Lines & History

[Terrance Flaherty]

The following information for the first generations of Harlan(d)s is
quoted
               from the "History and Genealogy of the Harlan Family" by
Alpheus Harlan.

Michael HARLAN was born about 1660 in Bishoprick, Durham, England. He
died in Jun 1729 in London Grove, Chester Co., Pennsylvania. From
"History and Genealogy of the Harlan Family" by Alpheus Harlan- "Yeoman,
Friend, was b. "Nigh Durham, in Bishoprick, England, about the  year
1660," and in early life em. with his brothers into Ireland and settled
with them in the County of Down. Here he remained until 1687, when he
accompanied his brother George to America. "And ye beginning of ye yeare
1690," Michael Harlan m. Dinah Dixon, "ye Daughter of Henry Dixon and
settled first Neer ye Senter Meeting House." They afterward removed into
London Grove Twp., where Michael d. "Foruth Month: (June), 1729, and
was bur. in Friends' Burying Grounds. His wife was doubtless bur.there
also." 

Reading the Quaker Minutes and the Town Records, one notes that the
language there is not at all like that we find in M&D, but is rather,
well, to my ear, German or Irish English, with all sorts of wonderful
spelling. In fact my reading of Chaucer and ME helps. 

He was married to Dinah DIXON (daughter of Henry DIXON and Rose) in
Jan 1690 in Newark Meeting, New Castle, Delaware. Dinah DIXON was
born about 1668 in Sego, Armagh, Ireland. Michael HARLAN #4 and
Dinah DIXON had the following children:  

In looking at the Cemetery Records, every person buried in Oyster Bay or
Lancaster for the last 300 odd years, the name Dixon is more popular
than either Jones or Johnson. 

Mason is not a name I found in the records I looked at. 

Hannah HARLAN was born on 4 Feb 1681 in Ireland. She was
               married to Samuel HOLLINGSWORTH in 1701. Samuel
               HOLLINGSWORTH was born on 27 Jan 1673 in Belfast,
Northern
               Ireland. He died in Nov 1748 in , Chester, Pennsylvania.
He was buried in
               Birmingham, Chester, Pennsylvania. He was one of the 11
commissioners
               appointed in 1728 to run the line between Chester Co. and
newly formed
               Lancaster Co. In 1735, he owned land and lived near
George Harlan, on
               west side of Brandywine, 5 or 6 miles from Willminton.
Hannah HARLAN
               #6 and Samuel HOLLINGSWORTH had the following children:
29  

Don't know what happend to those posts from the Town and State
Histories, but most of what we find there are Lines. Lines, lines and
more lines. 

The point being, one of them anyway, that Dixon also tells the truth at
the inverted five points when he puts on his dog and pony show for the
locals to protect he and Mason. He and Mason are in fact skilled
line-men. 

In the year 1715, while yet a resident of Kennett Township, Chester
County, PA.,
James Harlan was married by a priest, contrary to the usages of the
Society
of Friends, to Elizabeth, who was also a member of that society. James
and
Elizabeth settled upon a farm given him by his father, by a deed dated
³6th
day of first month called March 1713 for 200 acres, the consideration
and
location being² Consideration of ye natural affection and paternal love,
which
he hath & doth bear unto his beloved Son and also for good causes &
valuable considerations given him at this time present more especially
here
 unto moveing. Situated within ye limits of ye Manor of Staneing on ye
south
side of ye Brandywine Creek in ye County of Chester. James and Elizabeth
had ten children: (It is not known if the children after Jacob are in
the correct
order.) He was married to Elizabeth in 1715 in Kennet, Chester,
Pennsylvania. Elizabeth was born on 9 Oct 1694 in New Castle County,
Delaware. James HARLAN #11 and Elizabeth had the following children:  

         i.      John HARLAN  

Anyway, Judy asked what I found in those Quaker Minutes and the like and
I must say I suspect that Pynchon was reading these for a long time. He
grew up, after all, not five miles from where I did  and I'm quite
certain he would certainly have known Quakers long before he went to
Cornell and met up with them there or later through the Baez family. I
suspect that his father and mother kept a fairly decent Library that
would have included books on Surveying and the Family histories and thus
town and state records and the like and maybe even Quaker Minutes. Just
my guess and I have no way of knowing for sure.