Samuel B. Harner
Samuel B. Harner, a farmer of Xenia township, one of the best-known residents of the Oldtown neighborhood and the patentee of the celebrated "Harner" milker which is attracting much attention among dairymen throughout the country, was born on the farm on which he is now living and has lived there all his life. He was born on November 16, 1865, a son of Charles and Mary Ann (Morgan) Harner, both now deceased, who spent their last days on that old home farm, their youngest son, the subject of this sketch, caring for them in their declining years.
Charles Harner was born in this county on February 19, 1817, a member of one of the pioneer families of Greene county, his parents, Jacob and Anna Maria (Hefly) Harner, having come up here from the vicinity of Cincinnati and made their home in Beavercreek township at an early day in the settlement of the county. On March 19, 1840, Charles Harner married Mary Ann Morgan, who was born on March 11, 1823, and established his home on the place on which his son Samuel is now living. He died on August 14, 1908. His wife's death occurred on January 1, 1907. They were the parents of eleven children, of whom, as noted above, the subject of this sketch was the last born, the others being as follows: Martin, who married Mrs. Jolly and lives in the New England states; Mary, who is living at Oldtown, widow of James H. Jacoby; David J., who died on February 19, 1911; Isabella, who is living at Xenia, widow of Andrew Hutchinson; Morgan, who is married and is farming in Xenia township; Rose Ann, who is living at Oldtown, widow of Samuel Clark; Martha C, wife of George Oglesbee, of Xenia; Charles A., a farmer of Xenia township; Franklin J., who also is farming in Xenia township, and James H., the owner of a farm on the Bellbrook pike, south of Xenia.
Samuel B. Harner has always made his home on the place on which he is now living and which he now owns, a farm of one hundred and forty acres. He acquired his schooling at Oldtown, at Xenia and at Yellow Springs and in time came into the management of the home place, after his father's retirement from the active labors of the farm, and has been operating the farm since then. Politically, he is a Democrat. As a practical dairyman Mr. Harner became interested in milking devices and discerned so much in the way of improvements that might be applied to such devices that he worked out a model of an improved milker and on January 2, 1917, secured a patent on the same. This machine, the "Harner" milker, is now being manufactured by the Harner-Jones Company at Springfield, this state, and is attracting much attention, it being declared that Mr. Harner's machine is "almost human" in its operation, besides being simple, gentle, durable, harmless, noiseless, economical, insuring better milk and all the milk, easy to clean, of unlimited capacity and positively sanitary. The "Harner" milker has been found to eliminate "all the objectionable features possessed by machines of the experimental period; easily trebles the number of cows a hand can care for; gets more and better milk per cow with less fretting and no harm to the animal; increases profits and reduces labor, and transforms the dairy business from a hard, slavish one to an easy, pleasant and profitable occupation." This machine is the product of years of study and experiment on Mr. Harner's part and in three years of constant use has proved itself wholly free from fault in design, construction and operation.
On June 14, 1911, Samuel B. Harner was united in marriage to Isabel Fernstenmacher, who was born near Kutztown, in Berks county, Pennsylvania, daughter of Henry and Isabel (Deitrich) Fernstenmacher, of Long Swamp township, that county, the former of whom died on June 23, 1907, and the latter, August 23. 1914. Henry Fernstenmacher and his wife had two children, Mrs. Harner having a brother, Edwin R. Fernstenmacher, who is still living on the old home place in Pennsylvania. Mrs. Harner's schooling was completed in the Normal School at Kutztown, in the neighborhood of her home, and she lived at home until her marriage to Mr. Harner. To that union four children have been born, Clara Belle, Wilbur Henry, Orville David and Paul Samuel. Mrs. Harner is a member of the Baptist church.
From History of Greene County Ohio, Its People, Industries and Institutions, vol. 2. M.A.Broadstone, editor. B.F.Bowen & Co., Indianapolis. 1918