Henry Holmes Harrison

Henry Holmes Harrison

• Father: John M. Harrison b. 11 May 1830

• Henry Holmes Harrison was born on 14 October 1866 in Texas.
• He married Ellen Douglas Mitchell, daughter of William Douglass Mitchell and Francis H. McGowan, circa 1887.
• The following appeared on 10 January 1900 in The Shiner Gazette: [Died] Thursday December 22, 1899, Frances Arbuckle Harrison, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Harrison. She was aged 4 years and 10 months and was a bright, promising little girl, universally loved for her winning ways and dainty, sweet little personality.
• Henry Holmes Harrison and Ellen Douglas Mitchell appeared in the US federal census of 1 June 1900 in Flatonia, Fayette County, Texas. Other members of the household included Helen Holmes Harrison, Marie Wilcox Harrison and Alma Lane Harrison.
• He was a stock raiser, according to the 1900 census.
• Henry Holmes Harrison and Ellen Douglas Mitchell appeared in the US federal census of 15 April 1910 in Flatonia, Fayette County, Texas. Other members of the household included Helen Holmes Harrison, Marie Wilcox Harrison and Alma Lane Harrison. Also in the household were three female boarders, all public school teachers.
• He was self-employed as a stockman and rancher.
• Henry Holmes Harrison became a widower at the 25 June 1917 death of his wife Ellen Douglas Mitchell.
• The following appeared on 29 June 1917 in The Weimar Mercury: (Flatonia, June 25) Mrs. Henry. H. Harrison, wife of a prominent stockman and former merchant of this place, was burned to death in the flames when their home in the northeastern part of the city was consumed by fire at an early hour this morning.
       How the fire originated has not been determined. When it was discovered in a closet, at about 3 o'clock, both Mr. and Mrs. Harrison, who were the only members of the family at home, attempted unsuccessfully to extinguish the incipient blaze, and while her husband was occupied in giving the alarm over the telephone, Mrs. Harrison ran upstairs, presumably to save some valued article, and her absence was not noticed for some minutes, Mr. Harrison supposing that she had then left the house. When he came out and looked about for her she was not to be seen, and by this time the flames had made such headway that there was no possibility of a search in the house being made nor of the fire being extinguished, although the alarm had been made general all through the town by ringing bells, blowing whistles and firing pistol shots, and a large crowd had gathered to see the fire, which was spectacular in the extreme.
       It was two and one-half hours before the flames died down sufficiently to allow any search to be made for the body. Until this time it had not been certain whether Mrs. Harrison had perished in the burning house, or had wandered away while overcome by excitement; but she could not be found elsewhere, and immediately after the search in the burning embers was begun some charred remains were found, and later other parts, shrunken and distorted out of all human resemblence, setting at rest all doubt as to her horrible death.
       Mrs. Harrison, previous to her marriage, was Miss Ellen Douglas Mitchell of Cold Spring, San Jacinto county, and taught several terms of school here. During her long residence in this city after marriage she had entered energetically into the social life of the community and was known as a leading spirit in intellectual and philanthropic work.
       The family consisted of three daughters, one of whom, Miss Helen, has recently been instrumental in the formation of a Red Cross chapter here and is now at Wichita Falls, attending the National Honor Guard Girls' encampment. Another, Miss Marie, is visiting in Houston at the home of her aunt, Mrs. John Lane, a sister of Mr. Harrison. Both were immediately notified by wire. The remaining daughter, Miss Alma, was spending the night with her grandmother, Mrs. J. M. Harrison, in another part of the town at the time of the tragedy.
       The house was a handsome two-story frame residence. Nothing was left standing above the foundation except two tall brick chimneys, built up from the ground, which after the fire loomed from a square of glowing embers like ghastly monuments to the destruction they had witnessed. The contents of the house, inciuding many rich furhishings and elaborate furniture, represented a total loss of well over $10,000, partially covered by insurance. This fire was the first in Flatonia for some fifteen months.
       Mr. Harrison was nearly crazed at the loss of his wife, and the tragedy has had a depressing effect upon the entire community, coming as a climax upon the heels of several violent deaths by accident here within the past two weeks.
• Henry Holmes Harrison appeared in the US federal census of 1 April 1930 in Jim Wells County, Texas.
• He was a livestock trader, according to the 1930 census.
• Henry Holmes Harrison died on 3 June 1931 at age 64.
• He was interred at Oak Hill Cemetery, Flatonia, Fayette County, Texas.
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  JOHN M. HARRISON. This leading merchant and banker of Flatonia, Texas, is a man whose earnest and sincere efforts to make life a success are well worth the imitation of all. His industry, sobriety, and economy as well as his honesty, have served to place him among the most prominent men in this section, and by all he is highly esteemed. He first saw the light of day in Quincy, Ill., May 11, 1830, and of the five children born to his parents, Robert P. and Elmira C. (Wilcox) Harrison, he was second in order of birth. His parents were natives of Virginia and Kentucky, respectively. They moved from Quincy to Washington County, Missouri, when our subject was an infant, and there resided for some time. Later they moved to Christian County, Kentucky, and there made their home until 1849, when Dr. Harrison moved to Russellville, Logan County, Ky., from there to Texas, in 1851, settling for one year in Washington County. He then moved to Fayette County, there died in 1878, after a long and useful life. His wife died in Kentucky. Their children were named as follows: J. P., John M., Mary E., wife of J. B. Hill of Gonzales County; Ellen A., wife of E. H. Ibey, of Bosque County, and R. R., of this city, Flatonia. John M. Harrison received his education in the schools of Christian County, Kentucky, and remained with his father until his fifteenth year, when he began clerking in a dry-goods store in that State, remaining thus employed for three years. In 1851 he came to Texas, with his father and immediately began merchandising in Columbus, Colorado County. Columbus was at that time a village of over 1,500 inhabitants and our subject remained there for four years when he sold his stock of goods, and in 1857 moved to Fayetteville. In the latter city he carried on business until 1862, when he sold out and joined the Confederate service. After the war he engaged in merchandising at La Grange, carried it on for four years, and then moved to Flatonia, where he established his present business. At the close of the war Mr. Harrison was considerably in debt to his New York merchants, and this had to be paid as soon as he could make it. As he was left a financial wreck it was sometime before he could make any headway, but he persevered, and his business for fifteen years has been about $125,000 annually, carrying a general stock of goods noted for its excellence. Besides his mercantile interests, Mr. Harrison is the owner of farming lands in this and Colorado counties, and he is the owner of a private bank which has done a large share of the exchange business of the section. The banking business was established in 1884. In the year 1853 Mr. Harrison celebrated his marriage with Miss Margaret W. Hall, a native of Christian County, Kentucky, and daughter of Alexander Hall. Eight children blessed this union, two of whom died in infancy: Nettie, wife of W. H. Kerr, of Flatonia; Alma, wife of Jonathan Lane, of La Grange; Kate, wife of C. Foster, of Flatonia; Martha, wife of W. H. Nash, of Alvin, Brazoria County; H. H. and C. P., of Flatonia. Both Mr. and Mrs. Harrison take quite an active interest in church and church work, and he is a teacher in the Sunday School. Mr. Harrison is a member of the A. F. & A. M. Flatonia Lodge No. 436, and in politics is a stanch Democrat, being quite deeply interested in political matters. Mr. Harrison is one of the most successful business men in the county, and has the satisfaction of knowing that all his property is the result of his own exertions.
       Record of Southwest Texas (1894).

• Last Edited: 3 Apr 2013

• Charts: Descendants of ABERCROMBIE Charles & Edwina Malinda "Dicey" Booth