Category Archives: Uncategorized

Sporting Saturday – Taught Notre Dame How to Play

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William Warren Harless
University of Michigan

William Warren Harless

William Warren Harless was a natural athlete and handsome with it. Born on 9 March 1867 in Chigago, Illinois to Thomas Henry and Barbara Ann King Harless, he was the youngest of 8 children (2 older half-siblings had died as children almost 20 years before William was born). William Warren was only 3 years old when his father died, but his mother was well provided for and was able to raise her children by herself until she chose to remarry when William was 11 years old.

William Warren Harless began his higher education at Notre Dame but transferred to the University of Michigan because Notre Dame did not play football.

For the 1886 season William was a substitute player, but was a rusher for the 1887 season and was invited, with his teammate, George Dehaven, back to Notre Dame for a training session to teach the Fighting Irish this new game. Perhaps William was a better player than a teacher, but when Notre Dame played their first ever game, against Michigan, they were defeated 8-0 and it would be 32 years before the Fighting Irish would achieve victory over the Wolverines.

William played football as a center, a rusher and a guard, but this was not the only sport he participated in. In 1887, he came first in putting shot (29′ 3″), and the hammer throw (56′ 10 7/8″), but was defeated by W. C. Malley in heavy weight wrestling. It was noted that both the hammer and the shot were overweight and that otherwise the distances might have been greater. The prizes were of interest too, a set of George Elliot’s works for the hammer throw and Paradise Lost for the hammer throw.

After university William Warren Harless became a civil engineer and married Mary Jane Lennon in 1896. William and Mary had no children, and when the Spanish-American war broke out, William joined the US Army as a quartermaster in the 7th Illinois Infantry.

Following his stint in the army, William became the manager of an insurance company, but his love of sports had obviously not left him, as he served as the Secretary of the West Golf Association for a number of terms.

William Warren Harless

Born: 9 March 1867.
Died: 10 July 1923.
Parents: Thomas Henry Harless and Barbara Ann King.
Spouse: Mary Jane Lennon.
Known Children: none known.
Relationship to Johan Philip Harless: 2nd great-grandson.

  1. Johan Philip Harless.
  2. Henry Harless.
  3. George Harless.
  4. Thomas Henry Harless.
  5. William Warren Harless.

Thriller Thursday – Stabbing Affair In Evanston Leads to Operation

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Stabbing Affair In Evanston Leads to Operation

To escape from under the shadows of the gallows through a surgical operation performed upon another man, was the peculiar, if not harrowing, experience of Jack Harless, an Evanston, Wyo., railway clerk, last Sunday. The man who underwent the operation is J. R. Schillerman, telegraph operator, who is now confined in the Dee hospital with a fighting chance for life.

Schillerman, according to reports from Evanston, was seriously stabbed by Harless last Wednesday, with a pocket-knife, the assault following a trivial quarrel. He received long and deep wounds across the abdomen, right breast and right shoulder. Harless was arrested on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and his victim was given surgical attention at the Evanston hospital.

Saturday night, the wounded man’s condition became so serious that the attending physician apparently fearing on account of the depth of his abdominal wound that the intestines had been penetrated and that the infection had set in, order [sic] the man removed to the Dee hospital in this city. This was done and a thorough examination of Schillermn’s condition by Dr. R. S. Joyce revealed symptoms of appendicitis. An operation was performed and the Ogden physician’s diagnosis proved correct. It was found that the wound made by Harless had not penetrated through the abdomen, but that Schillerman’s appendix had burst, causing his serious condition.

In the meantime, a rumor became current at Evanston that the operator was dead and Harless, who had been released on bond, was rearrested and charged with murder. He was again released, however, when the report was sent in Evanston that his victim was still alive.

Stabbing Affair in Evanston Leads to Operation, The Ogden Standard, Ogden, Utah, 8 August 1916, page 7, column 3.

Jack harless

Born: unknown.
Died: unknown.
Parents: unknown.
Spouse: unknown.
Known Children: none known.
Relationship to Johan Philip Harless: unknown.

  1. Jack Harless.

Military Monday – Killed at Camp Perry

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Charles Horneff [sic], Jr., of Wadsworth, a private in Company G, Eight Regiment, Ohio National Guard, was struck in the abdomen by a bullet from a rifle accidentally fired by an unknown member of Company F, Eighth Regiment, of Akron, at Camp Perry last Friday evening and almost instantly killed.

Later it was learned that the shot was from a rifle in the hands of Okey Harless who had borrowed the gun and thought it to be unloaded. The bullet went through five haversacks, a tent pole and heavy supply chest before striking the victim, 30 feet distant. Harless was exonerated by verdicts of the coroner and a military court of inquiry. This was the first fatal accident at Camp Perry since the camp was established.

Okey Harless killed Charles Horneff

Killed at Camp Perry, The News-Herald, Hillsboro, Ohio, 5 August 1909, page 4, column 1.

The dead man, Charles Hornoff, Jr., was just 23 years old, the same age as Okey Harless. Charles was born on 13 May 1886 in Guilford, Medina County, Ohio, to Charles Hornoff, Sr. and Emma M. Hartman.

Charles Hornoff death certificate

Charles Hornoff, Certificate of Death number 37351 (30 July 1909), Bureau of Vital Statistics, Ohio.

Okey Harless was the son of William Henry Harless and Frances Fernelia Keffer. He was born on 11 June 1886 in Iola, Roane County, West Virginia. Okey died on 7 March 1957 in Vienna, Wood County, West Virginia.

Okey Blaine Harless

Born: 11 June 1886.
Died: 7 March 1957.
Parents: William Henry Harless and Frances Fernelia Keffer.
Spouse: Alice Virginia Newell.
Known Children: none known.
Relationship to Johan Philip Harless: 3rd great-grandson and 4th great-grandson.

  1. Johan Philip Harless.
  2. Martin Harless.
  3. Philip Harless.
  4. James Howard Harless.
  5. William Henry Harless.
  6. Okey Blaine Harless.
  1. Johan Philip Harless.
  2. Philip Harless.
  3. Leroy Harless.
  4. Delilah Harless.
  5. Frances Fernelia Keffer.
  6. Okey Blaine Harless.

Military Monday – Cpl. Fred Harless

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Cpl. Fred Harless Cited For Bravery

Seng Creek, March 14 – Mr. and Mrs. Fred Harless, of Seng Creek, have just received word that their son, Cpl. Fred Vernor Harless, recorder for Battery C., 30th F.A. Battalion, displayed unusual bravery and quick thinking during the recent exercise Leap Year in Erlangen, Germany.

Cpl. Harless, who is in the U. S. Army in Germany, was near a combat-loaded tank when it went out of control on an icy road, struck two trees, slid across the road onto a bridge then off into a 15-foot ditch, overturning and trapping the crew inside.

When some other soldiers yelled that the tank had overturned and was on fire Harless ran to see what could be done. Seeing the fire he ran back to a truck and grabbed the fire extinguisher.

Soldiers stopped Harless when he returned to the scene saying the tank was loaded with shells but Harless broke away and began trying to put the fire out. Before he could open the escape hatch of the tank the fire gained new fury. He finally succeeded in extinguish it and managed to get the escape hatch open allowing the crew to escape.

Cpl. Harless’ display of bravery beyond the call of duty to release the tank crew when the ammunition might have exploded gained the everlasting thanks of the tank crew. Every member of his battalion is also proud of his action in saving both human lives and valuable equipment.

Fred Harless

Cpl. Fred Harless Cited For Bravery, Beckley Post-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia, 15 March 1952, p. 9, column 1.

Fred Vernor Harless

Born: unknown.
Died: unknown.
Parents: Fred Harless.
Spouse: unknown.
Known Children: none known.
Relationship to Johan Philip Harless: unknown.

  1. Fred Vernor Harless.

Friends of Friends Friday – Henry Harless Estate, 1857

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An Account of Sales of negro Slaves of the Estate of Henry Harless, deceased, sold by attorney R. Davis the administrator on the 5th day of January AD 1857 upon a credit of twelve months –

Negro Bob to Tabius T Hill – for $1730.00
[Negro] Jerry [to] Tabius T Hill [for] $1700.00
[Negro] Georgiana [to] Mary M Harless [for] $1000.00
[Negro] Fanny [to] D. T. Harless [for]   $240.00
$4670.00
Subscribed and sworn to
this 13th day of January
1857 Before me
N C Oliver judge.		              A R Davis adm.

An account of the sales of negro slaves of the estate of Henry Harless

“Alabama, Estate Files, 1830-1976,” digital images, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 27 September 2013), image copy, Sale of Negroes, dated 13 January 1857, Greene County Estate Files, Henry Harless #1316

Friends of Friends Friday is a way to share “records of enslaved ancestors, whether they are your own ancestors or not…” I haven’t come across very many mentions of slaves in my search for Harlesses and I like to think this is because so few Harlesses were slave owners, but the ones I do come across will be shared on Friends of Friends Fridays.

Henry Harless

Born: circa 1804.
Died: before 16 April 1856.
Parents: David Harless and Elizabeth Paine.
Spouse: Mary Moore Hamner.
Known Children: David M. Harless, Martha Ann Harless, Margaret E. Harless, John Henry Harless, Mary B. Harless.
Relationship to Johan Philip Harless: great-grandson.

  1. Johan Philip Harless.
  2. Henry Harless.
  3. David Harless.
  4. Henry Harless.