Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1936-07-16
Ohio

him. A jury of six tried and true
men returned the verdict against
Morris after an entire day of court
procedure.
A Country Store Clerk At Reiners-
vile At 8; w. w. Harper At 81,
Still Head OF w. w. Harper
Wholesale Grocery, GAINESVILLE
AS a supplement to the regular
morning Times Recorder of July IL,
appeared eight pages of pictures of
prominent GAINESVILLE business men
with brief outlines of their careers.
On page i our eyes were arrested
by the name "W. w. Harper Below
it said of him: "There is perhaps no
local merchant who has sold gro
ceries for so long a period as w. w.
Harper. At the age of nine years he
began to be a clerk in his fathers
store at Reinersyille. Morgan county,
and when that parent died and left
the son of II in charge, the latter
launched mercantile career which
has now lasted without cessation
throughout 67 years. He was born
in Morgan county, Dec. "a, 1851,
the son of James and Jane (Dunn)
Harper. both OF whom were natives
of Fayette county. Pennsylvania
His education began in the district
school at Reinersville. and during
two terms attended normal school
At the death of his father, in 1869.
William and two brothers assumed
charge of the business in Reiners-
vile. His connection with the store
lasted until he was 26 when he sold
his interest and settled in GAINESVILLE.
Here, rs years ago (1S7S) he enter
ed the Dietz & Mason wholesale gro
cery as part owner A year later the
firm became Dietz & Harper. In
1885. William B. Cosgrave bought
the Dietz interest and the firm Harp
er-Cosgraye thus created lasted un-
til 1892. The business had from a
period antedating Harper's connec-
ton with it. been conducted on Main
and Sixth streets. but in 1889, it was
transferred TO the company's block
at Market and Third streets.
! Through a reorganization Of the
company in 1892, the Harper & Cos
grave company became the owner.
/ Cosgrave retired in 1897, and the
wholesale grocery continued from
Harper company. On Feb. II. 1874,
w W. Harper was married to Sarah
/ Hortense Cool, whose death occur
red in GAINESVILLE, Nov. 16, 1916.
! Tier father conducted the Bristol
I store). Born to this union were
two children, Woodie Wilma lie
/ Sourd OF Nenia, and Roy Cool Harp
er, who died Nov. 2S, 1924. lie
was again married on Jan. q, 1918,
to Mrs Marie Delaplane and they
] have a son, William. now II years
:; of age. When ". W. Harper came
10 GAINESVILLE in 1878, he borrowed
$4,000 from his father-in-law (W
/ H. Cool of Bristol) and paid it back
within two years with eight per-
! cent interest He attributed what
little success he has achieved to
close application to his business and
! the loyalty Of his friends and asso-
ciates and not to the financial inher-
| itance as the only money he ever in
! herited was 500 from his fathers
estate and 81 900 by the will OF his
first wife. We now turn to our own
| resources of information for the
| filial ties that quite conyincingly
mark Reinersville as his generating
ground and for evidence of the en-
during influence which the progeny
Of his parents, James and Jane
Harper left unon this community.
| After almost a century, during
which the nine children of James
and Jane Harper married and
brought forth. to identify themselves
with the social life of Manchester
township, only three persons in the
township can claim the kinship Of
grandchildren to them and only
three persons in the township and
of more remote linaal descent carry