My Genealogy Hound

Douglas Harger, a well known resident of West Bloomfield township, Oakland County, residing on his farm in section 13, was born in 1832, in Niagara County, New York, and is a son of Seeley and Arvilla J. (Seeley) Harger, both of Seneca County, New York.

After the marriage of our subject’s parents, in 1822, they removed to Niagara County, New York, and at various times owned different farms. In 1836 they came to Waterford township, Oakland County, lived there two years, and then, in 1838, removed to West Bloomfield township. There Seeley Harger purchased a farm of 300 acres, located one mile north of North Farmington and three miles south of Orchard Lake.

Seeley Harger and wife reared the following children: Joel P.; Edwin S.; Sophronia, wife of Charles B. Boughner, a farmer of West Bloomfield township; Mary, deceased; Douglas; Ellen, who was married to Grover Wixom, who died in 1863, and in 1867 was married to Frank W. Trowbridge, the children of the first marriage being, — Frank, Flora, Arvilla J. (Wixom) and William, deceased; Elizabeth, George and Arvilla J., all deceased; Charles, who is engaged in a stock business at Pontiac; and Emma, deceased.

Douglas Harger was educated in the West Bloomfield schools and was occupied in assisting on his father’s farm until he was 20 years of age, when he made a trip to the gold fields of California. Mr. Harger remained in the West for two years and then returned to West Bloomfield township. In 1852 he purchased a farm of 160 acres in Clinton County, Michigan.

In 1853 Mr. Harger was married to Matilda Wilson, who was a daughter of a wealthy farmer of Niagara County, New York, Stephen Wilson, who was born in 1800. At his death Mr. Wilson left an estate of 600 acres of land, which still belongs to his heirs. Mrs. Harger died in 1858, leaving two children, the younger, Joel P., being deceased. The older, Francis M., now residing on his farm of 180 acres in West Bloomfield township, married Elizabeth Muirhead, who is a daughter of the late John and Elizabeth Muirhead, a sketch of whom will be found in another part of this work. They have four children, — Florence, Matilda, Esma, Blanche and Arvilla J.

In 1859 Mr. Harger was married to Eunice Wilson, a sister of his first wife, and four children have been born to this union, namely: Nettie, born in 1861, now deceased; Mark E., born in 1866, who married Alice May Beattie, daughter of Joseph Beattie, of West Bloomfield township, and has one child, Ruth; Stephen Wilson residing on an opposite farm, who married Laura Todd, of Pontiac; and Ira, deceased.