George Harmon

George Harmon, his Children and Grandchildren

By

Barthena Harmon and William Kelsay

 George Harmon, son of Peter and Margaret (Choulyn) Harmon, was born circa 1770's in  Bedford County, Virginia.  It is said that his mother was a Cherokee Indian.  He came with his parents to Greene County, Tennessee, where he married on May 28, 1794 to Nancy Neill.

William Neill was the witness at the marriage, and some researchers believe he was her father.  He may be the William Neal, son of Henry Neal of Pennsylvania, who married Rachel Leonard, as he had a brother Jesse Neel that lived in Greene County, and who was a witness to an 1808 land purchase by George Harmon on Lick Creek.  George had been Security at Jesse's wedding in 1806.  This William and Rachel were also the parents of Benjamin Neal that married in Greene County to Nancy Harmon, sister of George.  But, some records state that William and Rachel moved on to Ohio.  

So our William may be the William Niel whose estate owed a man eight dollars in 1808, so his land on Lick Creek was sold to the creditor for one dollar.  A Benjamin Neil witnessed a land purchase of George in 1802;   a man by this name was administrator of George Harmon's estate in 1815; and a Benjamin Neil was witness to a marriage of John Kelsay and Nancy Neil in 1809  (John Kelsaybeing brother of George's son-in-law, William Kelsay).  

It is not known if there were more than one Benjamin Neil-Neal in Greene County at this time.        

George was a gunsmith, and operated a business in the town of Greenville, Greene County.  In January of 1798, George Harmon and Miles Luster were assigned to work the Gass Creek to Greenville Roads. He purchased land on Lick Creek in 1802 and again in 1808.  George, along with brothers Moses and Isaac Harmon, were witnesses to a land deed in 1802 for Thomas Harmon.  Another record that he appears on in the county records is purchasing a negro woman in 1808. Hamilton Neil was a witness to this transaction.

George Harmon died about 1810 in Greene County, as there was an inventory of his estate in January 1811. The Orphans Court in April 1813 assigned Nancy to be guardian of her six orphaned children. On October 21, 1815, George's estate was sold at a Sheriff sale to satisfy debts.  A man named Stephen Alexander had a judgment against the estate for six dollars and seventy-five cents, so 170 acres was sold to Isaac Harmon. The land was sold by Nancy, and Benjamin Neil, administrator of the estate.  Nancy sold in about 1816 140 acres to Peter Harmon (probably son of John Harmon), and over the next few years as her children became of age they sold their interests in their father's estate to the same Peter Harmon.

It is not known what became of Nancy after this time.  Perhaps she lived with one of her children.  

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