Musical

        Music definitely runs in my family, going back to my parents and their parents before them, and I could write about any number of them today. But the one I have chosen is my maternal grandfather, Clarence Wilbur Harley, better known as C. Wilbur Harley, or Poppop, as us grandkids called him.

C. Wilbur Harley, my grandfather (Poppop) maybe around 1930s

Poppop was born March 1, 1888 In Philadelphia to John Alonzo Harley and Catherine Hunsicker Landis Harley. Poppop was the youngest of four children (all boys). Sadly his oldest two brothers died in their youth, before Poppop was even born. His only brother that lived into adulthood was Jacob Linwood Harley. Wilbur (Poppop) married Florence Koetzle in September 1913 in Philadelphia. (you might recall I wrote about his dad, James Alonzo Harley, a few weeks ago in the blog titled “Urban.”

Those are the dates and basic facts that I know, but I am not writing this about facts, but about Wilbur the musician, specifically Wilbur the organist. It is interesting and sad to me that I actually know so little about Poppop. But little by little I am uncovering details about his early life, his careers, and mostly his love of classical music and his talent for playing the organ and piano.

I feel like I should know more about him than I do, given that in his last years, he lived with our family in NJ, after Nanny (his wife and our grandmother) passed away. You see, Poppop was a kind of a quiet, reserved and “bookish” person, at least that is how I remember him. Add that to the fact that in his later years he was quite hard of hearing, which, in spite of hearing aids, made it difficult to chat with. Of course this was in the late 1960’s.

In 1910, Wilbur mentioned in Brethren church book

The first time I heard him play the organ was at the Morton Hotel, a grand hotel on the boardwalk in Atlantic City. He was the night auditor there, but he would often play the organ at the hotel during the dinner hour, as background music for the dining room. Because his work was at night, he slept during the day. But whenever we visited Atlantic City in  the 1950’s and 60’s, we would always have at least one fancy supper at the Morton Hotel, and he would play the organ before he joined us for dinner. This is a sweet memory of him!

The Morton Hotel, in Atlantic City, where Poppop worked in the 50's & 60's

But Wilbur must have taken an interest in music at a young age, because when he was 18, he was playing organ and assisting the church choir at the Church of the Brethren in Philadelphia. I have yet to discover when and where he started learning music and the organ. There were any number of small music institutes in Philadelphia at that time, which I am still researching. It would have been so much quicker if I could have just asked him, right?

In my search for his musical education, I was able to finally find where he went to college. Mom always said he did, but census records did not indicate that. Interestingly, I found the college information while I was searching for the music education part. He attending Banks’ Business College in Phila., around 1906.

But back to the music!!! Playing the organ was an avocation for Poppop, not really his paying job. He played organ at various churches in Atlantic City and surrounding communities for many years. Back then, the local newspapers carried information about each church, and the musical selections to be played at services. So his name showed up weekly, listing a variety of classical organ pieces to be played. He was very well-versed in classical music. 

June 8, 1940 newspaper article listing Wilbur's music this week

Even in his later years, he could still play the piano! We had quite a few sing-a-longs with relatives after our Thanksgiving meals. We would all gather around the piano, and Poppop would play Christmas Carols while we all sang along. I still even have a couple audio recordings of those events. Great memories indeed!!

Poppop playing the organ at Margate Church

I didn’t get to know Poppop nearly as well as I would have liked. To coin an acronym from college sports, I know his NIL - Name, Image, and Likeness, but I don’t have much of a true sense of him in his youth, except for what I have been able to piece together, bit by bit, from newspapers, photos, and some personal knowledge and memories. Those pieces come together slowly, but I am finally able to feel like I know him better. Of course, I can never really know what it was like for him growing up in Philadelphia in the last decades of the 19th century. But I do know he was a very intelligent, musical and talented man. My favorite photo is of him sitting at the church organ. I miss you Poppop, and Nanny too !!!

Poppop and Nanny 50th wedding anniversary fete!!