HARMON, Ransom John

HARMON, RIPLEY, SHANE, GOODRICH, ELPHIANSTONE, BORT, STALEY, MARTZ

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 1/28/2014 at 10:30:36

History of Decatur County Iowa and Its People
Illustrated, Volumne II.

Prof. J. M. Howell and Heman C. Smith
Supervising Editors

The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company. Pp. 314-15. Chicago. 1915.

RANSOM JOHN HARMON

Ransom J. Harmon, who passed away on the 29th of August, 1910, was one of the leading brick mason contractors of Decatur county and built a large number of the brick buildings in Davis City. He was born in Niagara county, New York, on the 16th of June, 1830, a son of Benjamin and Clarice (Ripley) Harmon, likewise natives of the Empire state. They removed to Nebraska when that state was largely a frontier district and the father engaged in farming there for many years. He passed away in 1894 and his widow died eleven years later.

Ransom J. Harmon was reared and educated in Wisconsin, having left home when but a boy and removed to Wisconsin, where he resided with an aunt. On the 29th of April, 1861, while visiting another aunt who resided in Minneapolis, he enlisted in the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, and on the 21st of July, of that year, took part in the first battle of Bull Run. He was wounded but was not incapacitated for duty at the front for very long and was with the colors for three years, being mustered out on the 5th of May, 1864. He went to Illinois and in the fall of that year was there married. He and his wife continued to reside in that state for a decade, but in 1874 located in Davis City, Decatur county, Iowa, where he followed his trade, that of a brick mason, until his demise. He was recognized as an expert workman and it was known that lie invariably lived up to his contract and as the years passed he gained a larger and larger patronage. He erected the greater number of the brick buildings in Davis City and his work has stood the test of time, as the buildings are still in good condition. His demise, which occurred on the 29th of Auoust, 1910, when he was seventy-five years of age, was sincerely mourned by many.

On the 22d of October, 1864, Mr. Harmon Mas married to Mrs. Mary A. (Shane) Goodrich, the widow of Charles Goodrich, by whom she had two children: Lizzie, the wife of A. Elphinstone, of Chicago, Illinois; and Etta, who married C. C. Bort, of Omaha, Nebraska. Her parents were Frederick and Elizabeth (Staley) Shane, natives respectively of Germany and of Pennsylvania. The father, who was by occupation a carriage trimmer, came to America in early manhood and located in Pennsylvania, where he followed his trade until his demise, which occurred in 1843. His wife died in February, 1904. Mr. and Mrs. Harmon became the parents of seven children: William R., a dentist who is now living retired at Los Angeles, California; Harry, a dentist of Des Moines, who also conducts an office at Cedar Rapids; Edna, who died March 8, 1899; Arthur, a dentist located at Cleo, Oklahoma; James, a dentist, who is practicing at Cedar Rapids, Iowa; George, a dentist, who is at Coats, Kansas; and Alice, the wife of S. G. Martz, a locomotive engineer who has a run between Battle Creek, Michigan, and Chicago.

Mr. Harmon was a republican and took a commendable interest in everything relating to the public welfare. His religious faith was that of the Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints, to which he belonged. He found much pleasure in association with his old army comrades in the Grand Army of the Republic and throughout his life manifested the same spirit of devotion to the general good that caused him in his early manhood to go to the defense of the Union.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, January of 2014