James Edwin Harman (1846-1910) was married twice. His first wife was Hulda Emeline Taylor and his second wife was Polly C. Wingard. The profiles of both wives were fairly complete on FamilySearch. However, each is missing bits of information. Reviewing records hints on FamilySearch and Ancestry can help fill the gaps.

Hulda Emeline Taylor

Hulda was born on 9 May 1849 in Lexington County, South Carolina. She was the daughter of David Taylor and Elizabeth Margaret Schumpert. Hulda married James Edwin Harman in about 1878. She had two children with James. Hulda died on 18 June 1883 in Lexington County, South Carolina.

Hulda’s FamilySearch profile did not have any supporting evidence for her complete birth and death dates even though another user had previously entered them. Same with the middle name. There was no burial information. Both Ancestry and FamilySearch had some record hints that needed to be reviewed. The attached sources needed to be reviewed to verify relationship links and vital info.

The 1850 and later census records support the 1846 birth year in Lexington County, South Carolina, a middle initial of E, and her parents David and Elizabeth Taylor.¹ The 1870 U.S. Census suggests Hulda’s birth month is in September, but the month may be wrong. The enumerator for the 1870 U.S. Census failed to follow the census instructions and recorded everyone’s birth month, marriage month, and birth location as Lexington County.² This extra bit of information for Hulda is a bonus, but it does conflict with the birth date from the Find A Grave memorial.

James Edwin Harman and Hulda Emeline Taylor are missing a marriage date. Marriages were not recorded by counties or the state until 1911. Before 1911, marriages were recorded by churches, newspapers, or in a family bible. Marriage information may be found in military pension records, in some cases. There are South Carolina marriage collections on Ancestry and FamilySearch, but they are small and incomplete. In other words, it may not be possible to find a marriage record for the couple.³

A marriage year range can be approximated even if the exact marriage date is unknown. In 1870, Hulda was still residing with her parents, and her eldest child was born in 1879. Hence, the marriage likely took place between 1870 and 1879. While it is probable that the marriage occurred in 1878, a year before the birth of her first child, there is insufficient evidence to definitively confirm this.

Find A Grave

Both Ancestry and FamilySearch served up a record hint for Find A Grave. The Find A Grave memorial had complete birth and death dates and a transcription of the headstone. But it was lacking a photograph. Because Find A Grave does not have any source documentation, any information needs to be correlated with other records. A photograph is especially helpful even if the headstone may also contain inaccurate information. A photo request was sent and a volunteer added a picture!

The headstone contained a lot of text, but it helps add to the evidence and information on Hulda’s Family Search profile, especially her complete birth date. Here is a more complete transcription of her headstone:

Huldah Emeline
daughter of
David & Elizabeth Maragaret
Taylor,
born May 9th 1846,
and departed this life
June 18th 1883
aged 37 years, 1 month, and 9 days
She was married Feb 21st
to Edward Harmond,
and left two children to
mourn her departure.

Find A Grave Memorial 11172336⁴

Polly C. Wingard

Polly was born on 15 December 1860 in Gilbert, Lexington, South Carolina. She was the daughter of Elijah Wingard and Caroline A. Gable. She married James Edwin Harman on 8 September 1889 in Lexington County, South Carolina. James and Polly did not have any children together. James died in 1910. Polly then married Simeon Hite on 3 December 1911 in Summit, Lexington, South Carolina. Polly died on 30 September 1941 in Lexington County, South Carolina.

Polly’s FamilySearch profile is fairly complete. The 1870 U.S. Census provides evidence for an approximate birth year of 1861 in South Carolina. It also connects her to her parents Elijah Wingard and Caroline A. Gable.⁵

Polly’s death record and Find A Grave memorial both provide evidence for her birth and death dates. The death record mentions both of her spouses, which is a bit unusual.⁶ The Find A Grave memorial for Polly includes both of the birth and death date and a photograph of the headstone correlates with other records.⁷

Children of James Edwin Harman (1846-1910)

The story of James Edwin Harman and his two wives centers on his children. His first child Anna was born on September 1879 in Chinquapin, Lexington, South Carolina. His second child James was born on 10 December 1882 in South Carolina. In 1883, Hulda died leaving two very young children. There is a 6-year gap where James, likely with the assistance of extended family, raised his two children as a single father. James remarried in 1889 to Polly. Polly likely helped to finish raising the two children. The children were likely on their own when their father died in 1910, but still young adults trying to find their way.

Sources

1. 1850 U.S. Census, Lexington County, South Carolina, population schedule, Lexington District, p. 398b (assumed), dwelling 868, family 868, David Taylor household; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 July 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 855. ↩︎
2. 1870 U.S. Census, Lexington County, South Carolina, population schedule, Lexington post office, p. 2 (penned), dwelling 12, family 12, S. E. Taylor household; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 July 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication M593. ↩︎
3. “How to find South Carolina Marriage Records,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, accessed 10 July 2024, https://www.familysearch.org. ↩︎
4. Find A Grave, database with images (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 10 July 2024), memorial 11172336, Hulda Emeline Taylor Harmond, (1846-1883), gravestone photographed by Mark 48195819. ↩︎
5. 1870 U.S. Census, Lexington County, South Carolina, population schedule, Lexington Township, p. 97 (penned), dwelling 769, family 767, Elija Wingard household; digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 July 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication M593. ↩︎
6. South Carolina State Board of Health, death certificate, Polly Wingard Harmon Hite, No. 16225, Registered No. 46, Lexington, 1941; digital image, “South Carolina, U.S., Death Records, 1821-1972,” database, Ancestry, (http://search.ancestry.com : accessed 10 July 2024). ↩︎
7. Find A Grave, database with images (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 10 July 2024), memorial 11172340, Polly Wingard Harmon Hite, (1860-1941), gravestone photographed by John Panhorst 47173320.  ↩︎