Last updated July 13, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Family Story<\/strong> –<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Monday, February 7, 1876, Charity\n(Street) Harper died in the county of Halimand, North Cayuga, Ontario, Canada,\nat the age of 28 years, 10 months, 25 days of childbirth fever.[1]<\/a> She left behind her husband, John Harper, and\n4 young children: Frances age 7, John\nage 4, William age 2, and infant George. \nBy 1881, the four children were living with Charity\u2019s mother, Lucy\nStreet.[2]<\/a> The Canadian census for that year makes no\nmention of the children\u2019s father. This\nyoung family could easily have disappeared into the dustbin of history,\nparticularly since the family was \u201ccolored\u201d. \nFortunately, that was not the case. \nAnd this is William\u2019s story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Canfield,\nHalimand County, Ontario<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to\nWikipedia, the county of Halimand, Ontario, was opened for general settlement\nin 1832. The land comprising Halimand County\nwas surrendered by the Six\nNations<\/a> to the English Crown in an agreement that was signed in\n1844. Cayuga was incorporated in 1859, and became the county seat\nfor Haldimand County. William\u2019s maternal\nand paternal grandparents were among the early settlers in the village of\nCanfield near Cayuga in Halimand County.[3]<\/a> Canfield was originally known\nas \u201cAzoff\u201d, having been named after a town in Russia. The town was later renamed Canfield after Mr.\nCanfield who was a carpenter and the first post master in the village.[4]<\/a> In\n1851 the census records for Cayuga (which would have included the area of\nCanfield) show less than 140 black residents. The path of the Underground Railroad ran deep\ninto Ontario, and is likely that some of William\u2019s grandparents were \u201cbaggage\u201d[5]<\/a> on the Underground\nRailroad (the code word for fugitive slaves carried by the Underground\nRailroad). Of the American\nslaves that escaped to Canada via the Underground Railroad the largest group\nsettled in Ontario.[6]<\/a>\n Canfield was a wilderness area that, in the early part\nof the nineteenth century, provided the gift of obscurity for those who needed\nit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n William\u2019s Parents\n[Attach<\/em> census\nrecords]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n William A. Harper was born in or near Canfield,\non December 27, 1873[7]<\/a>, to Charity (Street) Harper\n(1847 \u2013 1876)[8]<\/a>\nand John Harper (abt. 1847 – 1921[9]<\/a>). Both of William\u2019s parents were born in Canada[10]<\/a>. The map of \u201cNorth Cayuga Township, Azoff\nVillage From Halimand County 1879, published by H.R. Page and Co. in 1879\u201d\nshows that the Street and Harper properties, where each his mother and father\nwould have grown up, were located just outside of Canfield, and were separated\nby a single neighbor. [Attach map] <\/em>William\u2019s\nfather is listed in the 1871 census as a farmer.[11]<\/a> In 1871, William had three siblings, Frances\n(abt. 1869 – ?), John Wesley (1871-1914), and George (abt. 1874 – ?).[12]<\/a> Charity died when William was just over 2\nyears old of childbirth fever. Childbirth fever, also known as childbed fever or puerperal fever\nwas commonplace in the 1800\u2019s. There is\nno information regarding the fifth unnamed infant who must have died at birth\nor shortly thereafter with Charity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n John re-married a year and a half\nlater. The record of Ontario, Canada, Marriages,\nshows that on October 4, 1877, John married Maria Laron in the County of\nNorfolk, Town of Simcoe.[13]<\/a> Maria was 21, and John was 30. John\u2019s parents are listed as John Harper and\n\u201cOnner Harper\u2019, one of many spellings of his mother\u2019s name. See discussion below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although John re-married, he apparently\ndid not have the care of his young children. \nIn the 1881 Canadian census, 8 year old William is listed with his three\nsiblings as living with his maternal grandmother, Lucy Street, and several of\nher children. Lucy is listed as a\nwidow. William\u2019s father does not appear\non the 1881 census, and his location at that time is unclear. Given that William and his brother John joined\nhis father some years later in Illinois, it is possible that he may have\nalready immigrated to the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What happened to William\u2019s older sister\nand younger brother, Frances and George, is unknown. They have not been found\nin the subsequent Canadian census in Cayuga, nor are they listed in available\ndeath records for Cayuga. Similarly, no\nmention of either has been found in any census survey in Illinois, where their\nfather and brothers migrated. Moreover, neither are mentioned in any article\nabout William, nor are they listed in his obituary, William\u2019s father and\nbrother John being noted as his only surviving relatives. A possible reference to George is found in\nthe Decatur, Illinois city directory of 1893, the year of John\u2019s marriage in\nDecatur, which records a \u201cHarper George (col\u2019d), lab 467 W. Main\u201d. Additional research is needed to determine whether\nthis is in fact brother George. Similarly, a possible reference to Frances may\nbe contained in an article entitled \u201cPraise Work of Negro Artist from Decatur\u201d\nin the Decatur Daily Review, dated November 25, 1927, which references Harper\u2019s\n\u201csister\u201d who worked as a maid for the mother of A. F. Wilson (Mrs. Harry\nHaines, formerly Mary Judy Wilson) in Decatur. \nGiven that neither census records nor newspaper articles of the time\nfrom Decatur mention a Frances Harper, and given certain other inaccuracies\nrelative to Harper in the article, it may be that the maid discussed was in\nfact Harper\u2019s sister-in-law Eliza. <\/em>Again,\nadditional research is required to determine the identity of this\n\u201csister\u201d. [Continue research.]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n William\u2019s Maternal Grandparents [Attach\nStreet Escape Account, Street Family Record, and property map]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Charity (Street) Harper\u2019s parents were\nLucy (Canada) Street (1814 – ?) and Stepney (also Stephana, Stephen) Street\n(1808 – 1879).[14]<\/a> They were married May 4, 1833, shortly after\narriving in Canada.[15]<\/a> A written account survives, believed to have\nbeen given by Henrietta Street, the eldest daughter of Lucy and Stepney, describing\nher parents\u2019 early lives in West Virginia and their escape to Canada.[16]<\/a> A copy of that account can be found in theHaldimand County Museum Archive, Edinburgh Square\nHeritage & Cultural Centre. According to that account, Lucy was born\nin Parkers Burgh, West Virginia, and was owned by a family named \u201cBeckweth\u201d. Regarding the Beckweth family, Henrietta stated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMother often said that they were not treated\nlike slaves, but she could not bear the thought of not belonging to herself,\nespecially, we Three Children. Our names\nwere, as follows: Henrietta Street,\nEllen Elizabeth, and Andrew Clark\u2026The lady was Miss. Jane Beckweth, Miss Mary\nand Mandy and Penelophy Beckweth and Two sons, Barnes and Albert, they were all\nvery kind, but that did not suffice.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lucy\u2019s parents are listed as Arion\nKeneday and Milla Canada. [More\ninformation?]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Stepney belonged to another individual, and\nlived about seven miles away from Lucy. \nAccording to the account, <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHis Master was about to sell him when\nhe ran away, travelling under the name of Frank Hammond, fought his way out of\nthe hands of the oppressor and fled to the Land of Freedom, landing in Canada,\nat Windsor. Father left his Master\u2019s\nabout six weeks before Mother and three children followed him, her two Brothers\nand a fellow servant named Nero Bansom, he being so white in complexion that he\ncould venture out to the near houses to seek aid while we lay in a hiding place\nwhile he found friends until we arrived in Astibula.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n In Astibula[17]<\/a> they boarded a schooner,\nlanding in Point Abino, Canada. Point\nAbino is located just west of Buffalo, N.Y.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Henrietta, they: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201csettled in the neighbourhood of Bertie,\nthen Mother advertised for Father and he came at once. In a short time, the family moved to a farm\nnear St. Catherines owned by one Peter Smith. \nThere they were converted and baptized by Elder Christian of Toronto and\nbecame members of the Zion Church in St. Catherines, so in time they moved to\nGrand River with the intention of making a home there, and there they found the\nsame God that had brought them from the land of boundage and in that humble\ncabin they erected an altar to the Almighty God to whom they served with Four\nothers, John Taylor, Rosana Allan, Robert Bailey and Kisie Allan. Then at the age of Nineteen, Mother and\nFather were married, he was Twenty-six years old.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n By 1851, Lucy and Stepney were living in\nthe Township of North Cayuga with their nine children: Henrietta, Ellen, Andrew, Eliza, George,\nWilliam, Charity (William\u2019s mother), Emelia, and David. The 1851 Census of Canada East, Canada West,\nNew Brunswick, and Nova Scotia reports Stepney as a farmer, shows the family as\nBaptist, and notes their dwelling as a one story log cabin. They are marked as \u201cColored\npersons \u2013 Negroes\u201d [18]<\/a>.\n According to an article in the Hamilton\nSpectator[19]<\/a>,\nLucy and Stepney were among the first black settlers in Cayuga. Stepney and Lucy went on to have three more\nchildren Martha, Josephine, and Sarah (who died at birth), for a total of\nthirteen.[20]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Charity\u2019s family seems to have been a\nfamily of some standing. According to\nthe 1861 Agricultural Census of Canada, Charity\u2019s father, Stephey Street, owned\n141 acres of land of which 35 acres were under crops, 5 acres were under\npasture, and one acre was under \u201corchard or garden\u201d. The balance was \u201cunder wood or wild\u201d.[21]<\/a> The value of the total acreage was placed at\n$3000, not an inconsequential amount at that time. This property is located just outside\n(southwest) of Canfield, and is listed on the map of \u201cNorth Cayuga Township,\nAzoff Village From Halimand County 1879, published by H.R. Page and Co. in\n1879\u201d with the name \u201cStepheney Street\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stepney last appears in the 1871\nCanadian Census. By the 1881 Canadian\nCensus, Lucy is listed as a widow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Religion played an important role in the\nStreet lives. The Streets held church\nservices initially in their log cabin, but by 1857 Stepney and Lucy had donated\nland for the construction of a log chapel to serve specifically as the church. The church became part of the Niagara Baptist\nAssociation, and welcomed non-blacks into the congregation. The Streets later donated land for a brick\nand mortar church to replace the log chapel which opened in 1882. [22]<\/a> Stepney died before the building was\ncompleted, but Lucy was present for the opening. Cemetery plots for Lucy and Stepney and other\nStreet family members can be found at the site of the old church, which is now\na private residence.[23]<\/a> Given that William and his siblings were\nliving with Lucy in 1881, it may well be that he was present for the opening of\nthis church which formed such an integral part of his grandparents\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [Information on Charity\u2019s siblings? See marriages on Street Family Record.]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n William\u2019s Paternal Grandparents<\/p>\n\n\n\n Searching the Canadian records in\nCayuga, the only John Harper of the approximate right age to be William\u2019s\nfather appears in the 1851 Census of Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick,\nand Nova Scotia. That census shows a \u201cJohn\nHarper\u201d, age 6, which would mean a birth date of approximately 1845. It is probably reasonable to assume that this\nJohn is William\u2019s father allowing for the discrepancies in reporting created by\nbirthdays falling early in the year vs. late in the year as relates to the\ntiming of any given census. <\/p>\n\n\n\n John\u2019s father (William\u2019s grandfather) had\nthe same name, and is listed in that 1851 census as John Harper. age 45\n(abt.1806 – ?). That census record notes\nthat he was born in the U.S. (To avoid\nconfusion, John\u2019s father is hereinafter referred to as \u201cGrandpa John\u201d). John\u2019s siblings are listed as: James age 10, Anne D. age 4, and Henry A. age\n2, all born in Canada. Grandpa John and\nthe four children are marked in the 1851 census as \u201cColored persons \u2013\nNegroes\u201d. John\u2019s mother, however, was\nnot so marked. She is listed as Honour,\nage 34, and born in England (abt. 1817). In other words, she was most likely white.[24]<\/a> Given the birth year of their eldest child\nJames (about 1841), Grandpa John and Honour were together in Canada at least by\n1841. The family religion is listed as\n\u201cMethodist African E\u201d, and their home is noted as a one-story log cabin.[25]<\/a> John and Honour would have two more children,\nZach (or Zachariah) and Owen, for a total of 6 children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [Information on how each Honour and John\ngot to Canada?]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n By the time of the 1861 Census of\nCanada, Grandpa John is listed as a 58 year old widower. The census lists the following children living\nwith Grandpa John: Henry age 9, Zach age\n7, and Owen age 3. Owen\u2019s age means that\nHonour died sometime after 1858 when Owen was born, but before 1861. John, who would have been 14 of 15 at the time,\ndoes not appear in that census.<\/p>\n\n\n\n James, John\u2019s older brother, likewise does\nnot appear in the 1861 census, but a marriage record exists recording his\nmarriage on December 1863, to Hannah L. Smith.[26]<\/a> His parents are listed as \u201cJohn Harper\u201d and\n\u201cHannah Clothyer\u201d. This is the first appearance of Honour\u2019s maiden name in the\nrecords. Honour\u2019s name is alternatively\nwritten in Canadian records related to the family as \u201cOnner\u201d[27]<\/a>, \u201cHonor\u201d[28]<\/a>, \u201cHannah Clothyer\u201d[29]<\/a>, \u201cHonor Clothier\u201d [30]<\/a>, and \u201cHannah Harper\u201d[31]<\/a> James would go on to serve as a private for\nthe Union in the U.S. Civil War (see section regarding James below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 1861 Agricultural Census for Grandpa\nJohn indicates that he owned 100 acres, of which 22 were \u201cunder crops\u201d, 8 were\n\u201cunder pasture\u201d, and 70 were \u201cunder wood or wild\u201d. The value of the total acreage was placed at\n$1,000.[32]<\/a> This property is located just outside\n(southwest) of Canfield, and is listed on the map of \u201cNorth Cayuga Township,\nAzoff Village From Halimand County 1879, published by H.R. Page and Co. in\n1879\u201d with the name \u201cJ. Harper\u201d. Grandpa\nJohn does not appear in the 1871 census.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As if the spelling differences in\nHonour\u2019s name were not confusing enough, a U.S. Census was taken in Decatur,\nIllinois in 1920 during the last year of John Harper\u2019s (William\u2019s father) life\nwhich introduces a question as to Honour\u2019s place of birth. That census lists John\u2019s parents as having both\nbeen born in Maryland[33]<\/a>. This may have been correct as to Grandpa John\n(although no corroborative evidence has been found), but the 1851 Canadian\ncensus and at least one subsequent marriage record lists Honour\u2019s place of birth\nas England. There is no indication from\nwhom the information in the 1920 census was obtained, but it must have been\neither from John or his daughter-in-law, Eliza Harper[34]<\/a>, who also lived in\nDecatur at that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other Family Members – William\u2019s Uncle: James Nelson Harper [<\/em>Attach military records]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n On March 9, 1865, at the age of 24,\nWilliam\u2019s uncle James Harper enlisted in the 38th<\/sup> U.S. Colored\nInfantry as a substitute for George Cummings of Rochester, N.Y, who had been\npreviously drafted. During the\nCivil War a draftee who was sufficiently wealthy and could find a willing\nvolunteer could pay that volunteer to enlist in his place. Two legal documents accomplished that\nsubstitution: 1) a Declaration of\nSubstitute, and 2) a Substitute Volunteer Enlistment[35]<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the Declaration of Substitute, James\nis described as a laborer from Haldimand, Canada, having blue eyes, dark hair,\ndark complexion, and being 5\u2019 8\u201d tall. The\nSubstitute Volunteer Enlistment is signed by James, and details his\nobligations. James signed on as a\nprivate for three years \u201cunless sooner discharged by proper authority\u201d. He agreed to accept \u201csuch bounty, pay,\nrations, and clothing as are, or may be, established by law for soldiers.\u201d The Company Muster Roll for March and April\n1865 shows under Remarks: \u201cRecruit\namount on check book $662.49 Substitute\u201d, which must have been the amount that\nCummings paid James to take his place in the service. The salary for a Union private was $13.00 per\nmonth, for in June of 1864, Congress had granted equal pay to the U.S. Colored\ntroops.[36]<\/a> James first posting was in Virginia, where he\nwas \u201crec\u2019d from Depot\u201d in Varina, Virginia on March 17, 1865. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The 38th was organized\nin Virginia in 1864, and served in Virginia and North Carolina. On April 3,\n1865, the 38th<\/sup> occupied Richmond, and continued there through the\nend of the war and into May. It\nis not clear whether James saw any combat since the war officially ended on\nApril 1, 1865, when General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S.\nGrant. At the end of May 1865, the 38th moved to Texas,\nwhere it would stay for the balance of its time of service The unit saw duty in Brownsville and at various points on the Rio Grande, and in Brazos\nSantiago, Indianola and Galveston.[37]<\/a>.<\/em> [From internet \u2013 need to cite?]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n While\nin Texas, James would have been witness to an historic Texas event. When the Civil War ended, General Gordon Granger was given\ncommand of the District of Texas<\/a>.[38]<\/a>\n On June 19,\n1865, shortly after the arrival of the 38th<\/sup> in Texas, Granger issued\nfive general orders in Galveston establishing his authority over\nthe state of Texas, including General Order No. 3 which began with[39]<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a\nProclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights\nand rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection\ntherefore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A year later, in 1866, Juneteenth, the\ncelebration of the day that news of the emancipation proclamation (which was\nactually effective January 1, 1873) was announced in Texas, was celebrated for\nthe first time.[40]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n James served just one year in the\nmilitary. The Company Muster Roll for\nthe 38th<\/sup> states that James was discharged \u201cby reason of expiration\nof term of service\u201d on March 8, 1866. \nHis \u201cIndividual Muster-out Roll\u201d states that his muster-out date was\nMarch 9, 1986 in Brazos Santiago, Texas, and that he was due U.S. $8.03. Under \u201cRemarks\u201d it states, \u201cJoined Co. as\nrecruit March 15 1865, served as private to discharge. He retains his knapsack, haversack, canteen\nand Gt. Coat.\u201d Transportation and\nsustenance were furnished to Galveston, Texas. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n [<\/em>Insert family tree.]<\/em> [1]<\/a> Ontario,\nCanada, Deaths and Deaths Overseas, 1869-1947<\/p>\n\n\n\n [2]<\/a> 1881 Census of Canada<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n [3]<\/a> The Blacks of Haldimand County, Young Canada Works, 2005 Summer Research Project for Edinburgh Square\nHeritage and Cultural Centre, by Tracy Vandervliet Heritage Assistant, Oral\nHistorian, publication of the Halimand Museums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [4]<\/a> Courtesy\nof Sylvia Weaver, Canfield researcher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [5]<\/a>\nTerm for fugitive slaves carried the Underground Railroad workers. \u201cHarriet Tubman Historical Society\u201d – http:\/\/www.harriet-tubman.org\/underground-railroad-secret-codes\/<\/a>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n [6]<\/a>\nThe Wikipedia description of Cayuga (https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cayuga,_Ontario<\/a>)\nstates: \u201cOne of the termini for the Underground\nRailway<\/a> was St.\nCatharines<\/a>, Ontario<\/a>, which is\nabout 45 minutes northeast of Cayuga. Harriet Tubman<\/a>‘s nephew Lorne\nBarnes was the barber in Cayuga and was held out to the still-enslaved as an\nexample of the success to be found by escaping to Canada.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n [7]<\/a>\nObituary of William A. Harper, Bulletin of the Art Institute of Chicago\n(1907-1951), Vol. 4, No. 1 (July 1910), p. 11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [8]<\/a>\nDates from death record. See footnote\nNo. 1 above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [9]<\/a> 1871\nCensus of Canada put John\u2019s birth about 1850. \nThe 1910 US Federal Census listed his birthday as 1847. The date of death is from the Decatur,\nIllinois newspapers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [10]<\/a>\n1871 Census of Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [11]<\/a>\n1871 Census of Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [12]<\/a>\n1881 Census of Canada<\/p>\n\n\n\n [13]<\/a>\nOntario, Canada, Marriages 1826 \u2013 1938, https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/interactive\/7921\/ONMS932_24-1194\/2684121?backurl=https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/family-tree\/person\/tree\/162479921\/person\/172118536721\/facts<\/a>. Simcoe was located about 40 miles west of\nCanfield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [14]<\/a>\n1861 Census of Canada; Street Family Record from Betty Browne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [15]<\/a> Street Escape Account, on file with Haldimand County Museum\nArchive, Edinburgh Square Heritage & Cultural Centre. Street Family Record, from Betty Browne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [16]<\/a> Existence\nof document courtesy of Sylvia Weaver, Canfield researcher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [17]<\/a> There is\na town on Lake Erie called \u201cAshtibula\u201d which may be the name intended. <\/p>\n\n\n\n [18]<\/a>\n1851 Census of Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia<\/p>\n\n\n\n [19]<\/a>\nHamilton Spectator, \u201cTiny hamlet unveils rich history of welcoming runaway\nslaves in the 1800s\u201d, by Carmela Fragomeni, September 22, 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [20]<\/a>\n1851 Census of Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia; 1861\nCensus of Canada, 1871 Census of Canada; op. cit., Street Family Record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [21]<\/a>\n1861 Agricultural Census for Enumeration District No.1, of the Township of\nNorth Cayuga<\/p>\n\n\n\n [22]<\/a> African\nHope Renewed: Along the Grand River,\nby Angela E.M. Files, Brantford, ON: \nTaylor Made, 2004.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [23]<\/a>Ibid. The Blacks of Halimand County, op.\ncit.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n [24]<\/a>\nThe later 1920 US Federal Census, however lists\nJohn\u2019s parents as having both been born in Maryland. See discussion below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [25]<\/a> This Methodist connection may be the reason\none of John\u2019s sons (and William\u2019s brother) was named John Wesley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [26]<\/a>\nOntario, Canada, Country Marriage Registers, 1858-1869 for James Nelson Harper,\nDecember 19, 1863.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [27]<\/a> Ontario,\nCanada, Marriages 1826 \u2013 1938.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [28]<\/a>\nOntario, Canada County Marriage Registers, 1858-1869 for Ann D. Harper, June 5,\n1866.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [29]<\/a> Ontario,\nCanada, Country Marriage Registers, 1858-1869 for James Nelson Harper, December\n19, 1863.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [30]<\/a>\nOntario, Canada County Marriage Registers, 1858-1869 for Ann D. Harper, June 5,\n1866. Also Province of Ontario\nCertificate of Registration of Death lf Ann Delilah (Harper) Williams dated\nApril 2, 1934.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [31]<\/a>\nMarriage Record of October 8, 1874 for Zachariah Harper lists his parents as\nJohn and Hannah Harper. Ontario, Canada,\nMarriages, 1826-1937.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [32]<\/a>\n1861 Agricultural Census for Enumeration District No.3, of the Township of\nNorth Cayuga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [33]<\/a>\n1920 US Census<\/p>\n\n\n\n [34]<\/a> John\nwas predeceased by both of his sons, John (1914) and William (1910).<\/p>\n\n\n\n [35]<\/a> The National\nArchives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Compiled Military Service\nRecords of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served with the United States Colored\nTroops: Infantry Organizations, 36th through 40th<\/sup>.U.S., Colored Troops Military\nService Records, 1863-1865; National Archives, Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [36]<\/a>\n\u201cBlack Soldiers in the Civil War\u201d, National Archives, https:\/\/www.archives.gov\/education\/lessons\/blacks-civil-war\/equal-pay.html<\/a>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n [37]<\/a> http:\/\/lestweforget.hamptonu.edu\/page.cfm?uuid=9FEC3DB3-D102-3E59-BF307294B0AF60A0.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [38]<\/a> https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gordon_Granger<\/p>\n\n\n\n [39]<\/a> https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/story\/juneteenth-celebrating-the-end-of-slavery<\/p>\n\n\n\n [40]<\/a> \u201cLet\nFreedom Ring\u201d, Texas Highways, Michael Hurd, June 2020, p. 54. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Last updated July 13, 2020 Family Story – On Monday, February 7, 1876, Charity (Street) Harper died in the county of Halimand, North Cayuga, Ontario, Canada, at the age of 28 years, 10 months, 25 days of childbirth fever.[1] She left behind her husband, John Harper, and 4 young children: Frances age 7, John age … Continue reading “Family History”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.williamaharper.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.williamaharper.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.williamaharper.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.williamaharper.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.williamaharper.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=471"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.williamaharper.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":539,"href":"http:\/\/www.williamaharper.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471\/revisions\/539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.williamaharper.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.williamaharper.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.williamaharper.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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