"Harney Update" Family Newsletter |
By Linda Harney MacDonald
Issue No. 52New Address: 1926 Road 9, Powell, WY 82435 Oct-Dec 1999
| INDIAN
PETITION, 1878, Oregon The following Petition was signed by the head tribal chief, George Harney, and others as noted below. Petition of the chiefs and Head men in Council at Siletz Agency, Oregon, Feb. 12, 1878. "We hear that our Great chief at Washington, is now talking of opening the Siletz Reservation to settlement (by whites) and moving our people to the Grand Ronde Agency, Or[egon]. "This makes our hearts sad. Many years ago we gave up our homes to the White men and the Government's Agent promised us that the Siletz Reserve should be our homes while we lived. Thousands of our people have died and are buried here. We claim the land as ours while we live and would rather die here and be buried with our Fathers. Some of our people are able to take care of themselves, but not all. "We do not want our families separated; and cannot consent to a removal to another country. We want our children educated but are not able to do so without the aid of Government." [Page 2 of Indian Petition] "We were promised many years ago, that we should be provided with teams, Seed, Wagons, Plows, and such other things as we would need to place us in a condition to provide for ourselves like White men. "Now we are poor. Many of our people want to plow, but have no teams, nor plows. We want such things in the hands of our Agent, so that he can help us to take care of our selves, and we are willing to do his work. "We do not now get our living from hunting or fishing, but from cultivating the land; and all we ask is a good start, and a good title to our lands. |
"When George Harney was our head chief and visited
Washington, Hon E.P. Smith was the Commissioner, and desired us to make known our wants to
your office, and he promised to listen to our pleadings. Now we ask you to help us in the
things we so much need. Let us have our agent here until we have our lands allotted, our
houses and barns built, and our children educated, at which time we will be ready to
become Citizens and you can close up our Agency as soon as you please." Signed In the Presence of From:www.csusm.edu/projects/nadp/d94.htm 100 Years Later Art Bensell, tribal chairman of the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians of Oregon, 1980. Photo from"A Guide to the Indian Tribes of the Pacific NW |
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Page 2 As the early explorers ventured west to Oregon territory, they encountered various Native American, or Indian, tribes. They referred to the tribes east of the Cascade mountains as "horse Indians," and noted they were distinct from the "canoe Indians" who lived west of the mountains. George Harney and his followers, mentioned in the treaty on page 1, were from tribes, living along rivers and bays of the Pacific coast, in what is now northwest Oregon. They were the southernmost people of the Salishan linguistic group. Many of the coastal tribes made fine basketry and wood carvings, and some were famed for blankets loom-woven from dog hair. The native word for fish was "salmon", and this was their foremost food item. They also made great use of smelt, crabs and clams, flounder, and mussels. The 225,000 acres that was formed into the Siletz Reservation took its name from a town and a river by that name. After the arrival of the Europeans, six different tribes (or linguistic stocks) were moved, from 1855-1857, to this reservation and they became the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians of Oregon. They found it difficult to give up their culture and become farmers like the government required. Also new diseases were introduced by contacts with the Europeans, and this greatly reduced their numbers. The first year after their move to the reservation was disastrous for the tribes. Many died from exposure, starvation, and disease. The treaty of 1855 was never ratified, therefore the Indians received only $2.50 per year. In 1865, a 25 mile wide strip running through the middle of the Siletz Reservation was withdrawn for European settlers. This cut the reservation in two. Soon more lands were opened to homestead entry, and the size of the reservation continued to dwindle over the years, with the last 38 acres being given to the town of Siletz as payment in lieu of taxes in 1954, when the reservation was terminated. Helping to make reservation life unbearable were Indian agents who stole from the tribe, and supplied few of the goods promised by the treaty, and those of poor quality. The schools taught only the English language and other aspects of American culture, causing a gradual disappearance of the tribal languages. It wasn't until 1871 that the "whipping post" was removed that had been used when the Indians rebelled against their plight or followed old tribal practices. An Indian police force was established on the Siletz Reservation in 1878, and this was also used to enforce western culture. Father Pierre Jean DeSmet (1801-1873), from Belgium, was in the Oregon territory from 1842-1846, spreading the word of Christianity for the Catholic church. |
Fr. DeSmet was a close personal friend of General William Selby Harney, who became the first commander of the new military Department of Oregon created in 1858. Both DeSmet and Harney's names appear in the Oregon State Capitol as individuals who carved Oregon's history. Both were concerned with the welfare of the Indian populations, and pleaded with Washington to do something about the conditions on the Reservations.
It has not been determined how George Harney got his name, but it is known that the Indian agents gave the natives European names. It is likely George was named Harney for General William Selby Harney, who was prominent in the west at that time. (See John Bowen’s article, pp. 7&8). - Ref: Siletz Indian Agency Records, Oregon; A Guide to the Indian Tribes of the Pacific NW, by Ruby & Brown ; Capitol Names: Individuals Woven Into Oregon’s History, by Philip Cogswell Jr. |
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Page 3 Marriage The marriage ceremony with Nuptial Mass and Papal Blessing was performed by Rev. Fr. Ray Milton C.C., Drum. The bridesmaid was Miss Clodagh Harney, sister of the bride. The best man was Mr. Clinton White, brother-in-law of the groom. Musical rendition was by Mrs. Maureen Harney and Mr. Sean Crehan. The reception was held at the Hodson Bay Hotel, Kiltoom, Athlone and the honeymoon is being spent in London. The couple will return to Chicago where they both work and will reside. - From Patricia Lough, Athlone. Deaths Daniel P. Carroll, 18, of Vancouver, WA, died Thursday, 1 Apr 1999, at Southwest Washington Medical Center of head injuries he sustained in a beating. Daniel was born 30 April 1980 and had lived in Vancouver all his life. He worked as a waiter at Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar and the Outback Steak House. He was a car buff and enjoyed working on film production when he attended Mountain View High School. Survivors include his mother, Patricia Zimmerman, of Vancouver, his father Gregory P. Carroll of Silverlake, CA, and his grandfather, Patrick Harney, of CA. Obituary published in The Columbian, 4 Apr 1999. Chart: not known. |
Social Security Death Index: Jan-July 1999 05 Jan 1999 - Edward Harney, Cleveland, OH If you have additional information about any of the above, please let me know. SPECIAL THANKS! Thanks to the following Harney descendants for contributing to the cost of copying and mailing this newsletter. Your interest and contributions is what keeps this newsletter going. Issues HU51 & 52 |
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Page 4 'Paddy Harney - Uncompromising Republican' "Paddy Harney, affectionately called Packey, was an honourable and uncompromising Republican whose principled stand all his life involved much sacrifice for himself and his family," said Mr. Ruairi O'Bradaigh, President of Republican Sinn Fein, at his graveside in Drum Cemetery, Athlone. He went on: "Packey" joined the Athlone unit of the IRA in the early 1950s while he was still in his twenties. After returning from the funeral of Sean Sabbat in Limerick in January 1957 he was arrested for taking part in a Guard of Honour at the funeral of veteran Republican Paddy Givern of Monksland, Athlone. He was sentenced to three months imprisonment in the political wing of Mountjoy Jail. On his release he found his employment as a railway man with C.I.E. taken from him. Three months later again, he was taken in the internment swoop of July 1957 and held without trial in the Curragh Concentration Camp. He had but to sign a form of undertaking to secure immediate release and the return of his job with C.I.E. Packey refused and he and his wife and four young children suffered much distress and privation as a result. A year and three months later he was released unconditionally and resumed activities with Republican Sinn Fein. He found work in Dublin, returning to Athlone at weekends and after some years his job as a railway man was restored to him. In the late 1960s he was among those who set up a public meeting locally for civil rights leaders from the six counties. Later he assisted families suffering distress and helped refugees from the North. In 1969 and 1970 he stood firm against the Workers' Party attempt to divert the revolutionary Republican Movement into a reformist party in Westminster, Stormont and Leinster House. He worked in elections for - amoung other Republican candidates - the hunger-striker Martin Hurson from Tyrone who fasted to death for political prisoner status in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh. Again in 1986 he was uncompromising against the Provo move to accept the 26 County and later the Stormont assemblies. He was among those who voted unanimously at the local Sean Costello/ Martin Hurson Cumann to stand by Republican Sinn Fein. |
Packey was steadfast and persistent as a Republican activist all his life. He was direct and straight in his dealings with others and an example to youth in his selflessness. Until his last illness he collected funds, sold Republican literature and distributed the lilies every Easter. He has gone to join local Republicans Victor and Una Fagg, Paddy and Tommy Mulvihill, Billy Dowling and the Fitzpatrick brothers - all of whom he admired greatly for their service and sacrifice. "By truth and honour, by principle and sacrifice alone" (words of Liam Mellows when facing the firing squad), would Ireland be free. That is how Packey Harney lived his life. His comrades will be inspired as they cherish his memory. Note: Patrick "Packey" Harney died 14 March 1999, at age 72. - Newspaper unknown, copy provided by Patricia Lough, Athlone. Chart: ROMBF.IRE. Australian Visitors in Drum The family tradition is that Patrick McManus' wife died leaving him with five young children. Seeing no future in Ireland, Patrick set off for Australia with his four sons, Edward, Patrick, Martin, and John. The youngest of the family, a girl named Ann, was just a baby so she remained on in Ireland. "Within days after arrival in Melbourne, Patrick died leaving the four young boys orphaned in a distant land." Fortunately a Great Aunt in another Australian state came and took the four and reared them. The baby of the family, Ann McManus, grew up in Ireland and went on to marry a man named Harney whose son became a personal bodyguard to Eamon De Valera during the "trouble period". - From a news article submitted by Patricia Lough. Note: De Valera represented the military wing of Sinn Fein and was elected President of that organization in April 1919. It was during this time that the Irish Free State was recognized with full powers of self-government, and the six counties of Ulster formed Northern Ireland (Dec 1921). Irish self-government was restored in Jan 1922. |
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Page 5 Summer - by Edith Wharton This book caused a sensation when it was published in 1917, as it was one of the first books to deal with a woman's sexuality. Other books by Edith Wharton include 'The Age of Innocence' and 'Ethan Frome'. 'Summer' has recently been made into an opera by Stephen Paulus, with conductor Joel Revzen (artistic director of Berkshire Opera), and a hand picked cast. It was performed at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield, MA, in August and September 1999. Note: It is interesting to note that there really was a Lucius Harney (1882-1949).
However he lived in Kentucky , not Massachusetts. Two-Gun Harney - by Buck Billings To Locate these Books: COLLECTORS' CORNER Kirk Harney, of Rantoul, IL, collects golf balls from around the world. Below is a sample of the unique logos on golf balls from his web site. If you are a golf ball collector, see Kirk's site at: http://www.cu-online.com/~klharney/ |
HARNEY MANSION Lorraine Kline sent this rare postcard of the old Harney Mansion in Sullivan, Missouri. This was the summer home of General William Selby Harney (1800-1889).
The old mansion is currently under-going restoration by the "Friends of General Harney House, Inc" (see HU 51 for details). THE HARNEY FAMILY PRIVATE WEB SITE As explained in HU51, the private web site is password protected and can only be accessed by other members, therefore it is a good place to exchange information about living family members, while still maintaining their privacy. Each member has the ability to write letters, post pictures, and upload your family tree. Such sites, which are free, are becoming very popular in replacing long-distance phone calls for families scattered around the world, who want to keep in touch. If you have Internet access, and have not yet joined the Harney Private Web Site, contact my email address at harney2@netscape.net and request you be added to the member list. THINGS IRISH Shillelagh Shamrock |
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Page 6 PLUMBING PROBLEMS OF THE PAST The following letter was found in a box in the attic of a Harney home in Cambridge, MA, by Edward "Ted" Harney, now living in Billerica, MA.
Mary Harney was the young daughter of Irish immigrants, Michael Harney (b.1825, son of John, of Drum parish, Co. Rosc., Ireland) and Margaret Harney (dau of Owen Harney, also of Drum parish). Mary, who wrote this letter, circa 1865, was born in Cambridge, MA, 15 Mar 1860. Annie, who she refers to in the letter, was an adopted relation, also named Harney, who was born in Cambridge in 1858, and lived with them. Chart: ROJMB.IRE. Note: What would Mary and Annie think about the article in the next column, I wonder. GENEALOGY HUMOR
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YOU RACE WHAT?? In the last issue of this newsletter there was an article about Bob Harney and his son, Woody, in the Shovel Races at the Angel Fire Resort in New Mexico. The first I'd heard of this unusual "snow-sport." Since then I've been informed about the (even weirder) Outhouse Races - yes, it's true. In Trenary, Michigan, homemade outhouses made of wood, cardboard, etc., built on skis, are pushed by 2 "racers" down Main Street. The following information is from their web page: http://www.jldr.com /ohraces99.html WHO: Anyone who has a sense of humor - or needs one! Some folks like to build, some
like to race and EVERYONE likes to watch! Various businesses in town sponsor the outhouses and last year's entries included the Model-T auto, pictured below; a fire-truck; the bank sponsored an ATM machine (with money wallpaper inside); and many more. Winning the "Most Humorous" award was an outhouse named "The Vati-Can," pushed by two nuns!
And now for the most asked question - What about that cutout of the
moon on the door? |
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IRISH GLEANINGS - by John D Bowen Page 7 Editor's Note: Instead of the usual Irish Gleanings article, John has submitted the
following article on a famous Irish-American. There are many parallels between the
treatment of the Indians in America's early history, and the treatment of the Irish in
their homeland, by the various invading forces such as the Vikings, Norse, and British.
William Selby Harney was one who recognized the injustice dealt to the native people.
NOMINATION TO FORT LEAVENWORTH HALL OF FAME Name: William Selby Harney |
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| WILLIAM SELBY HARNEY - Brevet Major General The following is from the Biographical File, US Army Military History Institute Library, Carlisle Barracks, PA. William Selby Harney was born 22 August 1800 in Haysborough, Tennessee. His father Thomas Harney, a Major in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, had moved in 1791 from Delaware to Tennessee. By the time William was born, his father was making a comfortable living as a merchant and land surveyor. He attended common school and then an academy in Haysborough, where he received instruction in navigation, since his parents intended that he enter the Navy. Instead, a visit to his brother Benjamin, an Army surgeon stationed in Baton Rouge, and a meeting with General Jessup, led him to an Army career. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the First Infantry on 13 January 1818. Soon after joining his regiment in Louisiana, Harney saw service in the operations against Jean Lafittte's pirates who were ravaging the coast of Louisiana. On several occasions he demonstrated great courage and endurance in perilous circumstances. On 7 January 1819 he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant. Two years later, when General Andrew Jackson became the first Governor of Florida, he requested that Harney be assigned as the commander of his honor guard. Harney became Jackson's protege and also was in a position to observe first-hand the inadequacy of the Government's Indian policy, which Harney would try to reverse throughout the rest of his life. In 1824, the First Infantry was ordered to St Louis with the mission of protecting the settlers from the Indians. While stationed there, on 14 May1825, Harney was promoted to Captain. Two years later, Harney accompanied General |
Atkinson to Wisconsin to enforce "the removal of the Winnebago Indians
west to Iowa." Except for occasional leave, Harney remained in the
Wisconsin-Minnesota area for the next five years, gaining the friendship of Jefferson
Davis, Zachary Taylor and Abraham Lincoln while there. On 1 May 1833, President Jackson
appointed Harney as Army Paymaster with the rank of Major. However he disliked his desk
job, and on 15 August 1836, Harney managed an appointment as second-in-command of the
newly formed Second Dragoons and promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. He was connected with
this famous cavalry unit for the next twenty-two years, and the reputation and character
of the regiment became entwined with his own. The reputation was one of "excellence
on duty and hell-raising off duty." In January 1837, the Second Dragoons joined
General Jessup's new command, the Army of Florida, which was engaged in the Second
Seminole War. During his four years of combat in Florida, Harney's performance gained him
recognition in the eyes of his superiors, subordinates, and his adversaries. He displayed an unequaled perception of the Indians and understood the mistreatment and deception of the white men and his government which they were fighting. The end of the war and a serious case of malaria brought him a brevet promotion to Colonel and reassignment to Texas Territory. On 30 June 1846, Harney was promoted to Colonel and assigned to General Worth's command, part of General Taylor's complement of troops, at the outbreak of the Mexican War. Colonel Harney and his dragoons compiled an outstanding record in Mexico, culmination in their charge up El Telegrapho to seize the battlements of Cerro Gordo. |
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IRISH GLEANINGS - continued. Page 8 For that feat, Harney was breveted Brigadier General by his long-time political enemy, General Winfield Scott. Were it not for Harney's difficulties with politically-minded superiors, he would have risen higher and more quickly in rank. Invariably the points in contention went against his concepts of duty and honor, and his career suffered when he refused to yield. Following the Mexican War, Harney returned to the Military Department of Texas with the Second dragoons. in 1851, while in temporary command of the region, he began rearranging troop locations and establishing a cordon of posts and detachments to protect settlers and travelers. In 1854, he was ordered to undertake a campaign against the rebellious Sioux Indians in Kansas and Nebraska. He reported to Fort Leavenworth, assembled his force, with which shortly thereafter he defeated a sizable camp of Brule Sioux near Ash Hollow, Nebraska, without loss to his command, and got them to agree to a peace treaty. One of the noteworthy innovations in the treaty was the appointment of Sioux tribesmen as federal policemen to let the Indians police themselves and learn responsibility. However, this part of the treaty was not carried out. In 1857, Harney returned to Fort Leavenworth as Post Commander during the turmoil over the question of slavery. In the midst of the trouble he demonstrated a commendable ability to remain impartial and honest. His tenure at the Fort was cut short by orders to raise a force and proceed to reinforce the troops engaged in Utah subduing the Mormons. However, before the expedition had gone far, Brigham Young agreed to peace. On 14 June 1858, Harney received his regular promotion to Brigadier General, and he was ordered to the Pacific Coast to command the Department of Oregon. The President assented to Harney's request that a Jesuit missionary, Father P J DeSmet, be appointed Harney's Chaplain. Their combined skills with the Indians contributed greatly to the peaceful settlement of the Northwest, as both men commanded the respect of the tribes in the territory. Harney established new routes through the Cascade and Sierra Nevada Mountains, mapped them and then reorganized his forts and posts to support the network. In doing so, however, Harney handled the dispute with Britain over San Juan Island too aggressively for the Commanding general of the Army, his old nemesis, Winfield Scott, and so Scott removed Harney. |
In July 1860, the President ordered Harney to St Louis to take command of the Department of the West. However, he was overcome by the rush of political events and his political innocence. Although he was a brilliant cavalryman, he was a political neophyte who could not see that his credo of trust and honor would not work in the tangle of affairs in Missouri. Suspected of Southern sympathies by the powerful Blair-Benton faction in Missouri, politics demanded his relief, which occurred in May 1861. On 1 August 1863, General Harney was placed on the retired list, and on 13 March 1863 he was breveted Major General in recognition of his long and faithful service. President Lincoln later admitted that Harney's removal was one of the greatest mistakes of his administration. Harney served on various Indian commissions during his retirement and was considered "the nation's greatest Indian expert." He died in Orlando, Florida on 9 May 1889. In his honor, the Sioux gave him a title he would have cherished, "Man-Who-Always-Kept-His-Word." There are many milestones in General Harney's long career of service to
the Army and to his country. Throughout there are his brilliant and compassionate
understanding of the Indian and his battle against the nation's cynical policy of
betrayal. A single thread runs throughout all that he did and tried to do - a fierce
desire to serve. His epitaph in Arlington National Cemetery captures the spirit of his
dedication. It reads simply, "Harney, Second Dragoons." General William Selby Harney's gravestone, Arlington National Cemetery, Wash D.C. Photo taken 16 Dec 1991, by John D Bowen. |
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A miser is hard
to live with, but makes a great ancestor.
End of Harney Update, Issue 52
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