John Harty immigrated to Texas in 1835 with his father, Dennis Harty.  Dennis Harty received the Mexican land grant of a league and a labor and John received a land grant adjoining his father's for 1/3 league or 1473 acres since John was a single man.  These land grants are located just west of the Bowie County line in Red River County.

When John Harty, 1817-1897, came to Texas, he rode his horse all the way from Kentucky to Clarksville, Texas.  He worked for two years as an overseer near Clarksville.  Authorities came after John to enlist in the Mexican War.  Not wanting to go, he chose an old, broken down horse which could not keep up with the others.  A bad storm came up, they rode off and left him, so he returned home. 

John Harty's parents were Dennis Harty, 1786-1845, and Dorothy Dolly "Dorcas" Job, 1798-1848, who were married in 1816 in Tennessee.  They were living in Maury County, Tennessee in 1820 next door to Dennis's sister Jemima and her husband James Menasco.  Dennis sold 1/2 of his land grant before his death.  He sold 2338 acres to A J Titus in 1838 and 640 acres to John M Fleming and Lendell Davis in 1841 and that same year he sold 60 acres to B H Durham.  The remainder of his grant was divided among his four children: John, Cynthia born 1823, Jonathan 1825-1863 married Mary Hancock, and Mary Ann married Andrew S Beard.  Dennis and Dorcas Harty are probably buried near Avery, Texas where their land was located.

When John Harty married in Texas, his first wife's name has not been found.  Two daughters were named Josephine and Fannie.  His children have handed down a very tragic story about the death of the first wife and their three children.  The wife was washing clothes on day and sent the oldest girl to the hen house to get an egg to make bread.  When the child did not come back right away, she sent the second girl.  When she did not return either, the mother became alarmed and went to see about them.  A snake had bitten both of them and they were dying.  When she got back to the house, the baby had crawled off the porch, fallen into the washtub and drowned.  John and his wife bathed and laid the children out and he built their caskets.  The wife grieved so much that she died soon thereafter.  She would sit for hours pretending she was rocking the baby.

John was a saddler and made saddles for the Confederacy during the Civil War.  He also made shoes and built coffins for people.  After the death of his first family, John Harty rode off and left the land in Red River County.  He settled in Cussetta in Cass County and built a two story log house which he later traded to Nelson H Haney and Killis S Floyd for 1400 acres of land.  The land in Red River County was sold to Rebecca Titus in 1844.

John Harty's second wife was Julianna Haney, 1825-1876, from Tennessee, the daughter of "Major" Nelson H and Mary E Haney.  Their seven children were born in Cussetta near Marietta in Cass County, Texas.
1. Sarah Jane, 1852-1930, married James William Powell, died in DeKalb
2. Paralee, 1854-1932, married James Redding Finley, buried in Oakridge Cemetery
3. Augustus Rufus, 1856-1937, married Missouri Caldwell, buried in Oakridge Cemetery
4. Rebecca Tennessee, born 1859, married Alexander B Mills
5. Virginia "Jennie", born 1861
6. Dorothy Dollie, 1866-1945, married L Ed Hancock, buried in New Hope Cemetery
7. Julie Ann, 1869-1927, married William Paschal Richey, married second Boyd Hudgins, buried in New Hope Cemetery