My Immediate Family

I am the second son of William Bruce Harper and Hattie Francis (Compton) Harper. My father was principal of the three-teacher school (grades 1-8) in Huber when I was born. My mother was also a school teacher, but she had not taught since the birth of my older brother, Thomas Paul (known in childhood as "Tom Paul." Bruce died on new years day 1945 at the age of 37. Hattie died in 1999 at the age of 93. Click here for the Harper geneology. Click here for the Compton geneology.

My older brother, Thomas Paul Harper was born July 17, 1933 in Timpson, Texas. (Click button for picture.) He was named Thomas after Hattie's maternal grandfather Thomas Bright, from whom he inherited a genetic propensity for mischief. "Paul" may have been after the apostle, but if so, it carried with it little of the Saint's attributes of holiness, although a great deal of St. Paul's charisma. We called him Tom Paul until he decided on just Tom, which I followed from then on. His second wife, Nesta Clark and his children refer to him as "Thomas."

He was married twice: first to Barbara Land. They had no children and were divorced in 1964. His second wife as Nesta (Clark) Harper. He and Nesta had three children, a daughter Carew, who lives in Maryland, a son Gage, and another daughter Hallie. Both Gage and Hallie live in Virginia. Carew's husband's name is David Alley. Gage's wife's name is Kym. Hallie is married to David Montague.

Tom Paul died accidentally in 1972 and would now have five grandchildren: Carew's son, Josuah, Gage's sons Logan and Landon Compton born in November 2003. Hallie and Dave have a boy, Taylor, and a girl Madison.