Introduction to Part 1, October 2, 1880 - December 31, 1880
(IMH 74:4 pages 316-321)
On March he 28, 1881, William Gregory Harrison, a young farmer, summed
up the activities of a day that had turned from rain to snow
by noting; “Nothing of much importance was done here. We sat in the house and hoped for better
times.” This laconic comment is typical
of the young man’s daily journal. He was rarely concerned with events beyond his immediate environment. His journal
is filled with the
day-to day minutae of living and the comings and goings on a typical central Indiana farm of the 1880’s. Life was filled with work, obviously
hard, yet it was also filled with diversity and, also obviously, had its rewards.
The Harrisons of Morgan County, were unrelated to the most famous family of Indiana, that of William Henry Harrison and Benjamin Harrison.
William Gregory’s grandfather, William Harrison, was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Educated into the ministry, he became a teacher
instead and followed that vocation in OhioLouisianaTennessee,and Kentucky. In 1829 he married a young Ohio widow, Martha Hitchcock.(1)
William and Martha had six children: William Ripley, Frederick Augustus, Virginius T.(Jake), Oscar Hamilton, Mary Rebecca, and Martha.(2)
Their eldest son, William Ripley –the Uncle Rip and W.R. of the journal—was the most successful member of the
family. Born in Knox County
Tennessee, on December 8, 1822, he grew up in Maysville Kentucky, where he studied law. In 1846 he moved to
Martinsville Indiana , established
a successful practice speculated in land, and became a leading citizen of the community. He was among the group
of men who organized the
First National Bank of Martinsville, financed the Cincinnati Chicago and St. Louis railroad and incorporated the
Parks, Henderson
and Harrison pork-packing company. When he died on October 15, 1905, his obituary listed him as one of
Indiana last pioneer lawyers. (3)
William Ripley’s brother and William Gregory Harrison’s father, Frederick Augustus, was born on
March 14, 1829, in Pendleton County Kentucky.
During his youth he apprenticed as a stonemason and blacksmith, trades which he followed
throughout his life time. Several entries in the journal for
example indicate that Fred was much in demand for chimney building in
Jefferson Township. On November 2, 1850 he married a first cousin,
Mary Elizabeth Gregory, near Galena in Delaware County, Ohio. Their oldest son,
Charles Ripley, was born on September 17, 1852, at
Galena, Ohio. William Gregory, author of the journal, was born on
April 13, 1855 in Rome Corners, Ohio, and Alvin Daniel on August 27, 1857, near
Galena. Some time after the birth of Alvin, but before the birth of Delia Alvira on
January 3, 1863, the family joined William Ripley in Morgan
County. Delia was born at William Ripley’s house four miles west of
Martinsville as was Henry on October 23, 1865.
Delia died on August 23,
1865, and Henry on July 24, 1866. (4)
On October 26, 1871, Fred Harrison purchased land form William Ripley Harrison consisting of the
“West half of the North East Quarter of Section Twenty-six (26) and the East half of the South
west quarter of Section Twenty-three (23)
Jefferson township. Twelve(12) North of Range One (1) West containing 160 acres more or less.” (5) By
the time of this purchase, Fred had
attained enough importance in Jefferson Township to have been appointed
enumerator for the 1870 census. He remained a prominent citizen in
the township throughout his lifetime.(6) Tragedy,
however, struck his family on
"after a night of suffering.”(7) This at the time of the
journal published here was written the family consisted only of Fred, his wife
Mary,
William Gregory, and the younger brother, Alvin.
Beyond the bare statistical facts of birth and death, the only available source of knowledge about William
Gregory is his journal. Thepicture
of the young man – he was twenty five in 1880 – that the manuscript suggests is a pleasing one. The most
important characteristic are the writer’s
education and intelligence. The handwriting is exceptionally neat, the spelling largely accurate, the
sentence structure comparatively complex,
yet clear. References to local schools and spelling bees in which he maintained a continued
interest, dot the journal. The title, “Chronicles of
Upper Burnet,” supports a picture of the author’s literary and possibly,
romantic nature, reinforced by journal references to the novels he was
reading and his frequent classical allusions. The portion of the journal not reproduced
here consists of along, handwritten treatise on mathematics
and a short outline of the earth’s dimensions and composition, showing an interest
in and knowledge of science on the part of the writer.
William Gregory’s educational attainments appear superior to those if most young
Indiana farmers in that era. . Most certainly his
teacher-grandfather passed a love of learning to at least two if his children. A nearby, well-educated
lawyer uncle and the reading interests of Fred
and Alvin noted in the journal suggest that William Gregory and his family
prized knowledge greatly. (8)
William Gregory spent much of his time attending church functions, and his notes on the sermon reveal a good
understanding of the fundamentals of
his relegion.(9) Yet, despite his learned commentary, his church association was as much social as it was religious.
His journal suggests a warm, gregarious, not exceptionally hard-working nature. The manuscript is tinted with statements
revealing a subtle
sense of humor that appaently made William Gregory more than just welcome among his contemporaries.
The author’s personal feelings are less distinct because the journal is not a diary. He failed to pour his
thoughts, values, beliefs and hopes for
the future. As the eldest living son, he might expect to inherit his father’s farm, or, possibly to set up his own farm
with his father’s help.
Regarding these logical possibilities, however, the journal is silent.
William Gregory's journal remains, therefore, a record of life on a late
nineteenth-century central Indiana farm. Much of the day-to-day
existence is repetious. Preparing food, tending animals, planting and
harvesting crops, attending church functions, and securing enough
wood to meet seemingly endless demands for lumber and fuel are activities
that dominate family endeavors throughout the year.
Some points worth noting about farm life in central Indiiana in the 1880s are reflected in
the "Chronicles of Upper Burnet." The amount
of visiting between farms and the frequent trips to town may surprise those who customarily
think of nineteenth-century farm life as isolated
and lonely. The Harrison's proximity to Martinsville-they lived about six miles away-facilitated
their visits to town, and the relatively small
landholdings and the farm owners' dependence on each other contributed to the close, daily
association among neighhbors. An extensive,
interfarm barter and exchange system went hand-in-hand with this relationship. The trading
extended far beyond lending the sausage grinder
to neighbors. When the Harrisons slaughtered hogs, Bill Bunton arrived to collect any
remnants from the butchering. Bill Hand and Fred
Harrison had at least one cornfield that they planted and harvested together on a shares
basis. The barter system also extended to town.
While the Harrisons had an account at the general merchandise store in Martinsville, a load
of wood paid their subscription to the Morgan
County Gazette. Fred Harrison's continuous interest in improving the value of his farm and living
conditions is shown by the construction
of the new cow barn and the extension to the kitchen. Other points of interest described in the journal
include the events of the 1880
national elections, a spelling bee, gathering and storing ice in the winter, and making maple sugar in
the spring.
William Gregory's personality and character dominate the journal despite the rich load of farm life and lore that it contains. The picture
of the author that the manuscript presents is one of an intelligent, genial, and slightly romantic young farmer. One would like to meet
him personally. After reading the journal it comes as a distinct shock to learn that William Gregory was dead less than a year after
the last extant entry. He died on April 28, 1882, and younger brother Alvin followed him on December 5, 1884.(10)
Fred and Mary Harrison lived on into old age childless. They sold the last of the farm on September 26, 1891, and moved to
Martinsville, probably to a house at 760 East Pike Street.(11) Mary died on January 19, 1901.(12) Fred was active in local politics
after her death, and in 1903 and 1904 he served as a city commissioner. About September, 1904, Fred moved into the household
of his brother, William Ripley, at 359 North Jefferson Street where he died on November 11, 1904,(13) He and Mary are buried
with their children in the Bethlehem Cemetery, Jefferson Township, Morgan County, Indiana.
The statement above that in his journal William Gregory Harrison expressed no hopes for the future is not entirely corrrect. On the
last day of 1880 he wrote; "It will sufficiently repay the writer if these chronicles are ever of interest or use to anyone." It is hoped
that publication of the "Chronicles of Upper Burnet" will to some degree fulfill its author's wish.
