The following information was provided by Michael HARBISON, great-grandson of George C. HARBISON (1837-1917); [email protected]:
GEORGE C HARBISON (1837-1817)
George C. Harbison was born in May, 1837 in Maury Co. Tennessee near the town of Santa Fe. His Father James J. (jar) Harbison had married Sarah J. Fields in 1831 in Maury Co. They lived next to brother Alexander and near uncles Matthew and Alexander and John. George and brothers, James, Brandon and Baldridge attended school nearby taught by Luther C. Foster from Ohio. After his father James J. died about 1857 He moved with Mom Sarah down to Wayneboro, Tennessee. He married Malinda Scott in 1859, May 8, in Waynesboro and had America, in Tennessee in 1860 and Sarah E. in Arkansas in 1861. When the Civil war came, George's brothers and cousins were recruited to fight for the confederate forces (Sparkman Artillery). But George seems to be in Arkansas with two infant girls when the fighting breaks out. He seems to have settled around Russellville (Gum Log) Arkansas near cousins Alex M. and Hugh Harbison from Sharon, York Co. South Carolina because next door was his next wife Elizabeth J. Bowden wife of George Allen Bowden. (Elizabeth is the Daughter of Arthur Reid descended from Johannes Reid (Reed) of Charlotte gold mine fame). George, Alex and Hugh Harbison join the 15th regiment of Arkansas confederate militia in 1861-2. Alex M. and Hugh march off in the 15th Regiment of Arkansas Confederate Infantry(Northwest) in 1862.and are captured and paroled out of Vicksburg.; George Allen Bowden gets killed near Greenwood Arkansas in 1862. Here the story thickens; both Samuel Allison out of Greenwood and George C. Harbison out of Russellville are recruited by gunpoint into the same Union Infantry regiment (2nd Arkansas Infantry Company F and G)in July 1864 in Lewisburg. They probably knew each other. Samuel is the grandfather of Laura Allison and George is the father of Thomas Winfield Harbison. George married Elizabeth in June 1865 at Gum Log (Russellville Arkansas). She apparently was taking care of the girls and Malinda had died. The bushwhack war that followed killed many of George's friends, family and neighbors. He has James and Richard in Gum Log (Russellville) and then moved with George Scott and part of the Bowden clan to Richland, sixty miles north, a remote peaceful community (depopulated during the civil war) In the 1870 census they turn up in Richland, Searcy Co with William Bowden, Elizabeth's 8 year old son and sons James Alexander and Richard Calvin along with America and Sarah from Malinda. Sarah marries Marian Vick in 1877 who was born in the primitive Richland of Searcy County in 1859. In the 1880 census Sarah E lives next door married to Marian Vick. James A and Richard C are joined with Thomas Winfield (my grand dad). The kids are attending the Hall school. In 1900 George is living with son James in Jenny Lind in Sebastian Co. a mining community. George lists his occupation as minister. Next door are the Vicks. James gets a railroad job. In 1910 George is with Thomas Winfield Harbison, son and coal miner. . He died in 1917 and is buried in Old Jenny Lind cemetery in Sebastian Co. outside of Fort Smith.