arrival of George and Michael Harlan in America. “During that trip it was decided to have another national family reunion, and Ridge volunteered to be the chairman. The core group consisted of Ridge and Marjory Harlan, Jim and Sue Harlan, Dr. John and Carrie Harlan, and Junior and Dorothy Harlan, all of Arizona. “This became our ‘winter project’ with many meetings. During this time, I came to know Ridge. In working with him on this project, I could see how strongly he felt about his heritage and how he wanted to keep the family tradition alive with national reunions. He believed that family was most important, and he worked tirelessly to promote family ties, values and traditions. He was a great leader and negotiator. While serving with him on the reunion and on the board, I learned many things from him, and we became friends. “Ridge believed in honesty and integrity. He was comfortable with himself in any situation and had a way of making you comfortable also. When you were with Ridge on an outing, you realized his love of nature and outdoor activities. If he was sharing one of his life’s experiences or one of his adventures with you, it was a memorable experience. “Ridge was a very special person. It is very hard for me to talk just about him, as I think of Ridge and Marjory together. I have never met a couple that complemented each other like they did. They both are so accomplished and yet they never made one feel inadequate. They were what marriage is all about, and they were a perfect example to follow.” According to an obituary that appeared in the Arizona Republic on Jan. 7, 2006, Ridge was born on February 25, 1917, in Pilot Grove, Mo. He graduated from the University of Missouri at Columbia in 1939 with a Bachelor of Journalism degree. He did post-graduate work at Harvard, the University of Colorado, and Stanford. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war, Ridge was Creative Director for the advertising firm of BBDO, then a principal of his own agency, Harris, Harlan and Wood. He left advertising to become Assistant Dean and Director of Publications for Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He was then a manager, president, and CEO of numerous companies. In more recent years, he was Chairman of LandRay Technology, principal of Harlan Communications, founding investor and principal of Computer Eyes Corporation, and a private investor. He is survived by his wife, Marjory, of 30 years; his son, Robert R. Harlan (Harlan Family Association president), of Yuba City, Calif., and his wife Robyn; two daughters, Brooke Williams of Petaluma, Calif.; and Holly Harlan of Granite Bay, Calif.; four grandsons; and two great-grand-daughters. Funeral services and interment were held in the National Memorial Cemetery in Phoenix, on January 9, 2006. Junior Harlan, who attended the funeral, said that his immediate family, friends, and co-workers all shared many memories of Ridge. “Some were funny, some were personal, but one thing that stood out to me was how much Ridge meant to everyone and how much he had helped all who had contact with him. He was a great teacher,” he said. Harlan board member Liz Sly said, “We will miss Ridge. I always admired his get-up-and-go, and he did whatever he was motivated to do – play golf, fly a plane, whatever! He lived life to its fullest.” Harlan board member, secretary, and newsletter co-editor Ruth Harlan Lamb remembers when Ridge was coordinator of the Mount Pleasant reunion in 1997. “I typed and mailed the letters that he so carefully composed in longhand. He was able to put a wealth of information in each letter. Ridge contributed much to the strength of the Harlan organization, and we will certainly miss his advice and expertise. He did so much for the Mount Pleasant reunion, he helped finance the tours at the last reunion, and he was a very interested party in the Family organization.” Dave and Kim Harlan, Junior’s son and daughter-in-law, said, “We felt blessed in knowing Ridge. He left many life lessons with us. He certainly enriched our lives.” “My impression of Ridge was a lot like Junior’s,” said C.J. King, board member and newsletter co-editor. “He was someone I admired very much, and yet he approached me as a complete equal.” Bob Harlan said of his father, “Ridge believed in honesty and integrity. Without it, you had nothing.” “Those of us who were fortunate to meet Ridge know that he was a Harlan we are all proud to call one of our own,” Junior concluded. “He enriched my life and also that of my family. I have been blessed to know Ridge – he became my mentor and my friend. Ridge was a unique person, and I will miss him.” P.S. An interesting note about the names in Ridge’s family – his mother, Dale, had siblings named Glen, Valley and Forest – words of nature and geographic features. Ridge’s children are Brooke, Holly and Robert Ridge. The children of his late brother, Lane, are Timothy, Laurel, Linnet and Heather. OFFICERS of THE HARLAN FAMILY IN AMERICA President - Robert R. Harlan Vice President - Junior F. Harlan Secretary - Ruth Harlan Lamb Treasurer - John R. Harlan BOARD OF DIRECTORS BOARD MEMBER EMERITUS The Harlan Record is published semi-annually by The
Harlan Family in America, P. O. Box 1654, Independence, MO 64055,
a permanent organization established to document the historical contributions
made by Harlans in America. Submissions of articles are welcome. They
are subject to editing and may be held until a future issue if space
is limited. E-mail to: C. J. King, Editor Editorial Board: John L. Harlan, Diana Harlan Wells, Ed Wynn If you want an electronic version of The Harlan Record, e-mail your request to: < [email protected] > The e-mail newsletter will be sent close to the time that printed newsletters are mailed. The Harlan Record is also available on the Harlan Web site: < www.harlanfamily.org > under the link “Newsletter”. Remembrance Fund ... in memory of Gerald E. “Gene” Harlan ... in memory of Ridge Latimer Harlan Alpheus Harlan’s Genealogy Book The collector and compiler of The History and Genealogy of the Harlan Family, Alpheus Harlan, spent 30 years gathering information on all the Harlan-kin he could locate. The Family is extremely fortunate to have this valuable resource. To obtain a copy of the book, published in 1914, order from: Peggy Harlan Talley The 1,000-plus-page book is available for $60, postpaid. Make check payable to The Harlan Family in America. Harlan Family Web site: www.harlanfamily.org Founder and sponsor of site, Contributions to The Harlan Family in America from September 1, ’05 - February 1, ’06 AZ - M. Pamela Penn Thank you ! THE HARLAN FAMILY IN AMERICA FINANCIAL REPORT CASH IN SAVINGS ACCOUNT: INCOME: DISBURSEMENTS: TOTAL: $ 1,232.97 CASH IN SAVINGS ACCOUNT: Deadline for next newsletter is August 15, 2006. Plans for Harlan Family Reunion Next year Harlans from all over will be heading to Reno, Nevada, for the big family reunion from Thursday, July 12, to Sunday, July 15, 2007. We’ll meet at John Ascuaga’s Nugget Hotel for lots of family-oriented activities and Harlan style fellowship. The Board selected Reno for the reunion because of its historical significance and its nearness to many different kinds of recreational activities. The area, originally called Truckee Meadows, was an important stopping point on the California Trail before the emigrant wagon trains made the difficult crossing of the nearby Sierra Nevada Mountains. Besides an opportunity to meet hundreds of Harlan descendants from all over, the reunion will feature workshops on everything from creating family scrapbooks to examining the connection between the Harlans and the ill-fated Donner Party. We’ll gather for a big family picnic at a beautiful park in the area and attend a banquet and hear a presentation on the pioneering family members who helped open up the West. There will be guided bus tours of nearby Virginia City, an old mining town, and Donner Monument near beautiful Lake Tahoe. We’ll hold a church service at the reunion and operate a family
store for souvenirs and historical material. A self-guided driving
tour of historical sites and sight-seeing opportunities in the Reno,
Truckee, Lake Tahoe and Carson City area will be available. Tribute to Maude Harlan Edmonson Merced County, Calif., in the San Joaquin Valley was the recipient of many of Maude Harlan Edmonson’s endeavors, and she was described as “a dynamic woman and a life long teacher-administrator who loved California history and travel.” (She recently passed away, but the exact date is unknown.) Maude was the grandchild of Elisha Harlan #2995, who, as an 8-year-old boy, came across the plains in 1846 with his father, George #852, and the Harlan Wagon Train. Maude was born on a ranch north of the town of Riverdale. The family had a second ranch west of their home on Avenal Creek. Each year at least one cattle drive was necessary, depending on the available food supply. Maude and her brother, Jerome, told many stories about rescuing cattle from islands and levees during high water, while avoiding rattlesnakes brought to the area by the rising water. The Harlan cattle drives were family affairs since help was scarce. The family vehicle was driven ahead with supplies and equipment for overnight stopovers. In 1927, when Maude was 13, she began driving the family car with her younger siblings and setting up camp. The coordinators of the 2007 Harlan Family Reunion, Pat Fluetsch and William K. Harlan, are kin to this branch of the Harlan family, and they bring a new historical perspective to the upcoming national gathering of Harlans in Reno. Harlan Log House B & B Hosts Harlans
Guest Robert Harlan from Hanover, Kan., descends from George #3 and Ezekiel #5. Ancestors of Paul Kraemer, Centerville, Ohio, the other guest, are George #3 and Aaron #8. Paul’s mother was a Harlan. There was a lot of sharing of information between Bob, Paul and Beverly. In addition, Bob, Paul, and his wife, Miriam, visited the nearby Centre Meeting House and burial grounds. The log part of the house is original and was built 1715-1720 by Joshua #13, George’s grandson. Additions to the log house were made in 1835 and 1988. To see a photo of the house and grounds, go to the Harlan Web site and click on the link: Historical Sites. Scroll down to Harlan Log House, Pennsylvania. Pictured above: Bob Harlan, Beverly McCausland, Paul Kraemer Harlans Visit Roots in England and Ireland We arrived in Chester, England, by ones, twos and fours on Oct. 17, 2005. Thus, 15 members of the Harlan and Hollingsworth families met to begin a trip to explore our heritage in the west of England, Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. According to records, ancestors of these two families had been friends and neighbors before emigrating to America, and several members of our group claim descent from both lines. On the following morning we began our trip through history with a bus ride to Mottram, a town north of Chester, for a visit to St. Michael and All Angels Anglican Church, where Hollingsworths worshipped as early as the 15th century. We also toured Hollingsworth Hall Farm, a site occupied as early as 1022 A.D. and possibly identified in the Domesday Book, a land survey by William the Conquerer, also known as the Doomsday Book. For lunch we went to a pub in the ancient village of Tintwistle. Our driver found that the road was not up to demands of large modern motor coaches, and the bus had to be extricated from a precarious position by neighbors with tractor and chains. The next stop was Northern Ireland. We left Liverpool airport very early to fly to Belfast and were met by our guide for a bus tour of the city. Belfast is a lovely city with hills on three sides and the harbor on the fourth. The highlight of the day was touring Harland-Wolfe Shipyard, where the Titanic was designed and built. In the main building, we saw the original woodwork, wall friezes and etched glass. The shipyard is now closed, and there are plans to regenerate the property into mixed-use waterfront development called Titanic Quarter.
From Belfast we drove west to Armagh, said to be the oldest city in Ireland. Here, there are two beautiful cathedrals, one Church of Ireland and one Roman Catholic, both dedicated to St. Patrick. Near Armagh is the town of Lurgan, and we were entertained there at the Meeting House by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). The Hollingsworths became Quakers while in Ireland, prior to emigrating, and we learned about the 300-year history of the Meeting. Afterward we had a delightful lunch and visit with members of the congregation and then drove to the Lynastown burial ground, which dated to 1658. At least three Harlans are interred there: Katherine, widow of Thomas, in 1689; Peter, in 1691; and Peter’s widow, Mary, in 1700. Our tour then went south to Dublin, with a stop at the Hill of Tara, known as the seat of the High Kings of Ireland. Legend says that St. Patrick met here with the Druids and began the conversion of Ireland to Christianity. In Dublin we visited Christ Church Cathedral. There have been many restorations of the present building, but the original church was established on the site in the 11th century. The last Dublin stop was at Trinity College to see the dramatic exhibit of Irish medieval gospel manuscripts, the Book of Kells. Leaving Dublin, we drove through the Wicklow Mountains to Glendalough, a 6th century monastic retreat established by St. Kevin. The buildings that remain include a tall circular tower and a stone structure that was probably used as a church. After lunch we visited the small town of Wexford where Commodore Barry of American Revolutionary fame was born. A statue of him is on the waterfront. Waterford, our next stop, was founded by the Vikings, who gave it the name of Water-fjord, and it is renowned for production of fine crystal. We visited the factory, watched the artisans at work and shopped in the show rooms. Our next stop was Kilkenny, to tour the restored castle before returning to Dublin for the night. Our tour closed with Irish Night, a farewell dinner and show, featuring Irish dancing and songs. We all joined in on “The Wild Rover” and “Goodbye, Tipperary” before saying goodbye to each other, with happy memories and wishes for a safe trip home. Travelers on the tour included John and Annette Harlan of Augusta, Ga., and their daughters, Nancy Gooding of Evans, Ga., and Jane Beson of Summerville, S.C.; Vijay and Susan H. Aggarwal of Malvern, Pa.; Mary Harlan Murphy of Wayne, Pa.; Jo Hollingsworth of Fostoria, Ohio; Carey and Kellene Hardy of Richardson, Texas; Suzanne McClelland of McLean, Va.; Katherine Harlan of Vienna, Va.; Susan Woosnam of New York City; George McKnight of Hamburg, N.Y.; and Marge Sgroi of Orchard Park, N.Y. Many thanks go out to Marge; to our excellent driver in Ireland, Michael Roony; and to the guides who were so helpful in Belfast, Armagh, and the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Interlude (Editor’s Note: The Spring and Fall 2005 issues of The Harlan Record have featured an edited version of a long article on the years that George and Michael Harland spent in Ireland. Based on extensive research done by one of our cousins, John H. Harland, of Kelowna, British Columbia, this has included information about Quakerism and Irish history. We promised to print more of his findings, and here is part three, which focuses on religious struggles in Ireland. The full version of John’s interesting account can be accessed through the link, “Irish Interlude” on the Harlan Web site.) By John H. Harland Religion overarches everything, and our story about the Harlan brothers in Ireland can only be viewed in the context of the religious turmoil that characterized the 17th and 18th centuries. The historical record is far from tidy and it is impossible to list and analyze the interrelationships of all the denominations that arose in a period of intense spiritual hunger and intellectual ferment, but here are the main points. Catholicism: The Roman Catholic Church was the spiritual ancestor of all the other Christian sects in this story. In the 16th century, Martin Luther and Henry VIII had, for quite different reasons, broken with the Papal authorities. In England, the Church of England, at whose head stood the Monarch, was the official state religion, but in 1603, at the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the “Old Religion” was far from extirpated in England, and the Church of England’s position correspondingly far from secure. Upon his accession in 1603, James I was inclined to be tolerant, but the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 permanently hardened his attitude, and the adherents of the Old Religion and especially its priests were extremely roughly handled. In England by 1687, oppressive measures had been successful in reducing Catholics to a minority position, but in Ireland, the people had no reason to acknowledge a new religious leader, and both peasants (Old Irish) and landowners (Old English) stubbornly clung to their Catholic faith, this despite the fact that Irish Catholics had been oppressed from Tudor times. Things got much worse following the uprising of 1641, and following the Williamite wars fifty years later, when a succession of brutally oppressive and unjust Penal Laws made the lot of the Irish Catholics nearly impossible. These actions and others generated resentments that reverberate to the present day. Church of England and Church of Ireland: These were the “Established” state religions, and thus had the authority to extract “tithes” from the citizens in each parish. Below, we will take note of the fashion in which this ecclesiastical tax impacted the Brothers. Puritans and Presbyterians: English Puritans came to New England in 1620 and, as the Pilgrim Fathers, played an important role in the early history of America. In the homeland, the influence of the Puritan wing of the Church of England increased to the point where they gained control of Parliament, and step by step, this led to Civil War, which started in 1642, and ended with the beheading of Charles I in 1649. Following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, some Puritans remained with the Church of England, establishing the Low Church tradition within it, while others broke away to form the Presbyterian and other Protestant denominations. In Scotland, the key figure in establishment of the Presbyterian Church was John Knox, who was himself greatly influenced by Swiss Calvinism. The Scottish Presbyterians are important to our story because they comprised the majority of the settlers involved in the colonization of Ulster. They supported the Parliament during the Civil War, signing a Covenant in 1643, but subsequently had a falling out with Cromwell. During the reign of James II, at almost exactly the time the Brothers left Ireland, the Presbyterians in Scotland were being cruelly treated by the authorities, particularly by Graham of Claverhouse – an era remembered as “the Killing Times.’’ The Society of Friends: George and Michael Harlan were members of the Society of Friends, or Quakers, and since this particular Christian sect has special significance in the story of the Harlan Family, we will consider it in some detail. The movement was founded by George Fox (1624-91), and at the time of its inception, it was just one among many dissenting sects of the day, like the Diggers, Seekers, Ranters, Muggletonians, etc., all of which are today just footnotes in the history of religion. Although it never had a huge number of adherents, Quakerism influenced society and events in 17th and 18th century Britain and in the early history of the American colonies, far out of proportion to the size of the denomination. A period of very active proselytizing followed the movement’s founding in 1647, with preachers spreading the word in England and Ireland, and traveling to Germany, the Netherlands and the American Colonies. William Edmundson convened the very first Quaker meeting in Ireland in Lurgan in 1655. He was known as “The Great Hammer of Ireland,” a remarkably muscular nickname for a peace-loving Quaker, but one that reflected his temperament and military background. Edmundson had served in the Cromwellian army and went on to achieve fame in Ireland and beyond, as a preacher in his own right. He had much to do with the establishment of Quakerism in North Carolina. It is reasonable to ascribe, at least in part, the Harlans’ specific choice of the Lurgan area as the place to settle, to their awareness of a significant Quaker presence there. Later on, the Quaker movement lost its missionary zeal, ceasing to seek converts, and developing a tendency to exclusivity together with an obsession with internal discipline. In America, a series of disastrous schisms split the movement, and congregations dwindled as members drifted away to other denominations, or in the worst case were “cast out” or “disowned” when they disagreed with the elders, often over relatively trivial matters. Things were quite different in Quakerism’s early days, with the first wave of converts, like the Harlan brothers, being much more engaged in enthusiastic proselytizing. Paradoxically, this period of exponential growth was also the era in which the Friends were obliged to endure the most vicious persecution. In England, Quakers were the target of a series of oppressive legislative measures passed between 1662 and 1665, including the Quaker Act, the Five-Mile Act, the Test Act, and the Conventicle Acts, and it is said that more than 300 Friends died in jail, and 200 were transported as slaves to the West Indies. It was not until 1689 that these oppressive laws were repealed with the passage of the Toleration Act, but in the meantime many Quakers had been severely mistreated. Nor was persecution limited to England. In America, the Puritan authorities of Massachusetts found the Quaker beliefs and practices to be particularly objectionable, and in 1659 they went so far as to hang four Quakers on Boston Common. Principle is one thing, and money is another, and from the authorities’ point of view, failure of the Quakers to pay tithes was the last straw. “Tithes,” nominally a tenth of one’s income, can be thought of as a church tax, and were the main source of income for the Established Church. As non-Anglicans, Quakers regarded tithing as a rank injustice, and. by refusing to pay up, they laid themselves open to prosecution. Because of inertia, folk tend to resign themselves to this sort of injustice, but when pushed beyond a certain point, like the Israelites departing the land of Egypt, they decide to vote with their feet. Those offenders lucky enough to escape jail had crops or property forcibly seized in lieu of payment, and opposition to tithing undoubtedly explains why many early Quakers pulled up stakes and headed for greener pastures. This process sometimes involved a series of such removes, and the Brothers’ peregrinations fit this pattern. As it happens in their case, we can back this up with a contemporary news item: “In 1680, George Harland, of County Down had taken from him in Tithe, by Daniel MacConnell, twelve stooks and a half of oats, three stooks and a half of barley, and five loads of hay, all worth ten shillings and ten pence” [from William Stockdale, “A Great Cry of Oppression,” cited by A.C. Myers in Immigration of the Irish Quakers into Pennsylvania 1682-1750, p. 321]. Quakers believed in plain speech and plain dress; titles were not used, nor hats doffed as a token of respect; they addressed each other as “thee” and “thou” instead of “you,” and the Quaker gray of their clothing, unadorned by lapels or fancy buttons, together with their flat hats, made the Quakers recognizable from afar. Denied careers in the military, academic or professional world, they gravitated into business and manufacturing, where because of abstemious life style, willingness to work long hours, refusal to haggle, and punctiliousness about keeping their word and meeting their obligations, many achieved considerable financial success. In America, the story of the Friends is inextricably bound with the foundation of Pennsylvania and the career of Sir William Penn, the Younger. His father, Admiral Sir William Penn (1621-1670), was a professional naval officer, who survived the political pitfalls which beset his Navy colleagues during the Commonwealth period, but became involved with the Restoration of 1660, returning Charles II to the throne of England. While superintending the family estates in Ireland, his son William Penn (1644-1718) became a Quaker. He proselytized actively there, and it is not inconceivable that the Harlans heard him preach in Lurgan. Admiral Penn had loaned 12,000 pounds to King Charles when the latter was in financial straits, and in 1681, to settle this obligation, Penn’s son persuaded the King to grant him a tract of land west of the Delaware River, 40,000 square miles in extent, roughly including modern Pennsylvania and Delaware. Penn’s plan was to found a colony based on Quaker principles, a “Holy Experiment” as he called it, and starting in 1681, broadsheets promoting the venture were distributed widely at Quaker meetings in Ireland, prompting a trickle of pioneers who set off to the New World. A.C. Myers suggests that in the next few years there was considerable interaction between the Colony and Ireland, with people going back and forth, and letters that described life in America being passed from hand to hand at Quaker Meetings. Thus the members of the Lurgan Meeting all knew of the Colony, and it is not difficult to see how George and Michael Harlan became persuaded that their future lay across the ocean. Some Irish Quakers went out to the Colony as indentured servants, but the Brothers had enough money to purchase land before they left Ireland. As relatively early arrivals, they bought and settled on land in the eastern part of the territory, near modern-day New Castle, Delaware, near Brandywine Creek. Quaker dominance in the affairs of Pennsylvania was to continue until
the latter half of the 18th Century, when during the Indian Wars and
the subsequent War of Independence, their unwillingness to bear arms
brought them into conflict with the spirit of the times. What is Harlan Corporation? After returning home and checking the Internet, there appears to be no connection to the Harlan Family. Harlan Corporation evolved from the vision of its founder, Jim Kaplan, who grew up in Sioux City, Iowa. After he attended college and served in the Armed Forces, Jim moved to Kansas City, Kans., and in 1958 he founded his corporation to rent and rebuild lift trucks. After much analysis, he redesigned the machinery and its components and was soon selling parts all over the world. His towing tractors move the biggest and heaviest commercial loads and are used by airlines, auto manufacturers, and the U.S. government. Even the Egyptian Air Force has over 250 Harlan tractors. Next time you’re waiting on a plane, look out the window and see if there’s a machine with a name dear to our hearts. FYI Genealogy Updates Director of Genealogy: Send genealogy updates to: #594–SARAH HAMMOND #9457–SUSAN ELIZABETH MORRISON m. Jefferson Coil Engle CORRECTIONS #9459-MARY JULIA “MOLLY” MORRISON (The book, p. 826, has Mary Jane Morrison.) #9460–EUDORA HARRIET MORRISON, know as “DORA” (The book, p. 826, has Endora.) #9461-NANNIE W. MORRISON (In the book, p. 826, it shows her name as Nancy. Her mother’s name is Nancy, and her daughters insist her given name was Nannie.) #9469-MARY ELLEN “MOLLIE” MARIS’S daughter is #9469-4-MARGUERITE ALICE. (In the book, p. 827, it shows her name as Alice M.) #1675-ENOCH MORRISON and MARY NEWLIN, p. 398, had a first born son
who is not included in the book. He was assigned this number: #1675-1
HARLAN MORRISON b. 26 Dec. 1822 in Orange Co., NC; d. 23 Jan 1824
in Orange Co., NC. OTHER CORRECTIONS #10060–MARGARET EMILY CORNELIA WOLF News from Harlan Family in Texas May Day Singing, Sunday, May 7 Since 1887, Harlan descendants have gathered at the Blue Ridge Baptist Church on the first Sunday of May to participate in the church’s annual “May Day Singing.” Harlan family members, descendants and friends are invited to attend. This year’s event will be held Sunday, May 7, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. The semi-annual meeting of the Blue Ridge Cemetery Association will immediately follow at 3 p.m. The cemetery includes mostly Harlan descendants and their spouses. Presently undergoing extensive renovation, the Blue Ridge Baptist Church, along with the cemetery, sits on 28 acres of land deeded in 1873 by George Harlan for the establishment of a church. The site was part of a land grant given by Mexico to George’s father, Dr. Isaiah Harlan, in 1835. The church is beautifully located about ten miles east of Marlin, Texas, on FM Road 1771. For more information, please contact Dr. Bill Brackney, 254-776-5896, or Annette White, 254-587-3084. Harlan Family in Texas Reunion – Sept. 30 & Oct. 1 Blue Ridge Baptist Church is home to the Harlan Family in Texas Reunion, held each year on the first weekend in October. Harlan descendants gather at the church on Saturday to visit and stroll about the tree-covered grounds and cemetery while celebrating old times and new acquaintances. On Sunday they attend the worship service in the present (third) sanctuary, built in 1908, then enjoy lunch under the pavilion, and close with the Harlan Family Meeting. This year will be the 57th annual reunion. Waco, about 45 minutes from the church, is centrally located in Texas and has many nice motels for anyone wishing to stay overnight. Early reservations are recommended. Please mark this date on your calendar and plan to attend. For additional
information, please contact the Texas Family president:
We need updates! Send any change-of-addresses to The Harlan Family in America or e-mail to <[email protected]>. If you receive the newsletter by e-mail and change your e-mail address,
please notify us Junior Harlan keeps a register of Harlan-kin e-mail addresses. Send your e-mail address or any changes to < [email protected] >. All addresses are kept confidential and are not given out without permission. Reading for Fun Mr. Gulley is a Quaker minister and writer, and his books center
around Pastor Sam Gardner, who just happens to also be a Quaker minister.
Sam, with his wife and two sons, returns to the little town of Harmony,
Indiana, where he lived as a child. For light, pleasurable reading with ties to our Quaker heritage,
read the books in order and see how Pastor Sam interacts with his
unpredictable flock in Harmony. Correction Actually, the photo was taken much later, when Eliza was 60 years old. At the time, her name was Eliza Dunlap. Also, Margaret Rose Dunlap (page 6, same story) was the daughter of John Dunlap, not Sam Dunlap, his brother (and Eliza’s husband). Margaret was thus the niece of Eliza, not her stepdaughter. In Memory of . . . Jean McCracken Smith Parkins Hines Jean, 86, passed away on September 27, 2005. She was born in Millvale, Pa., on October 20, 1918, and moved to Florida with her husband for their retirement years. After being widowed in 1990, she met and married Marvin Hines. She and Marvin traveled with other Harlans on the first trip to England in 1994 and attended some of the national Harlan reunions. Jean was a lifelong traveler and visited most of the states of America, including Alaska and Hawaii. She made trips to England, France, Ireland and Scotland, and lived three years in South Africa. She was active in her church and other organizations and volunteered her services for several agencies. Jean is survived by four daughters, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. LaVonne A. Workman LaVonne was born March 20, 1927, in Matfield Green, Kan., and passed away October 27, 2005, in Topeka, Kan. She graduated from Emporia Beauty School in 1946 and was a beautician in Emporia and Topeka. She was a member of the Kaw Valley Lodge No. 514 and the Topeka Genealogy Society. LaVonne enjoyed reading The Harlan Record and working on her genealogy lines. Survivors include her husband, Leland C. Workman; daughter, LaNae K. Workman; and sister, Carolyn Bowman. GENEALOGY CORNER Recently, an inquiry came to the attention of our genealogy committee about an individual who has Harlan ancestors on both the paternal and maternal lines. The question was raised about which ancestor to use in numbering the descendants. This is not the first time this situation has occurred. The decision is that the paternal line should be used as the primary ancestor. When the generations progress to where the two lines actually connect, the maternal line will be recognized at that point. The Harlans have chosen to use a descending system that begins with the remote ancestors and moves forward in time to the current generations. This is the numbering system used by Alpheus Harlan. He states in his “Explanations” page, at the beginning of the book, in paragraph three, that “the numerical system is almost universally used, this being most convenient, besides conforming to usage of Friends.” This system is what is referred to as the NGSQ (National Genealogical Society Quarterly) numbering system, with all children being assigned a number. To update your line, the committee recommends that each family use the number of the last member of their line that is listed in the History and Genealogy of the Harlan Family and expand on that number. Example: my last listed ancestor is John #6326. My grandfather, George, was John’s fifth child, so his number is #6326-5. My mother, Virginia, was George’s second child, so her number is #6326-52. I am my mother’s second child, so my number is #6326-522. This seems to be the most logical method to perpetuate the original numbering system. Cynthia Rhoades
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comments or suggestions to Ruth Harlan
Lamb [email protected] 
The
Harlan Family in America association lost one of its strongest supporters
and ablest mentors when Ridge Latimer Harlan passed away on January
2, 2006, in Vacaville, Calif., after a long illness. He was 89.
The
Harlan Log House Bed and Breakfast, located in Chadds Ford, Pa., chalked
up a first last summer. Two separate families of Harlan descendants
were guests at the same time. Innkeeper Beverly McCausland said it
had never happened before.
Prior
to meeting the Mayor of Belfast, the group of Harlans gathered on
the grounds of City Hall and had our photo taken in front of an imposing
statue with this inscription:
Clifford
Cobb, Jr., a Harlan descendant, uncovered this cornerstone of the
rededicated church building at the 56th annual reunion of the Harlan
Family in Texas, held October 2, 2005. The inscription reads: