ORNBAUM, Harley
The ORNBAUM FAMILY featuring Harley – Around the County for the Paper of Montgomery County Aug 2024 – by Karen Bazzani Zach
Our fellow this week was athletic, winning many shooting contests with high, close to, even sometimes perfect scores against his opponents. In Nov 1898 (C’ville Review 19th p 8) he and friend, Frank Snyder, hunted in Wingate for a week and took home over a hundred quail. Quite a dancer, he was always the first to be invited to the parties and first on the floor – likely stayed the longest, too. Often, he was found (via local newspaper articles) off fishing. In June,1892, he, cousin David Lee and brother-in-law Charles Cable went to Fleshaur’s Mill (CWJ) and returned with 100# of “elegant fish!” Guessing Harley W. Ornbaun got his fair share. Although he won the first fishing contest (in five hours landing 46 bass including goggle eyes with partner H.E. Greene) after the state stocked Rock River (Sugar Creek) with the promise that the local sportsmen would never permit the fish to be taken unlawfully or unsportsmanlike, Harley was involved in doin’ things right. Also, he was known for his sense of humor, and had a picture of him and buddy PO Rudy in a local store window with them posed as conquering heroes with a mammoth fish as large as either “of the boys.” However, AB Anderson who brought the picture to be displayed had to fess-up and say a travelling photographer “had taken them with the mammoth rubber fish!” (CWJ 24 Sept 1897 p 9) But it was a good joke for a few days in C’ville.
Golf was one of Harley’s loves, as well. He played on the early golf links which he worked hard to help make into the Country Club (1917). In 1916, he won a golf tournament there tallying a 76 score! He won Crawfordsville’s President’s Cup more than once but had some fierce competition. His match however was beginning to flourish in the name of Will H. Diddel, who was Wabash’s manager of athletics. He was also a graduate as I think Harley was.
Active in Republican committee work, having held councilman in C’ville’s 4th ward and a couple of small offices, his work really focused on making sure elections were properly handled and served as the top election officer keeping things on the up and up.
Harley was well-rounded as he also loved to travel, visiting Scotland in the summer of 1894. Wish I knew more about that trip, though. Perhaps it wasn’t for sightseeing but for hunting or other purposes?
On November 9th in 1887, Harley wed Edith Lee, daughter of David Long and Mahala (Courtney) Lee at her parents’ home in C’ville, Rev. George Jenner of the ME Church (families were Methodist through and through) officiating. There were a large number of guests and presents. When they returned from their honeymoon to Chicago, his father and second wife, Emma Chaffee, gave them a large reception. They never had children, but Edith was very active in Sunday School so that she could be with children.
So let’s meet Harley’s parents, especially his very well loved father, Benjamin Lewis Ornbaun and his first wife, Mary L. Barr who passed away with their fifth child, Otis Barr, Harley the oldest, along with Clara, Minnie and Lulu who sadly passed the day after Ben’s second marriage. Clara never married but lived in Crawfordsville as well as Los Angeles with sister Minnie who had first married (Nov 22, 1888) William Edwin Arthur who passed in 1898. The gals had a boarding house for awhile, but then Minnie married George Adolphus Corelyou who also made Minnie a widow. She is buried with him in Mountain View Cemetery, Altadena, California as is sister Clara. Know Minnie had an infant son who passed in 1892, Clara no children, Harley no children, and Otis went out to Washington DC, working as a rigger in the ship yards, married (divorced) but no children so Ben didn’t get to enjoy the role of gpa’.
Ben was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia from where his father, Andrew hailed (mother, Mary Shipley born in Tennessee) on Sept 13, 1829 but was but six years old when the family (Ben second of their nine children) moved to the Crawfordsville area. At age 17, he signed-up for an apprenticeship with our pioneer harness-maker, Robert Gray. Afterwards, he headed to California via the Isthmus of Panama. He spent 66 days on a ship they condemned. The only provisions were (Portrait and Biographical Record of Montgomery …) spoiled meat and worse water. Although they lost 16 men on the ship, Ben made it. After four years working and saving his money he returned to C’ville purchasing Gray’s business. Flourishing under Ben’s thumb (later with partner Harley), he eventually built a large brick block on Washington Street, 160’ deep and three stories high, selling not only his harnesses (which by the way he made quite a bit of money entering them in area fairs, winning big prize dollars) but anything to do with a horse. He and second wife were extremely active in the Methodist Church, she too involved with the young, especially their son Benny Charles.
Ben was a hard worker and loved to parade his teams four horses wide by prancing them down the streets of the city, but once, while entering “Darter’s elevator, when standing up in the wagon – a beam cracked him on the head and he was quite in disrepair for a long time.”
So sometimes his luck just wore down as with a family he rented one of his rentals to with neighbors complaining they were odd. Their children had two pole cats which they loved dearly and sat around petting like kittens. Finally, the police were called in. He shot them but those ‘lil darlings got even, spraying their sweet perfume as they passed to skunk heaven. The officer was barred from coming to work until he smelled better!
Ben died August 10, 1903 after being sick several months. This family was so fascinating, I could write a book about them – in fact, you’ll meet some of Ben’s sister’s family next week! Enjoy!