Harold Benjamin Tinney (November 5, 1900 – May 31, 1989)

Born in Charlemont, Massachusetts, son of Erwin and Flora Tinney, Harold was the youngest boy of nine children. He left school at the 9th grade and worked in the family florist business and in farming.

He became a fine engineer with a practical sense of how things worked. When he was in his late teens he bought a motor cycle. Within a short time he knew how it worked and became a local mechanic who could fix cars – as well as buggies, harnesses and horsehoes. He learned blacksmithing from his grandfather Benjamin Franklin Tinney, though he never became a blacksmith.

Harold Tinney was a man of action and few words. His stories were hilarious with a sense of humor that would not quit. He kept people laughing. He knew nature and could predict the weather accurately simply by observing the natural world, sky, sea, trees and animals. He loved horses and all animals, yet he was a fine hunter. He met Ruth Betzer in 1928 and they were married on August 29, 1929 in Charlemont. Truly the patriarch of the Tinney Family, Harold could create anything with his hands. He was a loyal family man, woodworker, restorer, cabinet maker and stained glass artisan. He was a canny Yankee trader and totally honest business man. When the Tinney Family moved to Newport, Harold Tinney was asked to join the exclusive Beach Club. His short answer: “I don’t have time to play in your sand box.” He worked hard by putting all his energy into the family project to restore Belcourt Castle to make his only son Donald happy.