Letter I received from Frances and John Willess 1011 Karen Ave. Austin TX 78757 Feb. 28, 1998 Dear Mara I am a descendant of Jacob Harvick through his son Adam, and seem to be the only person in the world with out email. I found your name on my son's Internet one day, but he had computer problems and was not able to get a message out. Anne Cunningham sent me your address and copies of the information you sent her. Reading your information on Jacob Harvick�s family, we seem to have pretty much the same information. My information on Jacob came from the Johnson County History and his Revolutionary War pension application, which I have a copy of. I don't have the documentation to tie our family directly to Jacob, as you do. I have had to rely strictly on public records. My grandmother was Kate Murray Harvick, daughter of Adam Stricklin Harvick and Mary Serene Beasley. My grandmother ("Mama") was born in San Saba County, Texas, and was only ten years old when her dad died. The only thing my mother knew about her Grandfather Harvick was that he was part Indian, and "might" have been from Oklahoma. My grandmother denied the Indian blood, but her sister Annie Harvick Hamrick said that Adam S. Harvick was one quarter Cherokee. She also showed in her Bible that Adam Stricklin Harvick was born in Washington County, Arkansas. There is nothing to show his parents. Even before I located the Johnson County History, I had found Adam Harvick on the 1830 census for Washington County, AR; and in 1840 he was on the Benton County, AR census. Benton County was taken from Washington County, so chances are they still lived on the same farm. Although I have no doubt my Adam S. was the son (or possibly grandson) of Adam St., he was born in 1837 and the 1840 census space for males 0-5 was completely covered by a huge ink blot. I later found Adam Harvick on the tax rolls for Smith County, TX, where he died in 1846 or 1847. There were ten little Harvick on the 1850 census, with the oldest male 20 years old. I can only assume they were the children of Adam. There is one link that ties my family to Johnson County. My grandmother (who died in 1957) had a picture of David and Lois Harvick and sons Elvin, Ewing and Thurman. That would be the David Harvick and Lois Albritton mentioned in the history, and their children were not born until many years after Adam S. Harvick died. Someone in my grandmother�s family was writing the Illinois family. David Harvick�s grandson confirmed in letter several years ago that his grandmother had the same picture on her dresser for many years, until her house burned. In the Fall of 1996 I finally got to visit Johnson County. We were only there 24 hours and it was raining., so I didn�t accomplish as much as I would have liked. Also, it was my first official ancestor hunt, and I was not properly prepared. You might have found out already, but I tired to get a copy of Jacob�s will (or the probate of his estate) and Mr. Yandell told me the Mormons had microfilmed the old records about 20 years ago, and he stacked everything the basement. He said I could look if I wanted to, but I might look for a month and not find what I wanted. If I had to do over I�d still be in that basement looking, but I let him buffalo me and waited hours for the library to open, so I could check their records. I found an extract of Jacob�s will, but nothing was helpful. I did find that in November 1834 his widow Catherine was still alive, so they did not die simultaneously like the history made it sound. Old as they were she probably did die soon after that. My mother always heard that King Fisher, the Texas outlaw, was some sort of cousin to the Harvick family, but did not know how. I have found no proof, but since Martin Harvick was married to the daughter of King Fisher in Johnson County, and the name "King" has come down in the Texas family, I believe Adam Harvick was also married to a daughter of King Fisher. The history mentioned King Fisher�s estate being contested, but that file, if it still exists was also in the basement. I read a biography of John King Fisher the outlaw (who later became a sheriff) and said his family came to Texas from Illinois by way of Arkansas. His grandparents were James Fisher and Anna Ladd. There were Ladds in Johnson County, and the Commissioners Court records it mentioned a James Fisher who had left the county. I would like to know where the information came from that name of Harvick girl who married Jesse Canady was Susannah Ellen, and that she died in Cherokee, Texas. That is in San Saba County , so she would have been there while my Adam S. was living there. I have not seen that information anywhere else. I did find a name for Sabert Choate�s wife in Johnson County Courthouse. I found a deed dated 1838 signed by Sabert Choat and wife Margaret. I assume that was Margaret Harvick. Incidentally, in case you have not seen Jacob�s will, the only child mentioned was Martin. He left all his personal property to his widow, or if she died first to Martin. Apparently he had no real estate by that time. Since my family lived there I have spent a lot of time checking San Saba County records, but did not look for the Canady name. The 1938 San Saba County history (written by Annie Harvick Hamrick�s daughter-in-law, and had minimal information about the Harvick family) did not mention the Canady/Canada name. About ten years ago I corresponded with Harrison Harvick in Florida. He was the son of Edward, grandson of Harrison Harvick and Frances Utley. (Incidentally, while in Vienna we visited the Johnson Cemetery and saw Jacob�s grave, and also Harrison�s. I�m sure you�ve been there, so know what a beautiful cemetery it is. We got the full beauty of the Fall foliage.) Harrison was born in 1909, and I found a social Security records he died in 1989. He was a policeman in Chicago for many years. He also had a story about Charlie Harvick�s inheritance from his Uncle Otis, and also sounded a little envious of Samuel Carter getting the bulk of his great uncle Adam�s estate. He believed the Harvick�s came from around Vienna, Austria; hence the name Vienna. He sent a copy of a letter from Eugene Benson dated 1966 saying Mr. Benson�s great uncle married a granddaughter of Jacob Harvick and he said the Harvicks came from Germany, or maybe Austria near Vienna. Harrison had a light stroke several yeas before we wrote, and said that sometimes his memory was fuzzy. I would love to have visited with him personally. He would have had a lot of stories. He was there when they put up the Rev. War monument on the courthouse square. (Incidentally, when I was there the stone was gone and there was only an empty slab, but another Harvick visited later said it was back.) I am enclosing a copy of my pedigree chart. If you are interested in copies of anything I have, I would be glad to exchange information with you. I don�t have time for the Internet at this time, but if you wanted to send an e-mail you could send it to my son, Tom Willess, at gnaf@aol.com, and he would get it to me. Yours Truly, Frances Willess