Benjamin Harrison

HARRISON WALKER PORSCH HIGDAY

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 8/26/2010 at 21:49:40

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

Benjamin Harrison
By Lois Harrison Denham

Benjamin Harison, son of Oscar Harrison, 1864-1939, and Laura Angeline Walker, 1874-1938, was born January 22, 1901 at Mountain Grove, Missouri, in the home of his maternal grandparents. He was the sixth of seven children.

Soon after Ben was born the family returned to the Harrison Farm in Banner Township, Woodbury County, Iowa, where little ‘Benny’ grew up with his brothers, Thomas, Howard, Carl, William and Everett. Elmer the first-born, died before age two.

On August 24, 1920, Ben married Clara J Porsch, daughter of Henry Porsch, 1867-1951, and Ranah Edith Higday, 1872-1954. Clara, at the time she and Ben met, was teaching the Harrison School. The young couple moved into the small house located north of the family home. One daughter, Lois Fay, was born to this marriage, August 15, 1921.

Ben continued farming with his fatehr until the spring of 1929 when he and Clara purchased 160 acres of land a mile south of the home farm. Here they lived out their days together. Lois grew up, graduated from high school, went away to college, became a teacher, taught a few years, and in 1944, married Douglas D Foster of Moville, Iowa. Douglas died of polio in 1952 and Lois married Ray Denham in 1965. Lois and Douglas had one daughter, Virginia Fay, born December 4, 1946.

Ben and Clara continued farming until 1970, when they rented the land to Boren Parks for cash rent. Ben and Clara continued to enjoy life in the country. Both were good neighbors, always willing to lend a helping hand wherever and whenever needed.

Clara suffered a series of heart attacks and eventually succumbed to one September 18, 1971. Clara was a good wife and loving mother. She was a good manager and a good cook. She worked right along side Ben through the years, gardening, milking cows, shocking grain, picking corn, caring for the chickens, feeding hogs, canning and doing whatever was necessary each day.

Clara’s death was a great shock to Ben. He was lost without her and ever so lonely. He married Mattie M Hayhurst, a former sister-in-law (Thomas Harrison’s second wife) on November 5, 1972. Soon after the marriage, it was discovered that Mattie had a cancerous tumor of the brain. Although she underwent surgery, it was impossible to remove the entire tumor and Mattie was left somewhat disabled, in that her left side was partially paralyzed. However, through therapy and sheer determination, Mattie was able to walk with a cane and care for herself. Ben and Mattie flew to California to visit relatives for several weeks in the spring of 1973. Upon returning home, Mattie’s condition deteriorated and she spent the last months of her life bedfast. She died August 27, 1973 at St Joseph Hosptal, Sioux City, Iowa.

During Mattie’s illness Ben developed cancer of the pancreas, but was able to remain active until the spring of 1974. He was in and out of the hospital several times. He died August 17, 1974 at the home of his son-in-law and daughter, Ray and Lois Denham.

Ben was an easy going mad and although he suffered great pain and discomfort during his illness he never complained. As a young man he played baseball with the Banner Township Team. In later years he bowled in league bowling at Moville, Iowa. He and Clara both enjoyed traveling in their later years. They took several fishing trips to Minnesota and Canada. They traveled extensively throughout the United States and went at least once on a short excursion to Mexico. Both were members of Rustin Avenue United Methodist Church, in Sioux City, Iowa, and both are buried in Banner Township Cemetery at Lawton, Iowa. Mattie is also buried in the same cemetery plot.