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Harry Harbinger
File:DALL·E 2022-12-08 11.29.03 - Harry Harbinger.png A painting of Harry Harbinger from 1861
Born	Hans Friedrich Herberge September 16, 1803 New Durham, Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States
Died	July 9, 1881 (aged 77) Everett, Snohomish County, Washington Territory (now Washington), United States
Resting place	Waldens Creek Cemetery, Sevierville, Tennessee, U.S.
Monuments	Harbinger Memoriam (statue complex, 1883, Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.) Harry Harbinger School of the Disadvantaged (1896, Evansville, Indiana, U.S.)
Education	Masters degree in public administration, University of Tennessee, Knoxville (1834)
Years active	1836-1880
Known for	Initially a frontiersman who wrote journals depicting travels in the West, early settler of and Senate and Congress member representing Tennessee known for strong libertarian and abolitionist views, later a renowned humorist writer and painter
Notable work	The Groves (1855), My Life (1859), A Western Epiphany (1863), Where Has It All Gone? (1866) Outgunned and Outmanned (1869) Outgunned and Outmanned: Second Act (1871), The Chambers of Reflection (1876)
Political party	Whig (1836–1856)
Movement	Westward expansion, abolitionism
Spouse	Nancy Tidball (m. 1824–1837) Jo Ann Kidman (m. 1838–1850) Louise Sheridan (m. 1853–1881)
Children	William "Willy" Harbinger (politician) (b. 1839, Harrisburg, Texas, Texas – d. 1902, Houston, Texas)
Parent(s)	Hans Friedrich Harbinger (businessman) (b. 1776, Kohlberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany – d. 1848, Nashville, Tennessee) Anne Patricia O'Malley (b. 1780, Southport, England – d. 1864, Kingsport, Tennessee)
Relatives	Luke Aaron Harbinger, owner of GerOil, a company based in Knoxville, Tennessee (born 1962) Daniel Owen Harbinger, politician from Houston, Texas (born 1956)

Harry Harbinger

Harry Harbinger (born Hans Friedrich Herberge German pronunciation: [/ˈhɛʁˌbɛʁɡə/], English pronunciation: /ˈhɑɹbɪnd͡ʒəɹ/, September 16, 1803, New Durham, New Hampshire, U.S. — July 9, 1881, Everett, Washington Territory) was an American politician, abolitionist, writer, author, artist, comedian, humorist, and entrepreneur, who initially served as a state representative of Tennessee from the state's first district and later as a U.S. senator from the state. Harbinger was primarily known for his distinctive Appalachian accent and gravelly voice, his early demonstrations and writings that influenced the movement of other humorists in America, such as Mark Twain, and his accounts of his travels to the then-independent Republic of Texas in the late 1830s, shortly before entering his political career. Throughout his writings, Harbinger created many figures of speech and catchphrases, many of which are still in use today, such as the commonly used "don't get a chip on your shoulder". Eventually, after taking up painting near the end of his life, he created satirical depictions of American icons; one example is his 1868 painting of George Washington, displaying him gnawing on cherry trees with a set of wooden dentures, humorously titled I Cannot Tell A Lie.

A proponent of Reconstruction, Harbinger introduced a plan in the Senate to give freedmen in the South the right to vote. Meanwhile, he supported the right for slave owners to keep their slaves, but only until the passing of his law that would take effect only after the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which would officially free all slaves.

Harbinger was later known for his writings and novels recounting his earlier life, primarily his 1859 autobiography “My Life,” that depict his travels around the United States, alongside his worldview and quick wit while writing about his life experiences and lessons. He is considered to have been a large influence on the state of Tennessee, having lived there for most of his life, ratifying state laws, making amends with the citizens, and designing a prototype for the 1905 state flag that remains in use today. Many statues throughout the eastern portion of Tennessee depicting Harbinger are standing today; as of 2021, approximately 134 statues of Harbinger exist throughout the state.

Although known for his life in and support of Tennessee, Harbinger moved to the then-newly organized Washington Territory in 1876, settling in a small log cabin west of Granite Falls, located northeast of Everett. He helped push the state toward statehood and encouraged German-Americans to settle in the area, also helping develop and pioneer the eastern half of the state. He aided the construction of the older, Bavarian-style buildings and homes in the themed town of Leavenworth, now in Chelan County.

Early years

Hans Friedrich Herberge was born on September 16, 1803 in New Durham, Strafford County, New Hampshire, to Friedrich Herberge, a German-American business owner and mogul from Kohlberg, Duchy of Württemberg (now in Germany), and his wife Anne O’Malley, born in Southport, Merseyside, England, of both English and Irish descent. His parents, both immigrants, had originally met in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, and had moved to Haverhill briefly before settling in Portsmouth, New Hampshire for some time; Friedrich eventually earned enough for a small plot of land in the town of New Durham to the northeast. Harbinger was also known as "Dutchie" by both his supporters and opponents because of his German heritage (a reference to the way Harbinger called Germany “Deustchland”). The Harbinger family is one of the oldest families of German origin in East Tennessee. Harbinger was an only child, which, as he stated in My Life, subjected him to ostracism from his peers and made him “sworn to keeping his name”. Harbinger has described how his father raised him as a Lutheran, but in his 20s, he rebelled and demanded that his father not force his religion on him, but to give him time to construct his own religion, which he called “Harmonium”. Harbinger said that the purpose of Harmonium was a united doctrine of “men, women, children, and all beings and non-beings on every planet and corner of the universe that ever was or will be.”

In 1812, at the age of nine, Harbinger and his parents moved to the small town of Abingdon, Virginia, in the lowlands near the Appalachian Mountains. Harbinger stated that the town “inspired his passion for fine arts” and he “grew to love nature” and became good friends with many of the locals. The following year, Harbinger and his father, after purchasing a farm from the estate of a family friend, relocated to the city of Kingsport, Tennessee. While living in Kingsport, Harbinger met the sisters Nancy and Elizabeth Tidball, a popular and widely-liked duo of young women in the town, who introduced him to a variety of “sobering pursuits”, such as fishing, gardening, and grouping the cattle herd at her father’s cattle farm. Harbinger stated that he learned to be a good judge of character from these interactions.

In 1820, at the age of 16, Harbinger and his father moved to the western part of the state, near the state capital of Nashville, to continue Friedrich’s new business venture, which was dairy farming. Harbinger stated that while living in Nashville, he “never forgot his connections to the larger world” while he remained educated and took part in enjoyable pastimes and statewide events. Harbinger stated that the "community" of Nashville was unlike any other in the state, which was to be expected considering his claim that “those who had come and gone from somewhere else” lived in the community, referring to the large population of transplants from Kentucky and Southern Indiana, specifically Evansville in Indiana and Owensboro in Kentucky (the former, Harbinger had amicably referred to as "Hoosiers"). Harbinger later went on to say that the city had become his second home, being he claimed that “all the young men of Nashville, Tennessee became my brothers.”[6]

In 1824, at age 21, Harbinger married Nancy Tidball at the home of his parents. The couple later lived in the home his father had purchased from a local family in Strawberry Plains, in Knoxville. During the early part of their marriage, Harbinger continued to work as a dairy farmer. He stated that he did not like that the cows sometimes chose to eat their own dung, of which he claimed that “they believe it tastes a lot better when it is not dry and gray,” and that it made the cows look “like a bunch of pigs.” Harbinger also disliked being separated from his family during the work day. Nancy and Harbinger had one daughter, Harriet Harbinger, who was born on March 11, 1826 in St. Mary's Church, Knoxville, Tennessee. Harriet was three years old when she died. Harriet was nicknamed “Maude”, and like her mother, was well-liked by Harbinger's neighbors.

In 1829, Harbinger purchased his own farm on South Holston Lane, which was not far from his father’s original estate from 1820. Harbinger stated that his hard work paid off in the form of two sizable profits, one in 1830 and another in 1832. During this time, Harbinger began a second business, which was trading goods and pork to surrounding areas. In 1833, Harbinger had a considerable amount of success in this venture and was able to purchase a large, successful tavern in Knoxville, which he fashionably named The Kraut Haus. During this period, Harbinger became friends with the owners of this tavern, who also, according to Harbinger, taught him how to "dress for success" in the city.

Voyages across Texas and the West

Harbinger and an acquaintance from a local law firm, Luke Dayton, set out to the then-small settlement of Harrisburg, Texas, on horseback from Knoxville, Tennessee on April 5th, 1836, after extensive planning. On May 11th, 1836, Harbinger and Dayton arrived at the northeastern outskirts of Harrisburg, where they purchased a 250-acre plot of land along the Buffalo Bayou, and built an estate, which they collectively named “Knox Point.” Luke Dayton eventually abandoned the excursion, returning to his home state of Kentucky and leaving Harbinger in Texas.

On May 30th, 1836, a group of twenty-two men, all of whom were Texians and had fought in the Battle of San Jacinto in the previous month, arrived at Knox Point and approached Harbinger while he was outside of the estate during a smoke break. The group brought thirteen covered wagons, fifteen rifles and one "overflown" box of ammunition, and wanted Harbinger to pay for “damages to the lands” by forcefully taking over the property, according to the group leader, Hugh Walker, on claims that the land "wasn't officially listed for sale." The men then captured Harbinger, tied him to a tree, and proceeded to search his pockets for the deeds to his property. When they found none, they tied his legs together and rode him into town.

Upon arrival at the settlement of Harrisburg, where he was brutally beaten and taken before the Harrisburg Town Council, Harbinger told the men that he did have legal papers for his land, but that they had been left at his home in Knoxville, the famed William Blount Mansion, and that he would take them to the clerk of the court at the Harrisburg Town Hall on the following Saturday. On Saturday morning, June 7th, 1836, Harbinger’s assailants returned to the settlement with two pieces of paper, reiterating Walker's claim to "destruction of property." Both presented their documents to the town council, with Walker stating that the deed to the land was signed on May 25th, 1836, by the trustees of Knox Point. However, in his later testimony, Harbinger alleged that it was in fact Luke Dayton and his family who had brought the deed to the town and conspired with the men to have Harbinger killed so that they could take his land.

The council ordered that the estate and the surrounding property was to be annexed to the town of Harrisburg, and Harbinger was to leave Harrisburg immediately and stay at least 50 miles from the town's borders. He spent the night at a nearby inn, where a group of armed men, some from the excursion on May 30th, then surrounded the inn and forced Harbinger into one of the rooms with the door barricaded shut. The men tied him to a chair and a pushed the chair over onto the floor, and then stripped him naked and forced him to sleep on the dirty, urine-soaked floor. The next morning, on June 8th, 1836, they awoke Harbinger and threw a blanket over his head before tying his hands and feet together and taking him out of town. Harbinger was left in a remote, unpopulated area of northern Texas, around 7 miles from the modern site of the small, rural town of Rochester, in Haskell County.

Harbinger continued traversing on foot through the surrounding flat plains, taking advantage of the "navigable terrain" in the nearby area.