HARLAND PAGE HURD, His Biography
By Roger BUSCH
Harlan Page HURD was born in Medina, Orleans County, New York on 5 April 1838. He was the second of eight children born to Russell Frost HURD and Nancy Ann (FROST), who was also his second cousin.
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Having spent his entire youth in Orleans County, he had learned the trade of
a carpenter. On 9 July 1857, when Harlan was 19, he joined in marriage with Mary Catherine KNAUSE at the Methodist Church in Brockport, Monroe County. Harlan and his older brother, Levi enlisted in the 17th New York Independent Volunteer Battery, Light Artillery on 20 August 1862 as privates. At the time of his enlistment, he had two young children, a son Willard Kendall (b 1858) and a daughter Mary Elizabeth (b 1860). Another son, Harlan Page Jr., was born about six months after Harlan had gone to war on 15 January 1863. Three more children were born, after the Civil War, Gertrude May (1866), Benjamin Frost (1869) and Mabel Winifred (1876). Harland was a prolific letter writer and wrote Mary |
| telling of his thoughts, his thoughts, hopes and ambitions. | |
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Harland Page HURD 1838 -- 1926 |
From these letters we know that he
was instrumental in setting up the debating society within the 17th Battery
and that he thoroughly enjoyed debate and oration. |
In a letter to his wife dated 11 March 1865 he refers with great enthusiasm to the Essay he delivered on 6 March: "Last Monday I read an Essay which raised the assembly, which filled the house to overflowing & there were as many outside as in, the windows & door being open, raised that assembly to extatic's (sic) & it was unanimously resolved that said Essay should be printed. A copy has been sent to Baltimore to a publisher & we expect a letter the first of the week telling us the price. If it is not too expensive it will be printed at once and 500 copies."
Immediately following the war the family moved to Corry, Erie Co., Pennsylvania. They remained there until 1880, they then moved to Newark, Essex Co., New Jersey. He established the Newark Door Company as served as President. He remained in the Newark area until his death on 23 April 1926. Both Harlan and Catherine (KNAUSE) HURD are buried in the Bloomfield Cemetery, Bloomfield, NJ, Lot 587E-1/2
NOTE: The photo has been thought to have been taken by Wm. CONLY, Photographer,
of Fairfax Court House, Virginia between Oct 1963 and May 1864.
The letters of Harlan and Mary are now in the care of Roger BUSCH, his great great
grandson, 24 June 2002.
Edited & converted to HTML by Richard CALLARD
June 2002