The Harritt Family

Ancestors of Amanda Harritt Whiteside

for further information see

the Hancock Co., Ohio website:

http://www.heritagepursuit.com/Hancock/HancockChapII.htm

the Harrod family website:

http://www.hypervigilance.com/genlog/harrod.html#cousins

Introduction

            According to the Harrod family website, Harrod is just one of a number of variations of the same name, including Herrod, Herod, Herron, Harrold, Harad, Herrard, Harritt, and others.  All these spellings and more appear in the 1830 census.  In Fairfield County, Ohio, the spelling of this particular family name in 1840 and 1850 was Herrod.  Somewhere along the line it became Harritt and even Harriott.

1^st generation

John Harritt

(1756-1814)

            John Harritt was born 1756 in Pennsylvania and died about 1814 in Fairfield County, Ohio.  He married Katy (unknown) and they had the following children:[1]

          i.        Richard Harritt (1782-1853) m. Mary (unknown)

          ii.       John Harritt (1782 PA-1870 IN) m. Ruthy Knoyer

          iii.      Catherine (Kitty) Harritt b. about 1784 in PA

          iv.      Elizabeth Harritt (b. 1786 PA)

          v.       Mary Harritt (1788 PA-before 1852 IN) m. George Knoyer

          vi.      Hiram Harritt, (1790 PA-1832) m. Mary Knoyer

2^nd generation

Richard Harritt

1782-1853

            Richard Harritt was born 1782 in Pennsylvania, the son of John and Katy Harritt.  He married Mary (unknown) before 1806.  She was born about 1786 and died before 1850.  Richard died June 1853 in Hancock Co., Ohio.[2]  The name is spelled Herrod in the census.

          They had the following children:

          i.        John Harritt b. 11 Feb 1806, Fairfield  Co,. OH

          ii.       David Harritt 1811-1871

          iii.      Jeremiah Harritt  1814-after 1880

          iv.      Anna Mary Harritt b. 1819 Ohio

          v.       Richard Harritt (1820-1858) m. Rebecca Plummer

          The 1850 Hancock Co., Ohio census shows Richard Herrod, 68, living with his son Richard and his family.

          The first permanent white settlement in Hancock County, Ohio, was in the early 1820s, only some twenty years before the Harritt (Herrod) family came here from Fairfield County.  A History of Hancock County[3] says, "Most of the early settlers came with all their worldly possessions packed in a two or four-horse wagon, in which only the very aged or very young were allowed to ride; the other trudged uncomplainingly behind or went in advance to clear the path.  Some came with ox teams, some on horseback, while others performed the journey afoot.

          "The first settlers of Hancock County came not to enjoy a life of lotus eating and ease.  They could, doubtless, admire the pristine beauty of the scenes that unveiled before them ... but the dangers they were exposed to were serious ones.  The Indians could not be fully trusted ... the larger wild beasts were a cause of much dread, and the smaller ones a source of great annoyance.  In the midst of the loveliness of the surroundings, there was a sense of loneliness that could not be dispelled, and this was a far greater trial to the men and women who first dwelt in the Western country than is generally imagined."

            Upon arriving, the settlers had to make a temporary shelter from the rain, then prepare a spot of ground for some crop, usually corn.  Life itself depended upon the harvesting and preservation of that first crop.  While the crop was growing, the pioneer built his cabin, usually of light logs or poles.  Usually a number of men came into the country together and erected a log cabin through a union of labor.

3^rd generation

Richard Harritt

1820-1858

Rebecca Plummer

1830-1917

Photos thanks to W.  Thomas!

 Rebecca Plummer Harritt Thomas

Rebecca Plummer Harritt Thomas

            Richard Harrittwas born 12 March 1820 in Amanda Township, Fairfield County, Ohio, the son of Richard and Mary Harritt.[4]  [5]

          Rebecca Plummerwas born 6 February 1830[6] in Fairfield County, Ohio. 

          Richard and Rebecca were married 9 December 1847 in Hancock County, Ohio.[7]

          The following children were born to them:

          i.        Amanda Mae Harritt(1848-1931) m. Madison Whiteside (See                     WHITESIDE)

          ii.       Minerva Harritt (1850 Ohio-1930 Iowa) m. George W.

                   Carpenter.  They had 17 children.[8]

          iii.      Amos Harritt (1853 Michigan- 1932 Missouri) m. Mary

                   "Elvira" LeGrand.  They  had 3 children.[9]

          iv.      Mary E. Harritt (1856 Michigan-1939 Iowa) m. Samuel E.

                   Teter.  They had 8 children.[10]

Amos Harritt

          The family appears in the 1850 Hancock Co., Ohio census, p. 457, as follows:

          Herrod, Richard 30

                   Rebecca 20

                   Amanda 1

                   Minerva 11 mos.

                   Richard 68 (Richard's father) b. PA

          After the birth of their second child, Richard and Rebecca moved to Otsego, Michigan, where their only son Amos was born in 1853 and their daughter Mary was born in 1856. 

          Richard died 9 March 1858 in Otsego, Michigan, leaving Rebecca a widow with four young children.

          She returned to Hancock county, Ohio, and was found in the 1860 census[11]:  Rebecca Harritt 30 b. OH, Amanda 11, Minerva 10, Amos 6, and Mary 4.  The census gives Michigan as Amanda’s birthplace and Ohio for the other children, but this is probably incorrect.  (Living next door to them is the John Thomas family, but he is NOT the same John Thomas she later married, as this particular family appears intact in the 1870 census.)

          In 1864 her eldest daughter Amanda married Charles Smalley.

          In 1866, Rebecca married John Thomas and they moved to Marion County, Iowa.

          In 1868, Amanda, by then a widow with a small son, married Madison Whitesidein Hancock County, Ohio.  They also moved to Marion County, Iowa, and appeared in the 1870 census as Madison 25, Amanda 22, Sherman 3 (Amanda's son by her first marriage) and George 1.

          The John Thomas family appears in the 1870 Marion Co., Iowa census as follows:

          John Thomas 64, b. Ohio

                   Rebecca 41 b. Ohio

                   James H. 11 b. Indiana (apparently John's son by first marriage)

                   Mary Harritt 14, b. Michigan  (Rebecca's youngest child; the

                             name is spelled Harritt)

          The family appears in the 1880 Marion Co., IA census as follows:  John Thomas 74, Rebecca 51.

          Rebecca's daughter Minerva, age 20, and her son Amos, age 17, were not living with their mother and stepfather in 1870.

          Minerva Harritt married George Washington Carpenter on 15 January 1871 in Knoxville, Marion County, Iowa.  They had 18 children.

          George and Minerva Harritt appear in the 1880 census of Minden, Pottawattamie county, IA, p. 91C, as follows:  Geo. Carpenter 30, Minerva 30, Alonzo 7, Agnes 5, Loly 3, Simantha 2, Florence 2 mos.

          Amos Harritt married Mary "Elvira" LeGrand.  They had 3 children.  They appear in the 1880 Taylor Co., IA census[12] as Amos Harritt 26, Elvira 25, Della 2.

          Mary Harritt married Samuel E. Teter on 19 April 1874 in Knoxville, Marion County, Iowa.  They had 8 children.  They were divorced in 1912.

          Rebecca died 8 September 1917 in Cordova, Marion County, Iowa, and was buried in the Price Cemetery there.[13]  Her obituary in the Knoxville newspaper stated:  “Mrs. John Thomas died at the home of her daughter Mrs. Mary Teter, in Cordova, Saturday, September 8.  She had been sick for only a short time.  At her death she was aged 87 years, 6 months and one day. … Rebecca Thomas was born February 6, 1830, in Fairfield County, Ohio.  In the year 1848 she was united in marriage to Richard Harriett.  To this union was born four children:  Amanda, wife of Madison Whiteside, Kingman, Kans., Minerva, wife of G.W. Carpenter, Fifield, Mary Teter, at whose home she died, and Amos, Alexandra, Okla.  Mr. Harriett died in 1858 and she was united in marriage to John Thomas in 1866, who preceded her in death in 1888.  Besides the above named relatives she leaves to mourn her loss 27 grandchildren and 63 great-grandchildren.  … Burial was made in the Price cemetery.”

          The 1920 Iowa census shows George Carpenter, age 70, and Minerva, age 70.

          Minerva died 9 November 1930 in Des Moines, Polk Co., Iowa, and was buried in the Glendale Cemetery there.

          Amanda died in 1931 in Oklahoma.  Her obituary stated that she was survived by a brother, Amos, of Missouri, and a sister, Mary Teter of Knoxville, Iowa.

          Amos died 3 September 1932 in Polk Twp., Nodaway Co., MO.[14]

          Mary died 3 April 1939 and was buried in Graceland Cemetery, Knoxville, Iowa.[15]