Author’s Note (2026):
This article was originally published in 2019 after nearly three years of research into the probate and guardianship records of Jacob Harsen II and Frances Harsen. Since that time, I have located additional deed agreements executed among the heirs shortly after Jacob Harsen II’s death. These agreements clarify how the estate’s real property was ultimately conveyed and provide additional context that was not available when this article was first written.
Rather than remove this essay, I have revised portions of it to reflect that additional evidence while preserving the broader historical questions that first drew me to Frances Harsen’s story.
Beliefs, Values, Morals
“Belief is a beautiful armor
But makes for the heaviest sword
Like punching underwater
You never can hit who you’re trying for
Some need the exhibition
And some have to know they tried
It’s the chemical weapon
For the war that’s raging on inside”
(John Mayer), Belief
Our beliefs form from our experiences, what we see, hear, read, and think about. They are assumptions or thoughts we associate with who we are and how we perceive others to be. They shape and form our opinions and attitudes about what we perceive to be “good” or “bad”. Values come from our beliefs. They are the things we think are important. Honesty, education, loyalty, money, faithfulness are just a few examples.
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