Harrison, Robert Bell Sr.

Submitted by: James K. Harrison
E-mail: jkharrison2@comcast.net

May 8, 2001

Born in South Carolina: 1790
Died in Mississippi: 1853
Chapter 1-Thomas Harrison
This is my gggg-grandfather. His wife was Caty. He lived in the Pendleton District of S. C. and probably died there after 1811 since the last land record where his name appears was dated 1811. 

A Pendleton District deed on 5 July 1804 [7, p. 345] says William Harrison for $500 sold to Thomas Harrison, Sr. 200 acres on Big Beaverdam of the Toogalow River, bound by Harry Lowry, Pendleton Isbell, Jacob Holland, Bird Lanier, granted to Daniel Doily. Wit: Benjamin Harrison, J.W.D. Terrell. Benjamin Harrison made oath to Wm Cleveland, J.P., 11 Aug 1804. 

Another Pendleton deed [7, p. 345] dated 7 July 1804 says William Harrison for $70 sold to Thomas Harrison cattle, hogs, beds, and furniture. 

In these two records it appears to me that the two William Harrisons and Thomas Harrisons are the same person but I do not know that this is the case. In the census records for this time period there are two Thomas Harrisons. I think that one is the father and the other is the son.

From land records it appears that Thomas Harrison, Sr. had the following children: 

John (??? - 1836) who married Naomi.

William, the unfortunate son, who was left none of his father's property in a Deed of Gift by Thomas Harrison, Sr., dated 4 April 1809 in Pendleton District, S.C. [6, p.207]. According to the deed, William was guilty of folly, following paths of dissipation and thoughtless dealing. However, if William reformed himself in ten years, his brother Benjamin was granted the right to "make right to property" --- otherwise to heirs of William. His heirs evidently would have been his wife, Elizabeth, and his infant children on reaching 21 years of age.

Benjamin (???? - ????)

Thomas (???? - ????)

Robert (???? - ????), who "for love and good will", was given one negro woman named Lucy and her children, David, Sollomon, Jenny and Jude by Thomas Harrison, Sr. in a Pendleton District deed dated 14 Jan 1802 [7, p. 280]. Another Pendleton District deed [7, p. 282] dated 11 Feb 1802 says that Robert paid $400 to Thomas Shockley of Abbeville Dist. for 200 acres on Choestoe Creek. This land had been granted to Shanklin (not Shockley ?) on 9 June 1784 by Wm. Moultrie.

Nancy (??? - ????) who married William Cleveland 
Chapter 2- John Harrison, Sr.
John Harrison was a witness on 10 Feb. 1794 on a deed for Andrew Kelly to John Reno, both of Washington Dist., S. C., for 15 pounds sterling for 267 ac. above old boundary line on S side of Saluda River one mile above Richard Parris's wagon ford bound by Nathan Durham. This land was granted to Kelly by Charles Pinckney on 7 Nov. 1791. 

John Harrrison was a witness on 24 Feb. 1794 for Thomas Towers of Greenville County, Washington Dist., S. C., to David Wade of Pendleton County, Washington Dist., for 15 pounds sterling for 140 ac on S side of Saluda River above Richard Parris's wagon ford bound by Kelly, Swillivant. Land granted Thomas Townes by Wm. Moultrie on 4 Feb. 1793.

John Harrison witnessed and made oath to J.P. (Wm. Edmondson) on 10 Nov. 1793 for William Todd of Edgefield County, S. C., to Robert Easley of Pendleton County, S. C., 100 ac. for 25 pounds stearling. This part of 156 ac. granted to William Todd by Thomas Pinckney on 10 Feb. 1786. Land on S side of Saluda River.

John Harrison, Sr. is my ggg-grandfather. His wife was Naomi. He may have served as a private in the Revolutionary War in the 6th S.C. Regiment. His estate settlement [10, p. 174] is reproduced below and reveals quite a lot about him. He died in 1836 in Pickens County, S.C.

Estate of John Harrison, Sr. Box 6 #80. Probate Judge Office. Pickens, S.C. Estate administered 2 Feb. 1836 by Thomas and John Harrison, Jr., William Jolly, Thomas W. Harbin who are bound unto James H. Dendy, ord in the sum of $6000.00. James R. Smith a preacher of the Gospel states that the citation was published at the Block Meeting House on 31 Jan 1836. He owned two tracts of land in Pickens District. One of 300 acres where he lived at time of death and where the window now lives this tract on Tugaloo River being a Soldiers Bounty originally granted to Edward Lowry. Another tract of 300 acres on waters of Choestoe Creek adjoining land of John Messer, J. F. Perry and John Jolly. He left a widow Naomi and eleven children. Hugh and Robert Harrison, Nancy the wife of Solomon O'Kelly, Mary (Polly) the wife of W. W. Short, Celia the wife of John Robertson, Stacy the mother of James H. Robertson (Husband not given) the only heir, she died before her father, Matilda Harrison, Elizabeth the wife of Squire Hughes, Thomas Harrison, Sinah (Lenah) Maddox heirs, she departed this life before her father, her heirs are: Thomas, John, and Martha, all minors. John T. Harrison, Mary Brookshire. Note that there is also a Mary Short. On the 24 Jan 1837 John T. Harrison being sworn that, Hugh and Robert Harrison, Short and wife Polly, John and Celia Robertson, John Maddox all reside out of the state. 

So, too recap some of the above, his wife was Naomi. His eleven living plus two deceased children were:

1. Hugh, living in Pickens County, AL. He moved to Neshoba County, MS, in 1836.

2. Robert, my great great grandfather who moved from Pickens County, Alabama, to Neshoba County, Mississippi, in 1836

3. Nancy who is married to Solomon O'Kelly

4. Polly who is married to W. W. Short and living in another state

5. Celia who is married to John Robertson and living out of state

6. Stacy who is deceased and was married to ?? Robertson

7. Matilda who is not married

8. Elizabeth who is married to Squire Hughes

9. Thomas

10.Sinah, now deceased, was married to John Maddox who now lives out of state

11.John T.

12.Mary who is married to a Brookshire

13.Mary Short (??)
Chapter 3- Robert Bell Harrison, Sr.
Early Years
Robert Bell Harrison, Sr., my great-great grandfather, was born in the Pendelton District of South Carolina (now Oconee, Pickens, and Anderson Counties) in 1790. His father was John Harrison, Sr. and his grandfather was Thomas Harrison. Robert grew to manhood in this northwestern corner of South Carolina and it was at the Pendleton District Courthouse that he enlisted in the Army on 16 September 1812 when he was 22 years old. His company commander was Captain William Taylor. This company was a part of the 18th Regiment that was commanded by Colonel William Drayton. He served in the infantry as a private for 18 months mustering out on 15 March 1814 at Fort Johnson near Charleston, South Carolina. According to a description given in 1878 by his widow in a pension application he was 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighed about 160 pounds, and had black hair and gray eyes. He could neither read nor write. 

After serving in the War of 1812 Robert apparently decided to stay in the eastern part of South Carolina since six years later in 1820 he is listed in the Federal census as a resident of the Beaufort District (now Beaufort, Jasper, and Hampton counties) of South Carolina. The census also indicates that he owned seven slaves and was unmarried. An account given by his second wife in 1878 says that he was married sometime during this time period, his first wife apparently living for only a short time after their marriage.
Move to Alabama
Around 1823, when Robert was 33 years old, he moved to Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. It is interesting to speculate what route he might have taken from western South Carolina to eastern Alabama, a distance of about 500 miles which probably took a month to travel. If he followed the route commonly used by many early settlers he traveled overland on foot going west across north Georgia into Tennessee until he reached a point probably near Chattanooga on the Tennessee River. From there he may have traveled down the Tennessee River to Ditto's Landing (Huntsville, Alabama), then he followed the Huntsville Road (also known as the Bear Meat Cabin Road) south to Mud Town (Birmingham) and from there on through Jones Valley into Tuscaloosa County.

He was married in Tuscaloosa County on 21 March 1824 by Justice of the Peace John E. Sanders to his second wife Ritha A. Robinson [2]. She was from South Carolina and 25 years old. They soon moved to the western part of the county (about 30 miles west of Tuscaloosa and about 12 miles east of the Alabama-Mississippi line) into what is now Pickens County, AL.
In Pickens County their first child, Hiram Perry, was born on 1 July 1827. In 1876 the Pickens County Courthouse burned destroying the court records about Robert Harrison's life in that county.

Move to Mississippi
After eleven years in Alabama Robert moved, in 1836, to the eastern part of Neshoba County, MS, near the Ham Stockton place where he used a military warrant to purchase land [1, p.28 and p. 33]. Robert first shows up on the Neshoba County tax rolls in 1836 [1,p. 31]. Another significant event in 1836 was the death of Robert's father, John, who died in Pickens County, S.C.

In 1848 Robert moved again to land near the Good Hope Baptist Church in Neshoba County. 

Their children were:
Hiram Perry 1 July 1827 to 2 November 1907
Elizabeth 1830 to ??
Eustacia ????
Robert Bell Jr. 14 April 1836 to 21 September 1894
James George 15 April 1838 to 17 March 1892 (my great grandfather)
Wayne Crockett 1842 to 1863
John Armstrong 6 February 1843 to 4 December 1886
John F. 29 September 1850 to ??
Jackson F. 1851 to 1869
Government Land Application

An application by Robert in 1851 for government land based on his service in the War of 1812 is reproduced below.
The State of Mississippi

County of Neshoba

On this fifteenth day of January one thousand eight hundred and fifty-one personally appeared before me a justice of the peace within and for the county and state aforesaid Robert B. Harrison aged sixty years a resident of the said county of Neshoba in the state of Mississippi who being duly sworn according to law claims that he is the identical Robert B. Harrison who was a private in the company commanded by Captain William Taylor in the regiment of infantry command by Colonel William Drayton in the war with Great Britain declared by the United States on the 18th day of June 1812.

Robert died 6 December 1853 and is buried in the city cemetery in Philadelphia, MS. (his grave site lost its identity during the Civil War so said his grandson Hiram P. Harrison in a brief historical account written in 1927).

Ritha died 3 September 1881 and she is buried in the Good Hope Cemetery in Neshoba County. 

Veterans Pension Application

In 1878 Robert Harrison's widow applied for a federal pension of $8.00 a month to which she was entitled based on his service in the War of 1812. Her application was rejected on February 2, 1881, on grounds of presumptive abandonment, i.e., applicant presumably abandoned application since letters asking for further evidence in 1879 and 1880 were unanswered. She died on 3 September 1881 at the age of 79. Her application is copied below:

PENSION APPLICATION ON APRIL 16, 1878, BY RITHA A. HARRISON FOR SERVICES RENDERED BY ROBERT B. HARRISON IN THE WAR OF 1812

Claim of Widow for Service Pension

State of Mississippi, County of Neshoba; On this 22nd day of June, A. D., 1878, personally appeared before me, J. C. Gully, Clerk of said County of Circuit Court, the same being a Court of Record within and for the County and State aforesaid, Ritha A. Harrison, aged 76 years, a resident of Neshoba County in the State of Mississippi, who, being duly sworn according to law, declares that she is the widow of Robert B. Harrison deceased, who was the identical Robert B. Harrison, who served under the name Robert B. Harrison as a Private in the Company commanded by Captain Sam Taylor in the 18th Regiment of the U. S. Infantry commanded by Colonel William Drayton in the war of 1812; that her said husband volunteered at Pendleton District, South Carolina, on or about September 16, 1812, for the term of 18 months, and continued in actual service in said war for the term of 18 months and whose service terminated, by reason of an honorable discharge at Charleston, South Carolina, on March 14, 1814. She further states that the following is a full description of her said husband at the time of this enlistment, viz.: height was 5 feet 10 inches, weight was 160 pounds, hair was black, eyes were gray. She further states that she was married to the said Robert B. Harrison in the County of Tuscaloosa and in the State of Alabama on the 19th day of March, A. D., 1822, by one John E. Sanders who was a Justice of the Peace and that her name before her said marriage was Ritha A. Robinson; and she further states that her said husband had been formerly married to a lady whose name is forgotten, date and place of birth of first wife is forgotten and that her said husband, Robert B. Harrison, died in Neshoba County in the State of Mississippi on the 6th day of December, A. D., 1853, and she further declares that the following have been the places of residence of herself and her said husband since the date of his discharge from the Army, viz.: Robert B. Harrison lived in Pendleton District, South Carolina, in Tuscaloosa and Pickens County, Alabama, and Neshoba County, Mississippi (time at each place could be stated from memory in as much as she has lived in Tuscaloosa and Pickens County, Alabama, and in Neshoba County, Mississippi). She makes this declaration for the purpose of obtaining the pension to which she may be entitled under Section 4736 to 4740, inclusive, Revised Statutes, and the Act of March 9, 1878, and hereby appoints Bryan Tyson of Washington, D. C., her true and lawful attorney, to prosecute her claim.

And she further declares that she has heretofore made no application for bounty land or pension and that her residence is Neshoba County, Mississippi, and that her post office address is Philadelphia, Neshoba County, Mississippi, in care of Huddleston and Wilcox.

Witnessed by and personally appearing were O. T. Trapp, aged 75 years, of Neshoba County, Mississippi, and J. E. Johnson, of Neshoba County, Mississippi, persons whom I certify to be respectable and entitled to credit, and who, being by me duly sworn, say that they have known the said Ritha A. Harrison for 25 years and for 25 years respectively; that they were present and saw her sign her name (or make her mark) to the foregoing declaration; that they have reason to believe, from the appearance of said claimant and their acquaintance with her, that she is the identical person she represents herself to be; and they further say that they are able to identify her as the person who was the wife of the identical Robert B. Harrison, who rendered the service alleged in the above application (in the company of Captain Sam Taylor in the 18th Regiment of the U. S. Infantry in the War of 1812) by the following named facts and circumstances, viz.: that they have lived in the same neighborhood for said time and enjoyed social intercourse and that they have no interest in the prosecution of this claim.

Sworn to and subscribed before me this 22nd day of June, A.D., 1878, etc.
J. C. Gully
Circuit Clerk Said County 

Children of Robert Bell and Ritha A. Harrison

Hiram Perry was born in Pickens County, AL, on 1 July 1827. He died in Neshoba County, MS, at home on 2 November 1907, according to his third wife, Susana, in her Civil War pension application. He is buried in the Good Hope Cemetery. He first married Nancy Lucinda Johnson in 1858. She was born in 1840 and died in 1870 and is buried in ? ? Cemetery. Their children were: a son who died at the age of four, Ann E. (her age in 1880 census is 9), Amanda and Eurana. His second wife was Sarah Ann (or Jane) Lewis who he married in 1872. Their children were: Lyda, Hiram Pierce (or Price), James Bell, Charlie L., and Hugh M. Sarah died in 1883 and on 3 Jan 1884 Hiram Perry married his third wife, Susana Powell. They had no children. Susana filed a Civil War pension application on 7 Aug 1911 when she was 69 years old. In it she claims to be indigent and the owner of no property. She is living with her son and has lived in Mississippi for about 50 years, she says. Her post office is Scity, MS. Perry, or Uncle Perry as he was called in later life, fought in Civil War battles in Virginia and at Gettysburg, PA, where he was wounded and captured. He spent eighteen months in Federal and Confederate hospitals in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and Mississippi. While there he was converted to Christianity and when he came home he joined the Mt. Sinai Baptist Church. Later he helped organize the Good Hope Baptist Church where he became a deacon on 10 November 1866. He remained a faithful member and Christian until he died. In 1888 Perry was on the Neshoba County Board of Supervisors[1, p. 84]. He was a Mason and several times Master of his lodge. He is buried in the Good Hope Cemetery in Neshoba County.

Elizabeth was born in Pickens County, AL, in 1830. She died on her way to Arkansas and was buried beside the Neva River. One of her sons married "Shug" Lewis. No other information is known about her.
Robert Bell, Jr., was born in Neshoba County, MS, on 14 April 1836. He died on 21 September 1894 (according to his tombstone) and is buried in the Good Hope Cemetery in Neshoba County. He married Louisa Cannon in 1858 (her grandfather, William Cannon, married a Choctaw Indian named Selah in 1839 [8]). Louisa Cannon was born in 1842 and died in 1880 according to descendant, Julie Russell [8]. Their children according to Julie Russell were: Rathia Ann (1858 -?), Perry Columbus (October 1865 -?), John E. (1867 -?), Jackson Alexander (15 March 1868 - 1925), Amanda Elizabeth (20 December 1869 - 24 March 1934), James Cannon (September 1870 -?), Irene Belle (ca 1878 - 20 April 1920), and Charlie (1880 -?). 

Robert Bell was a member of the Good Hope Baptist Church, one of the founders of the Neshoba County Fair donating land to get it started, and he twice served as the treasure of Neshoba County. His son James Cannon or "Bud" was deputy sheriff of Neshoba County. Another son, Perry Columbus, was one of the organizers of the Neshoba County Fair. Robert Bell owned a water mill with his brother James George that was just west of the Neshoba County Fair. Robert was a Mason and lost an arm on 10 May 1864 in the Civil War while fighting in Virginia.

James George, my great grandfather, was born in Neshoba County, MS, on 15 April 1838 and died in Neshoba County on 17 March 1892. He married Georgia Ann Johnson in 1864. She was born 27 March 1843 and died 26 January 1889. Their children were: Emma R. who was born in 1867, William R. who was born in 1870, Elizabeth P. who was born in 1873 and John Bardow (my grandfather) who was born in 1877, Dink who was born in ???, and James C. who was born 1 Aug 1880 (WWI Registration). 

James George's wife died in 1889 and he married Maria Trapp in Sept 1890. Their only child was Neva. Maria Trapp was born 10 Sept 1856. On the occasion of her death on 3 April 1919 a brief memorial message[3] was written about her by members of the Neshoba Baptist Church where she was "a faithful member always ready and willing to do her part in everything", so says the message.

James George was in the Civil War fighting at Vicksburg where he was captured on 4 July 1863. He was a member of the Dixon Masonic Lodge and of the Good Hope Baptist Church. He and his brother, Robert, were in the mill business together. He was one of the founders of the Neshoba County Fair and donated land to get it started. In 1870 he was a road overseer [1, p. 76] and served on the grand jury in 1875 [1, p. 82]. He and his first wife are buried in the Good Hope Cemetery in Neshoba County.

Wayne Crockett was born in Neshoba County, MS, in 1842. He was in the Civil war and was killed at Gettysburg in 1863. I do not know where he is buried.

John Armstrong was born in Neshoba County, MS, on 6 February 1843 and died on 4 December 1886.

John F. was born on 29 September 1850 [11] probably in Neshoba County, MS, and died (or disappeared) after 1888. He married Isabella C. Lewis ca 1871. She was born in Georgia on 23 November 1850 [11] and apparently died (probably in Leake County) between 1910 and 1920. In the 1880 census their children were: William G. W. (October 1872 - ??), Thomas R. (January 1874 - ??), Martha E. (1874 - ??), and Sarah Ritha (6 April 1879 - 10 June 1963). After 1880 at least two more children were born: Columbus (1882 - ??) and Louisa (1888 - ??). In the 1900 census Isabella states that she has given birth to ten children with seven still living. That makes four children unidentified. In 1880 John F. Harrison and his family were living next to his mother and older brothers Robert and Hiram in Neshoba County. 

No trace of John F. Harrison after the 1880 census has been found. According to a family rumor he may have deserted his family [11], perhaps after 1888 since that is the birthyear of his youngest known child (Louisa). His wife Isabella shows up in the 1900 census in Leake County, MS (her only family member is her eleven year old daughter Louisa). Interestingly the census taker records "NA" (which I think means not applicable or no answer) to the census question: whether Isabella is single, married, widowed, or divorced! This leads me to believe that the rumor may well be true about her husband deserting her.

In the 1910 census Isabella Harrison is in Leake County, MS, where she is living with her son Tom R. Her name does not appear in the 1920 census so apparently she died between 1910 and 1920, probably in Leake County.

According to a family descendant [11] Columbus Harrison lived with his sister Sarah Ritha Daniel toward the end of his life and died ca 1925. The validity of this story is borne out by the 1910 census for Neshoba County since Columbus Harrison is listed in the census as a part of the family of Will (William Allen) and Sarah Ritha Daniel and his relationship is given as a "hired man" and a "farm laborer". His age is 28 years old. 

Sarah Ritha was Will Daniel's second wife (his first wife was Nellie Barrier [11]). The 1910 census indicates that the two oldest children in the family were born before their marriage on 20 March 1902. Will Daniel was born 9 April 1859 and died 13 February 1958. He had four children by his first wife, Nellie Barrier, and eight by his second wife, Sarah Ritha [11].

Columbus Harrison had only one arm and was still living in 1922 [11]. He died ca 1925 according to a descendant. 

Jackson F. was born in 1851 in Neshoba County, MS, and died in 1869. He was the first person buried in the Good Hope Cemetery in Neshoba County according to an article by R.L. Breland [9].

Eustacia married Thomas Martin and moved to Texas where she died. Their children were Amanda and George. No other information is known about her.
Chapter 4- Hugh Harrison
Hugh Harrison, who was Robert Bell Harrison's older brother by one year, was born in 1789, probably in the Pendelton District of S.C., as was his brother Robert. He may have been in the War of 1812. 

Hugh and Robert probably moved together from S.C. to Tuscaloosa County, AL, around 1820. There they were both married to S.C. women. Later they moved with their wives and children to Pickens County, AL, and from there they moved, in 1836, to Neshoba County, MS, near the Ham Stockton Place.

Hugh married Judith ________ around 1823, probably in Tuscaloosa County, AL, since his brother was married there in 1824. Judith, who was from S.C., was born in 1790. Their children were: Mary, b. 1826, Nancy, b. 1828, Martha, b. 1830, John Alexander, b. 1831, and Emma, b. 1833. Living with them in Neshoba County, MS, in 1850, according to the census, was a 23 year old farmer named W. C. Johnson. Perhaps he was Hugh's helper since Hugh apparently had only one son. All of Hugh and Judith Harrison's children were born in Alabama. NOTE: In "Early Alabama Marriages" (Huntsville Library) there is "a" Hugh Harrison who was married to Levina O'Neal in Tuscaloosa County, AL, on 24 Dec 1834.

In 1824 Hugh was a member of the Pickens County, AL, Commissioners Court [4, p. 10]. 

According to the Bureau of Land Management document number 2403, Hugh bought 80 acres of land in Pickens County, AL, on 26 April 1824 (West-Southeast of Section 20, Township 19-S, Range 15-W). And on 1 September 1825 he made another 80 acre land purchase in Pickens County according to document number 4399 (East-Southwest of Section 20,Township 19-S, Range 15-W). 

He purchased 80 acres of land in Neshoba County on 27 February 1841 (East-Northwest of Section 15, Township 10-N, Range 13-E), according to the Bureau of Land Management document number 20918.

After Hugh moved to Mississippi in 1836 he was an early representative to the Mississippi state legislature from Neshoba County [1, p. 24]. He also was a probate judge for the county in the early years [1, p.44]. His nephew, Hiram P. Harrison, Jr. in a written account in 1927 stated that "Hugh, unlike his brother, Robert, was one of the many slave owners and he belonged to the aristocracy of his time". 

Hugh died ca 1855.
Chapter 5-Harrison's in the Civil War
Hiram Perry Harrison was 34 years old when he enlisted for a one year tour of duty on 8 September 1861 at Camp Jones, VA, as a Private in Company D, 11th Regiment, Mississippi Volunteers. The enlistment officer was Captain Alexander H. Franklin and his payment officer was Major G. W. Jones (from New Market, AL). A later commander was Captain J. R. Prince. 

The 11th was organized on 4 May 1861 and reorganized on 21 April 1862. The first commander was Col William H. Moore [5, p. 90].

He probably spent his first winter with his Regiment in camp along the lower Potomac River near Dumfries, VA. His tour of duty was extended in April 1862 for the duration of the war at Yorktown, VA, where his Regiment, as part of General Johnston's Confederate Army, found itself under the command of the popular Colonel Philip Liddell. Hiram's first big battle probably occurred on May 31, 1862, in the battle of Seven Pines where General Johnston's Confederate Army took on General McClellan's Union Army. He remained in the 11th Regiment and two years later on 3 July 1863 he was wounded and captured at Gettysburg, PA. On 14 July 1863 he was listed as a prisoner of war and transferred to Pro. Mar. (??), then on 17 July to the U. S. A. General Hospital in Chester, PA. From there, on 4 October 1863, he was transferred to Hammond, U. S. A. General Hospital, at Point Lookout, MD. While there he was paroled and transferred to Major J. E. Mulford, the Assistant Agent for Exchange, on 17 March 1864. On 20 March 1864 he was admitted to Chimborazo Hospital No. 5 in Richmond, VA, and five days later on 25 March he was given a 60 day furlough. On 31 August 1864 the company muster roll shows that he is in the Forrest Hospital in Lauderdale, MS. His wound was to his right leg. On the muster roll at the Chimborazo Hospital in Richmond his disease is listed as G. S. W. of right leg (G.S.W. is gunshot wound). On a company muster roll for November and December 1864 he is listed as missing and as being permanently disabled from his wound. He was discharged at Appomatox Court House, VA, in 1865. Hiram Perry obviously recovered from his Civil War medical problems since he lived to be 80 years old.

Robert Bell Harrison, Jr. served with his older brother, Hiram Perry, in the 11th Regiment, Mississippi Volunteers, Company D. They were enlisted together on 8 September 1861 at Camp Jones, VA, by Captain Alexander H. Franklin for one year. Robert was 25 years old. 

He was reported to be on sick leave at Richmond, VA, during May and June 1862. He was wounded at Spotsvlvania, VA, on 10 May 1864 and was on furlough in Mississippi after July 1864. His arm was amputated, presumable from this wound. He signed his papers with his mark in Richmond, VA, on 15 September 1862 certifying that he had received $44.00 for four months service and $25.00 for clothing and again in Richmond on 10 June 1864 he signed his mark certifying his receipt of $22.00 for two months service. He was paid by Major G. W. Jones (George Washington Jones of New Market, AL, and direct ancestor of the present day prominent Jones family of Huntsville, AL) during his early service years and by Captain Owens later on. His military retirement date is given as 13 October 1864. He lived to be 58 years old.

James George Harrison, my great grandfather, was in the 40th Regiment, Mississippi Volunteers, Company E, enlisting on 3 May 1862 in Neshoba County for a period of three years. He was 23 years old. He was enlisted by Captain William McDuff Gibbons. 

James George was a private and was listed as absent without leave from 23 August 1863 to the end of the year. He fought at Iuka (19 Sept 1862), at Corinth (3-4 Oct 1862), and at Vicksburg where he was taken prisoner on 4 July 1863. He was paroled five days later on 9 July after taking an oath saying that he would not again take up arms against the United States. This presumably ended his Civil War service and accounts for his absence on the company muster roll from August 1863 to the end of the year. The Captain of Company E appears to have been R. A. Harris until early in 1863, then A. S. Jones. Colonel W. Bruce Colbert was the Regimental Commander. James George signed his papers indicating that he could write his name. He lived to be 53 years old.

Wayne Crockett Harrison was enlisted at Grenada, MS, on 8 December 1861 by Captain B. L. Rozell for 60 days. He was a Private in Company A, 3rd Regiment, Alcorn's Brigade, Army of 10000. The Company commander was T. J. Rogers and the Brigade commander was Brig General J. L. Alcorn. A company muster roll for February 1862 shows that he was paid the usual amount for privates in the Confederate Infantry, namely $11.00 per month. He was killed at Gettysburg in 1863 when he was twenty-one years old. I do not know where he is buried.

John Armstrong Harrison served in several Confederate Units. The 18th Mississippi Cavalry, Company I, Ham's Regulars, and the 2nd Mississippi Infantry, Company E. He also served in the 40th Mississippi, Company E.
Chapter 6-The Harrison Reunion - The Story of Neshoba by R. L. Breland [9]
(From The Neshoba Democrat ca 1927)
NOTE: This is an abbreviated summary of the article.

At Good Hope Church, five miles southwest of Philadelphia, MS, on July the 1st, 1927, was celebrated the Harrison Reunion. This day was the 100th anniversary of the birth of Hiram Perry Harrison Sr., usually known as "Uncle Perry". The reunion for Perry, Robert and George, three of the Harrison brothers, was participated in by their heirs but was held for all and their friends.

By ten o'clock on the day appointed a large crowd has gathered at the old church and they were called into the house by singing the old songs from Dosey's Choice hymn book led by T. C. Tullos. Only the older voices joined in the singing as the younger generation do not know these good old songs. R. L. Breland was asked to be master of ceremonies, and after prayer and some brief remarks as to the purpose of the meeting W. K. Hitt made a very appropriate talk giving his recollection of the three brother and adding his testimony to their worth of character as citizens and Christian men. Judge G. E. Wilson was introduced and spoke very interestingly of their lives of usefulness and general characters of the Harrison Brothers. His talk was short but greatly enjoyed by those present. James L. Dearing, friend of the families who has known the older men for many years, spoke feelingly of them. Memories of the past came to the speakers to such an extent that it was difficult for them to speak oft-times. I. P. Mason, another good citizen who was well acquainted with the brothers, told some of the happening in their lives as he came in contact with his "Uncle" Harrison R. Parker, now 85 years old, who had known them since early life and had always found them true men and useful. Robert F. Barrier, another of the older citizens, spoke briefly telling of their custom of being together so often and the jolly nature they possessed.

At the noon hour a bountiful dinner was spread under the shade of the black jack trees and was heartily partaken of by all present. It was indeed a pleasant social hour as we ate and talked of the many people and happenings of the long ago. Sad yet sweet memories of the distant past were brought back to mind. It was a joy to be there. 

After a prayer by Brock Tullos and a song or two the exercises were continued in the afternoon. Short talks of these three men were made by T. C. Tullos, B. A. Strum, Brock Tullos, and R. L. Breland, all of whom spoke in terms of love and reverence for the memory of these three good men who have come and gone to a better land leaving a goodly heritage behind in their offspring, their good names and a life well lived, Then the Honorable Brown Williams delivered and eloquent eulogy to their memory.

Only six of the immediate heirs of these three men were present. Children of Uncle Perry were Mrs. Amanda Dewease, Mrs. Eurana Webb, and H. P. Harrison, Junior. Children of Uncle Robert was Mrs. Amanda Webb. Uncle George's children were Mrs. Everett and Mrs. Dink Smith. (Author's Note: Where was Uncle George's second oldest son and my Grandfather John B. Harrison, I wonder?) There were 29 grand-children present, 30 great-grand-children, and 30 other persons in some way related making a total of 100 relatives which made up half of the congregation present.

Chapter 7-The Harrison Reunion - This
Account Written in 1927 by Hiram P. 
Harrison (1873 - 1928)
OBJECT: To honor and commemorate the life and memory of the three brothers, James George Harrison, Robert Bell Harrison, Jr., and Hiram Perry Harrison. 

Hiram Perry was born in Tuscaloosa County, AL, on 1 July 1827 and died 2 November 1907. Robert Bell, Jr. was born in Neshoba County, MS, on 14 April 1836 and died 21 September 1894. James George Harrison was born in Neshoba County, MS, on 15 April 1838 and he died 17 March 1892.

The father of the three brothers was born in South Carolina and was an American soldier and sailor in the War of 1812. He was later married to Miss Ritha Robinson in Sumter County, AL (Authors Note: According to her 1878 pension application for his service in the War of 1812 she was his second wife and they were married in Tuscaloosa County, AL). To this union there were born five sons and two daughters as the family moved from Sumter County, AL, to Neshoba County, MS, in 1835. All of their descendants save the eldest son Perry, were natives of Neshoba County.

The original Robert Bell Harrison and his brother Hugh Harrison settled in the eastern part of Neshoba County on what is now known as the Stockton Place and Edka Place, respectively. Hugh Harrison built the residence in which Mrs. Sidney Edka now resides, perhaps the oldest building now standing in the county. Its extreme age being attested to by the marks on the framework showing that it was cut out of logs by the use of a broad ax and whipsaw, one side of the post being hewed and the other side sawed.

Hugh Harrison was one of many slave owners and he belonged to the aristocracy of his time. He was the first representative to the State legislature from our county. But his brother, whose descendants we are celebrating today, was not so fortunate. He was very poor, yes, a renter, and his children keenly felt the full range of poverty and were raised in obscurity and without the opportunity of an education. The family lived at several different places in the eastern part of the county up until the year 1848. Then they moved to a place two miles south of Good Hope Church (the place where we will hold the reunion) and seven miles south of Philadelphia. The Southern Federal Highway now passes through Philadelphia. 

Here Robert and George grew into manhood, the older brother, Perry, being of age already, and here the father of the boys died in 1853 and was buried in the Philadelphia Cemetery, but his grave site lost its identity during the Civil War.

Perry Harrison, oldest of the three, married Lucinda Johnson in 1855. To them were born one son, who died at the age of four, and two daughters, Amanda and Eurana, who are still living.

When the Civil War broke out their father volunteered his services to the Confederacy as did his brothers, Robert and George. They were in many fierce conflicts such as the second battle of Manassas (Bull Run), Sharpsburg, Frederickburg, and Gettysburg in far away Pennsylvania. At Gettysburg Uncle Perry was wounded and taken prisoner being unable to retreat with his command after a mini ball broke his leg. So, he remained in the Yankee Prison for 18 long months before being exchanged. It was while there in prison on the cold and bleak shores of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland that he received the sad news of the death of his dear wife leaving his two little darling girls as orphans. And it was there in that prison, grief stricken over the loss of his dear companion and the utter hopeless mess of the cause for which he had fought that God appeared unto him and revealed to him that his soul was precious in His sight and that Jesus died for him. 

The two girls were cared for by the grandmothers Johnson and Harrison until their father returned.

In 1870 (or 1872?) Uncle Perry married Miss Sarah Ann Lewis. To this union were born one daughter and four sons. All are now dead except H. P. Harrison, Jr. NOTE: The "P" in Hiram P. Harrison, Jr.'s name does not stand for Perry but instead for Pierce according to Bible records in the possession of a direct descendant or it may stand for Price if the WWI draft registration is correct. After Uncles Perry's conversion he joined the Baptist Church at Mt. Sinai and later was in the constitution of the Good Hope Church (which we expect to have read at the reunion).

In 1883 he lost his second wife and in 1884 he was married to Miss Sou San Powell. No children were born to them.

He was ordained a deacon of his church and was twenty-five times the moderator of conferences. He was twice or three times master of the Masonic Lodge at Dixon, MS. He was master of the Grange Patrons of Husbandry. He was elected and served one term as a member of the Neshoba County Board of Supervisors. He died at the ripe old age of 80 loved and trusted by all who knew him and he was buried in the Good Hope Cemetery with Masonic Honors.

Robert Bell Harrison, Jr. was born on 14 April 1836. He married Louisa Cannon in 1858. They had four sons and two daughters namely James Cannon (who once was a Rural Mail Carrier and a Magistrate at Philadelphia, MS), Perry Columbus, Jack Alexander, and Charlie. Also, Amanda who is now the wife of J.A. Webb, Jr., and Irene Bell who married Mr. Tom Ben Beal who was later killed in the cyclone at Deemer Camp. All the boys are still living except Jack who died in Orange, TX, two years ago, i.e., in 1925. Uncle Robert was also a member of the church at Good Hope and a member of the Grange. He was a successful farmer and a mill and gin man, as well. Although he lost his right arm in the service to the Confederacy under General Lee he came home to his little farm where his wife and baby (James or "Bud") had struggled through the four year conflict. He saw his last horse lay down and die. He began again the battle of life with a courage that knew no defeat and he accomplished a lot with one hand and what many with two hands would have deemed impossible. He was twice called upon by his fellow countryman to serve them as Neshoba County Treasure and while his life was broken off suddenly by ????failure at the age of 58 he is still remembered by the older people of the Fair Ground Community as the one arm man who, though unaided save by his industrious companions and robust children, did the impossible. Added Note: Robert Bell Harrison, Jr. died 21 September 1894.

James George Harrison was born 15 April 1838. He married Miss Georgia Ann Johnson in 1864. While Uncle George also saw service in the Confederacy in the Southern Army in the Georgia-Kentucky Campaign and was scarred several times by enemy lead he was most fortunate that he received no serious wounds. He had three sons and three daughters. They were: W. R., John Bardow, James, Emma "Dink" and Edna. All are still living except W. R. who died in 1919. After the death of his first wife he was married to Miss Maria Trapp whose only daughter, Neva, now resides at Neshoba Station. James George was for several years the partner of his brother, Robert, in the mill and gin business at the Fair Ground and he was a successful farmer, one to whom the poor and needy looked for aid in time of need. Many were the unfortunate or unthrifty who carried their empty sack to his mill or crib and had it filled with the stuff of life by Uncle George who, knowing the range of poverty, could never say nay. He was also a member of Good Hope Church and the Dixon Masonic Lodge. He is buried in Good Hope Cemetery and for whom was later he led a lodge of sorrow(last part is unclear ???). Added Note: James George died 17 March 1892 at the age of 53.
References
1. Red Clay Hills of Neshoba, Compiled by Jenelle B. Yates and Theresa T. Ridout, The Neshoba County Historical Society , 1992

2. Marriage Records of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, 1823 - 1860, page 13, Huntsville, Alabama, Library (H976.184)

3. E-mail from Neshoba County RootsWeb.com [Carol Shader at cshrader@exis.net] on 19 Jan 2000, Subject: Neshoba Baptist Church Records, Neshoba Community, Neshoba County, MS

4. Records of Pickens County, AL, vol 1, Mrs. C.P. McGuire, Sr.

5. Compendium of the Confederate Armies (Mississippi), Stewart Sifakis, 1992

6. Pendleton District and Anderson County, S.C. Wills -- Estates, Inventories, Tax Returns and Census Records, Compiled By: Virginia Alexander, Colleen Morse Elliott, and Betty Willie

7. Pendleton District, S.C. Deeds, 1790 - 1806, Compiled by Betty Willie

8. Julie Russell Correspondence in June 2000, E-mail: jr21t@earthlink.net

9. Newspaper Articles by R.L. Breland under the byline -- The Story of Neshoba -- appearing in the Neshoba Democrat (Philadelphia, MS) on 30 Nov 1934, 6 Sept 1935, and one article with an unknown date (ca 1927)

10. A Collection of Upper South Carolina Genealogical and Family Records, Vol I, edited by James E. Wooley, 1979

11. Letter dated 13 November 2000 from William M. Daniel, St. Charles, MO, a descendant of John F. Harrison and Isabell Lewis. Several Email messages from Morris Daniel in late November 2000. (Email address: wmorrisdaniel@cs.com)