Grayson County TXGenWeb


Catherine Harshaw 1817 - 1908	Capt. P. P. Harshaw 1812 - 1904

Van Alstyne Leader
September 17, 1904

OLDEST MAN IN COUNTY
Is Dead - Capt. P.P. Harshaw Has Gone to His Reward At The ripe Old Age of 94 Years.

SEVENTY YEARS OF MARRIED LIFE
Funeral services Conducted by Rev. T.B. McComb, Who, Himself Bears the Frost of 80 Winters.

Capt. P.P. Harshaw died at 11 o'clock Monday night at his home in the city, after an illness of more than 2 weeks. Capt. Harshaw was a remarkable vitality and remarkable memory, and was never better contented than when his hands found plenty to do. His home place bears evidence of his industry, on which are to be found almost every variety of plant life that can be propagated in this climate, and he knows them and fostered them as one know and fosters his children, and a weed is a stranger to his vineyard, orchard and garden.   His familiar figure will be missed by all, for all knew him.
Capt. Harshaw claimed the distinction of being the oldest living man in Grayson county, and so far as we know no one challenged his claim. Uncle Dick Fitch of Whitemound bore the distinction of being the oldest man in the country while he lived and since his death, Capt. Harshaw has claimed it.
Capt. P.P. Harshaw was born March 4, 1811, in the state of South Carolina. He was married in the same state April 4,1831, being 21 years of age, to Miss Catherine Corpening .   He moved with his family to Texas in 1841 and located at Whitemound, where he resided until 1883, when he came to Van Alstyne , which has since been his home.
Capt. Harshaw used to say the he would live to be 100 years old, a few years ago, having previously been almost a stranger to sickness. But since he began to have sick days an attack always gave rise to fear that it would be his end. This time, however, the fear seemed to be absent and from the first he seemed to welcome the end, protesting stoutly when a friend attempted to remove that belief from his mind, telling them that they knew not what they were talking about; that the end was close at hand an that there was no need to give him medicine, and for a time refused to take anything offer him. Impressed with the idea that death was near, he arranged his business affairs so far as was possible so that his desired might be made plain as to the disposition of his property.
He was the father of 11 children, 7 of whom are still living, 3 sons and 4 daughters.   The sons are J.M. Harshaw of Van Buren, Arkansas; A.W. Harshaw of Plew, Missouri; and Prof. G.L. Harshaw of Denison. The daughters are Mrs. A.R. Williams of Denison; Mrs. Phatima Fifer of Elmont; Mrs. Martha Alexander of Elm View; and Mrs. Ann Brown of Van Alstyne. All of the children were present at the funeral except J.M. and A.W. Harshaw.
Besides these children the good wife, who has lived with her now departed husband far beyond the years of an average life, and who is now 87 years old, survives, but is at this writing quite ill.
The services over the dead body of Capt. Harshaw were conducted at the Baptist church at 3 p.m. Tuesday by Rev. T.B. McComb, the veteran Baptist minister, who himself has passed the 80th mile post on life's journey. The interment was at Van Alstyne cemetery at 4 p.m. and the body of the man who had so long a... so well followed the walks of...was laid to rest in the presence of a large number of those...it was so familiar.