James Louis Harmon

My great-grandfather, James Louis Harmon, was born November 21, 1856, probably in Indiana, the son of Wilson Harmon and Elizabeth Endicott.

Wilson Harmon was a farmer, probably a sharecropper. He taught his children to work from an early age, as there was much work to be done and many mouths to feed. Wilson and his wife Elizabeth Endicott had sixteen children. My great-grandfather James Louis Harmon was their fourth child and the second oldest son.

James Louis spent his early childhood years in Gibson County, Indiana, but about 1868 or 1869 the family moved to Gallatin County, Illinois. Twelve year old James Louis appears on the 1870 Gallatin County, Illinois census with his family.

Records indicate the Harmon family stayed in Illinois but a short time, returning to Indiana about 1874. Between about 1875 and 1879, James Louis' family moved from Indiana toward Indian Territory of present day Oklahoma. We believe they joined a wagon train of other settlers and James Louis traveled on the wagon train with them during part of their journey. He seperated from his family sometime during the journey, however, as he does not appear with them on the 1880 Boone County, Arkansas census.

Oral family history relates that while traveling with a wagon train, James Louis saw Martha Jane Crow at Cave City, in Independence County, Arkansas, and vowed some day to return and marry her. Colleen Dixon Dahlmann (now deceased), a great granddaughter of James Louis Harmon, tells this story: "James Louis Harmon came from Indiana. He led a wagon train to Cave City, in Independence County, Arkansas. Grandfather Louis said when he arrived with the wagon train he remembered what his mother had told him "to always go to church when he could and God would take care of him". As he walked down the street looking for a church building where he could worship the next Sunday, he saw a beautiful black-haired, black-eyed girl who he thought was the loveliest thing he had ever set eyes on. He said he thought to himself that he would like to marry her. James Louis, upon nearing the lovely maiden, tipped his hat in greeting, but the maiden stuck her nose in the air, barely glancing at him. That Sunday, James Louis attended church and again saw the lovely maiden. After services ended the minister invited James Louis to his house for dinner. Imagine James Louis' surprise when he found that the lovely stuck-up maiden was actually the daughter of the minister, John H. Crow."

James Louis married my great grandmother, Martha Jane Crow, on February 24, 1881, in Independence County, Arkansas. Martha Jane Crow was born June 16, 1858, at Cave City, the seventh of twelve children born to John Henry Crow and Sarah Jane Rollins. (Note: The age given on the marriage license for James Louis was 23 and the age for Martha Jane was 19. If that is correct, James Louis was born about 1858 and Martha Jane about 1862.) Martha Jane is said by some family members to have been half Cherokee Indian, but this has not yet been proven.

It is said that James Louis and Martha Jane had a loving marriage, and that James Louis was mild-mannered and Martha Jane was fiery. There may have been something to that as it has been told that after their marriage James Louis liked to go to dances, but Martha Jane soon put a stop to it.

James Louis was a farmer. He and Martha Jane settled at Cave City where four of their five children were born. About 1890, James Louis put the few meager family belongings into a wagon, hitched up his team of oxen and moved his family to Pope County, Arkansas, settling a few miles south of Tilly, in Smyrna Township. There he homesteaded 160 acres of land and began building a house for his family. This is where the fifth child was born.

Trees had to be cut for the logs for the house. While this was being done the family lived in their wagon. When completed, the log house was small, but adequate in size to hold the few primitive pieces of furniture the family possessed. A large fireplace was built at one end to provide heat and to be used for cooking. The house had a wooden floor. A log barn was built near the house for the livestock. Until a well could be dug, the water supply was a natural spring near the house. An outhouse (toilet) was built several yards from the house to serve the needs of the family.

After the house was built, it was time to begin clearing the land for tilling and planting. After the timber was cut, smaller stumps could be dug and pulled from the ground using a team of oxen, but the larger stumps often remained for several years. Corn was probably the first crop planted, as it was considered to be the most practical in new ground because of the difficulty in plowing and cultivating because of the many stumps. After harvest a portion of the corn was ground into meal for eating. As farms of that day were self-supporting, it is assumed that James Louis also raised such crops as wheat, which was ground into flour for bread making and baking; and hay, oats and rye to provide feed for the livestock. An orchard was also planted to provide fruit for the family. In the spring a large garden was always planted and the vegetables were canned or dried for the winter months. In addition to these crops, other kinds of crops were also grown on small plots to supplement the food supply and to sell or trade with neighbors or in town.

James Louis and Martha Jane were strict but loving parents. They taught their children to work, beginning at an early age. Work on the farm usually began before daylight and often didn't end until sundown. James Louis' sons were no different than other boys their age, and spent considerable time trying to figure out ways to finish their work quickly so they could play. Sometimes their shortcuts would catch up with them, however. One time James Louis had the two older boys plant beans between the stalks of corn in the garden. The beans could run up the corn stalks and not have to be stuck or poled. The boys wanted to go play, so after planting about half the corn rows with beans, they threw the rest of the beans away and told their dad they were finished. Being children, they never realized they would have some explaining to do later when the beans began sprouting in only half the rows of corn!

As his sons grew to manhood, James Louis taught them to plant, plow, clear the land, build barns and split rail fences, raise livestock, hunt, trap and do all the other things involved in farming and providing for a family.

Martha Jane, meanwhile, was busy teaching the girls to cook, clean, spin, weave, sew, make candles and soap, preserve food and make a home. A flax patch was planted and maintained for use in making linen cloth. Wool was shorn from sheep and then picked, carded and spun into yarn for weaving and knitting. Only the wealthy could afford to buy material or clothing from a store. Every house had a spinning wheel and weaving loom that were used to make all manner of clothing for everyone in the household. Even rugs for the floors were made on the loom. Also found in every household was at least one huge iron kettle that was used for everything from doing the laundry, to making soap and rendering lard.

The family appears on the 1900 Pope County census in Smyrna Township. The census records show James Louis was a farmer and owned his farm. It shows four of the children: Charles S., age 17; Oliver S., age 15; Effie A., age 13; and Willie, age 2, living at home with their parents. Living next door to James' family is their daughter Sarah A., her husband and children.

Many happy years went by in that log house built by James Louis for his family. James Louis' family appears on the 1910 Pope County census with 12 year old Willie being the only child still living at home.

Eventually all three sons married and settled near the old home place and the two daughters married and settled a short distance away with their husbands.

The old house has been gone for many years now, as has James Louis and Martha Jane, but the Harmon family lives on in their descendants through several generations. Martha Jane died October 26, 1915 and is buried in Archie Valley Cemetery, east of Tilly, in Van Buren County, Arkansas. James Louis followed her in death on April 4, 1917 and took his place beside her in the cemetery.

Children of James Harmon and Martha Crow

The music you are hearing is Ashoken Farewell.