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From: Archives <>
Subject: Tn-Montgomery Co. Bios (Harper)
Date: 25 Oct 2005 04:31:36 -0000


Montgomery County TN Archives Biographies.....Harper, James E. 1861 -
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Joy Fisher October 25, 2005, 4:31 am

Author: Will T. Hale

JAMES E. HARPER. Montgomery county is fortunate in the character and ability
of its public officials, and in none more so than in the present clerk of the
circuit and criminal court, James E. Harper. He has lived in this county all his
life, has been known to the citizens first as a substantial farmer and through
an efficient record in various responsibilities to the public, and in 1910 was
elected to his present office "for a term of four years.

Mr. Harper was born in Montgomery county, February 23, 1861, a son of B. G.
and Mary A. (Coke) Harper. A century has passed since Grandfather Whiteman
Harper emigrated from Virginia and settled in 1812 on the old Harper homestead
in Montgomery county, where he spent the rest of his life and died at an
advanced age in 1876. He was a large planter and slaveholder. On this old estate
B. G. Harper was born in 1832, attended the local schools of his day, and spent
his career as a more than usually successful farmer and an extensive tobacco
grower. His death occurred on January 16. 1894. He was a Democrat in polities,
and he and his wife were both devout members and workers in the Methodist
church. The mother, who was born in Montgomery county in 1836 and died in
September, 1866, was a daughter of Ben Coke, who was born and spent all his life
in Montgomery county.

From the country school which he first attended James R. Harper continued his
education in the fine private school conducted by Prof. G. T. Abernathey, one of
the leading educators of the time in this part of Tennessee. "With the close of
Ms school days he applied himself with characteristic energy to farming, and
continued that vocation until his official duties required all his attention. In
1881 he married Miss Rebecca D. Green, whose father, L. F. Green, was one of the
substantial farmers and an old settler in Montgomery county. There were nineteen
children in the Green family. Mr. and Mrs. Harper have a fine family of eight
children, whose names and situations are as follows : Eva R., wife of Rev. John
F. Bagget, a minister of the Methodist church; W. A., in the hardware business
at Clarksville; A. B., a resident of Savannah, Tennessee; J. Rice, at Erin,
Tennessee; John E., of Clarksville; C. B., in his father's office; Mary R. and
Maggie E., both at home. The family are all Methodists. Mr. Harper is a chapter
and Knight Templar Mason and also affiliates with the Knights of Pythias, the
Odd Fellows and the Moose.

As an influential member of the Democratic party, he was first called into
the public service in the office of constable, serving eight years in that
capacity, and for twelve years was magistrate of the sixteenth district of
Montgomery county. For four years he was deputy register of the county, and was
then elected to his present position in 1910. His oldest brother, W. D. Harper,
is magistrate in the twenty-second district of this county, while the second
brother, T. W. Harper, is a Montgomery county farmer, James R. being the
youngest in the family of three children.


Additional Comments:
From:

A history of Tennessee and Tennesseans : the leaders and representative men in
commerce, industry and modern activities
by Will T. Hale
Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co., 1913



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