| | Abstract: | Alexander Harper, a Revolutionary War officer, brought his family to settle in Ashtabula County, Ohio (then a part of the Western Reserve) in 1798. The settlement was named Harpersfield by the family after their hometown in New York. After Alexander Harper's death in September 1798, his widow Elizabeth Harper was joined in 1799 by Alexander's brother Joseph and by her daughter and son-in-law, Margaret and Aaron Wheeler. Elizabeth's children; William, Elizabeth, John A., James A., Alexander, and Robert, all became prominent members of the community. In 1814, the Harpers were among those who organized the Harpersfield Commercial Company. Most prominent of the Harper brothers was Robert, who married Polly Hendry in 1815 and began construction of the family homestead, Shandy Hall. Robert was a lawyer, farmer, businessman, Superintendent of the Public Works at Cunningham Creek, and a member of the Ohio House of Representatives. His nephew, Rice Harper, was also a prominent lawyer and businessman, and was involved in the Ohio Rail Road Company with his uncle. Robert Harper's daughter Ann moved to Sandusky, Ohio, shortly after her marriage to Dr. Aaron Austin. His eldest daughter Ellen lived at Shandy Hall with her youngest sister Jane and Jane's husband, Alexander J. Harper. The last owners of Shandy Hall were Stella and Ann Harper, the two daughters of Alexander and Jane Harper. After the death of Ann Harper in 1935, the property was maintained by the David Z. Norton family, cousins of the Harpers. In 1948, the Norton family donated Shandy Hall to the Western Reserve Historical Society. The collection consists of letters, financial accounts, business files, legal documents, military records, and other documents related to the personal and business interests of Alexander Harper (1744-1798) and his descendants. | |
