HARKNESS - the Delaware County, NY Genealogy and History Site

[An as yet unconnected Harkness from Delaware County but in the immediately preceding line]PROF. RICHARD A. HARKNESS, A.M. 72Garden Grove“Richard A. Harkness, one of the best educators of Iowa, is a native of Delaware county, New York, where he was bornon the 25th of November, 1839. His parents were Robert and Lydia Leal Harkness 73 , his father being of Irish and hismother of Scotch descent, though both were born in this country. Robert Harkness was a farmer, and reared his sonuntil sixteen years of age in agricultural pursuits; the son then prepared for college at Delhi, Delaware county; enteredthe junior class of Union College, Schenectady, in 1861, and graduated in 1863. After teaching one year at CherryValley in his native state, Mr. Harkness came to Iowa, locating at Garden Grove, Decatur county, in the spring of 1864,and has been a teacher here since that date, building up one of the best graded schools in the state. A high-schooldepartment was added at the start, and Professor Harkness pays especial attention to the fitting of students for the StateUniversity and other higher institutions of learning. One of his students is now in Yale College; and go where they willhis students find no trouble in entering. He has the happy faculty of drawing out students, making them self-reliant andinspiring them with enthusiasm in their studies. He is a man of indomitable energy and perseverance, as well as mentalforce, and his students seem to imbibe his spirit.“While Professor Harkness has made teaching his main work, he has done something at farming, and especially horticulture.He is cultivating eight or ten acres of land, five or six of it being devoted to fruit-raising. He has grapes and thesmaller fruits, and his orchard is in a fine state of improvement, like everything else to which he puts his hand.“He is very successful as a conductor of teacher’s institutes, and often has more applications for such work to be doneduring vacations than he can fill.“Professor Harkness is a Republican in politics, and is a member of the county central committee. His name has beenbefore the republican state conventions as a candidate for state superintendent of public instruction, a position for whichpeople who best know him think he has peculiar fitness. He is, however, no office-seeker, and would be the last man toask for any position other than the one he now holds. He is active in educational matters and some of the ablest and bestpapers read at state teachers’ institutes were prepared by him.“The professor is an elder in the Presbyterian Church, and a trustee of Parsons College, which is located at Fairfield,Jefferson county, and is the leading Presbyterian school in Iowa.“He is an Odd-Fellow, but there is no lodge at Garden Grove, and latterly he has paid but little attention to the meetingsof the order.“His wife was Miss Susie Humeston, formerly of Portage County, Ohio. They were married on the 9th of August, 1865,and have two daughters: Mary L., aged eleven, and Susie A., aged four years. Mrs. Harkness’ father is the Hon. A.Humeston, late member of the general assembly from Wayne county, Iowa. Humeston Station, near Garden Grove, wasnamed for him.”[Notes on the folks mentioned in this material:1. Abstracts of Wills of Delaware Co., N.Y. from Jan. 9, 1834 - Aug. 16, 1847. Copied from the original wills at the Surrogate’s Office, Delhi, N.Y. Volume 2.Copied and compiled by Gertrude A. Barber. 1941: p. 171 James Leal of Delhi, dated May 26, 1841 and Probated September 4, 1841. Mentions: Wife: Sarah;Sons: Richard, Robert; Daughters: Ann Clark, Lydia Harkness, Sarah Lawson, Ellen H. Maynard, Catherine B. Leal; Grandsons: James W. Leal and JamesHarkness; Granddaughters: Eleanor Ann Leal, Martha Ann Harkness (see below?), Margaret McLaughry; Executors: John Clark of Kortright, Robert Leal ofDelhi, Ellen Leal of Delhi. Richard A. Harkness may have been left out of this will since he was under two when it was made. James and Martha Ann would havebeen older siblings.A note (6/93) from Jack A. Parrish, 2755 Stage Coach Drive; Memphis, TN 38134 (901-372-0521), working on Leal and Harkness families, mentions his greatgrandparents:Martha Ann Harkness, b. 27 Jan 1835 and married 14 October, 1951 William Whitney Parrish. W. W. was born in Argyle, Washington Co., NYon 27 Oct 1821. They moved to Sterling Valley, Cayuga Co., NY and had 10 children, 6 of whom were born in Delaware Co. and six in Cayuga Co. The familymoved to Decatur Co., IA “in a sort of sequence.” He also mentions Mary Harkness, born 27 Jan 1830 in Kortright Co., NY and married John O. Parrish. They