Thomas Harvey Harris
July 8,1833-Dec 23,1896
Thomas Harvey Harris was the youngest of seven children born to John B. Harris and Mary Cook Officer. He was born on the 8th of July, 1833 near Jacksonville in Morgan County, Illinois. When he was about 12, the family moved to Menard County, Illinois where his parents remained for the rest of their lives. On December 30, 1858 he married Grizell Grace Shephard, daughter of James and Margaret Park Shephard in Petersburg, Menard County, Illinois. The couple made their home in Menard County, where all of their eight children were born. The family moved to Fremont, Dodge County, Nebraska in 1880. In 1885, Thomas and his son John went west to Dawes County in 1885 to homestead on a place 12 miles north of the present Hunter ranch on the Niobrara River. The following year, in 1886, the rest of the family joined them. The Thomas homestead was on the edge of the Pine Ridge which extends into South Dakota becoming the Black Hills. The area is now known as the Nebraska National Forest. Thomas’ daughter Nellie, who married Jim Hunter, remembers that in the early days, ranchers would drive their teams and wagons to the Pine Ridge for lumber. “They would stop at my father’s place over-night and water their stock,” she said. She recalls one night when 16 outfits were camped there. Mr. Harris charged the ranchers 5 cents per head to water their stock. “We had the first windmill in the district and our well was 240 feet deep,” Mrs. Hunter said. Among the first to settle near the Hunter ranch were Joe McMannis, the families of J. C. McCorkle, James and William Hollinrake, Rev. N. E. Gardner, who was to be the first pastor of the congregational church in Hemingford, Ira S. Reed, and the Harris family which had three young daughters. The families often got together to socialize. After a series of dances and parties, one of the Harris daughters, Anna, became engaged to young James Hunter.
Plans were made for the wedding in the Harris home. Joe McMannis, a bachelor friend of the groom to be, and the J. C. McCorkle family, escorted James to the wedding. Inice McCorkle Dunning, of Pacific Grove, California, was a small child in 1888. She later wrote her memories of the event. “When the wedding day came, we all went in lumber wagons to the Harris home. Jim was riding with Uncle Joe in the front spring seat, and my parents in the back seat. We kids were in the back of the wagon on a bed of straw and a quilt. I can remember seeing Jim stick his feet out over the dashboard to cool them - pinched from the new wedding shoes. He was accustomed to cowboy boots. The house was so crowded with grownups that we children had to play outdoors.” Thomas and Grizell remained on their homestead in Dawes County for the rest of their lives, and are both buried in the Highland Center Cemetery close to their home.
July 8,1833-Dec 23,1896
Thomas Harvey Harris was the youngest of seven children born to John B. Harris and Mary Cook Officer. He was born on the 8th of July, 1833 near Jacksonville in Morgan County, Illinois. When he was about 12, the family moved to Menard County, Illinois where his parents remained for the rest of their lives. On December 30, 1858 he married Grizell Grace Shephard, daughter of James and Margaret Park Shephard in Petersburg, Menard County, Illinois. The couple made their home in Menard County, where all of their eight children were born. The family moved to Fremont, Dodge County, Nebraska in 1880. In 1885, Thomas and his son John went west to Dawes County in 1885 to homestead on a place 12 miles north of the present Hunter ranch on the Niobrara River. The following year, in 1886, the rest of the family joined them. The Thomas homestead was on the edge of the Pine Ridge which extends into South Dakota becoming the Black Hills. The area is now known as the Nebraska National Forest. Thomas’ daughter Nellie, who married Jim Hunter, remembers that in the early days, ranchers would drive their teams and wagons to the Pine Ridge for lumber. “They would stop at my father’s place over-night and water their stock,” she said. She recalls one night when 16 outfits were camped there. Mr. Harris charged the ranchers 5 cents per head to water their stock. “We had the first windmill in the district and our well was 240 feet deep,” Mrs. Hunter said. Among the first to settle near the Hunter ranch were Joe McMannis, the families of J. C. McCorkle, James and William Hollinrake, Rev. N. E. Gardner, who was to be the first pastor of the congregational church in Hemingford, Ira S. Reed, and the Harris family which had three young daughters. The families often got together to socialize. After a series of dances and parties, one of the Harris daughters, Anna, became engaged to young James Hunter.
Plans were made for the wedding in the Harris home. Joe McMannis, a bachelor friend of the groom to be, and the J. C. McCorkle family, escorted James to the wedding. Inice McCorkle Dunning, of Pacific Grove, California, was a small child in 1888. She later wrote her memories of the event. “When the wedding day came, we all went in lumber wagons to the Harris home. Jim was riding with Uncle Joe in the front spring seat, and my parents in the back seat. We kids were in the back of the wagon on a bed of straw and a quilt. I can remember seeing Jim stick his feet out over the dashboard to cool them - pinched from the new wedding shoes. He was accustomed to cowboy boots. The house was so crowded with grownups that we children had to play outdoors.” Thomas and Grizell remained on their homestead in Dawes County for the rest of their lives, and are both buried in the Highland Center Cemetery close to their home.
Thomas Harvey Harris
July 8,1833-Dec 23,1896
Thomas Harvey Harris was the youngest of seven children born to John B. Harris and Mary Cook Officer. He was born on the 8th of July, 1833 near Jacksonville in Morgan County, Illinois. When he was about 12, the family moved to Menard County, Illinois where his parents remained for the rest of their lives. On December 30, 1858 he married Grizell Grace Shephard, daughter of James and Margaret Park Shephard in Petersburg, Menard County, Illinois. The couple made their home in Menard County, where all of their eight children were born. The family moved to Fremont, Dodge County, Nebraska in 1880. In 1885, Thomas and his son John went west to Dawes County in 1885 to homestead on a place 12 miles north of the present Hunter ranch on the Niobrara River. The following year, in 1886, the rest of the family joined them. The Thomas homestead was on the edge of the Pine Ridge which extends into South Dakota becoming the Black Hills. The area is now known as the Nebraska National Forest. Thomas’ daughter Nellie, who married Jim Hunter, remembers that in the early days, ranchers would drive their teams and wagons to the Pine Ridge for lumber. “They would stop at my father’s place over-night and water their stock,” she said. She recalls one night when 16 outfits were camped there. Mr. Harris charged the ranchers 5 cents per head to water their stock. “We had the first windmill in the district and our well was 240 feet deep,” Mrs. Hunter said. Among the first to settle near the Hunter ranch were Joe McMannis, the families of J. C. McCorkle, James and William Hollinrake, Rev. N. E. Gardner, who was to be the first pastor of the congregational church in Hemingford, Ira S. Reed, and the Harris family which had three young daughters. The families often got together to socialize. After a series of dances and parties, one of the Harris daughters, Anna, became engaged to young James Hunter.
Plans were made for the wedding in the Harris home. Joe McMannis, a bachelor friend of the groom to be, and the J. C. McCorkle family, escorted James to the wedding. Inice McCorkle Dunning, of Pacific Grove, California, was a small child in 1888. She later wrote her memories of the event. “When the wedding day came, we all went in lumber wagons to the Harris home. Jim was riding with Uncle Joe in the front spring seat, and my parents in the back seat. We kids were in the back of the wagon on a bed of straw and a quilt. I can remember seeing Jim stick his feet out over the dashboard to cool them - pinched from the new wedding shoes. He was accustomed to cowboy boots. The house was so crowded with grownups that we children had to play outdoors.” Thomas and Grizell remained on their homestead in Dawes County for the rest of their lives, and are both buried in the Highland Center Cemetery close to their home.
July 8,1833-Dec 23,1896
Thomas Harvey Harris was the youngest of seven children born to John B. Harris and Mary Cook Officer. He was born on the 8th of July, 1833 near Jacksonville in Morgan County, Illinois. When he was about 12, the family moved to Menard County, Illinois where his parents remained for the rest of their lives. On December 30, 1858 he married Grizell Grace Shephard, daughter of James and Margaret Park Shephard in Petersburg, Menard County, Illinois. The couple made their home in Menard County, where all of their eight children were born. The family moved to Fremont, Dodge County, Nebraska in 1880. In 1885, Thomas and his son John went west to Dawes County in 1885 to homestead on a place 12 miles north of the present Hunter ranch on the Niobrara River. The following year, in 1886, the rest of the family joined them. The Thomas homestead was on the edge of the Pine Ridge which extends into South Dakota becoming the Black Hills. The area is now known as the Nebraska National Forest. Thomas’ daughter Nellie, who married Jim Hunter, remembers that in the early days, ranchers would drive their teams and wagons to the Pine Ridge for lumber. “They would stop at my father’s place over-night and water their stock,” she said. She recalls one night when 16 outfits were camped there. Mr. Harris charged the ranchers 5 cents per head to water their stock. “We had the first windmill in the district and our well was 240 feet deep,” Mrs. Hunter said. Among the first to settle near the Hunter ranch were Joe McMannis, the families of J. C. McCorkle, James and William Hollinrake, Rev. N. E. Gardner, who was to be the first pastor of the congregational church in Hemingford, Ira S. Reed, and the Harris family which had three young daughters. The families often got together to socialize. After a series of dances and parties, one of the Harris daughters, Anna, became engaged to young James Hunter.
Plans were made for the wedding in the Harris home. Joe McMannis, a bachelor friend of the groom to be, and the J. C. McCorkle family, escorted James to the wedding. Inice McCorkle Dunning, of Pacific Grove, California, was a small child in 1888. She later wrote her memories of the event. “When the wedding day came, we all went in lumber wagons to the Harris home. Jim was riding with Uncle Joe in the front spring seat, and my parents in the back seat. We kids were in the back of the wagon on a bed of straw and a quilt. I can remember seeing Jim stick his feet out over the dashboard to cool them - pinched from the new wedding shoes. He was accustomed to cowboy boots. The house was so crowded with grownups that we children had to play outdoors.” Thomas and Grizell remained on their homestead in Dawes County for the rest of their lives, and are both buried in the Highland Center Cemetery close to their home.
Family Members
Siblings
Children
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
