Internet Interview

Mother: Henrietta Simms

Father: Benjamin R. Harrison

Born: 1868

Married: Edward L. Stiff, June 8, 1888 in Ramsey County, Minnesota

Divorced: March 4, 1918, Linn County, Oregon

Died: May 17, 1950, Salem, Oregon

Buried: City View Cemetery, Salem, Oregon

We knew very little about Mary Harrison until we made contact with one of her descendants through the web, Sue Countryman of California. This new connection with a lost cousin provided us with great new information. Read some of our communications below.

The e-mail sent to Sue Countryman from Mandy.
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Dear Sue Countryman,

My name is Mandy Bundy. I live in Alaska and I am 12 years old.. We found your message posted on the web about you looking for information on your great grandmother Mary Harrison and her father Benjamin R. Harrison. I have a great great great grandfather named Benjamin R. Harrison who had a daughter named Mary. I have been looking for more information also. We know nothing about this family beyond Benjamin. Is this your Harrison family also? If it is, would you like to share some information? We have almost nothing on Mary.

Benjamin R. Harrison b. 1826
A first wife (unknown)
They had one daughter, Caroline (Calle) Harrison. b.1855
His second wife was Henrietta (Nettie) Simms b. 1850
They had 6 kids.
Martha Harrison. b. 1865
Joseph Harrison. b. 1866
Mary Harrison. b. 1868
Charlotte Harrison. b. 1870
Adeline Harrison. b. 1873
George Harrison. b. 1874

We are a team of three girls working on a ThinkQuest web site project which shows people why and how to save the stories hidden in their photographs. Karisa and myself in Alaska are descendants from Benjamin R. Harrison's daughter Adeline Harrison. Our other team member Charanna in Minnesota, who we have never met in person either, is a descendant from Benjamin R. Harrison's daughter Charlotte (Lottie) Harrison. If this is your Harrison family also then you will be our first connection with a descendant from Mary Harrison.

Thank you
Please reply.
~Mandy~

The e-mail reply sent to Mandy from Sue Countryman.
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Hi Mandy,

My great grandmother was Mary Rose Harrison Stiff. She married E. L. Stiff in St. Paul, MN. (I don't have the dates with me right now) They had four children, one daughter died young. H.L. Stiff was the oldest son, Georgena Rose Stiff, my grandmother, and Edward Lewis Stiff jr.

Her father was Benjamin R. Harrison, her mother was Henrietta Simms Harrison. Caroline Harrison Thompson was living with them in Minnesota in 1900. And is listed as S I L (sister in law) on that census.

Martha Harrison married Jabez H. Harper. I found them in Spokane, WA around the turn of the century. Jabez H. Harper is also part of my family, through the Stiff family. His sister was E. L. Stiff's mother.

Caroline and her daughter are buried in Salem, Oregon beside Mary and her son Edward.

I wrote to the cemetery where Mary Harrison Stiff is buried and they informed me of Caroline Thompson and Rena Bortle being buried along with Mary Harrison Stiff and her son Edward L. Stiff. I had no idea who Caroline Thompson and Rena Bortle were. I wrote to the cemetery again and to the funeral home, and from those records, I was informed of the family connection and found the name of Ruth Walton listed as Caroline Harrison Thompson's mother.

George went to Canada, married there. In 1922 he came back to the United States, through Washington. He had numerous children, I have the names of some of them. I remember two of his sons, Fred and Herbert. Herbert Harrison is buried in Salem, Oregon. I do not know where George is buried, or when he died.

That is just about all I have, in a nut shell! I am anxious to know what you have. I know nothing about the other children of Benjamin R. and Henrietta Simms Harrison. I do have pictures of Mary, none of Caroline or George. I will send copies of what I have if you would like to have them.

I am so glad you saw my query!

sue

This slide show was created by Sue Countryman and was e-mailed to us in a 4 slide powerpoint presentation. She gave us permission to post the above e-mail and her slide show in javascript below.