Harllee, Harry Lee, 1876-1952

Harry Lee Harllee was a naturalist, ornithologist, taxidermist, and founder of the Harllee Museum of Natural History in Florence, S.C. In 1927, he founded the Harllee Construction Company, also in Florence, S.C. In 1947, his nephew, Alexander McQueen Quattlebaum (1913-1987) joined the company as a partner, and it was renamed Harllee-Quattlebaum, Inc.

Naturalist, taxidermist, and contractor of Florence, S.C.; born, 27 Sept. 1876, in Claussen in Darlington County [now Florence County], S.C.; son of Harry Thomas Harllee and Mary McCall Harllee and great-grand-nephew of Gen. William Wallace; married first to Alice Congdon Blackmer and second to Annie Lee Sparks (d. 1947), with whom he adopted a daughter, Myrtle Harllee.

Harlee was a member of the Darlington Guards and fought with them in Mexico in 1916, followed by service in World War I; owned and operated Harllee-Quattlebaum Construction Company, Inc.; he began collecting specimens of birds and other animals in 1936 when he became a licensed collector of birds; Harlee was said to have collected well over 45,000 eggs during his lifetime; in 1947, he opened his private wildlife museum at 1301 W. Palmetto St., Florence, S.C.

Harry Lee Harllee was born on 27 September 1876 to Harry Thomas Harllee and Mary Hart McCall. His great uncle, General William Wallace Harllee, founded the city of Florence, S.C. He served in World War I as captain, 2nd Infantry, South Carolina National Guard. He was a naturalist, ornithologist, taxidermist, and founder of the Harllee Museum of Natural History in Florence. In 1927, he founded the Harllee Construction Company in Florence. In 1947, Alexander McQueen Quattlebaum joined the company as a partner, and it was renamed Harllee-Quattlebaum Inc. Harllee died on 22 February 1952.

Alexander McQueen Quattlebaum, Harry Lee Harllee's nephew, was born on 12 September 1913 to McQueen Quattlebaum and Elizabeth McCall Harllee, daughter of Harry Thomas Harllee and Mary Hart McCall. He died in 1987.