ANDERSONVILLE
Now a National Historic Site in Georgia, the Andersonville prison camp (officially known as Camp Sumter), was the largest of the many Confederate military prisons established during the Civil War. Of the 45,000 Union soldiers that were confined at Andersonville, almost 13,000 died from disease, poor sanitation, malnutrition, overcrowding, and/or exposure to the elements.
"The first prisoners were brought to Andersonville in February 1864. During the next few months approximately 400 more arrived each day until, by the end of June, some 26,000 men were confined in a prison area originally intended to hold 10,000. The largest number held at any one time was more than 32,000, in August 1864." - from a brochure by the National Park Service.

Among the casualties was William Harney* who served with Company C of the 7th Tennessee Cavalry. William, who was captured at Union City, TN, on 24 March 1864, died at Andersonville on 2 Aug 1864, at the time when the prison was at the peak of overcrowding. The cause of death is listed as "fever intermittent". William is buried at Andersonville in grave 4535.
Joe F. Harney points out the grave of John Harney at Andersonville.

Another casualty at Andersonville prison John Harney, a.k.a. J. Haney. He was serving in Company C of the 12th U.S. Infantry, when he was captured and transferred to the prison camp. John died of scorbutus on 28 September 1864, and is buried in grave 9918.

See page 2.

OTHER NEW DATABASES
Rootsweb.com has posted free searchable databases for vital records for the states of California and Texas. You can find anyone who was born or died in these states for the following years:
California
Births: 105-1995
Deaths: 1940-1997
Source: CA Dept. of Health Services
http://userdb.rootsweb.com/ca/birth/search.cgi
http://userdb.rootsweb.com/ca/death/search.cgi

Texas
Births: 1926-1995            Marriage: 1966-1997
Deaths: 1964-1998         Divorce: 1968-1997
(substitute tx/marriage or tx/divorce in above URL)
Also, Texas births from 1903-1925 are available on microfiche for a small fee, as are Deaths from 1903-1963.

NO FIRST NAME?
In an article published in the Las Vegas Review Journal (Nevada), on 31 March 2000, Harney, is mentioned many times - but her first name is not mentioned once!

A novelist could write a good suspense novel from the hints/clues in the article. It seems a man named Ted Binion was murdered in his home in 1998. Harney was told by her mother, when she turned 18 years old, that she was Binion’s daughter. When her picture and wedding announcement appeared in a newspaper in 1995, Ted Binion contacted her and she said they enjoyed a growing relationship after that. Binion’s wills written in 1995 and 1996 named Harney as a recipient of $500,000, but her name was later removed in amendments filed in 1998, shortly before his murder. The article concludes that Harney’s lawyer "refused to say whether she will be given any money in the agreement reached with the estate." The last clue to Harney’s identity comes in the statement that Binion once introduced her as "my daughter, the police officer."

Intriguing! Would make a great murder mystery!

DICK HARNEY
Identified only as "Uncle Dick" in a death notice as follows: "Uncle Dick, You always had a smile to give and a funny joke to share. You’re at peace now in your paradise with God. Our memories live on. - The Camberwell Harneys." - Copy of obituary submitted by Dora Harney Maguire, Canberra, Australia.

NEW BOOK
Charles Harney Jr., of Camarillo, CA,
recently send a copy of a photo book called "Family Book: Samantha Loretta McMains Harney and William Jackson Harney". These Harneys settled in Nowata county, Oklahoma.   This book was put together by the family after a family reunion in 1998.  If you are descended from this branch of the family, please contact me for further details.

Congratulations, Edward,
from all the Harneys!

Edward Egan, of the Drum Heritage Survey group was recently awarded a Bene Merenti certificate and medal for his sustained efforts over the years in researching and preserving the heritage of the area. As you know from past issues of this newsletter, he recently led a group to erect a visitor’s center for the Old Drum Cemetery, and earlier was involved in efforts to restore St. Brigid’s Well, and the Old Drum Cemetery grounds.

Edward has also helped with the history of the Harney families that lived in the area.

TRAIN CRASHES AT HARNEY, NEVADA

A passenger train was derailed near Harney, Nevada, killing 24 people and causing national concern when it was determined that the cause was sabotage.

This occurred in 1939, and the train was called the City of San Francisco. Similarities between this 1939 tragedy and another derailment of Amtrack’s Sunset Limited, on 9 Oct 1995, in Arizona, were the subject of an article in "Trains Magazine" (Jan 1996 issue).

It was reported the Sunset Limited wreck occurred when someone removed a joint bar connecting two sections of rail, while keeping the signal circuit intact with a wire connection. Diagrams of the wiring were shown by television news stations, and it was concluded that it was a professional job.
Like the Sunset wreck, the 1939 derailment near Harney, Nevada, also was the result of a vandalized track which was rewired to prevent detection. The locomotive made it across the damaged track, but some of the cars didn’t.

Another similarity between the 1939 and 1995 train wrecks - neither was ever solved.

Your author was able to determine that Harney is located in Eureka County, Nevada. Historical societies and a state postal history study group have been contacted for more information about Harney, and how it received it’s name.

- Taken from an article in Trains Magazine, submitted by Thomas Becher, Stratford, WI.

HE’S A HARNEY
The following excerpt is from a poem by Larry Davis about the wild horses around Harney County, Oregon.

"Looking at him I felt a chill
and goose bumps on my skin -
‘Cause boys there stood a gen-u-ine
high desert Harney-varian -

"Like the song says - you don’t have to ride a horse
to be a cowboy - and I’m sure you’ll find -
A Harney is no breed but a horse of heart
and fire and sand - a state of mind -

"Now us horseshoers are a different bunch -
I admit somewhat touched by the blarney -
But when his eyes meet yours with the look
of an eagle, a snake or a wolf -
when you reach for a hoof -
don’t ever forget - He’s a Harney!"

Taken from the full page poem published in Anvil magazine August 1994, p.22.

BITS AND PIECES -
Excerpt from History of Utah by Orson F. Whitney, Volume 1, Chapter XXIX 1857.

"The command of the expedition was first given, as shown, to, the Brevet-Brigadier-General W. S. Harney commanding officer at Fort Leavenworth. He was an able Soldier and an experienced Indian fighter, to which fact he doubtless owed his selection as the officer best able to conduct a campaign among the mountains. From one of his exploits against the Indians, he had been dubbed - either justly or unjustly - "the squaw-killer." He was evidently a man of will and energy, whatever else was thought of him. Said he, on being told that the Mormons would oppose his entry into Salt Lake Valley: "I am ordered there, and I will winter in the Valley or in hell." Why the latter place was named as the only alternative, was probably best known to the General himself. Just before he started, however, the Kansas troubles, which for some years had been vexing the nation, revived, and Harney was relieved of the command of the expedition and ordered to remain and operate for the restoration of peace in that distracted Territory. Thus, instead of wintering among the Mormons in Salt Lake Valley, General Harney spent that season among the "border ruffians" of "bleeding Kansas." Perhaps many will think that after all he made good his word, to "winter in the Valley or" - elsewhere."

NEW LIFE: Caileigh Britt Dintino, daughter of Kevin and Donnelle (Bowen) Dintino was born on 6 June 2000, in Richmond VA.  She is the 3rd great grand-daughter of Thomas F. and Margaret (O'Brien) Harney, who immigrated to the United States in 1864.   Thomas Harney was born in Kill, County Waterford, in 1839.

AIR SERVICE TO IRELAND:  A new service to Ireland by Aer Lingus will commence on 6 September 2000, from BWI (Baltimore/Washington/International) Airport to Shannon and Dublin.  Service will be on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  This service will be welcomed as BWI is a service point for connecting flights on Southwest Airlines which operates a number of cheap fares to major cities from BWI such as $34 one way to Providence and $39 one way to Cleveland.  You may contact Aer Lingus ot 1-800-IRSH AIR or www.aerlingus.ie (As an interesting sidelight Aer Lingus announced this new service on 21 June and offered a %598 round trip fare for 2 from BWI to Ireland.  They had 3000 seats available for travel at this rate between 6 Sep and 16 Oct 2000.  By 23 June all of these seats had been taken.)  Seats are available at their regular rates and it is anticipated that later in the year and early next year there will be additional reduced rate opportunities.

NGS CONVENTION:  This year's National Genealogical Society's Convention was held in Providence RI (31 May - 3 June) and had a number of Irish seminars as well as a number of Irish exhibitors.  One of the seminars discussed preparing yourself as much as possible at home and through the Internet before coming to research in Ireland.  If you are planning to research in Catholic Church Records (Baptisms, Marriages, Deaths) at the National Library you should be aware that some of the records require advanced premission from the Bishop of the Diocese(s) from which those records were generated.   The records of the Diocese of Cashel and Emly, Diocese of Kerry and Diocese of Limerick require that you get a letter of authorization from the specific Bishop.   You should do this in advance.  Be aware also that these records are in Latin, in the handwriting of the priest(s), and are on microfilm.  Some of the records are extremely difficult to decipher.  Having researched in these records, my recommendation is that it is far more economical, taking in the cost of the flight and accommodations and your limited time, to pay the $100 or $200 that these Heritage Centers charge to do a more complete transcription for you.  Most of the Heritage Centers have transcribed these records into their computer databases.  However, if you visit them they will charge you a daily research fee of 25 or 30 punts, and generally will not give you access to their computer databases but will give you copies of the microfilms for you to fumble through.

Another approach is to go to the Irish telephone directory on the Internet and copy the names and addresses for the area that you are interested in and write to these 'cousins' six or more months ahead and ask if they are related.  Go to www.teldir.com/eng/ then select 'Europe', 'Other" and then "Ireland'.  This will provide names, addresses, and telephone numbers.  You can select the Region of interest, or select 'all'.  For instance for 'all', there are 155 Harneys.  Write to those living in your area of interest.  This will often lead to some contacts of relatives who have a history of your family that has been passed down through the generations.  They will generally be pleased to have you stop by for a visit and can take you to some of the ancestral homes.

TIARA: Also at the convention this year was The Irish Ancestral Research Association (TIARA).  They have an excellent web site at http://tiera.ie .  They also have a Surname Database, which lists names that members are researching, and allows you to send other members an E-mail message. Dues for the organization are $15 per calendar year which includes their excellent newsletter quarterly.  You may join by writing to the Membership Chairperson, TIARA, PO Box 619, Sudbury MA 01776.  Meetings are lead on the second Friday from September to June at 7:30 PM at Fulton Hall, Room 511, Boston College, Commonwealth Ave, (Rt 30), Newton MA.

MASSACHUSETTS ARCHIVES:  The Massachusetts Archives, have become very user friendly and they are no longer buried in the Bowels of the State House in Boston.  They are now located very conveniently on Columbia Point, next to the John F Kennedy Library in the Dorchester Section of Boston, off Route 3.   Parking is free.  It is an interesting place to research.  They hold the registration books of Births, Marriages and Deaths for all of the Massachusetts for the period 1841 therough 1905.  There are bound index books to these records organized in five-year intervals.  For the post 1905 listings through 1971 there are only indeces.   These will help you pinpoint which town to visit, where the actual records are kept.  Also there are listings of immigrants who came through the Port of Boston from 1848 until 1891, with an alphabetical index for each of the years cited.  Visit their Web Site at: http://www.state.ma.us/sec/arc or E-mail to the Massachusetts State Archives can be sent to archives@sec.state.ma.us.
The Archives is open to the public 9 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday and from 9 AM to 3 PM on Saturdays.   Other items in their collection will be continued.

The following Gleanings are from an outstanding Irish web page by Anna A. Kasper named Lady Anna's Pages at http://members.tripod.com/~pg4anna/.  We thank her for her generosity.  The information, which is continued from the last issue, is used with permission.

MORE - IMPORTANT DATES IN IRISH HISTORY:

1002 - Brian, of the kingdom of Dal Cais in West Munster, unites Ireland for the first time under one leader. He, Brian Boru, becomes High King of Ireland.
1014 - Viking command of east coast broken at Battle of Clontarf, led by Brian Boru and the Vikings are defeated. Boru is killed in the battle.
1152 - Dervorgilla, wife of Tiernan O’Rourke (Prince of Breifne) is abducted by Dermot MacMurrough (King of Leinster).
1166 - Dermot MacMurrough is driven out of Ireland and seeks help in England. He recruits Norman knights.
1169 - First Anglo-Normans arrive in Ireland, marking start of Norman invasion of Ireland. MacMurrough is given back kingship of Leinster.
1170 - The Anglo-Norman leader Richard FitzGilbert de Clare, also known as ‘Strongbow,’ lands in Waterford. He marries MacMurrough’s daughter, storms and captures Dublin, and invades Meath.
1171 - MacMurrough dies. The Normans, under Henry II, conquer Ireland, beginning 750 years of British domination.
1366 - Statutes of Kilkenny prohibit integration of Angle-Normans and the Irish.
1588 - Ships from Spanish Armada wrecked off Irish Coast.
1609 - Protestantism takes root in Northern Ireland after British Protestant forces defeat native Irish Catholics in a bloody nine-year war.
1641 - Insurrection spreads throughout Ireland. Rebels form the Confederate Catholics of Ireland and set up their seat in Kilkenny.
1641-1652  -  Civil War.
1649 - Cromwell lands in Ireland; massacre of Drogheda and sack of Wexford.
1650 - Catholic landowners exiled to Connaught.
1653 - Cromwell’s subjugation of Ireland complete. Irish landowners evicted and land handed over to Protestant settlers.
1656 - More than 60,000 Irish Catholics had been sent as slaves to Barbados, and other islands of the Caribbean.
1672 - Over 6,000 boys and women sold as slaves since England gained control of Jamaica.
1690 - Battle of Boyne: the Catholic (and Stuart) cause is decisively lost to the victorious William of Orange. The flight of the Earls, the Irish nobility, begins soon after.
1695-7  - 1695-7 Catholic clergy banished and penal laws instituted (depriving Catholics of civil rights).
1740 -  The forgotten famine.
1778 -  Irish Volunteer Movement founded; Catholic Relief Bill passed, giving Roman Catholics leasehold and inheritance rights.
1793 - Catholics permitted to vote.
1798 -  Rebellion in Ulster and Leinster. Much fighting around the country, with the last battles of the United Irishmen fought at Ballynahinch, Down and in Co. Wexford marking the final defeat of the rebels.

(to be continued next issue)

Back to INDEX to Harney web pages.
Last updated: 31 Aug 2006