The Diary of Connellsvile, Pennsylvania Boy was written by Henry Hough. The journal covers the spring and summer months of 1898 when Hough would have been 11- years – old. Hough wrote about his daily activities which included delivering papers, and current events like the start of the Spanish-American War.

Henry Harrison “Null” Hough was born on March 3, 1887 in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Joseph Winfield Hough (1846 – 1900) and Minerva Null Hough (1848 – 1931). Null’s father, Joseph Hough, was a volunteer for the Union Army during the Civil War. Joseph travelled the country, living in San Francisco, on a ranch in Nevada, and a farm in Iowa, before he ultimately returning to settle in Pennsylvania. Joseph worked on the railroad, engaged in the lumber and sand businesses, and operated a hotel. Later in his life, Joseph was elected county treasurer for Fayette County, Pennsylvania. Null was named for his maternal grandfather, Henry Harrison Null Jr. (1815 – 1905), a wealthy hotel proprietor.

Null was the youngest of his father’s four children. He had two older half-brothers, Roscoe Hough (1877 -1964) and Harry Walker Hough (d. 1881). Null was also the younger brother of Gerhardt Fuller Hough (1890 – 1977), a Navy veteran who served in WWI.

Null was a veteran of WWI. He was discharged on December 15, 1918, a month after the end of the war, having achieved the rank of 2nd Lieutenant.

In 1928, Null married Josephine Hawkins Hough (1897 – 1999). The couple had two surviving children, Nancy Hough Soliday (1934 – 1997) and Josephine “Jodie” Hough Martinson.

Null Hough did a variety of jobs through his lifetime. According to census records, Hough worked for the Clairton Coke Works and was a foreman for a construction team.

Henry Harrison Null Hough died on November 7, 1979 at the age of 92. He is buried in the Saint Clair Cemetery in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.  

The Diary of Connellsvile, Pennsylvania Boy was written by Henry Hough. The journal covers the spring and summer months of 1898 when Hough would have been 11- years – old. Hough wrote about his daily activities which included delivering papers, and current events like the start of the Spanish-American War. The diary is labelled with the name “Null Hough” and the year. Entries span from early April to the middle of August.