The marriage document from Allegany County, Maryland shows that twenty-three year old Philip William Harner married sixteen year old Sarah Fearer on August 25, 1832. Before I continue, I do need to mention that Harner is often seen as Horner, so when searching it is necessary to use both surnames. Often it isn't Horner at all, just a misreading of the document.
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1840 Pennsylvania Census
Georges Township
Fayette County
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Phillip Horner
1 male under age 5 Joseph L. Harner
1 male age 15-19 Perhaps a brother to Philip or Sarah or a hired hand
1 male age 30 thru 39 Philip William Harner
2 females under age 5 Matilda Jane Harner and Susanna Harner
1 female age 20 thru 29 Sarah Fearer Harner
2 persons engaged in manufacture or trade
It has been written in several Harner accounts that Philip was a blacksmith by trade. He also may have done dental work.
It is revealed in the 1850 census, that the Philip William Harner Family hopscotched around for a few years after their marriage and then were planted for over a decade in Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania before settling outside the Morgantown area.
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1850 (West Virginia) Virginia Census
The Eastern District #36
Monongalia County
August 15, 1850
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Philip W. Harner age 40, male, blacksmith, value of real estate owned $3000, born in Virginia.
Sarah Harner age 33, female, born in Maryland.
Joseph Harner age 14, male born in Maryland.
Matilda J. age 12, female, born in Virginia.
Susannah age 11, female, born in Pennsylvania.
George W. age 9, male, born in Pennsylvania.
Sarah age 7, female, born in Pennsylvania. (my paternal great great grandmother)
Mary E. age 5, female, born in Pennsylvania.
Philip F. age 3, male, born in Pennsylvania.
William T. age 4 days, male, born in Virginia.
George Neise ? age 20, male, laborer, born in Virginia. (I wonder if this is George Nuce, nephew to Philip Harner through the marriage of his sister Susan Harner to Michael Nuce)
This is not an exact replica of Sabraton ownerships in 1850; however after years of research was drawn to give the best idea. There are two Harner buildings listed. These both must be Philip William Harner's land as there are no other Harner/Horner names in Monongalia County in 1850. The most northern one on Harner Run near Deckers Creek is the area where Philip purchased land in 1850 and built his house. It still stands today in the Sabraton area.
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My photograph
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Known as The Old Harner Homestead, history, Philip purchased the property in 1850 and there may have been a smaller house on the land. It is believed that the current house was built in 1852 and Philip farmed the land. On August 14, 1885, Philip and Sarah sold the house and 111 7/8 aces to their son William Taylor Harner. William sold the house and 100 acres to George Sturgiss on July 10, 1902. William built a house next door and several other houses on the acre of land adjacent to the original house. The Harner Homestead is on the Register of National Historic Places. The original form was submitted in 1983. Some of the significant design details are that it is an example of "I" design and decorated with Classical Revival details. It features and example of a two story front porch.
I was able to get inside my paternal great great great grandparents home in 2007 because it was up for sale. Needless to say I was tingling with excitement to actually walk among the rooms where my ancestors lived. There is a blog on Flipside and a Wikipedia submission that I wrote following the trip. I was amazed by the architectural details inside, especially realizing that they were done by hand tools.
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American Union
Morgantown, (West) Virginia
December 3, 1853
page 3
BTW--Rev Asby Pool mentioned is my
paternal gggg grandfather |
On March 26, 1857, Philip and Sarah's twenty-one year old son, Joseph L. Harner married eighteen year old Sarah Elizabeth Bishoff, daughter of Henry Bishoff and Lydia Miller. I have seen the Bishoff surname also listed as Bishop.
Also in the year 1857, twenty year old Matilda Jane Harner married twenty-one year old Charles Addison in Monongalia County, (West) Virginia.
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1860 Virginia Census
District 2, Monongalia County
Morgantown Post Office
August 31, 1860 |
Philip Harner age 56, male, employed as a blacksmith, real estate value $12,000, value of personal estate $800, born in Virginia.
Sarah Harner age 45, female, born in Maryland, cannot read or write.
Susan Harner age 21, female, born in Virginia.
George Harner age 19, male, born in Pennsylvania.
Sarah Harner age 17, female, born in Pennsylvania. (my paternal great great grandmother)
Elizabeth age 14, female, born in Pennsylvania.
Fairchild age 12, female, born in Pennsylvania.
William age 10, male, born in Virginia.
Henry age 7, male, born in Virginia.
Philip is adding additional property. Blacksmithing was a valuable occupation in the 1800's and a well run business would be prosperous. It appears that Philip turned his increasing wealth into land purchases.
The 1860's Wedding Decade
In 1863 twenty-four year old Susan Harner married twenty-seven year old William Henry Fleming in Monongalia County, West Virginia. According to information on Ancestry, William's parents were William Fleming and Nancy Donaldson.
On May 29, 1864 eighteen year old Mary Elizabeth Harner married twenty-seven year old William Fleming Jackson in Morgantown, Monongalia County, West Virginia. William was the son of Josiah Jackson and Verlinda Robey
On October 17, 1864 twenty-three year old George Washington Harner married twenty-one year old Lavina Ruth Hickman in Monongalia County, West Virginia. Lavina was the daughter of Jacob S. Hickman and Catherine Litman.
On May 26, 1866 my paternal great great grandparents, twenty-two year old Sarah Louise Harner married twenty-three year old Sampson Frum Pool in Monongalia County, West Virginia. Sampson's parents were William Lanaham Pool and Ann Frum.
On Christmas Eve 1868 twenty year old Philip Fairchild Harner married twenty-two year old Margaret Olivia Robinson in Monongalia County, West Virginia. Margaret was the daughter of John Davidson Robinson and Elizabeth Hill (my paternal great great grandaunt).
Helping a Friend Financially Does Not Pay Off
On January 18, 1868 Philip W. Harner and William Hagans signed their joint promissory notes as securities to George M. Hagans for the sum of $1,720.25 payable one day after date with interest from the date from said note to William Price. The principal, William Price, had $2000 in an account in a Morgantown bank which could be used for loans. George M. Hagans died in December, 1873 and had not paid the full amount of interest due or the amount borrowed. Philip's generosity to a friend has set my paternal great great great grandfather up for a legal battle down the road.
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1870 West Virginia Census
Morgan Township, Monongalia County
Morgantown Post Office
June 22, 1870 |
Philip Harner age 61, male, white, farmer, value of personal estate $15,000, value of real estate $14,000, born in Pennsylvania, mother of foreign born birth, citizen of the United States.
Sarah Harner age 56, female, white, keeping house, born in Maryland, cannot write.
William T. Harner age age 21, male, white, farm hand, born in West Virginia, attended school within the year.
Henry J. Harner age 16, male, white, farm hand, born in West Virginia, attended school within the year.
Jno M. Lowdermilk? age 26,male, white, farmhand, born in Maryland, citizen of the United States.
Very poor copy of the census. This often occurs when the enumerator uses a pencil instead of a pen.
Philip has added additional personal and real estate in the last decade. I have not had access to the land records, so I have no idea as the the dates and amount of acreage purchased.
Back to the Security Note of 1868
Eighteen seventy-three brings the security note that Philip signed back on January 18, 1868 for his friend and grocer, George M. Hagans onto the front burner. Hagans had not kept up with the interest payments. When he died in December 1873, the named executors of his estate were James C. McGrew and the other signee of a security note, William Hagans. William Hagans was probably George M. Hagans brother.
On February 27, 1874, William Price, from whom the loan was obtained, brought a joint action of debt against James C. McGrew and William Hagans, executors and Philip W. Harner. A writ was issued and dated.
Philip W. Harner penned and signed the above accepting the judgment for the sum of $1,807.16 on the back of the writ and presented it in the clerks office Court of Monongalia County, West Virginia on February 27, 1874. The said writ was never executed on the executors of the estate, one executor, William Hagans who also signed a security note. Long story short, Philip ended up with the total amount due.
How did this happen? Philip was a successful businessman with business savvy. As you might guess, he realized how he was dupped and went to court to not have to pay the entire amount due, just his fair portion.
According to Philip's bill of injunction, October, 1874, the day before the February 27, 1874 suit, William Price and Jesse J. Fitch(a good friend of Philip) visited Philip W. Harner to let Philip know a suit was going to be filed next next day. Price told Philip that costs could be saved if he would go to Morgantown and confess judgement. Philip did not suspect anything wrong and did go to town the next day. He stopped at the store owned by the deceased, George M. Hagans, to see the two executors regarding Price's idea of confessing judgement. Neither executors were there; however William Price was standing on the steps and went with Philip to the court house to confess the judgement.
Philip learned that due to the fact that the note was signed over five years ago the statue of limitations barred the judgements and that the other defendants would plead statue of limitations, leaving Philip to bare the sole responsibility because he wrote the confession of judgement. Philip is guilty of being an honest and trustworthy man who was "defrauded and entrapped" by "........the fraudulent representations and conduct of William Price." It appears that Price knew he could not recover the cost of the loan and had no plan to divide it among Philip and the executors.
Philip did not let this go. He filed a bill of injunction against Price and Sheriff McVicker in December 1874. William Price had his own story and denied any knowledge that the note of money owed to him was no longer viable due to a statue of limitation. On September 22, 1876, Philip's suit was dismissed and he now had to pay all court costs.
This did not end. Philip W. Harner on an appeal from and supersedeas to a decree from the Circuit Court of Monongalia County rendered on September 22, 1876 took the case to the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.
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1880 West Virginia Census
Morgan District, Monongalia County
June 15, 1880
BTW Census enumerator Waitman Wiley Houston is a cousin |
I decided to include the entire page rather than just the section for Philip and Sarah Harner. Sons Philip Fairchild Harner, William Harner, James Harner, Joseph Harner and son-in-law, William Jackson are all enumerated on this page.
Philip Harner, white, male, age 71, married, farmer, born in Virginia, father born in Germany, mother born on the ocean.
Sarah Harner, white, female, age 66, wife, married, housekeeper, born in Maryland, cannot write, mother and father both born in Germany.
Over six years of wrangling this issue in two courts, a judge gave the final judgement on December 18, 1880. Philip W. Harner was libel for the total amount of the court costs and the amount of the original note from 1868 plus the interest. During the Supreme Court of Appeals, Price presented his version of the day he visited with Harner and the day Harner signed the back of the original note. It was a different story than Philip's. The judge ruled in Price's favor and Philip had to pay the entire amount. The other note signee, William Hagans, walked away owing nothing. Had Philip not signed the back of the note on September 27, 1874, he would not have been held liable and William Price would have walked away with nothing.
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1885 Map of Harner Properties
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I have underlined the properties of the son's of Philip William and Sarah Houston Harner. The one red starred one, W. T. Harner is the 1850 Harner Homestead. The second red star is Rock Forge Cemetery (now Brookhaven Church Cemetery) where Philip and Sarah are buried. Also shown in the area are farms of Charles Addison and William F. Jackson, who both married Harner women.
I don't believe I spent anytime at the WVU genealogy floor on campus scrolling through microfilm newspapers looking for Harner articles the last time I was in Morgantown over a decade ago. I do not know if Philip and/or Sarah's obituaries are there. Another reason to go spend a few days there.
The Harner's have a sizable, enclosed plot, in Brookhaven Church Cemetery (known at the time of their death as Rock Forge Cemetery). Their actual burial places are marked with the small upright stones very simply engraved with the initials, SH and PWH. The larger impressive stone may have been erected at a later date by descendants.
The land for the church was purchased from Philip William Harner and his wife in 1854 by a Methodist congregation. At that time it was known as Rock Forge Church located in the Rock Forge community. The Harner's were members of this church community.
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Phillip W. Harner
Born
Feb 14, 1809
Died
Nov. 15, 1885 |
Death Record from Monongalia County, West
Virginia
Harner, Philip W., white
male, no death date, died Morgan District of Paralysis, age 76 years. Son, William J. Harner, informant.
Philip William Harner died on November 15, 1885 age seventy-six from the diagnosis of paralysis. He probably died at his home, Morgan District, Monongalia County, West Virginia.
Philip signed his Last Will and Testament on August 26, 1883. The executors named were sons, Joseph L. Harner and William T. Harner. His wife received the proceeds from the estate. At her death there was a financial amount to his daughters and land divided equally among the children.
The bonds of the executors and signees of the will were filed on January 4, 1886.
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Sarah Harner
Born
May 20, 1816
Died
Jan 21, 1900 |
Sarah Fearer Harner died on January 21, 1900 at age eighty-three in Monongalia County, West Virginia. To date, I have not found a death record for Sarah.
She did have a Last Will and Testament signed with her mark on May 9, 1895 in Monongalia County, West Virginia. She divided up her personal property among her sons and one daughter, Susan Harner Fleming. Once her debts were paid the remainder of her bonds and money she willed five dollars to each of her married daughters; however, Susan Harner Fleming along with her sons equally divided the residue of what remained after her daughters were paid. This makes me believe that Susan Harner Fleming probably housed and took care of her mother following the death of Philip W. Harner.
Addendum
I did see a small reference on page 648 of the Samuel T. Wiley book, History of Monongalia County, West Virginia, 1883. In the chapter regarding the Morgan District, the author writes about the early Native American occupation of land near Decker Creek. He uses the current day (1883) location of Philip William Harner's home as the possible location of the destruction of the Decker Creek Colony.
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There is room for more research here and as it becomes available, I will update the blog. My huge file of Harner research was woefully disorganized until I began this blog. My thanks to all distant cousins who added their knowledge and scanned copies of documents.
I have seen what appears to be a tintype of Philip William Harner and Sarah Fearer Harner on Ancestry. I hope to connect with the genealogist who posted it to verify. I love to have a face to connect to a blog.
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