The family of Lewis Harshbarger 1828-1875

Researching slightly more recent ancestors is interesting, because one would expect that there would be more records and documentation for these folks.  It ain't necessarily so!  Lewis Harshbarger is a case in point.  We know his parents, but finding his children, and grandchildren, has been more of a challenge.  I do not know if the list I've compiled is complete as to grandchildren, but I hope the list of children is complete.  

Lewis Harshbarger is the son of George and Mary Kepler Harshbarger.  He was born in Summit County, Ohio in either Pennsylvania or Summit County, Ohio, and he married Catherine Mancer (the rest of the family spelled it Mentzer, but Mancer is used in all the records I've found) on February 26, 1852 in Summit County, Ohio.  (Note: Many trees give his birthdate as 1838 but clearly a fourteen year old boy would not be marrying, so the 1828 date, per consistent census records, is what I'm using).  

The first of Lewis's children seem to have been born in Summit County, but Lewis and Catherine were in Union Township, Whitley County, Indiana by 1857.  Lewis may have come first to purchase land, in 1856. Some of the dates of the children's births are pretty nebulous, supported by dates on grave stones or from sources I can't determine, so the dates may be off by a year or more.

The first child born, in 1852, was Milo.  He married Nancy Virginia ("Ginny" or "Jennie") Bailey, the daughter of Johnson and Mary Ann Smith Riley.  Their known children are Catherine, Oscar, Josephine, and Blanche.  Milo died in 1919.

Next was son Emmanuel, born July 23, 1854.  He married Clara Ellen Harter, daughter of John and Mary Bennett Harter.  Their children are Bertha, Maude, Louis, Olive May, Edward, Grover, Lulu Bell, and Logan.  I will write more of this family in my next post.  

Lavina (sometimes seen as Vina, and even Laveda) was born about 1856.  She first married Hiram Gradeless, a marriage that ended in divorce.  I have found no children by that marriage.  She then married Christopher Judd, the son of Mahlon and Susan Bair Judd in 1882.  Their children are Lotta, Mary, Ruha Zona, Charles, and Elmer. Lavina died in 1917.

Matilda was born about 1857 or 1858.  She married Dr. John Salmon, the son of Benjamin and Betsy Havens Salmon, and they had one known child, Frank.  She died in 1888.

There is a gap here of about 7 years in children's birth dates.  We know there were two children, David and Samuel, who were born to the couple and who each died young, and their births and short lives would fit here, but I have no evidence.

 Henry was born October 13.1865.  He married Lula Belle Brubaker, daughter of William and Sarah Richey Brubaker. Their children are Goldie, Lewis, Franklin, Bessie, Dorothy, Dora, Mary, Gail, Forrest, and possibly one more.  

Cassie, probably short for Catherine but she was always known as Cassie, was born in 1869.  She married George F Bente.  Their children were Glenn, May Gladys, Glenn (again) and George F.  The first Glenn and George F. died as infants.  Cassie died in 1956.

Next was Merritt, who was born in 1868 and died in 1901.  He married Almetta Freels, the daughter of John and Lucinda Smith Freels.  Their children were Nina, Garret, Lavera, and Bernice.  

And finally, there was Mary, who was torn in 1872 and died in 1940.  She married Samuel Smith, the son of John and Wilholmina Slertsly Smith.  Samuel had five children by an earlier marriage, but I have found just one child for Mary, who was named Myrtle.  

Lewis and Catherine had at least 35 grandchildren, with Lewis dying too early to know any of them.  They must have been a joy to Catherine in her old age, however, as she lived until August of 1914.