| The History of Coagh booklet lists Lieutenant William Harkness as having served with the United States Expeditionary Force in the war.
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| The Coagh Presbyterian Church in Ireland Roll of Honour 1914-1919 lists a Lieutenant Willie Harkness from Killygonlan who served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force.
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| There only William Harkness which can be found in the census from Killygonlan is a William A Harkness, brother of Thomas Harkness.
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| William A Harkness was the son of William and Jane Harkness. William Harkness and Jane Lees were married on 8th November 1883 in the district of Cookstown.
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| William Harkness was born on 4th May 1890. He was one of eight children, all born in the Coagh area.
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| Known family: William Harkness, Jane Harkness, Margaret Harkness (born 12th September 1884), Mary Charlotte Harkness (born 25th April 1886), John Harkness (born 8th March 1888), William A Harkness (born 4th May 1890), Andrew Harkness (born 29th May 1892), Anna I Harkness (born 2nd June 1895), Samuel Harkness (born 3rd June 1897), Thomas Harkness (born 1st June 1900).
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| The 1901 census lists William A as age 10, living with the family at house 2 in Killygonlan, Munterevlin, County Tyrone. Killygonlan is in the Ardboe area. His father was a farmer.
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| The 1911 census lists William A as age 21, living with the family at house 2 in Killygonlan, Ardboe. He was a farmer.
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| Despite research of the Canadian WW1 Attestation records, no obvious fit can be found currently. There was a Joseph William Harkness (3207775), a Presbyterian born in 1889 in the Cookstown area, but his father was Alexander Harkness from Drumnacross (Kildress), Cookstown.
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| His brother Thomas Harkness, who also served in the war, died in a nursing home in America in 1972.
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