The Harrises of Hidlay: Part 1

On February 10, 2015, I wrote an article about my great great grandfather’s brother and his family. Samuel Hagenbuch was born in 1806 and lived on what became a six generation family farm in Columbia County, Pennsylvania near Hidlay Church, which was one of the first Hagenbuch churches in Pennsylvania. It would be advantageous to read that article before reading this one, which is a continuation of Samuel and Susanna (Hess) Hagenbuch’s descendants through the Harris family.

This update is long overdue as the Harris family were just as prodigious for the history of Hidlay Church and that area of Columbia County as were the Hagenbuchs. What brought this update about, unfortunately, was the recent death of Ann (Harris) Brandt, the historian for this Hagenbuch/Harris family. Ann died in August of last year. Her great niece, Julie (Harris) Charlton contacted me several weeks ago and wanted me to have photos and family histories which Ann had collected. Thanks to Julie and Ann for these additions to the Hagenbuch Archives and for providing more material about this family.

Ann (Harris) Brandt at the grave of Phillip Harris in Luzerne County, PA. Phillip was the father of Frank Crawford Harris.

Julie’s family line is: Andreas (b. 1715) > Michael (b. 1746) > Henry (b. 1772) > Samuel (b. 1806) > Lydia (Hagenbuch) Stahl (b. 1851, m. William Stahl [b.1840]) > Susan (Stahl) Harris (b. 1880, m. Frank Crawford Harris [b.1880]) > Paul Franklin Harris (b. 1917) > Earl Richard Harris (b. 1948) > Julie (Harris) Charlton. Ann (Harris) Brandt’s line follows the same except that Ann’s father, Walter James (b. 1910), was a brother to Julie’s grandfather, Paul Franklin Harris.

Samuel Hagenbuch’s daughter, Lydia, married William Stahl in 1870. They had seven children one of which was Susan Alberta Stahl (b. 1880). William and Lydia farmed the ground that her father, Samuel, had owned and they lived in the same house. William served throughout most of the Civil War. He was with the 178th Pennsylvania Infantry from October of 1862 to July of 1863. Then from 1864 to 1865 he served with the Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery and was a prisoner of war during some of that time. His story as a soldier needs to be told!

Family of William and Lydia (Hagenbuch) Stahl (seated at the center). Their children (left to right): Susan, Anna, Elsie, Edward, Myron “Earl”, and Harrison, c. 1895

Lydia died in 1908 and William in 1915. They are buried at Hidlay Church Cemetery. Their daughter, Susan Alberta (b. 1880), married Frank Crawford Harris in 1903. According to the 1910 census, they were farming—the same farm that was passed from the Hagenbuchs to the Stahls and then to the Harris family. Susan and Frank had nine children: John Phillip—who went by Phillip (b. 1905), Martha Blanche (b. 1906), Sterling Richard (b. 1908), Walter James (b. 1910), Ezra Warren (b. 1912), Fred Eugene (b. 1913), Elsie May (b. 1915), Paul Franklin (b. 1917), and Earl Joseph (b. 1920). These Harrises, as with the Hagenbuchs of the 19th century, dominated the congregation of Hidlay Church through to the present. The numerous photos that Julie Charlton sent me highlight that Frank Crawford was a key figure in the Harris family: the patriarch!

The Frank Crawford and Susan (Stahl) Harris family. Standing: Frank, Walter, Sterling, John Phillip, Ezra. Seated: Martha, Fred, Elsie, Susan. Front: Paul, Earl. c. 1930

Frank and Susan Harris’s oldest child, J. Phillip, married Edna Hoch in 1933. They purchased the family farm from Frank and Susan, although brother Paul had been making the payments on it. Phillip died in 1998 and is buried at Hidlay Cemetery. Martha (b. 1906, d. 2005) married Marshall VanScoten and is buried at Tioga Point Cemetery, Bradford County, PA. Sterling (b. 1908, d. 2000) married Florence Kelchner. He was a tool maker and repairman for the railroad located in Columbia County. He is buried at Hidlay. Walter (b. 1910, d. 1997) married Gladys Reece. Walter was a farmer and his daughter is Ann, who was the Harris family genealogist. Water and Gladys are buried at Hidlay. Ezra (b. 1912, d. 2001) married Gladys Jones. Ezra served in the Philippines during World War II. Afterwards, he and Gladys lived in Bloomsburg, PA and Ezra worked for a fire insurance company. They are also buried at Hidlay.

Sterling and Walter Harris with a team of horses, c. 1935

Fred (b. 1913, d. 1951) married Bernice Neufer. Fred worked as a high school janitor and died when he was 38 of heart disease. Bernice remarried after Fred’s death, but she is buried with him at Hidlay. Elsie (b. 1915, d. 2010) married LaRue Derr and they lived in Highspire, Dauphin County, PA. They are buried at Hidlay. Paul (b. 1917, d. 2006) married Geraldine Neufer who was a sister to Bernice Neufer. Paul was in the process of purchasing the family farm from his parents, Frank and Susan Harris, when he was drafted for service in World War II. Paul served his country in Africa during the war. That’s when Phillip purchased the farm.

Lt. Earl Joseph Harris who was killed in action in the Philippines during World War II, c. 1944

In 1950, Paul and Geraldine were living in Williamsport, PA where he was working as a “counter secretary.” Previous to that, they were living and farming in the Hidlay Church area. They are buried at Hidlay. Earl (b. 1920, d. 1945) was an Army Second Lieutenant and was killed during World War II at Cebu—an island in the Philippines. He is buried at Hidlay as well.

Hidlay Church, where Andrew and I hope to have the Hagenbuch reunion in June of 2024, was peppered with Hagenbuchs in the early days. More than 50 Hagenbuchs are buried in the cemetery and over 20 Harrises are buried there too. The church is a very important part of our family history. Part 2 on the Harris family will tell the story of the generations that followed the children of Frank and Susan (Stahl) Harris.

Frank Harris family. Standing: Phillip, Ezra, Walter, Sterling, and Paul. Seated: Martha, Frank, and Elsie, 1965