The HaarnacksThis is the story of a family called HAARNACK.
We know that a man called Christian Haarnack married Sarah Hackett at St Martins in the Fields in 1807. Christian Haarnack was the first of four generations of master harp makers in London We have very little evidence of this man except that his grandson was still working at the age of 93 and he told the newspaper reproter that his grandfather was chief mechanic at the Erard Factory in Gt Marlborough Street in 1808.
Other family legends state that he was making harps before Erard came to London from Paris to set up his business
but we have no evidence to support this yet.
1823 London Directory:
1846 London Directory:
1850 London Directory: Henry Haarnack (coffee rooms) 50 Newman Street
1851 Marylebone census
1862 London Directory:
1865 London Directory:
The following entry appeared in the Times on Wednesday January 16th,1867
1874 street directory
In Reeves Musical Director 1879
1880 Street Directory
1892 street directory
There is an advertisement in the "Musical Opinion" in 1894 (Vol. 18. page 9.)
1909 street directory
Haarnack is mentioned in a list of harp makers on page 216 of Roslyn Rensch's book "Harps and Harpists". "I have been working since I was 11 years old, so that I have been making harps for 80 years" said Mr, Haarnack "and I suppose I shall go on until I die. There have been four generations at the trade in our family, and in 1808 my grandfather was head machinist at Erard's. We have been in this workshop for 60 years. What Henry David Haarnack said in 1926 A Skating Accident in Regent's Park. A new event in the HAARNACK family history. Charlotte Street An account of how the BBC programme "The Naked Chef" was involved in my search for my ancestors in London's Fitzrovia. This page has lots of interesting links. "London Voices and Snapshots in my head "by Peter Pitts
Herr Wilhelm Morgann's Original Blue Hungarian Band
Haarnacke, Haarnach, Harnack, Horneck or Hardenack. Harping onHarp and Piano Makers of 19th Century LondonThis page sets out some of the information collected during my research. News of Haarnack Harps A Haarnack harp in New Zealand
DigressionsDaniel Justin Langlois
Other sites with references to or articles about the HaarnacksPictures of the Haarnacks can now be seen on the BBC community family history archive.This page was been submitted to Cyndi's List on 6th August 2000 and if you click here you will see the entry and link. It also appears on the Latter Day Saints website and if you click here here you will see the reference. An article about the Haarnack family and their harps has been published on The Harp spectrum The Hemsley familyThe Sussex ConnectionA new page exploring a recently discovered connection with the Hemsley family fron Ditchling in Sussex. Some Hemsleys from Ditchling
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