The Family Dinner ~ Era 1926

This is another of the series of pictures that the Baker family sent to me recently. I made an attempt to determine the month and year by enlarging the calendar on the wall, however, I was not successful. Best guess estimate by the youngest member, I would estimate that this picture was taken in 1925 - 1927 time frame. It is comprised primarily of the "Baker" family with the family of Henry Philo and Ella Belle Baker-Harrington in attendance. There are also three other people at the dinner that I have names for however, I believe they are neighboring friends of the family.

ENLARGE FROM ORIGINAL PHOTO ABOVE
Relationship To Myself

Head of Table: Floyd Baker, Great Uncle
Lady Sitting: Luella Baker, Great Aunt
Lady Standing: Pearl Baker, Great Aunt
Clyde Baker, Great Uncle
Oliver Baker, Great Uncle
Henry "Ten" Harrington, Grandfather
Charles Baker, Great Uncle
Frank Baker, Great Uncle

Louise Harrington, Aunt (Fathers Sister)

ENLARGE FROM ORIGINAL PHOTO ABOVE

Relationship To Myself

Head of Table: Floyd Baker, Great Uncle
John Lett
Mrs. John Lett
Mrs. Beach
Esther Baker, Great Aunt
Ella Baker-Harrington, Grandmother
Ralph Harrington, Uncle

Around The World In 20 Years

Dedicated With Love And Respect

To My Grandson,
PFC Joshua Vern Harrington, U.S. Army
Currently Serving His Country In Afghanistan


"Piping Over The Side"
Retirement Ceremony ~ Anchorage, Alaska
Chief Navy Counselor Stanley R. Harrington, USN
1983

Take A Second Look

Again, I thank Dr. Roy Baker and family for their personal contribution of family pictures to our collection. For those that do not know the story, Dr. Roy Baker and I met in Alaska by accident several years ago when he and his family were visiting the Anchor Point and Homer area. He and I are cousins, his aunt, Ella Belle Baker is my Grandmother, married to Henry Philo Harrington on February 8, 1911. He and I are similar in age, he vividly recalls when my father visited the Baker family following his first trip to Alaska. This picture was taken during this visit on September 17, 1954.
BROTHER AND SISTERS
CHRISTMAS 1918

Henry Laverne Harrington (Father) ~ Age 6
Virginia Louise Harrington (Aunt) ~ Age 2 1/2

Esther Irene Harrington (Aunt) ~ Age 4
Rolland Charles Harrington ~ Not In Picture ~ Born December 9, 1917
Ronald Ralph Harrington ~ Not In Picture ~ Born October 24, 1921

UPDATED INFORMATION FOR FAMILY BOOK
Grandparent Lineage ~ Page II

FATHERS BROTHERS AND SISTERS
Esther Irene Harrington ~ Born May 3, 1914 ~ York County, Nebraska ~ Death June 8, 2004
Virginia Louise Harrington ~ Born April 3, 1916 ~ Bradshaw, Nebraska ~ Death June 8, 2001
*Rolland Charles Harrington ~ Born December 9, 1917 ~York County, Nebraska ~
Death January 12, 1922 (Age 5)
**Ronald Ralph Harrington ~ Born October 24, 1921 ~ Bradshaw, York, Nebraska
Death 1983

* Henry Rolland "Tad" Harrington Named After My Fathers First Brother
** I Was Given The Middle Name Of Fathers Youngest Brother


Henry Laverne "Vern" Harrington (Father)
Virginia Louise Harrington (Aunt)
Esther Irene Harrington (Aunt)
Date Unknown ~ Dad Appears To Be Around Age 10

Take A Second Look

Henry Philo "Ten" Harrington
Ella Belle Baker Harrington

I now know where my father and I got our carpentry skills!

However, at first glance do you see a resemblance between sister Dorothy Harrington Miller

and Grandmother Baker.

I looked at this picture several times trying to figure out which children are also seen in the picture. It was not until this evening, that I noticed something for the first time. Grabbing my magnifying glass, I studied the picture in closer detail. Still not being able to determine what I was seeing nor believing what I was seeing, I put it on the scanner and enlarged the section that you see below.

That is "Ten" Harrington's, Parker Brothers 10 Gauge Double Barrel Shotgun sitting within reach of him. Just in case it was needed, it appears that the second shotgun is either a Winchester or Remington pump shotgun. The story of the Parker Brothers shotgun is in the posting preceding this post. With this same shotgun in my possession, this picture is as priceless to me as is the gun.

Happy Birthday "Ten" Harrington

I would once again like to thank Dr. Roy Baker and the Baker Family for their generosity in providing me some very early pictures of our family and information pertaining to the relationship between the "Baker" family and the "Harrington" family. They have most recently sent me a collection of pictures dating back to the days of my fathers youth. I will be posting the remaining pictures in days to come.

MY GRANDFATHER

Henry Philo "Ten" Harrington
Birth: April 24, 1874 ~ Benedict, Nebraska
Married: Ella Belle Baker ~ February 8, 1911
Death: June 16, 1944 ~ Central City, Nebraska
Buried: Benedict, Nebraska

The "Baker" family just sent this picture to me. I have seen very few pictures of my Grandfather Harrington. He passed away just short of a year prior to my birth. As were a lot of pictures in this era, the picture can actually be used as a postcard. Although, it is not dated, I am assuming this picture was taken in the early 1900's as Grandfather Harrington was thirty seven years old when he married Ella Belle Baker. Grandmother Baker-Harrington was born in 1885.
To put the time in proper format, although he was my Grandfather he was born a short nine years following the conclusion of the Civil War. His father, Henry Harrington served honorably throughout the Civil War. "Ten" Harrington grew up during the time that the west was being settled. He was born two years prior to the "Battle of the Little Bighorn" and "Custer's Last Stand." He grew up in the era of the outlaw, Jesse James (1847 - 1882) and the Younger Gang, "Billy the Kid" (1859 - 1881) and "Buffalo Bill" (1846-1917).
I mention this because of my Grandfathers nickname, "Ten". He grew up in the era that the west was still not settled. He was born, Henry Philo Harrington, and had four brothers and seven sisters. Henry Philo was the fourth oldest child in the family. In later documents in his life the nickname "Ten" started to appear as part of his name. The "Baker" family always referred to him as "Ten". The history of the nickname remained a mystery to me until 2007. While visiting Benedict, Nebraska I met the granddaughter of a man that knew "Ten" Harrington. The nickname "Ten" was given to him because he always carried a Parker Brothers, Double Barrel "10" Gauge, exposed hammer shotgun with him.
Upon his passing, Henry Philo gave his oldest son, Henry Laverne Harrington (my father) this same shotgun with the understanding that it would remain in the Harrington family. In 1977, my father would pass the gun down to myself. Grandfather "Ten" Harrington would be happy to know that his gun is safe today and remains in the family. If this old "Parker Shotgun" could talk, I can imagine the stories that it would have to tell.


PARKER BROTHERS ~ MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT
10 Gauge ~ Exposed Hammers ~ Double Damascus Barrels
Serial Number: 4x,xxx

Happy 135th Birthday, Grandpa "Ten".
Your Gun Is Clean And Safe.

Thank You

In The Mail Today, We Received The Following Decree From Members Of The Alaska State Legislature. On Behalf Of the Harrington Family, We Thank Them For Honoring Our Son, Brother, Husband, Father, And Uncle.

The document had to be reduced in order to scan, if you click on
the document you will be able to read the citation.

Henry Laverne "Vern" Harrington

This is my father in his youth. I had never seen these photographs until a week ago. I apologize for the clarity, as I had to take pictures of the pictures. The photos are 90 - 95 years of age and come from an old album that was aged and weather beaten. According to to inscription of the cover of the album, this was a collection of photos that my fathers sister (Esther) put together for her mother, my Grandmother Baker-Harrington.

Henry Laverne "Vern" Harrington
August 13, 1912 ~ September 8, 1990

Dad Is On The Horse to the Left
His Little Brother, (Rolland) On The Horse To The Right
Grandmother Baker-Harrington Holding Rolland On Horse
Two Remaining Boys Were Neighborhood Friends
1918

"Vern" Harrington ~ 1914

Dad riding A Horse By the Name Daisy 1919
Years Later, With All the Horses That We Owned, My Mother
Had One Favorite Horse. She Was Not for Sale And Her Name
Was "Daisy", I Can Only Assume Named After This Horse Of His Youth.

1920
Left to Right
Children Of
Henry Philo "Ten" and Ella Belle Baker-Harrington

"Vern" Harrington ~ Sister Esther Harrington (1914) ~ Sister Louise Harrington (1916)
and
Brother Rolland Harrington (1917)
Dog's Name Was "Trixie"

Brother Ronald Ralph Harrington (1921)
(Not Born When Picture Was Taken

Most Recent Pictures

Left to Right

Diane Miller Peacock, Dalene Miller, Dave Miller, Cliff Miller

Steve, Geri Miller and Daughters

Coleman Summers, Donna Harrington Hayes, Mike Harrington

Bill Harrington and Cindy

Harrington Brothers and Sisters

1946 ~ 1947
Montrose, Colorado

Names by Height
Dorothy Harrington, Tad Harrington, Larry Harrington
Don Harrington, Stan Harrington

This picture was taken in front of the house in which I was born, south of Montrose.
While in Montrose recently, I met a lady (Betty Larue) that was there the day I was born. Her father and mother had sold this property to my parents and bought a farm across the road, however they could not move into their new home for several months so they lived with us. The date of this picture is not known for sure, however, I was still in diapers as you can see them slipping below my "short pants" and as well they look a little wet. Enlarging, you will see that "Tad" has no teeth, this was from a horse kicking him in the mouth.
Picture is worth a "million dollars" to me.