Harsh, John W.

HARSH

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 6/29/2021 at 11:43:41

History of Warren County, Iowa from Its Earliest Settlement to 1908, by Rev. W. C. Martin, Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago, Illinois, 1908, p.557

JOHN W. HARSH & SON
The firm of J. w. Harsh & Son, carpenters and contractors of New Virginia, has been prominently and successfully identified with the building interests of Warren County for many years. The senior member, John W. Harsh, was born in West Virginia, January 15, 1833, a son of John J. Harsh, likewise a native of that state. The latter drove across the country to Warren County, Iowa, in 1854 and took up a tract of government land west of the village, but later became a blacksmith, being one of the first followers of that vocation in Virginia township. His last days were spent in Clarke County, Iowa, at the home of his daughter, where he passed away at the age of eighty-eight years. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Sarah Woodring, was also born in West Virginia and accompanied her husband on his removal to Iowa. Her death occurred in Clarke County when she had attained the age of eighty-nine years. Of her family of eleven children seven survive, namely: J. W., of this review; Henry and Abraham, residents of Indianola, Iowa; Mrs. Elizabeth Kellen, of Squaw township; Mrs. Margaret E. Wolf, of Washington township; Mrs. Mary Ann Osgood, of Clarke County, Iowa, and Mrs. Ruth Ann Stark, of Oklahoma.
J. W. Harsh spent his boyhood days in the state of his nativity and acquired his education in the common schools. In 1855 he made his way to Missouri and on the 1st of January, 1856, came to Virginia Township, where he engaged in farming for a short time, and then became connected with the carpenter's trade. Hundreds of attractive structures throughout the surrounding country stand as monuments to his architectural skill and ability and he has erected more buildings than anyone else here. For a number of years he has been associated in business with his son, C. W., under the style of J. W. Harsh & Son, and they are well and favorably known throughout the county as men of excellent business ability and unfaltering integrity.
In Virginia township occurred the marriage of J. W. Harsh and Miss Mary Margaret Strock, a native of Pennsylvania and a sister of W. C. Strock, who is mentioned on another page of this volume. She has now attained the age of seventy-nine years and carefully reared five of her family of children. C. W., was born in New Virginia, obtained a public school education and learned the carpenter's trade under his father, with whom he has now been connected in business for many years. He wedded Miss Mary Kent, by whom he has one son, and they reside in a home which he erected and which is considered one of the finest dwellings in the village. Ida May, the wife of Jerry Brittan, makes her home in Minnesota. Daisy is the wife of John Stanchel, a real-estate dealer of New Virginia. Effie became the wife of J. C. Hackelby and lives in New Virginia. Winifred is the wife of G. W. Frazier, a blacksmith of New Virginia. Three children of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Harsh died in infancy.
Mr. Harsh was originally a whig in his political affiliation but on the dissolution of that party became a republican and has always been an active worker in its local ranks. He was postmaster of New Virginia during the Civil war, serving under the administrations of Buchanan, Lincoln and Johnson. He has likewise acted as township clerk, township trustee and as a member of the school board, being recognized by his fellow townsmen as an efficient public official. Both he and his wife have been lifelong and faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in the work of which they have been actively and helpfully interested. Though now past seventy-five years of age, he is still hale and hearty and is daily to be found attending to his business duties, displaying the enterprise and activity of a man of much younger years.