John H. Harmon (1922)

HARMON

Posted By: Pat Hochstetler (email)
Date: 3/3/2007 at 08:31:19

Winterset Madisonian - February 1922
Winterset, Iowa

JOHN H. HARMON DIES

Early Pioneer Who Helped Dig Backbone Tunnel, Dies in California

Tilman G. Harmon of Dryden, Ore., writes to the Madisonian the following letter, which will recall to the older settlers of Madison county, the Harmon family, who were prominent in early days.

Dryden, Ore., Feb. 12, 1922
Editor of the Winterset Madisonian:

I will report for publication the sad news of the death of one of the old pioneers of Madison county, John H. Harmon, who passed away on Feb. 4th, at the age of 84 years, at his home in Los Gatos, Calif. For a year he was in failing health, and gradually weakened. He visited me last August. He was four years older than I am, as I was 80 last month.

We, with our father and family, settled near Winterset in October, 1846 and were there before the townsite was laid out and saw the first house built. Two years later, we moved out to the Backbone, and later on, we put the tunnel through the hill. I am Tilman G. Harmon, the youngest son and the only one of the Harmon family living, out of five sons and three daughters. I will send a picture of Brother John and myself, taken recently. The one on the left is John. If any old pioneer sees this letter, I would be glad if they would write to me.

Respectfully,

Tilman G. Harmon

(Picture included in article)