Orson and the Quakers

It seems Mary Orson's family were Quakers. It's possible then that her meetinghouse still survives in York County.  See this Yorktown Square post., though this post on the divisions of York county (among Quakers, Germans, and Scots-Irish.) suggets maybe the Orsons lived away from the bulk of the Quakers.

Helen's Housemate in Foochow

From this(using the plain text):

"Grace Steinbeck, f l of A A A, is the Student Secretary of the Y. W. C. A. for Fukien Province, China, supported by the colleges of Ohio and West Virginia. She is a graduate of Leland Stanford University about I91Q, She was local Y. W. C. A. secretary at San Jose Normal School where she proved a great inspiration to the girls and they were loath to give her up. She was sent to China in 1916 by the girls in the colleges of Ohio and West Virginia to bring to Chinese women students the opportunities of an abundant life through the Christian Student Association. What has she accomplished?

(1 ) In the three years she has been in Foochow she has acquired a fair knowledge of the Chinese language and customs.

(2) Has taught Bible classes at a number of student conferences where there were gathered a large number of non-Christian women students, many of whom have since become conscientious students of the Christian faith.

(3) She has visited many government and mission schools in Fukien Province in the interest of Student Christian Association.

Miss Steinbeck lives with other missionaries in a cozy home on Black Rock Hill, Foochow City, Fukien Province, China. Any work addressed to her by any individual students or Associations would be greatly appreciated. She would be very happy to send any Chinese curious or helps for meetings upon personal request. A few cents usually covers cost and postage. Last spring the Foochow City Y. W. C. A. was organized and the students in the schools in Foochow have much contact with the City Association secretaries.

Miss Steinbeck has been in this country this winter and has been studying at the National Training School, of the Y. W. C. A., in New York. She has just attended the National Y. W. C. A. Convention at Hot Springs. Arkansas.

She is returning to China this fall to resume her work there, and will continue to be supported by the students of the Ohio and West Virginia Field of the Y. W. C. A."

Found another source which says Grace was John Steinbeck's aunt, apparently not her favorite nephew.

600 Added Members, Not Bad, Granddad

Forgive the irreverence. The Library of Congress has some newish software for their Chronicling America resources.  Searched for William R Harshaw and got a notice of his departure from NYC to West Pittston.  It notes he had added 600 members to the First Union church during his pastorate.  Apparently the strain of the East Side was too much.  You can read the article, paragraph rather, which is in the second column middle of the page by drawing the "zoom box" around it.  Haven't seen a way to link to the zoomed text directly.

The Old Hometown

Rev. William's church used to be at  86th and Lexington, but the neighborhood has changed and the church is long gone.  The NYTimes article at the link gives some background on the immediate past of the area.

Loughgilly in 1825

The following is from Google Books,, published 1837. For readability I've introduced paragraphs.

A topographical dictionary of Ireland:

LOUGHGILLY, a parish, partly in the barony of Lower Fews, and partly in that of Upper Fews, but chiefly in the barony of Lower Orior, county of Armagh, and province of Ulster, 4 miles (E. S. E.) from Market-Hill, on the road from Armagh to Newry; containing, with the district parish of Baleek and the village of Mountnorris (which see), 10,198 inhabitants. This parish, which takes its name from the lake on which it is situated, comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 16,029| statute acres, including 80| of water: of these, 5299 are in Lower Fews, 2289^ in Upper Fews, and 8441^ in Lower Orior. The lake extended several miles in length from Pointz-Pass to Mountnorris, forming a continued morass and fortified by a military post at the former, and at the latter by another erected by Gen. Norris, from whom that station had its name ; but with the exception of about 5 acres of water near the glebe-house, the whole has been drained and brought into cultivation.

The land is fertile; about three-fourths are under tillage and in a very high state of cultivation ; the remainder, though in some parts rocky, affords good pasture. Slate is found in the parish, but the quarries are not at present worked. There are several substantial and some handsome houses, of which the principal are Glenaune, the elegant residence of W. Atkinson, Esq.; and the glebe-house, of the Rev. Dr. Stuart. In the southern part of the parish is a small lake, called Loughshaws, from which a small stream flowing through Glenaune affords a convenient site for some extensive mills that have been established here for spinning cotton and weaving calico, in which are 1*0 power-looms, affording employment to nearly 300 persons; and also for bleach-greens and other mills, in which the manufactured goods are finished for the English markets. Since the establishment of these works, the proprietor has planted a great portion of mountainous and rocky land, introduced a good practical system of agriculture, and greatly improved the entire neighbourhood.

A manorial court for the district of Baleek is held here every month, in which debts to the amount of 40s. are recoverable. The district of Baleek was separated from this parish in 1826, and erected into a perpetual curacy. The living of Loughgilly is a rectory, in the diocese of Armagh, and in the patronage of the Lord-Primate; the tithes amount to £926. 18. 4. The glebe-house was built in 1782, at an expense of £923. 1. 65., and subsequently enlarged and improved at a cost of £1819 ; the glebe comprises 500 statute acres, valued at £585. 11. 8. per annum. The church is a spacious and handsome edifice with a tower, originally built at an expense of £1384. 12. 3$., a loan from the late Board of First Fruits, and rebuilt in 1828 by aid of a gift of £830. 15. from the same Board. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, comprising also the parishes of Ballymoyer and Baleek, in each of which is a chapel. There are places of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster and the Seceding

Synod, also for Covenanters. [That's my people.]

About 350 children are taught in four public schools, of which the male and female parochial schools are supported by the trustees of Erasmus Smith's fund, and one by Lord Gosford, who has endowed it with an acre of land. The parochial school-house was built on the glebe in 1813, at an expense of £250. There are also a private school, in which are about 60 children, and seven Sunday schools. A school-house is being built at Killycarran by the Education Society, who intend endowing it with £30 per annum from the surplus funds of the collegiate school at Armagh, which latter was founded by Chas. I., who granted seven townlands in this parish for the foundation of a school at Mountnorris, but which was some years afterwards established at Armagh. Four unendowed almshouses were built by Dean Dawson, in 1811, for four aged women ; and the late Lord Gosford bequeathed a sum of money, of which the interest is annually distributed among the poor.

During the rebellion of the Earl of Tyrone, the garrison of this place was put to the sword by the O'Donells; it also suffered greatly in the war of 1641, when a dreadful carnage took place. There are several remains of fortifications iu the neighbourhood ; the " Tyrone Ditches " are near the junction of the parish with those of Killevy and Ballymore ; but of the extensive fortress of Port-Norris, or Mount-Norris, not a vestige can be traced.

Street View of Cutler Cemetery

Here's a link to a Google Maps street view of Cutler, IL cemetery.

And here is a link to a Google Earth view of Cutler, together with some Harshaw landmarks.

A FAmily Visit

From Rootsweb: 

I think this is from August 6, 1890, judging by the URL [corrected]
"CUYLERVILLE

Several cars of a north bound freight train were wrecked here Monday morning, caused by the breaking of an axle tearing up several rods of track and blockading the road all day Monday.

The Rev. Mr. HARSHA and family of New York and Mrs. Joseph RIPPEY of Nebraska are visiting with the family of Rev. John RIPPEY, Mrs. Joseph leaving for the west this morning.

Miss Stacia O'KEEFE returning Saturday after several months' sojourn in Rochester.

Quite a drought prevails in this neighborhood at present, especially in the hills, where pastures have dried up and beans and potatoes will not be much more than half a crop. The threshing of wheat is in progress, which will yield from fifteen to twenty-five bushels per acre, for which 90c is being paid."
*

House for Sale

Here

Rev. Andrew Harshaw

Rev. Andrew announces a new paper in January 1884, from St. Louis. It apparently didn't last long.

Helen Harshaw Gold in China

LIsted in this 1916 publication:

cr. Y. W. C. A., Canton 
Helen Bond Crane, 
Helen Harshaw, 

Ada Rippey's Schooling

Jean points out Ada Rippey graduated from Geneseo, before moving on to Monmouth.  This link is to the act of the legislature changing the name from the Wadsworth Normal and Training School to Geneseo Normal and Training School in 1871.  William J. Milne was the head of the college during Ada's time, a Presbyterian elder in Geneseo who had a Ph.D by 1874.

Mac's WWI Training Camp

It appears Mac Harshaw had basic training at Camp Sherman,Ohio. That's based on the imprint on a photo of him in uniform, marking the photo as having been taken in Chillicothe, Ohio.

Did Captain John and Mary Go to the Fair?

No, not the Ontario county fair, whenever it was founded, but to the York fair, chartered by the Penns in 1767.  See this blog post from 2006.  Apparently York County likes to claim the title of oldest continual fair, but that's a bit iffy. But the 1767 charter is real.

From General Catalogue of Union Theological Seminary

The link

HAESHAW, William Rosborough; b, Cutler, 111, Oc 11, 1856; WestmC, 83;
UTS, 83-6; ord (U Presb, NY), Nv 20, 85; pas (119th st), NYCity, 85-7;
pas, Steubenville, O, 87-9; pas (First Union Presb), NYCity, 89-97;
pas, West-Pittston, Pa, 98—. DD, Grove City Col, 96.