Thomas & Elsie Belle Harrison

HARRISON MOORE WALKER DEWITT

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 8/26/2010 at 22:07:23

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

Thomas and Elsie Belle Moore Harrison
By Loraine E Washburn

Thomas ‘Tom’ Harrison was born 24 October 1894 on the Harrison farm, section eleven, of Banner Township, Woodbury County, the son of Oscar and Laura Angeline (Walker) Harrison. He grew up on this farm, and attended school at Banner No. 1, the rural school in the same section. He rented the Robert Moore farm until after the birth of his first child. Tom married (1) Elsie Belle Moore on 30 December 1914 at Lawton, Iowa. Sometime between 1916 and 1918 Tom and Belle moved to near Aylesbury, Saskatchewan, Canada, raising mostly wheat. Tom continued to farm here until he retired, but during many of the winter months they would return to Iowa, after all but the youngest child were out of school. During some of these winters, Tom was employed at Harrison Implement of Sioux Ctiy, a firm owned by his brother, Everett. After retirement Tom and his second wife, Mattie M Hayhurst Lalumendre, lived in Sioux City where he passed away on 22 July 1967. Tom and both of his wives are buried at Banner Township Cemetery.

Elsie Belle Moore was born 17 October 1894, at Sloan, Woodbury County, Iowa, the daughter of Robert O and Margaret Annis (DeWitt) Moore. The Moore family later moved to Section eighteen of Banner Township. Belle’s sister, Ethel, married Tom’s brother, Howard. Belle passed away 28 November 1944, in Sioux City, Iowa.

Tom and Belle were parents of four children. Evalyn Jewell was born 16 July 1916 at the Moore farm in Banner Township. She attended school in Canada. She married (1) 23 January 1940 at Dakota City, Nebraska, Elmer Loyd Stoneking, born 1906, in Woodbury County; he died there in 1964 and is buried in Banner Township. Elmer and Jewell lived in Sioux City for a time, where he worked for the Serum Company, later they moved to Lawton and he was a long-time Woodbury County Maintainance man. Jewell was employed at a Sioux City hospital for a time, and then was married (2) 24 October 1966 to Robert Kempton Township. Jewell, now retired, continues to reside in Lawton. Jewell and Elmer were parents of one son, Thomas Clinton, born 9 December 1940 in Sioux City. He married Mary Anderson and had one stepdaughter and three daughters: Dawn, 1964, Illinois; Devin Lea, 1966, Illinois; Dana Lynn, 1967, Aleutian Islands or Alaska; and Tara Charlene, 1969, Hawaiian Islands. Tom was a Navy career man, now retired; he lived in California a long time.

Doris Eileen Harrison was born 26 May 1918, Aylesbury, Saskatchewan, Canada. She attended schools thre. She became a teacher, and taught in Woodbury County, on of the schools was Banner No. 1. She was married 7 March 1946 at Chicago, Illinois, to Arnold Jean Abrams. They lived for a long time in Chicago, Arnold being an accountant there. They later moved to Los Angeles, wehre they still reside. Doris and Arnold are parents of three daughters all born in Chicago, Illinois; Loralee Anne, 4 May 1948; Eileen Gail, 22 November 1949; and Marilyn Jeanne, 3 August 1954.

Thomas Lawrence ‘Bud’ Harrison was born 27 February 1920 at Aylesburg, Saskatchewan, Canada and attended schools there. As a youth he was a part of the CCC program in Iwoa, and he also worked on farms in Banner Atownship. During WWII he served in the Navy and remained in for twenty years. After his retirement from the Navy he spent sixteen years in Civil Service. He is now retired. He and his wife have lived for many years in San Diego, California. He was married 21 April 1951 in Los Angeles to Lucile Virginia Garrison, born 1918 in Colorado. She is a real estate agent. Bud and Lucile have no children.

Robert Oscar ‘Bob’ Harrison was born 13 April 1924, at Aylesbury, Saskatchewan, Canada. He attended elementary school thre, and was a graduated of Lawton High in Woodbury County in 1942. He served WWII in the Army, in Africa, Italy and Germany. He was married 24 July 1948 at LeMars, Iowa to Agnes May Faller, born 26 February 1926, South Dakota, and they lived in Sioux City where he was a postal employee. He died 1 February 1957, and is buried in Banner Township Cemetery.

Bob and Agnes had two sons: Roland Lee, born 10 Decembe 1948 in Sioux City; and Randall Lyn, born 17 September 1954 in Sioux City. After Bob’s death, Agnes moved to California. Both boys are now married.
Thomas ‘Tom’ Harrison married (2) 6 April 1957 at Dakota City, Nebraska, to Mattie M Hayhurst Lalumendre, who was born 6 May 1912 in Missouri. She was employed for many years at a Sioux City Hospital. After Tom’s death, Mattie remarried to Tom’s widowed brother, Ben. Mattie died 27 August 1973 at Sioux City and is buried beside Ben and his first wife in Banner Township Cemetery. Mattie had a son and daughter by her first marriage, James, and Mrs Charles ‘Ruth Lalumendre’ Anderson.

Thom was an avid reader and amateur photographer. He had traveled quite a lot in the United States. This combination of interests made him an enjoyable conversationalish. In earlier years he played some on the piano and violin.