denneyh
Transcribed from "An Illustrated History of The Big Bend Country, embracing
Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and Franklin counties, State of Washington",
published by Western Historical Publishing Co., 1904.
HARRISON A. DENNEY, of the firm
of Lutzhoft & Denney, is a prominent hardware and implement merchant
of Reardan. He was born in Kane county, Illinois, August 20, 1837.
His father was Major Denney, a native of New York and an early pioneer
of Kane county, Illinois. He came to that state and took a farm forty-five
miles from Chicago, that city then being a mere hamlet containing only
a few houses, and the Indians practically held sway throughout the country.
He lived on this farm until his death in 1888. Mr. Denney's mother
was Catherine (Millet) Denney, also a native of New York. Her father,
Abraham Millet, was a veteran of the Revolutionary War. The brothers
and sisters of Mr. Denney are: Major M. and Loren, Lincoln county; Mervin
W. and Charles, Medical Lake; Mrs. Cornelia M. Godfrey, Kendall county,
Illinois; Mrs. Ida M. Davis, Kane county, Illinois; and Mrs. Emma J. Gamet,
of Chicago. Our subject is the fourth in point of age in the family,
and grew to manhood on the old homestead. On account of the newness
of the country he was compelled to travel a great distance to attend school
in a primitive log cabin, but by attending when possible and by applying
himself to his studies at home, he managed to acquire a good liberal education.
As a young man he learned the blacksmith's and carpenter's trades, at which
he has worked at different intervals during his life. His father
had a farm in Bremer county, Iowa, which Harrison took charge of and managed
until the death of his father. He was married two years previously,
August 20, to Eunice M. Denney, a native of Bremer county, and daughter
of William and Mary J. (Kern) Denney. Her father was a native of
Indiana, and an early pioneer of Bremer county.
In the spring of 1888 Mr. and Mrs. Denney
came to Spokane, Washington, where Mr. Denney worked at carpentering, and
later removed to Medical Lake and engaged in the farm implement business.
In 1891 he bought some railroad land two miles south of Reardan, to which
he has added until he now has three hundred and twenty acres of tillable
grain land, with good buildings and improvements. He has a handsome
home in the town of Reardan, and a good profitable business. The
firm carries a complete line of hardware, stoves, implements, and so forth,
and is widely known for its up-to-date and fair business dealings.
Mr. and Mrs. Denney have been parents of three
children: Myrtle A., wife of John Rutherford, near Reardan, in Spokane
county; Ida M.; and Genevieve H.
Our subject came to this country with quite
scanty means, but is now comfortably situated financially, and is satisfied
and contented in his location. He is a man who has traveled extensively,
and has seen much of the world, but in his opinion the country in which
he has cast his fortunes is the best he has seen, all things considered,
and he intends to end his days here.
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