Biographical Sketch of John Wesley Harrison, Johnson County, Missouri, Warrensburg Township >From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell, Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918. ********************************************************************** J. Wesley Harison, a retired farmer and capitalist of Warrensburg, is of noble pioneer lineage and a native of Johnson County. He was born February 28, 1838, six miles north of Warrensburg in Hazel Hill town- ship. He is the son of Harvey and Zilphia (Bell) Harrison, natives of Tennessee. Harvey Harrison was born in Blount County, Tenn., March 7, 1806 and Zilphia (Bell) Harrison was born in Davidson county, Tenn., October 16, 1803. They were united in marriage November 28, 1824 and in 1829 or 1830 came in a one horse cart to Missouri and located near Dover in Lafayette county, where they remained for a fe years when they moved to Hazel Hill township, Johnson county and settled on a farm of more than three hundred acres, a part of which Harvey Harrison had en- tered from the government. Several brothers of Harvey Harrison came to Missouri with him. He resided on his farm in Hazel Hill township until the Civil War when he moved to Warrensburg and for many years served as justice of the peace and judge of the county court. Harvey and Zilphia Harrison were the parents of thirteen children: Hugh Bell, who was born November 25, 1825 in Limestone county, Alabama; William Craig, born May 19, 1827 in Limestone county, Alabama; Margaret C., who was born Febru- ary 16, 1829 in Limestone County, Alabama; Joseph Patton, who was born August 8, 1830 in Lafayette county, Missouri; Alfred Bell, who was born March 26, 1832 in Johnson county; Robert Donell, who was born March 7, 1833 in Johnson county; Harvey White, who was born March 13, 1835 in Johnson county; Andrew Jackson, who was born January 17, 1837 in John- son county; John Wesley, the subject of this review; George Washington, who was born April 9, 1840 in Johnson county; Nancy Elizabeth, who was born September 26, 1842 in Johnson county; James K. Polk, who was born February 10, 1846 in Johnson county; and one child, a son, died in in- fancy. Harvey Harrison was prominent in the public affairs of his day and he always took an active part in the politics of his county. He was a member of the Republican party. His death occurred March 7, 1890. His wife preceded him in death, having departed this life June 12, 1889. Both father and mother were interred in the Warrensburg cemetery. At the time of their death Harvey Harrison and his wife had forty-eight grandchildren, forty-five great grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild, Isaac Seamonds. Their first grandchild was Zilphia Isabel Eagan, the daughter of Margaret C. (Harrison) Eagan. She was born on September 10, 1845. J. Wesley Harrison was reared on his father's farm in Hazel Hill township and educated in the public schools of Johnson county. His boyhood was spent much as is the early life of the average boy on the farm and until he was seventeen years of age he remained at home with his parents. He then began life for himself driving ox teams across the plains for Russell Majors, Daniel White, and Mr. Wadell. Mr. Harrison recalls a blinding snowstorm which occurred May 3, 1856, the day the train started from Old Westport, Missouri for Ft. Union, New Mexico. At the time the Mountain Meadow massacre happened, his train was within forty miles of the train which was in the massacre. Mr. Harrison made these trips across the plains prior to the Civil War. During the war he lived in Leavenworth County, Kansas. After the war he returned to Johnson County, in 1865, and lived on the farm for about four years. He opened livery stable, which he conducted in connection with farming. Mr. Harrison was thus engaged for about thirteen years. He erected a business house on Holden Street in Warrensburg, and in addition to his city residence, which he purchased in 1904 and remodel- ed, owns a fine farm of several hundred acres in Warrensburg and Hazel Hill townships. His time is spent looking after his farming interests and managing his city property. J. Wesley Harrison was united in marr- iage with Eliza C. Ovens in 1859 by Reverend Jonathan Gott in Hazel Hill township. To J. Wesley and Eliza C. (Ovens) Harrison were born four children: Mrs. Emma Zilphia Shryack, Kirksville, Mo.; Charles Harvey, Warrensburg; Lee, died at the age of ten years; and Ada, died at the age of five years. Mrs. Harrison died in 1901. In 1904 Mr. Harrison married Georgia Dennis, daughter of George H. and Ann R. (Osborne) Dennis, of Monmouth, Illinois. George H. Dennis was engaged in the harness business in Monmouth. He and Mrs. Dennis were the parents of the following children: Mrs. T. B. Montgomery, Warrensburg; Mrs. Ella Carrigan, Calumet, Oklahoma; and Mrs. J. Wesley Harrison, the wife of the subject of this review. Mr. Harrison has in his possession a Seth Thomas Clock, which was purchased prior to 1846 by his father, Harvey Harrison. The clock is not only priceless as a relic but is still valuable as a timepiece, always keeping good time. This clock has brass parts and old fashioned weights that must be wound every twenty- four hours. He also has another relic of the days long gone by, a highly valued heirloom. This is an embroidered counterpane, made by his mother, Zilphia (Bell) Harrison, in 1818. She was then but a girl of fifteen years and the counterpane is the product of careful labor and much time, for the cotton seed was planted and the plants raised and later spun, woven, and the cloth made into the beautiful, old fash- ioned bedspread and embroidered, all by the hand of the young Zilphia. This precious relic tells, as pen cannot, of the painstaking care, application, and skill of a girl in her early teens a century ago, when each of the family had assigned duties and manual training was taught in the home. ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: <> Penny Harrell ====================================================================