The children of Owen W. Harrison and Ida F. Shirley:

13.14.11.1 Paul Crose Harrison was born in 1896 and died 18 December 1906.  The linked article and obituary concerning his drowning was taken from the “Schoolcraft Express”, a Schoolcraft local weekly newspaper, dated 20 December 1906 (note the transcription of grave markers in Harrison Cemetery, on file at the Schoolcraft Township Office, is incorrect, it shows Paul Crose Harrison's death in 1907).

 
13.14.11.2 Clark D. Harrison was born in January 1895 and died in March 1895, he is buried next to his parents in Harrison Cemetery, Prairie Ronde Township, Kalamazoo County, Michigan.

 

The Harrison family in Kalamazoo, in about 1948, from left to right Bill Harrison, Paul Harrison, Jerrie Harrison, Janet Harrison, Elsie A. (Pfau) Harrison, and Clare S. Harrison.
 

13.14.11.3 Clare Shirley Harrison was born on 15 January 1909 died on 12 December 1968, and is buried in Harrison Cemetery, Prairie Ronde Township, Kalamazoo County, Michigan.  He married Elsie Augusta Pfau on 30 April 1929, the daughter of Charles Pfau and Anna Vogel, both immigrants from Germany.  Clare grew up as an only child on his great grandfather, Bazel Harrison’s “old homestead” adjacent to Harrison Lake.  His only siblings, two younger brothers, died before his birth.  Elsie was born on 10 January 1910, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and died on 6 June 1984, she is also buried in Harrison Cemetery next to Clare.  As a young man Clare worked and played on several of the surrounding farms in Prairie Ronde, including those of the Mack and the William's families.  Some of these friendships would endure his entire lifetime.  Lyle and Louise Williams and J.C. and Leota Mack were two of Clare and Elsie’s oldest friends.  As a boy he often went to Little Sugarloaf Lake, which is only about one mile away from the Harrison Farm.  It is possible that the old Delong Cottage on the West Side of the lake once belonged to a cousin or relative, he mentioned going there as a boy.  He also told of his boyhood adventures, shooting crows and making stews, and of a makeshift shack he and his friends built on the opposite side of the lake from the cottage.  Char, his youngest daughter has a hand-sewn patchwork satchel that has separate pockets holding silver spoons that belonged to Clare.  Clare earned the spoons working odd jobs as a boy.  He also worked at Harrison Cemetery, doing everything from digging graves for $1, to shoveling snow with other neighbors to clear U Avenue from the Highway to 10th Street for winter funerals in Harrison Cemetery.  Bill also remembers his father driving and working for Dr. Harter in Schoolcraft.  Clare attended the one-room Clark School at the corner of 8th Street and U Avenue, which no longer exists.
 

Janet and Paul Harrison with a "nice catch".

    Clare was an avid fisherman and hunter.  Several of his children have related stories of his prowess in a boat.  His son Paul remembers spending one summer at a cottage on Crooked Lake in Texas Township, when he and his young sister Janet were fishing in a rowboat not far from shore when she began to cry because she had to use the bathroom.  Paul wouldn’t bring her to shore because he had been catching some very nice bluegills and they were biting as soon as he threw in his line.  Clare and Elsie heard Janet and came out in another boat to investigate.  Clare of course wanted to know why Paul refused to bring his little sister in to shore.  Paul reached into the water and pulled up a stringer full of nice ‘gills’.  Clare told Janet to get into the boat with her Mother and he stayed and continued to fish with Paul.  There are several family photos of Clare showing a prize catch, and of  him and his sons on hunting trips.

    There are also many fond memories of Ray and Grace Parsons, who lived in Texas Township.  Grace (Shirley) Parsons was Ida F. (Shirley) Harrison’s sister, and Clare’s aunt.  Ray Parsons, born in February 1878, and Grace Shirley were married in about 1895, in the 1900 Federal Census of Texas Township, they were living in the household of Ray's father, Jerome Parsons.  Paul remembers Grace making big sugar cookies, and when Clare and Elsie were younger they would always enjoy playing practical jokes on each other.  One evening Clare and Elsie along with Lyle and Louise Williams, broke into the Parson’s home and removed the slats from the bed, and sewed their pajama sleeves and bottoms together.  Ray and Grace also had a son Clayton, born in November 1897, who married Pearl (unknown), Ray and Grace Parsons are both buried in Hope Cemetery.  Clare also had an “Aunt Em”, Owen Harrison’s sister Emeline “Emma” (Harrison) Longwell, mentioned in Owen's first will.  Jerrie remembers visiting Aunt Em with her mother Elsie.  Emma’s husband Loren Longwell also descended from one of the early pioneer families in Prairie Ronde.  The Loren and Emma Longwell farm was located in Section 1 of Prairie Ronde, northeast of Harrison Lake.  Loren preceded her in death; they are both buried in Harrison Cemetery in Prairie Ronde.

Paul and Esther Harrison (on the left) with Bill and Joan Harrison

    Life on the Harrison Farm was not easy for Clare and Elsie and their young family during the depression.  After the death of his father Owen, Clare spent most of his small inheritance buying back the necessary tools to run the farm.  Paul remembers picking corn by hand with only a wagon pulled by two horses named “Tony and Bob”.  Paul also remembers attempting to ride and then being thrown off by Tony.  Jerrie the oldest remembers never having any new clothes, and wearing hand-me-downs until she was much older.  In late 1946 or 1947, the family separated when Elsie took the children to live in Kalamazoo in a small house owned by Grandma and Grandpa Pfau, on Humphrey Street.  Bill stayed with his father and lived in one of the small houses on the William’s farm.  Later the family was reunited and moved into the house on Dwight Street.  Elsie was best known for her work in the kitchen, which isn’t too surprising since she came from a large German family, and raised her children until about 1947 on a farm in Prairie Ronde.   Probably best known for her homemade bread, coffee cake, biscuits, noodles and soups, her sons and daughters somehow always knew when she was baking and would stop by for their loaves of bread.  Clare, Elsie and their youngest daughter Char moved from the house on Dwight Street to a smaller house on Seemore Street in about 1964.  This is the house that most of the grandchildren remember Clare and Elsie living in.  The exception to this would probably be Terrie better known as “TT”, the oldest grandchild, who may also have memories of Clare and Elsie living on Dwight Street.  TT is also responsible for the nicknames that Clare and Elsie were known by to all their grandchildren.  Apparently as a small child TT tried to say grandpa and grandma, and it came out as “Bampa”, and “Mimi”.

Ronald Clare "Bill" Harrison 

    After Clare’s death in 1968, Elsie continued to live on Seemore Street, along with her dog, a Pekinese pup named Candy, which was a gift for Clare.  Later she moved in with her daughter Janet, into the garage, which was converted into a small apartment.  Because of her German heritage, she once told me that as a small girl she and the rest of the Pfau family faced some resentment by others during WW I, and although she was very proud of her German roots, she was also a very patriotic American.  Several of her sons and daughters remember being at the home of Lyle and Louise Williams in Prairie Ronde when WW II ended, and driving all the way in to Grandma and Grandpa Pfau's house on Humphrey St. to celebrate the end of the War.  She was also very proud of the Harrison name.  At the dedication of the marker for Bazel and Martha (Stillwell) Harrison in Harrison Cemetery, her name is mentioned during the program as she is asked to introduce her family.

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This web page is authored by Scott Duncan.  All information listed without a reference should be verified.