Bucks County PA Archives Biographies.....Yerkes, Harman
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Joe Patterson, Patricia Bastik & Susan Walters Dec 2009

Source: History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania; edited by 
J.H. Battle; A. Warner & Co.; 1887
Doylestown M-Z


HARMAN YERKES was born in Warminster, Bucks county, October 
8, 1843, and is of mixed German and French origin.  On his 
father's side he is descended, in the fifth generation, from 
Anthony Yerkes, the founder of the family in America, who 
came from Germany about 1683. He was one of the first 
settlers of Germantown, and a burgess there in 1703.  The 
father of Harman, Stephen Yerkes, married Amy Hart Montanye, 
the youngest daughter of Rev. Thomas B. Montanye, a 
distinguished Baptist preacher who came to Bucks county from 
New York in 1800, and preached at Southampton for thirty 
years.  His ancestor was Jean Montaigne, a French Huguenot, 
who came to New York about 1630.  He was a prominent man, a 
director-general and member of the executive council there.  
Thomas B. Montanye married Ann Edmonds of New York city.  
She was an aunt of Judge John W. Edmonds, the noted 
spiritualist writer.  The parents of Harman Yerkes both died 
during his youth and before his education was completed.  He 
received his education at the public schools of his native 
township, at the Tennent school, Hartsville, and at East 
Hampton, Mass., being a member of the class of 1862, at 
Williston.  During the following year he taught the public 
school in Warminster, and at once began preparations to 
enter his adopted profession, of which mention has been made 
in connection with the bench of the county. Mr. Yerkes' 
early struggles doubtless endowed him with an abiding 
sympathy with the people, which has been repeatedly 
reciprocated by an enthusiastic constituency.  In 1868 he 
was nominated by acclamation as the democratic candidate for 
the office of district attorney, and was elected, receiving 
the highest number of votes ever polled for any candidate in 
the county up to that time.  In 1873 he was nominated as 
state senator, Bucks county supporting him unanimously and 
Northampton county giving him nine votes in the convention.  
He was again elected by a large majority, running ahead of 
his ticket. In 1876 he was re-nominated by acclamation and 
re-elected to represent the county of Bucks, which had 
become a separate district, and leading his party majority 
on the presidential ticket by four hundred and thirty votes. 
 His career in the senate was active and distinguished.  Of 
the many bills he introduced and carried forward to a 
successful issue, one may be mentioned as somewhat peculiar 
in its history.  This was an act in 1878 providing for the 
acquisition of bridges by counties.  Soon after Mr. Yerkes' 
elevation to the bench, a corporation brought suit against 
Montgomery county for the value of the DeKalb street bridge 
over the Schuylkill river, at Norristown, which the county 
authorities had taken under the provision of the above act.  
It was the first contested case under this act and a 
striking coincidence that it should be certified before a 
judge, who as senator framed and carried the act through the 
legislature.  The trial of the cause occupied nearly a week, 
and both sides were represented by eminent counsel and 
argued with conspicuous ability.  A verdict was rendered in 
favor of the plaintiff for $111,000, the largest verdict 
ever rendered in the county in a contested case.  The case 
was appealed to the supreme court, where after a thorough 
argument and review the decision of the lower court was 
affirmed.  It has been remarked by one of Judge Yerkes' 
cotemporaries on the bench that his disposition of the 
numerous points raised in this case and the affirmance by 
the supreme court have rendered it next to impossible for an 
error to be made in the future conduct of trials under the 
act of 1878.  While in the senate Mr. Yerkes was a member of 
the committees on Federal Relations, Finance, Judiciary and 
Centennial affairs.  In the work of these committees he took 
an active interest.  He was appointed one of the state board 
of managers of the centennial exposition, and was prominent 
in all its labors.  In 1877 he was unanimously presented by 
his party colleagues for the position of president of the 
senate, and held the position of president of the joint 
caucus of the legislature to name a candidate for United 
States senator.  He was for several years a member of the 
democratic state committee and a delegate to the state 
conventions of 1869, 1874, 1875, 1877, 1878 and 1882.  He 
was appointed by the state convention of 1882 to officially 
inform Robert E. Pattison of his nomination for governor.  
He was also a delegate to the national democratic convention 
at Baltimore in 1872, and was one of the twenty-one 
delegates who persistently voted in favor of Judge Black and 
against the nomination of Horace Greeley.  He was also a 
delegate to the national convention at Cincinnati in 1880 
and was an ardent supporter of General Hancock.  The same 
year he acted as chairman of the county committee of Bucks, 
and succeeded in carrying the county for General Hancock by 
a majority of two hundred and fifty votes, notwithstanding 
the majority for the opposite party was over six hundred the 
year before.  He was a delegate to the democratic judicial 
conventions of 1869, 1871, and 1872, and chairman of the 
conference committee of the counties of Bucks and 
Montgomery. In 1883 the democratic judicial convention of 
the seventh district by a unanimous vote presented him as a 
candidate for the office of president judge, to which 
position he was elected at the ensuing November election, 
and on the 11th of December was commissioned by Governor 
Pattison as president judge for the term of ten years from 
the first Monday in January, 1884, at which time he entered 
upon the duties of the office.  Mr. Yerkes was married in 
June, 1869, to Emeline, a daughter of Monroe Buckman, of 
Doylestown.