The Harner Families of Berrien County, Michigan

ABRAHAM A. HARNER, whose residence, known as The Maples," in Berrien county dates from February 3, 1853 — ' natal day — his birth having occurred on the farm on which he now lives, on section 28, Oronoko township, is the son of Michael Harner. The father was born in Pennsylvania and became a resident of Berrien county, Michigan, in 1837, when he cast in his lot Avith the early settlers who were subduing the wilderness and extending the frontier. He was closely associated with the early history of the county in its development and upbuilding and as the years passed by he prospered in his business undertakings, becoming the owner of three hundred and ninety-nine acres of land. He was well known in the county and his word was as good as his bond. He enjoyed the respect and trust of his fellowmen from the time of his arrival here up to the day of his death, which occurred when he was eighty-four years of age. He married Miss Sophia Plank, a native of Pennsylvania, and their was one of the largest families of the county, their children being sixteen in number.

Abraham A. Harner is the youngest of this family and upon the old homestead property he spent the days of his boyhood and youth. No event of special importance occurred to vary the routine of farm life for him during that period, his time being divided between the duties of the schoolroom, the pleasures of the playground and the work of the fields. After leaving school he assisted in cultivating his father's land and he has made farming his life work, having now one hundred and eighty-two acres, constituting a well improved property. The place is devoted to the raising of fruit, grain and stock and he gives personal supervision to his business and also takes an active part in the actual work of the fields.

March 23, 1876 Mr. Harner was married to Miss Lottie Van Patten, a daughter of Aaron and Elizabeth (Borst) Van Patten, and a native of Oronoko township, born May I, 1853, where her girlhood days were passed. Mr. Harner took his bride to the old homestead, and their union has been blessed with two children: Edna V., now the wife of Carl S. Pennell, of Berrien Springs; and Elden C, who is engaged in the real estate and insurance business in Benton Harbor.

Mrs. Harner's parents are both deceased. Her father, Aaron Van Patton, was a native of New York, born February 5, 18 17, and died December 25, 1901. By trade he was a blacksmith, but later in life when a resident of Berrien county, Michigan, became a very successful farmer. He was reared, educated and was married in New York, and when he and his family came to Michigan the trip was made in a wagon. There were born seven children to Aaron and Elizabeth (Borst) Van Patten — three sons and four daughters, and only four are living, the eldest being Martha, widow of John Ingleright, and she is a resident of Berrien Springs. She was born in New York;

Mary, wife of Stephen Harner, resident of Oronoko township, and he is a farmer, also in insurance business; Rufus, resident of Oronoko township, farmer, and he wedded Miss Sadie Shearer; Mrs. A. A. Harner is the youngest Hving, She was educated in common schools, and in a religious sense is a devout Christian lady. Her father became owner of two hundred and seventy-six acres of land in Berrien county and was a man in whom the people reposed the utmost confidence. He was a successful man in business, since he accumulated his property all by himself. He traced his lineage to the Mohawk Dutch. He held the office of supervisor, township treasurer, and superintendent of the poor, and fraternally he was a Mason.

Mrs. Elizabeth (Borst) Van Patten was a native of New York and was born in November, 1818, and died December 18, 1882. She was a faithful advocate of the principles of baptism. The children of Mr. and Mrs. A. A. Harner are as follows: The eldest, Edna V., received her education in the high school of Berrien Springs, where she graduated. She is an artist in oil painting and her handiwork adorns the home of her mother and also her own home. She is the wife of Carl S. Pennell and they have two children, Letha H. and Lynn Odell. Elden C. was graduated at the age of sixteen at Berrien Springs and the Ypsilanti Normal at twenty, and held the chair of science at Benton Harbor and at present is one of the school examiners of Berrien county. He wedded Miss Mollie Comstock, of Ypsilanti, and she is also a graduate of the same college. They reside in Benton Harbor, where Elden is engaged in the real estate business. Mr. and Mrs. A. A. Harner have three of the old parchment deeds executed September 10, 1838, by President Martin Van Buren, which now makes seven deeds of the kind found to date in the county. They have one of the old spinning wheels as a relic of ye olden days, which is close to a century old.

Mr. Harner has been identified with the making of the county in which his entire life has been passed, and his co-operation may always be counted upon in matters relating to the general welfare. He votes with the Democracy and has acted as township treasurer. He has also been called upon to settle many states and his business integrity and trustworthiness stand as unquestioned facts in his career. Fraternally he is connected with the Modern Woodmen camp at. Berrien Springs.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

ELDEN C. HARNER, who since 1902 has been engaged in the real estate and insurance business in Benton Harbor with growing success that has already made him a leading representative of this line of activity, was born near Berrien Springs, Michigan, in 1881. He is a son of Augustus A. Harner and a grandson of Michael Harner, The latter was a native of Pennsylvania and came to Michigan in 1837, when this part of the state was a wild and unimproved district. He secured from the government a large tract of land of six hundred acres in Berrien township, which at that time was all covered with dense timber. No roads had been laid out and there were only Indian trails to guide the traveler or settler as he made his way through the forests or across the prairies. Mr. Harner cleared the greater part of his land and thus contributed in substantial measure to the subjugation of the wild district and its reclamation for the purposes of civilization. He was one of the earliest settlers of the county and has left the impress of his individuality for good upon the work of public improvement.

Augustus A. Harner, father of our subject, was born upon the old family homestead which was developed by his father west of Berrien Springs. He assisted in the work of the fields there, performing much of the arduous labor incident to the improvement of a new farm. Having arrived at years of maturity he married Miss Charlotte Van Patten, whose birth occurred upon a farm west of Berrien Springs in Berrien township, her father being Aaron Van Patten, who was one of the first settlers of that locality. He came to the west from New York and cleared a large tract of land, so that he, too, was an important factor in general progress here. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Augustus A. Harner were born two children, the eldest being Edna, now the wife of Carl Pennell, of Berrien Springs, by whom she has one child, Letha.

Elden C. Harner, the only son of the family, acquired a district-school education and afterward continued his studies in the Berrien Springs high school, from which he was graduated. He next became a student in the state normal school at Ypsilanti, where he completed his course by graduation in 1900. He then taught in the Benton Harbor high school for a year after which he engaged in the real estate and insurance business, opening an office in I90'2. Here he has built up a good clientage and has thoroughly informed himself concerning realty values, so that he is qualified to bring to his patrons a knowledge of property which they desire, or to effect sales where one wishes to dispose of realty.

Mr. Harner was married in 1902 to Miss Mary Comstock of Ypsilanti, a daughter of Charles Comstock of that city. They are prominent socially and the hospitality of many of the best homes of Benton Harbor is freely accorded them. In politics Mr. Harner is a Democrat, and is now serving as a member of the county board of school examiners. He is a young man of strong intellectual force and of acquired ability, ambitious and energetic, and his laudable determination to win success has been one of the salient and commendable features in his business career.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

MICHAEL F. HARNER. Among the old settlers of Oronoko township is numbered Michael F. Harner, who lives on section 30, and who was born in Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, January 23, 1830, so that he has now passed the seventy-sixth milestone on the journey of life. His father, John Harner, was likewise born in the Keystone State, as was his wife, who bore the maiden name of Susan Haney. After living for some time in Pennsylvania they removed to Summit county, Ohio, and in the year 1838 came to Berrien county, Michigan, settling in Lake township, where the father entered land from the government. The fact that much of this land was still unclaimed by resident settlers shows that the work of improvement and development had scarcely been begun. With characteristic energy he undertook the task of clearing his place that the sunlight might shine down upon the plowed fields and ripen into harvests the grain which he had planted. Year by year he continued the work of improvement upon his farm and found there a comfortable home up to the time of his death, which occurred when he was in his seventy-ninth year. His wife passed away at about the same age. Unto them had been born three sons and three daughters, all of whom reached their maturity and with one exception are still living.

Michael F. Harner is the eldest son and second child. He was a lad of eight summers at the time of the arrival of the family in Berrien county and here he has since made his home. When a boy he pursued his studies in a log schoolhouse of the early day, attending through the winter months, while in the summer seasons he aided in the farm work. Lie early took his place in the fields and soon became familiar wath the task of plowing, planting and harvesting. He continued upon the home farm, assisting in its development up to the time of his marriage and then removed to the farm upon which he now resides on section 30, Oronoko township.

Mr. Harner was joined in wedlock to Miss Frances Morris, and unto them were born six children, who are yet living: Almeda, the wife of Harry Myers; Fred, of Galien township; Lydia, the wife of Walter Schultz; Ora, the wife of Delvin Fisher, a sailor on the lakes; Edward, of Galien township; and Linnie, the wife of George Miller, of Oronoko township.

Mr. Harner has a farm of one hundred and five acres but now rents his fields. His property is the visible evidence of his life of thrift and labor and in addition to his home place he has assisted in clearing two other farms in the county. He cleared all his own farm except five acres, and thus he has contributed in substantial measure to the material development of this part of the state. Both he and his wife are members of the Evangelical Church and are a most worthy pioneer couple, respected and honored by young and old, rich and poor. His residence in Berrien county covers sixty-eight years and he relates many interesting incidents of the early days.

Mr. Harner has one of the old parchment deeds executed August 14, 1839, by President Martin Van Buren which is one of the souvenirs of the old days. They have one of the old double coverlets, the material for which was spun by Mr. Harner s mother, and they have a peter dish, which is near a century old, also an old flax hatcher ninety years old.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.