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WHO WAS WHO in PLUM TOWNSHIP
~ Titusville Herald ~
~ April 28, 1961
By H. W. Strawbridge

W.J. Harry

Plum Township’s last surviving Civil War veteran, W.J. Harry, was born in southwestern Troy Township on Sept. 18, 1842, a son of John and Elizabeth Harry. The Harry family is said to have been of Dutch descent.

W.J.’s birthplace was situated around one-fourth mile from the recent Horseshoe Stadium where the Black Ash baseball team held their games a few years ago. The buildings have been gone for many, many years.
When W.J. was born his parents gave to him the name, Jackson Harry. It was after the Civil War that he adopted the “W” in his name. “Jack” had two older brothers, William and Daniel Harry. When Jack was but three years old his mother died. A few years later his father met with a fatal sawmill or woods accident. The parents are buried in the old abandoned cemetery on the hill at South Troy.
Family tradition states that Jack’s father had a premonition that he would soon meet his death, so he had asked the Battin family at Battin’s Corners, Plum Township, if they would take the three Harry boys if anything happened to him. They promised. After their father’s death the three boys made their home with the Battin family until the Civil War. After the outbreak of the war William and Daniel Harry enlisted. Jack, though quite young, decided he wanted to go too, so he enlisted as a private on Sept. 18, 1861, at Clarksville, Mercer County, in Company B of the 57th Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers.The first engagement that Company B took part in was at Yorktown in the spring of 1862. This was followed by several days of steady fighting in front of Richmond.
The 57th had it’s share of fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg in early July, 1863. On the second Jack and others of his regiment were stationed along the stone wall in front of the famed Wheatfield. One of Jack’s commanders, Lorenzo D. Bumpus, stood on the wall rallying his men amidst flying bullets. Jack, sensing the danger to the exposed man, grabbed him and pulled him off the wall. Bumpus had three bullet holes through his clothing, none of which touched his body.


Taken Prisoner

It was in this historical engagement that Jack with many comrades was taken prisoner. The 57th was stationed on Cemetery Hill when Confederate General Pickett made his famous charge on the third. Not only were hundreds killed and wounded, but scores of Union men were also taken prisoner and hurried across the river out of reach of Union guns.
About 4 o’clock the following morning orders were given to the prisoners to get their breakfasts as the onward march toward Richmond was to begin shortly. Jack and the other prisoners were busily engaged in complying with this order when their ears were greeted with a roar of musketry. Then came the well known Union cheer from the hundreds of throats, and down on the camp swept Buford’s Cavalry, capturing the entire Rebel guard. Jack said afterward that it was certainly a happy moment of his life when he saw the blue coats, because the word “Andersonville” was one to be dreaded. It was sometime during the war that Jack had seen President Lincoln while that great man was viewing troops. This likely occurred in the spring of 1863. Jack was discharged Dec.30, 1863 at Brandy Station, Va., by reason of expiration of his enlistment. However, 10 days before he had re-enlisted. He got a 30-day furlough between enlistments.


Wounded in Shoulder

On June 20, 1864, Jack received a severe wound in his right shoulder in front of Petersburg while in line of duty. A rebel minie ball pierced the shoulder blade. He was treated at the Portsmouth Grove Hospital, R.I., the rest of June and most of July. He reported back on duty in September. On Dec.1, 1864, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant which position he held until his discharge.
He was present at the surrender at Appomattox in April, 1865, and saw the sorrowful General Lee. He was discharged June 29, 1865, at Washington, D.C.
He still carried that minie ball in his shoulder, and three months after his discharge a Chapmanville doctor removed it. A grandson, Ivan Harry of Rocky Grove, still has the bullet. It certainly is a large object to carry in a body. The base of the bullet is 5/8 inch in diameter.
Jack had the misfortune to lose both his brothers in the war. William was killed on a battlefield and Daniel died in Libby Prison. Jack then adopted his one brother’s name, William, for his first name. His full name then became William Jackson Harry.
Jack was married on July 4, 1866, to Miss Mary Elizabeth Lamberton of near Sunville. They were married at Adamsville, Crawford County. She was born Nov.4, 1847, near Sunville, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs.James Lamberton, Sr. They commenced living about a mile northwest of Sunville on a portion of the huge Lamberton tract which took in hundreds of acres.
Jack mainly carpentered. He worked with a neighbor, Bill Borger, for years constructing houses, barns and public buildings. Due to his lame shoulder, Jack could not do much sawing. Borger did most of the sawing.
Two large houses they built are on Route 27 from Diamond to Titusville. One is the W. Bihun house (former Grove Guild house) east of Diamond. They dressed practically all the lumber for this house by hand. The other house is the Robert Lewis house on the far end of the Central Avenue Extension. They stayed there throughout the weekdays then walked home on Saturday nights. Early Monday mornings they walked back to work.
It was a few years after the war that Jack and Mary went out to Kansas to settle a claim of land. They were out there three months. While there Jack sawed out a shanty and made some improvements on the land. Then they came back here and Mary refused to go back out. Jack then sold the claim.


Parents of Two

They were the parents of two children, both of whom were born near Sunville. They were Anna Lodesta Harry, born May 27, 1867, and Finley Harkness Harry, born Dec. 16, 1874.
Anna was married to Warren Foster in August, 1884, in the original U.B. parsonage in Diamond. They mainly lived at Warren County and Centerville where Mr.Foster was employed in sawmills. They had four children, all of whom are living and are: Harry Foster of North East, Elmer Foster of Buffalo, Mrs. Lena Wakefield of Titusville and Mrs. Clara Nieman of Buffalo. Their mother was married a second time to Jacob Richards in Mayville, N.Y. in 1918. They lived their married life in Titusville. Mr.Richards worked on the railroad out of the city. Mrs. Richards died in Titusville of a stroke on Jan.23,1936, and is buried at Sunville. Mr.Richards died in 1955.
Finley was married on Nov.7, 1901, at Cooperstown to Miss Belle Bradley, daughter of William and Edrie Small Bradley of near Bradleytown. Finley and Belle lived west of Valley Corners where he mainly farmed the Bradley place. He also did the main portion of the farming on his father’s place nearby. In 1941 they retired and bought a house and lot in Diamond where Finley died on March 24, 1946, after a rather lengthy illness. He is buried at Diamond. Mrs. Harry later sold the Diamond property to the late Mr. and Mrs. Earl Proper, and is now living with their only son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Ivan Harry, at Rocky Grove.
About 1886 the Jack Harry family moved from near Sunville to a forty-acre farm a distance north of Bradleytown. This was also part of the Lamberton tract. Here Jack built the buildings which still stand and are presently owned by the A.B. Shaffstall family.
On this place it was easy to get water. The soil was such that Jack drove (not drilled) a well down. He built a cave house across the road and had water in it by driving down a well.
Jack was five feet, 7 ½ inches tall, had a fair complexion, brown hair and gray eyes. He commenced getting bald when fairly young. However his fringe of hair didn’t turn white until his last years. He was a good visitor. In fact, he traveled around considerably, stopping to visit at various homes.
As a young lad Jack attended the Sunville Methodist Church where the Battins attended. Jack always claimed that he was the youngest trustee that ever served in the Sunville Church.
Mary as a young girl joined the Presbyterian Church in Sunville, but didn’t remain a member there.


Charter Members

They were charter members of the Valley Methodist class when it organized in the Valley school-house in 1892. He served as a Sunday School superintendent for a while. They were then automatically transferred as members of the Bradleytown Methodist Church when it was built in 1909. They remained members there until their deaths.
Politically Jack was a Democrat. He had filled a few township offices, including constable, tax collector and school director.
In those days tax collectors traveled around the township collecting taxes. One evening while on his way home with tax money, he thought he was being followed. He stopped at Whitman’s store in Chapmanville and bought a little .22 revolver because it was getting quite dark and there was a stretch of desolate road between Chapmanville and his home. However, he reached home without any trouble.
One time Jack and Finley were back working in one of their fields when a thunderstorm came up. Jack suggested that they stand under a large basswood tree at the edge of the field until the storm was over. Finley disagreed, saying they had better hustle to the buildings – which they did. After the storm they went back to the field and discovered that lightning had utterly shattered the basswood tree.
Every fall Jack and Finley cut a lot of maple wood back by the creek for their winter’s supply of fuel.
Jack’s wife, Mary, was quite a tall lady and fairly heavy. She may have weighed 200 pounds. Her home was one of hospitality, and ofttimes visitors would come and stay for meals. She liked flowers and gardened considerably. She also kept a flock of chickens.
On Monday, July 26, 1926, Jack did some churning for his wife, after which he lay down on the room couch. She later called to him but received no response. He was dead from a stroke of apoplexy.
He was buried on the afternoon of the 28th from his late home with Rev.W.H.Turner delivering the sermon. Having been 83 years old, his place of death was only half a mile from his birthplace. Mary died of a massive stroke in the same home on Oct.16, 1928. Both are buried in the Sunville Cemetery.

Transcribed by Paula Harry
dharry@pa.rr.com

Disclaimer:there may be errors due to transcription of information from both early and late (current contributors) work.