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KANAWHA COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA - BIOS: HARMON, George
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Submitted to the West Virginia Biographies Project by:
SSpradling@aol.com
September 19, 1999
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History of Kanawha County
George W. Atkinson
1876
p. 195-197
RECOLLECTIONS OF GEORGE HARMON
George Harmon resides near the mouth of Pocatalico river, is eighty-seven
years of age, and can walk thirty miles as quickly, almost, as he could fifty
years ago. A few months since he walked from his home to that of his
relatives near Malden, in this county, a distance of upwards of twenty miles.
He is unquestionably the most active man of his age I have ever met.
He came to Kanawha in 1799. At that time George Clendennin and a few others
lived in Charleston, Thomas Upton resided just below Charles-ton, Thomas
Cobbs owned a farm immediately above the mouth of Davis' creek, and his
brother Fleming lived at the mouth of this creek. Stephen Teays then lived
at the mouth of Coal river. Tackett's Fort, at that place, was destroyed by
the Indians a few years prior to that time. John McElhenny and Chris.
Tackett were the only men at the fort when it was attacked by the Indians.
Tackett was killed, and McElhenny and wife, Betsy Tackett, Sam Tackett, and a
small boy, were taken prisoners. They were carried to the foot of the hill
near the fort, and McElhenny was tomahawked by the Indians. Mr. Harmon says
that he, on several occasions, saw the skeleton of McElhenny, which lay near
the ruins of the fort for many years.
John and Lewis Tackett and their mother were taken prisoners while gathering
turnips near the fort. John succeeded in making his escape, but Lewis and
his mother were taken to the village of the Indians on the Scioto, where they
were kept for about two years, when they were ransomed by the whites. Mrs.
Polly Tackett was then about sixty years of age, and afterwards died, on Elk
river, at the advanced age of 110 years.
He saw Ann Bailey on several occasions, and confirms everything that has been
said of her.
Mr. Harmon claims that the Indians had a tradition of a silver mine near the
mouth of Pocatalico, on a small branch emptying into that river. He is of
opinion that there is no hoax about it, as he has recently found several
excellent specimens of silver ore. He has, also, several strangely cut
stones, which he found many feet below the surface of the earth, in the
vicinity of his residence.
When he first came to the Valley there were elk and bear in great abundance.
They, however, gradually disappeared, until the elk has be. come extinct
within the Valley, and the wild bear has been driven back into the mountains.
Mr. Harmon, as I have stated, is eighty-seven years of age, and never took a
dose of medicine in his life. It has been eighty-one years since he took a
drink of liquor. He quit chewing tobacco about fifty years ago. Smoked for
forty years, and stopped that practice, also, about three years since. He
kept his tobacco in a tin box for many years, and would smell it, but never
tasted it. He used snuff for many years, but left off that practice also.
His last tooth was extracted twenty years since. He never had a tooth pulled
until it got so loose that he could remove it with his fingers. He was
married at the age of forty, and his wife is now sixty-seven years of age.
He never used spectacles, and retained his sight until about four years ago,
when he had erysipelas, which settled in his eyes, and very much impaired his
vision. When he was a small child he was covered with boils, one of which was
in his left eye, and destroyed the sight. He says that his mother always
told him that he was larger when one month old than he was at six months. He
is five feet five inches tall, and never weighed over 148 pounds. His
hearing was always good, until recently he has been troubled with bealings in
his ears, which have slightly injured his hearing.
Who will say, after reading this brief biography, that George Harmon is not a
very remarkable man?
It is proper for me to state that, in order to render my accounts of the
early history and incidents of the county as perfect as they could be made, I
have consulted with nearly every aged citizen within the Kanawha Valley, male
and female; and I am pleased to state that the recollections of those whom I
have not given a place in my wQrk, unqualifiedly corroborate those from whom
I have quoted. Of such I cannot fail to mention Abia Rece, a nonogenarian,
who resides at Melton, in Cabell county, who was born in Spottsylvania
county, in 1784, and came to Kanawha in 1791. He is now an active old man,
and promises to live many more years in the Valley of his adoption. Mrs.
Sarah Kernon Hansford, wife of the late Felix G. Hansford, who resides at
Paint creek, has reached the ripe old age of eighty-three, and her
recollections, running back over three-quarters of a century, fully
substantiated the facts which I have placed on record, to be crystalized, I
trust, into enduring history. I might mention others, all interviewed at
different times, and places, and under different circumstances, yet all of
whom give in the same line of testimony, and certify to the facts,
occurrences and events which I have chronicled.
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