Items of Interest

• We hope to see you at both reunions this year. I know that there are several other Harper reunions in Pendleton County but I couldn’t get the dates by press time; check the website in May. If you don’t have Internet access at home, you can go to any public library and use their computers. For those of you going to the May reunion, the Jacob C. Harper cemetery is reached by turning right exactly 1.4 miles after you pass the Allegheny Mountain elevation sign if you are coming from Seneca Rocks.

• Countdown: Only 0 more years until our Philip Harper the Pioneer Reunion. This is the Year!

• The early Harpers probably followed this route described in History of Frederick County [Maryland] by Thomas J.C. Williams:"Long before there were any settlements in Frederick County (and this included what is now Washington County), parties of Germans passed through it from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to seek homes in Virginia. The principal route was over a pack horse or Indian road that crossed the present Pennsylvania counties of York and Adams to the Monocacy River where it passed into Maryland. Once in Maryland, the road passed through Crampton’s Gap and crossed the Potomac at several fords."

• Remember the Angel Wing Begonia plant that Avonell Painter of Morgantown, WV gave me a few years ago? It has now reached a height of 10½ ft. tall and has leaves which are 9½" long.

• From Bill Wood of Texas, "As usual, I am behind on everything, including send in our plans to attend the reunion in August. Dale [Fuller] said that he is as much a procrastinator as I am. My wife has been after me for at least a month to write this and send our request for reservations. I haven’t been to a Harper Reunion since I was about 6 or 8 years old. That is more than 60 years ago. Although I am "retired," I am working full-time. Actually, I retired from electrical engineering and am working in the customer service department of a small company that sells Point of Sale printers such as those you see in many stores to print receipts, verify checks, etc. Any time you see a printer manufactured by Epson, Citizen, NCR, DH Print, Seiko, or one of many other brands, we either sold it or service it. One of our customers is Allegany Technology in Cumberland. Another is TGI Friday’s. I receive printers for repair and ship repaired printers back to the customers, keeping track of it all on the computer." Bill is the grandson of Mary Harper Lawrence (7^th Child)

• Albert J. Harper, former Treasurer of the Harper Cemetery Association, celebrated his 91^th birthday last Nov. 15^th!

• Warren E. Carter, husband of Nela Harper (daughter of Minor Harper, 11^th Child), has been celebrating his triple-digit birthdays for a couple of years now. And he’s still working!! Known as the "Grand Old Man" of the lumber industry, Carter founded Carter-Jones Lumber in Akron, Ohio in 1932.

• Anthony and Harriet McDonald, parents of Susan McDonald Harper, are buried in the old Moses Harper Cemetery on the Hedrick farm across from the 4-U Restaurant.

• From Lewis Lockwood, grandson of Peter Harper (3^rd Child): "We have sold our house and moved into a retirement complex called Keaney Manor. It has been good."
• The Harper Family History Prior to 1900 is a little closer to completion: I found backup copies of the files I thought I lost (in the March computer crash). Anyone interested in ordering a copy can mail or email me their name and address and I’ll notify you when it’s closer to printing time.

• From Bill Armstrong in Colorado: "We have moved to a new house in Northern Colorado Springs and our daughter and family have moved into our old house. She has a ten-year-old daughter and an eight-year-old son and will be better for us both. Things are well with me but we are slowing down. I walk the dog every morning, and that is all the exercise I need. I plan to ski – only on gentle slopes – with my grandchildren in February."

• Charlotte Harper Gibson, granddaughter of Walter Harper (15th Child), published a wonderful book on the Harper family in November 1995. She has kindly granted permission to reprint the memories she gathered of Jacob C. and Susan McDonald Harper: "Millie Harrison Gardner spent a lot of time with Great-Grandma Susan. She says her eyes were blue and that she was a very kind person whom everyone admired, respected and loved. Millie also says that Great-Grandma was very intelligent." Another one of Charlotte’s stories is: "Susan baked a cake one time in a large pan and didn’t put icing on it. A male visitor was eating with the family and he seemed to think the cake was cornbread. Each time the regular bread was passed around, he would say, ‘No, cornbread is good enough for me’ and he would take another piece of the cake."

• PHOTOGRAPH CORRECTIONS to The Harper Family History: p. 219 - The couple who are listed as unidentified, standing beside Jacob C. Harper turned out to be his sister, Sophia Harper Hedrick, and her husband William Edmund "Ed" Hedrick. They lived not too far from the Limestone Quarry Road near Riverton.

• YOU KNOW YOU’RE AN ADDICTED GENEALOGIST:

…when you hyperventilate at the sight of an old cemetery.

…when you think every home should have a microfilm reader.

…when you know every Town Clerk in your state by name.

…when you’re more interested in what happened in 1697 than in 1997.

…when all your correspondence begins, "Dear Cousin…"
 
 

• If any of you have old photographs with unidentified people in them, send a photocopy to me and I’ll see if they’re any of our Harpers.

• From Muriel Hart of Hendersonville, South Carolina comes this tip: Wal-Mart will make copies of old photographs for $2 a piece. They do a good job.

• Three Harper descendants received West Virginia History Hero Awards this year from Governor Underwood at a ceremony at the Capitol in Charleston: Grace Boggs Dyer and Koren Fae Rawlings of Franklin, WV, and Marsha Fuller of Hagerstown, MD. Another Harper descendant, Greg Adamson of Onego, WV, received an award last year. Way to go, Harpers!

• Grace Boggs Dyer also received the 13^th Annual Pendleton County Farm Bureau Service Award in August. When presenting the award to her, Steve Conrad said, "Never one to seek the spotlight, Grace has always worked behind the scenes to help make her community and country a better place to live."

• Does anyone know the whereabouts or descendants of the three sons, of Rose Anna (Harper) Harman Cooper, Neil J. Harman b. 1908, J. Handy Harman born 1912 or Howard Carl Harman, Jr. born 1915?
• Newsletters sent to the following people were returned with "Forwarding Order Expired" last year. Do you have current addresses for:
• Mr. & Mrs. Kevin LaBonte
• Lucille V. Currence, Elkins, WV
• Kimberly Ross, Mogadore, Ohio
• Mr. & Mrs. William D. Gormall, Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Virginia & John C. Dilks, Sullivan, Missouri

CHANGES TO OUR FAMILY TREE

BIRTHS:

• Samuel Stafford Harper, son of David and Jessica Harper. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 7 ozs. and was born on April 10, 1999. Proud grandparents are Buzz and Frances Harper of Parsons, WV.
• Nicholas Albert Fitzgerald, son of Kevin and Clara Fitzgerald, born January 14, 2000. Proud great-grandparents are Albert and Gladys Harper of Dryfork, WV
• Sarah Elizabeth Walter, daughter of Dale and Janet Walter, born March 26, 1999
• Susannah Caroline Carr, daughter of Jeff and Jennifer Carr of Charlottesville, VA, born March 2, 1999.
• Nicholas Paul Churchill, son of Greg Churchill, born July 27, 1999.
• Jordan Elizabeth Waters, daughter of Dean & Susan Waters, Davisville, WV, born June 5, 1997.
• Wyatt Stelman Harper, son of David & Jessica Harper, born December 10, 1997 in Pullman, Washington.

• Evelyn Painter Lund died November 25, 1998 in California
• Paul J. Zofsak passed away on July 3, 1998.

FAMILY TREE of Philip Harper the Pioneer:

          Philip Harper the Pioneer
    /                         \                         \
Nicholas             Philip, Jr.             Jacob

1. Henry             1. Adam             1. Henry

2. George           2. Philip, III        2. Adam

3. Peter               3. Elias               3. Jacob,Jr.

                           4. Peter               4. Nicholas

                                                      5. Moses

                                                      6. Leonard
 
 

• During 1750, fifteen ships brought German settlers to America. On August 11, 1750, the "Patience" delivered the Harpers to the shores of Philadelphia. Upon arrival, they were taken to the courthouse to swear an oath of allegiance that went like this:

©2000 Marsha L. Fuller, All Rights Reserved