yesterday's tennessee

CHANCERY ADDENDA I
THE TOMBSTONE OF MAJOR JOHN HARMON

Jonathan Kennon Thompson Smith

(Page 76)

Major JOHN HARMON, one of Henderson County's earliest settlers, along with members of his immediate family, and he and. a number of them are buried in the Harmon family graveyard on the west side of Natchez Trace Road about 4.5 miles north of Lexington.

Major Harmon's grave was originally marked by a box vault but it was later ruined and repaired, the inscription being retained:

 

Sacred to the memory of JOHN HARMON Departed this life Oct. 3, 1851 At the age of 71 yrs. 2 m. 18 ds [July 25, 1780]

As remarked elsewhere, Major HARMON has been mistakenly identified at times as the JOHN HARMON who surveyed the town of Lexington and served as one of the county's earliest sheriffs. The records amply reveal that that person was in fact his contemporary, JOHN T. HARMON (1791-1864) who was sometimes called Colonel HARMON. His official survey of Lexington bears the date August 14, 1822; he served as sheriff, 1821-1828 and he built the first cotton gin in the county at the head of Beech River in 1823. He consistently signed his name JOHN T. HARMON. He left the county about 1832.

Major JOHN HARMON was himself a worthwhile settler-farmer, a militia officer and from 1829 until about 1835 a member of the county court. There is never mention of him as a surveyor. He consistently signed his name JOHN HARMON.

From an October 1827 legislative petition:
From an October 1831 legislative petition:

REFER TO CHANCERY BOOK 8, PAGES 91-98, ADAMS W. HARMON v PAT MONDINE and OTHERS

 

Other works by Jonathan K. T. Smith can be found at the Madison County Records Repository at TNGenWeb.