Thomas Harbin

[RJNorton]

Thank you to Laurie for sending the text and Rick Smith for the photo.

*********************************************

The name Thomas Harbin is very familiar to assassination students as a key player in the Confederate underground in Southern Maryland during the war and the man that Dr. Mudd took Booth to meet at Bryantown Tavern in the fall of 1864. Thomas Harbin and Joseph Baden were also of some assistance in the escape of Booth. For a while, Harbin lived in the village of Piscataway in the structure shown here. This old place sits very close to the road and has just been rehabilitated. It's now back to the drawing board after a reckless driver hit it a few days ago. Luckily, it seems that the porch bore the brunt of the force. Courtesy of Rick Smith.

[loetar44]

(08-20-2014 05:06 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  Thank you to Laurie for sending the text and Rick Smith for the photo.

*********************************************

The name Thomas Harbin is very familiar to assassination students as a key player in the Confederate underground in Southern Maryland during the war and the man that Dr. Mudd took Booth to meet at Bryantown Tavern in the fall of 1864. Thomas Harbin and Joseph Baden were also of some assistance in the escape of Booth. For a while, Harbin lived in the village of Piscataway in the structure shown here. This old place sits very close to the road and has just been rehabilitated. It's now back to the drawing board after a reckless driver hit it a few days ago. Luckily, it seems that the porch bore the brunt of the force. Courtesy of Rick Smith.

For anyone interested in the Harbin House / Glagett Store and more on Thomas Harbin please note:

http://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/sta..._19354.pdf

very interesting ... I was amazed!

[Anita]

Thanks Laurie and Rick. The Harbin house is so close to the road , it's bound to be hit again. The entire structure should be moved back before the damage is repaird.

Kees thanks for the link. Very informative. Great to have you back.

[L Verge]

I was just past Harbin House this past week, and the porch has been repaired. Actually, the house looks better now than it has ever looked in my lifetime (even when it was a store). My daughter taught the children of the family that now lives in the house and is doing work on it.

The old place stands firm, but I suspect the thought of moving it even one inch would cause a chain reaction that would end up with a pile of kindling! The Surratt House archives has a photo of it around 1920 (?), and it was in very bad shape at that point, but still being used.

Our family home was moved back about 150 yards, turned around 180 degrees to face south, and plopped down in what had been our sheep pasture. This was in the 1950s to make way for a dual-lane road in T.B. It was a 13-room Victorian with numerous additions and had been beautifully maintained since 1830. We lived in the house the whole time it was being moved, and the process went slowly, but surely. It was an amazing process, however, and the thought of Harbin House undergoing the same situation seems unreal to me - plus, there is very little space around the Harbin property for the heavy equipment to work.

Piscataway has always been a peaceful little village - until a decade ago when the developers woke up to the fact that there was open space just a few miles from D.C. that had not yet been developed. Many of the English field stones that were under old barns and outbuildings in the area (including those on one of our farms as well as our old house) came from what had been a port at Piscataway in the 1700s. English tobacco ships carried them over as ballast and then dumped them on the side as they took on the hogsheads of tobacco for the return trip to England. The people of the area made good use of them. Some of them now line several of my flower beds...

A short distance from the port was/is one of the oldest Catholic parishes in the area. St. Mary's Piscataway was Mrs. Surratt's home church after her family moved to Surrattsville (and when she could get her husband to take her to church). The church itself is believed to be on the site of where the Piscataway Indians' chief (Tayac) was baptized as a Christian. Right past the church is the main street of what is left of the town (and the street). About a decade ago, several large developments have gone up around the village, and in their infinite wisdom of how to control traffic, the planners turned what was left of the main street (about a quarter mile, if that) into a deadend street. The historic village that remains has been minimized to the point where you could pick it up and stick it under a Christmas tree!

I have a new assignment for anyone who may wish to take it on. I was recently told that one of the residents of Piscataway at the time of the Civil War was William Clarvoe, who went on to be one of the officers involved in investigating the Lincoln assassination. Do we have another secret Confederate operating under the guise of a Federal agent?

[Rick Smith]

Anita, The Harbin House is very close to the road; on the road really. The resident with whom I spoke who lives across the road said that the driver who ran into the porch had too much drink and not enough insurance. The one thing which is in favor of the safety of the house is that the west end of the road it sits on has been closed by means of a massive guardrail. This did not prevent the drunk from ramming into the porch, but at least it does limit traffic.

it is interesting to note that both Harbin and his brother-in-law, Thomas Jones, gave an interview / wrote of their war time adventures but were careful to protect others. They told what they considered to be told in their discreet ways.

Long after the War, still doing their jobs.

Also interesting that after Harbin met with Booth on December 18, 1864 at Bryantown, he felt that Booth was a bit of a "Jackanapes" and not serious enough for the work at hand.

Harbin & Jones were two of the best characters in this melancholy drama.

Rick

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(11-28-2015 02:17 PM)L Verge Wrote:  I was just past Harbin House this past week, and the porch has been repaired. Actually, the house looks better now than it has ever looked in my lifetime (even when it was a store). My daughter taught the children of the family that now lives in the house and is doing work on it.

The old place stands firm, but I suspect the thought of moving it even one inch would cause a chain reaction that would end up with a pile of kindling! The Surratt House archives has a photo of it around 1920 (?), and it was in very bad shape at that point, but still being used.

Our family home was moved back about 150 yards, turned around 180 degrees to face south, and plopped down in what had been our sheep pasture. This was in the 1950s to make way for a dual-lane road in T.B. It was a 13-room Victorian with numerous additions and had been beautifully maintained since 1830. We lived in the house the whole time it was being moved, and the process went slowly, but surely. It was an amazing process, however, and the thought of Harbin House undergoing the same situation seems unreal to me - plus, there is very little space around the Harbin property for the heavy equipment to work.

Piscataway has always been a peaceful little village - until a decade ago when the developers woke up to the fact that there was open space just a few miles from D.C. that had not yet been developed. Many of the English field stones that were under old barns and outbuildings in the area (including those on one of our farms as well as our old house) came from what had been a port at Piscataway in the 1700s. English tobacco ships carried them over as ballast and then dumped them on the side as they took on the hogsheads of tobacco for the return trip to England. The people of the area made good use of them. Some of them now line several of my flower beds...

A short distance from the port was/is one of the oldest Catholic parishes in the area. St. Mary's Piscataway was Mrs. Surratt's home church after her family moved to Surrattsville (and when she could get her husband to take her to church). The church itself is believed to be on the site of where the Piscataway Indians' chief (Tayac) was baptized as a Christian. Right past the church is the main street of what is left of the town (and the street). About a decade ago, several large developments have gone up around the village, and in their infinite wisdom of how to control traffic, the planners turned what was left of the main street (about a quarter mile, if that) into a deadend street. The historic village that remains has been minimized to the point where you could pick it up and stick it under a Christmas tree!

I have a new assignment for anyone who may wish to take it on. I was recently told that one of the residents of Piscataway at the time of the Civil War was William Clarvoe, who went on to be one of the officers involved in investigating the Lincoln assassination. Do we have another secret Confederate operating under the guise of a Federal agent?

Laurie,

As you know, I have some of those ballast stones which you generously allowed me to cart away from your old home place. I will send a photo of them in their present location tomorrow. I used them in a grove of dawn redwood trees at my house.

Rick

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Kees,

Welcome back.

Rick

[Anita]

(11-28-2015 09:19 PM)Rick Smith Wrote:  Anita, The Harbin House is very close to the road; on the road really. The resident with whom I spoke who lives across the road said that the driver who ran into the porch had too much drink and not enough insurance. The one thing which is in favor of the safety of the house is that the west end of the road it sits on has been closed by means of a massive guardrail. This did not prevent the drunk from ramming into the porch, but at least it does limit traffic.

it is interesting to note that both Harbin and his brother-in-law, Thomas Jones, gave an interview / wrote of their war time adventures but were careful to protect others. They told what they considered to be told in their discreet ways.

Long after the War, still doing their jobs.

Also interesting that after Harbin met with Booth on December 18, 1864 at Bryantown, he felt that Booth was a bit of a "Jackanapes" and not serious enough for the work at hand.

Harbin & Jones were two of the best characters in this melancholy drama.

Rick

Glad to know traffic is limited but a guard rail in front of the house might not be a bad idea. It's a beautiful home with so much history.

Did Harbin or Jones know John Surratt? Do you have a link to the interview you mentioned?

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(11-28-2015 02:17 PM)L Verge Wrote:  I was just past Harbin House this past week, and the porch has been repaired. Actually, the house looks better now than it has ever looked in my lifetime (even when it was a store). My daughter taught the children of the family that now lives in the house and is doing work on it.

The old place stands firm, but I suspect the thought of moving it even one inch would cause a chain reaction that would end up with a pile of kindling! The Surratt House archives has a photo of it around 1920 (?), and it was in very bad shape at that point, but still being used.

Our family home was moved back about 150 yards, turned around 180 degrees to face south, and plopped down in what had been our sheep pasture. This was in the 1950s to make way for a dual-lane road in T.B. It was a 13-room Victorian with numerous additions and had been beautifully maintained since 1830. We lived in the house the whole time it was being moved, and the process went slowly, but surely. It was an amazing process, however, and the thought of Harbin House undergoing the same situation seems unreal to me - plus, there is very little space around the Harbin property for the heavy equipment to work.

Piscataway has always been a peaceful little village - until a decade ago when the developers woke up to the fact that there was open space just a few miles from D.C. that had not yet been developed. Many of the English field stones that were under old barns and outbuildings in the area (including those on one of our farms as well as our old house) came from what had been a port at Piscataway in the 1700s. English tobacco ships carried them over as ballast and then dumped them on the side as they took on the hogsheads of tobacco for the return trip to England. The people of the area made good use of them. Some of them now line several of my flower beds...

A short distance from the port was/is one of the oldest Catholic parishes in the area. St. Mary's Piscataway was Mrs. Surratt's home church after her family moved to Surrattsville (and when she could get her husband to take her to church). The church itself is believed to be on the site of where the Piscataway Indians' chief (Tayac) was baptized as a Christian. Right past the church is the main street of what is left of the town (and the street). About a decade ago, several large developments have gone up around the village, and in their infinite wisdom of how to control traffic, the planners turned what was left of the main street (about a quarter mile, if that) into a deadend street. The historic village that remains has been minimized to the point where you could pick it up and stick it under a Christmas tree!

I have a new assignment for anyone who may wish to take it on. I was recently told that one of the residents of Piscataway at the time of the Civil War was William Clarvoe, who went on to be one of the officers involved in investigating the Lincoln assassination. Do we have another secret Confederate operating under the guise of a Federal agent?

That was a quick repair! The house does look in wonderful shape. Loved reading the history of Piscataway until I got to the part about modern day development. At least you and Rick are preserving the ballast stones!

As for Clarvoe, perhaps he used his Confederate contacts to gain information useful to Federal agents. He and McDevitt sure were on to John Surratt and Herold with in hours of the assassination.

[Rick Smith]

Anita,

I believe that both Jones and Harbin knew John Surratt. Surratt would have more than likely crossed the Potomac under the care of Jones while working as a courier. Jones' maintained one of several crossing points, so Surratt certainly could have crossed at others also.

Remember, the Harbin House Hotel, which was also a post office, was just 6 miles from Surrattsville and Harbin had been the census taker for those portions of PG County in 1860 and would have met the Surratts then if not before. His work as a census enumerator would have given him important contacts with many people which may have been of use during the war years.

If memory serves me, Harbin and Surratt had a meeting at Port Tobacco in the early part of 1865, some time in January, I believe, and it is possible that Harbin introduced Surratt to George Adterodt at this time.

I do not have a link to the interview which Harbin gave to Townsend, but Bill Richter may have it. We used the interview as the basis of our Harbin book. It is from the Cincinnati Enquirer, April 18, 1892.

I will try to remember to take a photo of the ballast stones arranged in my dawn redwood grove and post it later.

Rick

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Forgot to add that other material we used in our book on Harbin is from:

“A Hotel Clerk with a History,” Chicago Hotel Reporter (November --, 1885).

[Anita]

(11-30-2015 11:14 AM)Rick Smith Wrote:  Anita,

I believe that both Jones and Harbin knew John Surratt. Surratt would have more than likely crossed the Potomac under the care of Jones while working as a courier. Jones' maintained one of several crossing points, so Surratt certainly could have crossed at others also.

Remember, the Harbin House Hotel, which was also a post office, was just 6 miles from Surrattsville and Harbin had been the census taker for those portions of PG County in 1860 and would have met the Surratts then if not before. His work as a census enumerator would have given him important contacts with many people which may have been of use during the war years.

If memory serves me, Harbin and Surratt had a meeting at Port Tobacco in the early part of 1865, some time in January, I believe, and it is possible that Harbin introduced Surratt to George Adterodt at this time.

I do not have a link to the interview which Harbin gave to Townsend, but Bill Richter may have it. We used the interview as the basis of our Harbin book. It is from the Cincinnati Enquirer, April 18, 1892.

I will try to remember to take a photo of the ballast stones arranged in my dawn redwood grove and post it later.

Rick

---

Forgot to add that other material we used in our book on Harbin is from:

“A Hotel Clerk with a History,” Chicago Hotel Reporter (November --, 1885).

Thanks for the information Rick. I'll check out your book. I continue to be amazed at the number of participants and the complexities of the Confederate spy network in Maryland and Wash. D.C. Has anyone laid this out in a visual i.e.Confederate Spy Network tree by region?

[Rick Smith]

(11-30-2015 02:22 PM)Anita Wrote:  

(11-30-2015 11:14 AM)Rick Smith Wrote:  Anita,

I believe that both Jones and Harbin knew John Surratt. Surratt would have more than likely crossed the Potomac under the care of Jones while working as a courier. Jones' maintained one of several crossing points, so Surratt certainly could have crossed at others also.

Remember, the Harbin House Hotel, which was also a post office, was just 6 miles from Surrattsville and Harbin had been the census taker for those portions of PG County in 1860 and would have met the Surratts then if not before. His work as a census enumerator would have given him important contacts with many people which may have been of use during the war years.

If memory serves me, Harbin and Surratt had a meeting at Port Tobacco in the early part of 1865, some time in January, I believe, and it is possible that Harbin introduced Surratt to George Adterodt at this time.

I do not have a link to the interview which Harbin gave to Townsend, but Bill Richter may have it. We used the interview as the basis of our Harbin book. It is from the Cincinnati Enquirer, April 18, 1892.

I will try to remember to take a photo of the ballast stones arranged in my dawn redwood grove and post it later.

Rick

---

Forgot to add that other material we used in our book on Harbin is from:

“A Hotel Clerk with a History,” Chicago Hotel Reporter (November --, 1885).

Thanks for the information Rick. I'll check out your book. I continue to be amazed at the number of participants and the complexities of the Confederate spy network in Maryland and Wash. D.C. Has anyone laid this out in a visual i.e.Confederate Spy Network tree by region?

Anita,

Not that I know of. And don't forget the operatives in Virginia. They probably would want it that way . . .

Those who were on the periphery and in the shadows are a significant number and good at their jobs. That is why we still do not know all.

Rick

[RJNorton]

(11-30-2015 11:14 AM)Rick Smith Wrote:  I will try to remember to take a photo of the ballast stones arranged in my dawn redwood grove and post it later.

Thank you to Rick for sending a photo with caption.

Here is a photo of my grove of dawn redwood trees with English ballast stones, brought to Piscataway on ships, some of which Laurie's ancestors carted home. She generously allowed me to take these from her old home place, Holly Field.

[loetar44]

Completely new to me ! Is this really worth trusting?

   

[L Verge]

(12-01-2015 10:22 AM)loetar44 Wrote:  Completely new to me ! Is this really worth trusting?

Completely new to me also, Kees, and it leaves me very skeptical of its veracity. Would love to know whether this is something that Mrs. Atwater wrote for her scrapbook or if it came from a legitimate news source.

[Wild Bill]

According to what Rick Smith and I found, In the Shadows of the Lincoln Assassination: The Life of Confederate Spy Thomas Harbin (Clinton: Maryland Parks, 2007), 120-23, Harbin was in the Newport area awaiting he arrival of Lt Stringfellow and Booth to get them across the Potomac on the Secret Line. He never got any farther North

[Rick Smith]

Not too long afterward, and before going abroad, Harbin received a parole at Ashland, Va., and is listed as a member of Co. B 1st Md. Cavalry {an organization he never belonged to}.

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Harbin received his parole on April 28, 1865.

[loetar44]

Confederate Spies at Large: The Lives of Lincoln Assassination Conspirator Tom Harbin and Charlie Russell, by John Stewart, McFarland & Company, 2007 tells the story of two Confederate spies, Tom Harbin and Charlie Russell. Did not read the book, but according to reviews it considerably expands our knowledge of Harbin’s involvement in the Lincoln conspiracy. It says that it was Harbin who left a getaway horse for Booth outside Ford's Theatre, and it was Harbin who helped Booth escape across the Potomac. For a time there was a big price on Harbin's head, but he was never arrested. The book also gives detailed information on Harbin’s genealogy and the lives of his forebears and descendants.