| Notes |
From an article in the Jackson Herald:
Marker at Harpold Grave Unveiled by Daughters of 1812
The following are excerpts from a notes prepared by a son-in-law:
Adam Harpold, the father of the subject of the notice, came to this country from Germany in "Colonial Times" and after bearing an honorable part in the struggle for American Independence, removed to the South Branch of the Potomac, where on the 6th day of January, 1796, Solomon, his youngest son, was born. The German language was spoken in the family until after the decease of the father and the inter-marriage of the mother to a Mr Cunningham, when the mother tongue was abandoned and a more popular one was adopted.
John House "Pioneers of Jackson County"
Harpold
John Harpold bought 100 acres of land of William Bonnet adjoining the ford where the Charleston trail crossed the creek.
It was here and is said to be about this time that the unfortunate young minister for whom the town of Ripley is named, met death in the swirling flood. It seems probable to me, however, tht that sad event was of earlier occurrnece.
When Harpold first moved to the ford, there are said to have been but six houses on Mill Creek. This must be a mistake, as there were several families settled along the creek before that.
When he first went to housekeeping on Parchment may be what is meant.
There would have been Benjamin Wright, Thomas Flowers, Daniel Sayre, Abram Staats, William Evans, Captain W L Parsons.
David Harpold, a son of John, married Mary, a daughter of Jacob Hyre, who lived about two miles farther up Mill creek, an account of whom will be given later.
He bought land and built a cabin in the woods, and moved on it, working at the Douglasses at the mouth of Mill Creek, to get money to pay out on his farm, going down on Monday and returning Saturday night. In this way, after many a weary tramp, he earned money to secure his home.
When he first moved in the midst of the unbroken forest, his furniture was all of the most premitive kind, bedsteads were made by hewing out a post, and standing it on the puncheons of the floor at the proper distance from the walls, into holes bored in this post and in the logs of the cabin were inserted the ends of round poles, properly fashioned, split boards were laid with one end on the side rail, and the other end on a cleat pinned to the wall with wooden pegs, or in a crack between the logs, if the height were right. This completed the bedstead. The table was a wide poplar slab, hewed out and legs inserted. Chairs were made on the same plan, either long benches or three legged stools. A large sugar trough was utilized as a cradle when that article of furniture became necessary. The cupboard was made by laying boards on pins in the wall, next one corner. With all these disadvantages (which were more imagined than real) the young couple prospered and raised a large family, some of whom are yet living near the place of their birth, among them John A and Sandusky Harpold, and Mrs David Latimer, of Roane Co.
Mrs Mary Harpold died in 190? at the age of 84, the husband passed away several years earlier. Though a very old woman at the time of her death, Mrs Harpold was born and raised and lived all her life on upper Mill Creek.
Hannah Staats, probably the last surviving member of John Harpold's family, died at her home in Ripley last August (1905). Had she lived until the 9th of August, she would have been 79 years old. She was in very poor health for several years before her death, and every time I called on her, was confined to her bed. She loved, however, to talk of the days of her girlhood.
Hannah Harpold was born in 1826. In 1848, she married Mark Staats, son of Elijah Staats, of Evans. They lived together for 57 years. How lonely the frail old man must feel as he totters on down to the grave without her.
Mark Staats had a Seth Thomas clock for which he paid $12, fifty one years before my visit in 1904, which was still running and keeping good time. Mrs Staats fateher had an old wooden wheeled Yankee clock when she was a girl, for which he traded a cow and which was always called by the family "the cow clock."
The first preacher she remembers was an evangelist, or wandering missionary preacher of the UB Church, named Moses Michael.
Her first school was one taught by John Riley in a vacant house of the Riley farm, as it was afterward called, in 1832. This was an old cabin which stood out close the base of the island or hill which stands out in the bottom just above Ripley. She and a sister learned their ABCs. The teacher promised a primer to the one that first got to "baker" in the spelling. She got the primer, which she had until a few years ago. When he gave her the primer, he told her it was for both she and her sister, but when she was generously beginning to divide the book, he interfered and prevented her from tearing it in two. She also had an 'elementary' spelling book up to a recent date, but it was some earlier kind she took to school her first term. Her next school wasin a little log school house built by the neighbors on Charles Carney's
farm. The teacher was Lewis Acree.
Solomon Harpold married Malinda Shinn, and purchased a large tract of land on Parchment, on which he raised his family.
About the year 1808 or 1809, three brothers, John, Solomon and Adam Harpold came to Mason county (now Jackson) to the Mill creek settlement. After a time, two of them married and settled in the then wilderness of Parchment Valley. These were John and Solomon. Adam, the third brother, located in Meigs Co, OH. There are said to be two other brothers, Lemuel and Peter, neither of whom figure in Jackson County history. An older sister married William Bonnet and moved to Mason county (now Wood) about the same time the Harpold brothers came.
John Harpold was born Sept 1st, 1788, and died March 28th, 1871. He married Rachel Sayre. She was born jan 12th, 1791. Both are buried in the Harpold grave yard. Their children were:
John Armstrong harpold married Caroline, daughter of James Chancey. He died in 1901 and his wife in 1902. She was born in 1840.
David Harpold married Mary Hyre
Hannah Harpold married Mark Staats.
Henrietta Harpold marrie dWilliam Rogers, a newcomer. They went to Mississippi.
Adam Harpold was a teacher, but never married.
Absalom Harpold married Madeline, daughter of Ben Bord.
Sarah Harpold married Thomas, a son of Patrick Bord.
Margaret Harpold married Aaron Pfost and went to Missouri.
Judge Brown, in his Centennial address, mentions a Nicholas Harpold on Mill creek, in 1811. Perhaps he means Solomon Harpold.
Solomon Harpold married Malinda Shinn. Their children:
Henry Harpold married a daughter of robert Lowthr,
Charles Harpold lives in Ravenswood.
Val Harpold lives on Grasslick.
Samuel Harpold (now dead)
Wesley Harpold (now dead)
William Harpold married Nancy (past name not learned). Their children were:
James H harpold who was Assessor of Jackson county, and a hardware merchant of Cottageville. Their children:
John M Harpold
Charles L Harpold
A daughter married M Gillespie
A daughter married D D Park
Rena married a Hughes.
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West Virginia Pioneers
1790 - 1869 (79 years)
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