Harmony Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Harmony Township is a township in Susquehanna County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. The population was 558 at the 2000 census.
, the township has a total area of 31.6 square miles (81.8 km²), of which, 31.4 square miles (81.3 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of it (0.98%) is water.
. Latter Day Saints believe that Joseph Smith, Jr. and Oliver Cowdery
were visited by the angel of John the Baptist
near Harmony in 1829, where he bestowed on Smith and Cowdery the Aaronic priesthood. Smith and Cowdery subsequently baptized one another in the Susquehanna River
.
Other significant events occurred there during the periodic residence of Smith from 1825 to 1830. Harmony was the home of Isaac Hale, father of Smith's wife, Emma Hale. Smith and his father boarded with Isaac Hale in 1825 while working on Josiah Stowell's mining project. In December 1827, Smith and Emma moved to Harmony from Manchester, New York, to work on the translation of the golden plates
of the Book of Mormon
. Eventually they bought a small farm and house, where most of the Book of Mormon was translated between April 7 and early June 1829. The first convert baptism, that of Samuel H. Smith, took place there ten days after Smith and Cowdery had baptized each other. Somewhere between Harmony and Colesville, New York, Peter
, James, and John
bestowed upon Smith and Cowdery the Melchizedek priesthood. After the Church of Christ was organized by Smith in 1830, Smith and Emma returned to Harmony and lived there through that summer. Fifteen revelations now found in the Doctrine and Covenants
were received in Harmony.
The Harmony in Latter Day Saint history refers to a township rather than the village of Harmony. The township boundary was changed in 1853, placing the Latter Day Saint sites in present-day Oakland Township. The site of the Hale residence lies about a mile and a half west of present-day Oakland, Pennsylvania, in Susquehanna County, along the north side of Route 171.
Today The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints owns about 288 acres at the Harmony location. On a small landscaped triangular plot located between the highway and a railroad right-of-way, a granite and bronze monument dedicated in 1960 commemorates the restoration of the Aaronic priesthood. The exact location of the restoration is not known.
The house owned by Joseph and Emma Smith burned in 1919. The buried foundation is just west of the monument. The graves of Isaac and Elizabeth Hale and of an infant son born to Joseph and Emma are close to Route 171, in a public cemetery located east of the Church property.
of 2000, there were 558 people, 206 households, and 152 families residing in the township. The population density
was 17.8 people per square mile (6.9/km²). There were 341 housing units at an average density of 10.9/sq mi (4.2/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 98.92% White, 0.90% Asian and 0.18% Pacific Islander. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.97% of the population.
There were 206 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.6% were married couples
living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the township the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $31,579, and the median income for a family was $33,250. Males had a median income of $31,023 versus $16,667 for females. The per capita income
for the township was $15,351. About 11.0% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 42,238 people, 16,529 households, and 11,785 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 people per square mile . There were 21,829 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 558 at the 2000 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the township has a total area of 31.6 square miles (81.8 km²), of which, 31.4 square miles (81.3 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of it (0.98%) is water.
History
Harmony, Pennsylvania, is an important historical site in the Latter Day Saint movementLatter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...
. Latter Day Saints believe that Joseph Smith, Jr. and Oliver Cowdery
Oliver Cowdery
Oliver H. P. Cowdery was, with Joseph Smith, Jr., an important participant in the formative period of the Latter Day Saint movement between 1829 and 1836, becoming one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon's golden plates, one of the first Latter Day Saint apostles, and the Second Elder of...
were visited by the angel of John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
near Harmony in 1829, where he bestowed on Smith and Cowdery the Aaronic priesthood. Smith and Cowdery subsequently baptized one another in the Susquehanna River
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
.
Other significant events occurred there during the periodic residence of Smith from 1825 to 1830. Harmony was the home of Isaac Hale, father of Smith's wife, Emma Hale. Smith and his father boarded with Isaac Hale in 1825 while working on Josiah Stowell's mining project. In December 1827, Smith and Emma moved to Harmony from Manchester, New York, to work on the translation of the golden plates
Golden Plates
According to Latter Day Saint belief, the golden plates are the source from which Joseph Smith, Jr. translated the Book of Mormon, a sacred text of the faith...
of the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
. Eventually they bought a small farm and house, where most of the Book of Mormon was translated between April 7 and early June 1829. The first convert baptism, that of Samuel H. Smith, took place there ten days after Smith and Cowdery had baptized each other. Somewhere between Harmony and Colesville, New York, Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
, James, and John
John the Apostle
John the Apostle, John the Apostle, John the Apostle, (Aramaic Yoħanna, (c. 6 - c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles...
bestowed upon Smith and Cowdery the Melchizedek priesthood. After the Church of Christ was organized by Smith in 1830, Smith and Emma returned to Harmony and lived there through that summer. Fifteen revelations now found in the Doctrine and Covenants
Doctrine and Covenants
The Doctrine and Covenants is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement...
were received in Harmony.
The Harmony in Latter Day Saint history refers to a township rather than the village of Harmony. The township boundary was changed in 1853, placing the Latter Day Saint sites in present-day Oakland Township. The site of the Hale residence lies about a mile and a half west of present-day Oakland, Pennsylvania, in Susquehanna County, along the north side of Route 171.
Today The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints owns about 288 acres at the Harmony location. On a small landscaped triangular plot located between the highway and a railroad right-of-way, a granite and bronze monument dedicated in 1960 commemorates the restoration of the Aaronic priesthood. The exact location of the restoration is not known.
The house owned by Joseph and Emma Smith burned in 1919. The buried foundation is just west of the monument. The graves of Isaac and Elizabeth Hale and of an infant son born to Joseph and Emma are close to Route 171, in a public cemetery located east of the Church property.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 558 people, 206 households, and 152 families residing in the township. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 17.8 people per square mile (6.9/km²). There were 341 housing units at an average density of 10.9/sq mi (4.2/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 98.92% White, 0.90% Asian and 0.18% Pacific Islander. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.97% of the population.
There were 206 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the township the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $31,579, and the median income for a family was $33,250. Males had a median income of $31,023 versus $16,667 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the township was $15,351. About 11.0% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.