BIO: Hezekiah H. HARSHBERGER, Centre County, PA

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Commemorative Biographical Record of Central Pennsylvania: Including 
the Counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion: Containing 
Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, Etc. 
Chicago: J. H. Beers, 1898.
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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.  163

  H. H. HARSHBERGER, of Bellefonte, is a prominent member of the Centre 
County Bar, and in his chosen profession, and previously in his work as 
an educator, he has manifested abilities of a high order.  He was born 
June 10, 1849, in Walker township, Centre county, and is a descendant 
of a German family long resident in Pennsylvania.  Various members 
settled in Lebanon county at an early day, Christian, Barbara and Ann 
locating there in 1737, Caspar and Jacob in 1749, Johannes in 1754, 
Henrich in 1768, and David in 1770.
  Christian Harshberger, our subject's great-grandfather, passed his 
remaining years in Lebanon county, but he took up new lands in Bern 
township, Berks county (then Lancaster county), in 1745, 1753 and 1755.  
His son, Abraham (who died in 1818), the grandfather of our subject, 
became one of the pioneer farmers of Penn's Valley, Centre county, and 
helped to drive the Indians from that locality.  His children were: (1) 
John, a farmer in Penn's Valley, who died there at the age of eighty 
years; (2) Joseph, who died in Ohio at an advanced age; (3) David, our 
subject's father; (4) Abraham (deceased), a
known physician at Milroy, Penn., who served as a surgeon during the 
Civil war; (5) Henry (deceased), a successful physician in Juniata 
county, Penn.; (6) Catherine, who never married, and is now eighty-nine 
years old.
  David Harshberger was born in Penn's Valley in 1804, and was there 
married to Miss Nancy Rhone, also a native of the Valley, born in 1810.  
They passed their wedded life upon farms in Snow Shoe and Walker 
townships, Centre Co., Penn., and were active members of the Lutheran 
Church, and leaders in many progressive movements, the father being 
prominent in the early days as an Abolitionist and later as an ardent 
Republican.  He died in 1881, and the mother in 1878.  Of the twelve 
children of this esteemed couple all but three are living: John is a 
farmer and peppermint distiller in Michigan; Jacob was a soldier in the 
Civil war, a member of Battery M, 3rd N.Y. Light Artillery, and was 
killed at the taking of Richmond; David, a member of Company I, 3rd Mo. 
Cav., lost his life in the service, and was buried near Brownsville, 
Ark.; Abraham is a practicing physician in Philadelphia; Elizabeth 
married John Baney, of Zion, Centre county; Fannie died at the age of 
eighteen years; Mary A. married James J. Lower, and resides in Grand 
Junction, Colo.; Zachariah resides in Milesburg, Centre county; H. H. 
is mentioned more fully below; Nancy J. married John S. Yerick; Samuel 
is a physician at Port Matilda, Centre county, and Jeremiah died in 
childhood.
  Mr. Harshberger's early years were spent on his father's farm in his 
native county, but his literary education was completed at Dickinson 
Seminary, in Williamsport, Penn.  He then became a teacher, and after 
three years as superintendent of the Orphans' School at Chester 
Springs, Penn., he prepared for the legal profession, taking a course 
in the law school at Albany, N.Y., graduating in 1872, and subsequently 
spent a year in the office of the late Judge A. Hoy, and traveled 
extensively in quest of lost health.  As he resumed the work of 
teaching temporarily, it was not until 1882 that he established himself 
in practice at Bellefonte, entering into partnership with the Hon. Seth 
H. Yocum, since deceased.  Since that time he has been devoted to his 
professional work, and has met with well-deserved success.  Besides his 
professional duties, he finds pleasure in agriculture, and superintends 
the work on several large farms besides his own, and is eminently 
successful.
  On November 9, 1882, Mr. Harshberger married Miss Julia C. Barnhart, 
a native of Centre county, born May 12, 1852. She died January 29, 
1894, leaving four children: Ralph C., James B., Mary R. and David R. 
  As an intelligent observer of current events, Mr. Harshberger is 
naturally interested in political questions, his allegiance being given 
to the Republican party.  In religious faith he is a Methodist, an 
official member of his Church, and superintendent of the Sunday-school 
for the last ten years.  As an educator he was in advance of his 
fellows, for as early as 1878 he, in a lecture delivered before the 
Centre County Teachers Institute, advocated a compulsory and free text 
book law, and asked that body, to memorialize the Legislature to enact 
such a, law, which resolution was defeated, and his hopes were not 
realized until he had gone out of the profession, when, in 1895, the 
Legislature enacted just such a law as was mapped out in his lecture.

Note: The 1860 Walker Township, Centre County census lists David (56), 
Nancy (50), Jacob (28), Abraham (20), Mary (19), Zachariah (16), 
Hezekiah (14), Nancy J. (12) and Samuel (9) Harshbarger.