1760/1-1830
Hesse - Pennsylvania
What great fun it was to find this ancestor!
Karl Friedrick Hergloz was born in 1761 (some sources say 1760) and was christened in the parish of Messa (now Lommatzsch), Dresden, Sachsen (Saxony). The name is spelled many different ways: Herklos, Harclots, Hercules, Hurkless, Harcules, Havolots or Harqaks.. Harkless is the way it is most often spelled now, in the US anyway.
He was one of the mercenaries hired by the British to fight in the Revolutionary War. He was a Jaeger (whatever that is) in the 6 Company of the Hessen-Kassel Jaeger Corps. He was reported as a deserter in May 1778. A newspaper article, written in the 1940s by Rev. Abraham Lincoln Wiley tells the story thus:
"In the winter of 1777-78, while Howe's army was enjoying life in Philadelphia, Charles Harkless, Henry Philip Kiester, a Mr. Teawinkle, Mr Weister and 8 others, deserted from their regiment, walked out the GERMANTOWN road until they met some Continental troops, took of their caps, threw them on the ground, tramped upon them, to indicate, since they knew no English, that they had deserted and wanted to join up with the American Army. They were taken to the Continental Headquarters, and after examination, four of them were admitted to the army and fought through to the close of the war. The 4 admitted were Charles Harkless, George Philip Kiester, the man Teawinkle and another. They were in the same Continental Army regiment."
Another researcher says that he fought with "Mad Anthony" Wayne. The 1907 Indiana County History says Charles Harkless served at least from April 1779 to the end of the war in the second PA Line. (The book listing Revolutionary War soldiers - not pensioners, he is not in that one - lists him as Charles Harclots and says “srv as a pvt in the 2nd Pa Regt.”) He would only have been a teen-ager at the time.
After the war, in about 1781, he married Hopewell (or Hopeful) Aber, daughter of John Aber and Mary Hulbard. [Some people list her as Eliza or even Elizabeth, but there may be confusion with a second wife.] They lived at first in New Jersey (where Hopewell was born) - their first two or three children were born there - but after a few years (~1783) they moved to western Pennsylvania, and lived the rest of their lives there. (There was a Conrad Harlas in Westmoreland County, Pa in 1780 - he is listed as a witness in a deed dated March 8 of that year - Deed Book A, pr 1, p. 197 - between Hanry Beeson and John Collins. He might not be related at all, and if he is I have no idea exactly how - no one talks about Charles’s relatives.)
Their children were:
Elizabeth (~1781)
Jabes (~1782) - Hopewell had a brother Jabes
George (~1783, New Jersey)
Aaron or Sidney (~1783, Westmoreland Co, PA) - Hopewell had a brother Aaron
William (~1789)
Charles (15 Mar 1793 or 1789)
Susanna (~1797)
Mary Aber (6 May 1797) - Hopewell's mother was Mary
Henry (17 July 1799, Westmoreland Co, PA)
James (17 July 1802, Allegheny Co, PA)
Three of the names can be connected to Hopewell, so I wonder if the others were from Charles's side of the family?
One researcher (Nanette Watkins) says that Charles was a weaver.
It appears that Hopewell died before 1810, and Charles may have married again. The second wife may have been Mrs. Elizabeth Suman. (Other researchers say Hopewell died ~1839). [I have been wondering if Charles and Hopewell divorced/separated in 1810 - the listings do not fit the profile of the family for that year. It may be that Hopewell lived with various of her children after that - so she could have died in 1839. Roberta Duran, on the Aber family Genforum site said: "Per John Aber's will, the wife of Charles Harkless is Hopeful Aber. We have evidence that Elizabeth is Charles's second wife." (message 46, 23 September 2001). She was asked to post the proof of this on the site, but she declined, and gave an email where she could be contacted. Another woman did get in touch with her and saw whatever proof it was, and was convinced. But that doesn't help us. And it doesn't say if Hopewell died or was divorced.]
Charles died 21 (or 31) March 1830, and is buried in the Poke Run Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.
from Eilene Harkless Moore
Charles Harkless is my 4th gr-grandfather. I have been at his gravesite many times and have pictures of his tombstone. He is buried at Poke Run Presbyterian Church Cemetery (around Mamot, near Murrysville), Washington Twp, Westmoreland Co, (not Allegheny Co, but close) PA. Poke Run Presbyterian Church is still an active and very beautiful old church. Charles Harkless Sr's gravestone is difficult to find. The last few couple of times that I have been there, the stone was lying, upside-down & broken in half, behind another tombstone, by a tree, close to the parking lot edge of the cemetery. The stone is still readable, even though broken. I actually felt that the stone was better preserved lying face down in the soil than it would be put upright in the air. It was weathering a lot in the air, the soil will preserve it better. His Revolutionary War plaque was placed in the ground beside his tombstone. Charles Harkless Jr's gravestone is also located there, and a daughter of Charles Harkless Sr - Mary Harkless Weister who married John Weister. Charles Jr's has a huge, very unique stone. It is about the size of a door, laid parallel to the ground on top of two other stones that hold it level above the ground.
1790 Pennsylvania Westmoreland Franklin 262 (72)
same page Elisha Eber 13300 // John McGowan 11700
Charles Hartless 13100
1m born before 1774 Charles 1761
3m born after 1774 Jabes 1782, George 1783, Aaron 1783, William 1789
1 female wife Hopewell?
daughter Elizabeth 1781 - missing?
1794
Hercules, Charles warrant 1794 survey 1798 222 acres
Index to Westmoreland County, Pa Landowners - McQuillis (pamphlet at the Wisconsin Hist. Soc. Library)
1800 census - not found - unless this is him
1800 Pennsylvania Allegheny Plum (p. 3/4)
Charles Hartness 23110 20010
2m, 1f 1790-1800 Charles 1793, Henry 1799 /
Susanna or Mary 1797 (both, more or less)
3m 1784-90 William 1789, George 1783, Aaron 1783)
1m 1774-84 Jabes 1782
1m, 1f 1755-74
1809
Legal document "Abisha Aber to Morris Grammar Jr. "This indenture made this twenty-seventh day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and nine between Abisha Aber and Charles Harclas of this township of Franklin in the County of Westmoreland and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Matthew Aber Plumb township in the County of Allegeny and Commonwealth of this one part and Morris Grammar Jr. of Mencham in the County of Morris . . ." Hopewell had brothers Abisha and Matthew.
1810 Pennsylvania Westmoreland Franklin 216 (785)
Charles Harkless 00001 02000
1m over 45 b. before 1765 Charles b. 1761
2f 10-16 b. 1794-1800 Mary, Susanna?
I don't know who this Betsey Harkless is, but I wonder if perhaps Charles and Hopewell - called by some Eliza Hopewell - had separated???
Betsey Harkless 01100 01001
1m, 1f 10-16 b. 1794-1800
1m 16-26 b. 1784-94
1f over 45 b. before 1765
p. 214 Jeb (indexed Job) Harkless 00100 00100
1m, 1f 16-26 b. 1784-94
1810 Pennsylvania Allegheny Plumb 170 (4) (332)
Jabes Harklis 00100 00100
1m, 1f 16-26 b. 1784-94 Jabes b. 1781
William 00010 10010
1m, 1f 26-45 b. 1766-1784 William b. 1789
1f under 10 b. 1800-10
Matthew Abers 02001 10100
Abm Abers 00100 10000
1820 Pennsylvania Westmoreland Franklin 161
Charles Harkless 100101 00101
1m under 10 b. 1810-20 youngest son James b 1802
1m, 1f 16-26 b. 1794-1804 could this be a son and wife (and child?)
1m, 1f over 45 b. bef 1775
Charles left a will - find!!!
Now - I found a thing in the Southern Genealogists Exchange Quarterly, #71, Fall 74 -
p. 16 - Genealogical Notes in my personal file published by Aurora C. Shane:
Charles Harkless, living in Fla., served in Rev War, married Eliza Hopefull Aber. They had many descendants.
That’s it.
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To next ancestor? Jabes Harkless
Questions, comments, additions, corrections? Contact me at: lee@leesgenes.com
Page last updated 28 April 2006