William H. Harrison

Yellowed picture of certificate of death, filled in with cursive handwriting.

William H. Harrison served in Company I of the 22nd U.S.C.T. He was born around 1830, in Hagerstown, Maryland, to enslaved parents. His father’s name was William Harrison, but his mother’s name is unknown.1 He enlisted as a private at the age of 35 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on January 5, 1864, and he was discharged with his company on May 5, 1865, due to the end of the war.2 His life immediately after the war, including information about his family, is unknown.

In September of 1894, he was on the committee of arrangements for a camp meeting held by the A.M.E. Zion Church in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.3 In December of the same year, he was elected Senior Vice Commander of the Jesse G. Thompson Post, No. 440 G.A.R.4 In February of 1898, he was elected president of the Colored Men’s Republican Club in the second precinct of Carlisle’s 4th Ward.5 The 1900 Federal Census records him living on 311 North West Street in Carlisle. He is widowed, and living with a housekeeper named Henrietta Parris. Who he married and when he married them is unknown.6 He was working as the cemetery curator for a now-abandoned graveyard at the corner of Pitt and Penn streets in Carlisle.7 The 1910 Federal Census records him still living in Carlisle’s 4th Ward, but at 159 West Pecan Street, still with Henrietta Parris as his housekeeper.8

Harrison died on March 14, 1916, probably due to myocarditis, according to his death certificate. He passed away in the home of his daughters in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, at 87 years old.9 He is buried in Union Street Cemetery, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in section C, number 60, with a marble headstone.10

  1. Certificate of Death, Find a Grave Memorial 130698917.
  2. 1890 Veterans Schedules of the U.S. Federal Census for William H Harrison, M123; Pennsylvania, U.S., Civil War Muster Rolls, 1860-1869.
  3. “The Veteran Camp”, Carlisle Evening Herald, 1, Sep 6, 1894.
  4. “Thompson Post Officers”, The Sentinel, 2, Dec 6, 1894.
  5. “Colored Men’s Republican Club”, Carlisle Evening Herald, 1, Feb 22, 1898.
  6. 1900 United States Federal Census for William Harrison, 17.
  7. “Graves Were Flooded”, The Sentinel, 3, Aug 19, 1901.
  8. 1910 United States Federal Census for William H Harrison, 8B.
  9. Certificate of Death, Find a Grave Memorial 130698917; “William H. Harrison”, Carlisle Evening Herald, 5, Mar 17, 1916.
  10. Pennsylvania, U.S., Veterans Burial Cards, 1777-2012

Bibliography:

1900 United States Federal Census for William Harrison. 17. Ancestry.com. NARA: Washington, 2004. 1900 United States Federal Census - AncestryLibrary.com

1910 United States Federal Census for William H Harrison. 8B. Ancestry.com. NARA: Washington, 2006. 1910 United States Federal Census - AncestryLibrary.com

William Henry Harrison. Pennsylvania, U.S., Civil War Muster Rolls, 1860-1869. Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. NARA: Washington, 2015. Pennsylvania, U.S., Civil War Muster Rolls, 1860-1869 - AncestryLibrary.com

William H. Harrison. Pennsylvania, U.S., Veterans Burial Cards, 1777-2012. Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. NARA: Washington, 2010.

1890 Veterans Schedules of the U.S. Federal Census for William H Harrison. M123. Ancestry.com. NARA: Washington, 2005. 1890 Veterans Schedules of the U.S. Federal Census - AncestryLibrary.com

William Henry Harrison. Find a Grave Memorial 130698917. Maintained by Dennis Brandt, added June 1, 2014. www.findagrave.com/memorial/130698917

“William H. Harrison”. Carlisle Evening Herald. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Mar 17, 1916. Page 5. https://www.newspapers.com/image/270184115

“Harrison”. The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Mar 17, 1916. Page 8. https://www.newspapers.com/image/344769061

“Colored Men’s Republican Club”. Carlisle Evening Herald. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Feb 22, 1898. Page 1. https://www.newspapers.com/image/270136421

“The Veteran Camp”. Carlisle Evening Herald. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Sep 6, 1894. Page 1. https://www.newspapers.com/image/270416068

“Thompson Post Officers”. The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Dec 6, 1894. Page 2. https://www.newspapers.com/image/344000278

“Notice”. Carlisle Evening Herald. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Oct 13, 1898. Page 1. https://www.newspapers.com/image/270468220

“Graves Were Flooded”. The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Aug 19, 1901. Page 3. https://www.newspapers.com/image/344474680

Search form

Regiment

Geographic Connection(s) to Cumberland County

Enlistment Location

Date of Enlistment

01/05/1864

Hometown:

Birthdate

01/01/1830

Date of Death

03/14/1916

Burial Location

Place of Settlement Following War