Harris is a tough name to research, especially since so many of them had the same first names, even the more uncommon first names, such as Tyree, Claiborn [variant spellings] Overton, etc. One suspects they were all related, but determining that fact is most difficult. Perhaps the stumbling block is the genealogical search MAY be you are researching in the wrong place. I have collaterals [not Harrises] in Rockingham Co., NC but there may be records may be earlier than that. When I think I may be looking in the wrong locality, I go to the Family History Library Catalong which is online and do some research on the parent county of the county I am researching. The county boundaries were always changing, and sometimes even the name changed!!! This is what I found about Rockingham Co., NC: Rockingham was established in 1785 from Guilford County. Some of the court records are missing. County seat: Rockingham Court House (1785-1799); Wentworth (1799-present). (Surry County is another candidate to study, and from it Stokes Co. was formed.) Many of our North Carolinians of early date went there, mainly from Virginia, it seems, to acquire land. North Carolinian author, mostly individual authors, have published many of the land grants of North Carolina, and in some cases the surveys (which preceded the land grants). (Margaret M. Hofmann comes to mind, but there are others, it seems.) How about starting with studying land grants for North Carolina in general? Tthe counties may have evolved when enough folks got together on those isolated farms/planatations to demand that the legislature set up a new county. Suggestion: go to the URL familysearch.org 1. Seek out the research outline or guide for North Carolina and read the section on Land Records. Next read the section on court records, and so on. (Nearly every male was in court sooner or later--a plaintiff, a defendant, a juror, a justice of the peace, etc.) 2. Then go to the catalog of the FAmily History Library. Do a place search for North Carolina (forget the county for the time being) Then look for Land Records. There should be a LOT of books and perhaps films regarding land records in North Carolina. Tax lists for counties are a wonderful census-substitute. See what is available at the Family History Library. Maybe you can borrw a few rolls of film if you are near an LDS family history center. You may have to extract every Harris who appears, but sooner or later, you may discover the right Harris. In particular, notice the water course on which the family was located. Some folks never moved, but the county boundary changed!!!! One genealogist I know says her ancestor's home straddled the county line--the front part was in one county, and the back part was in another county!!! Obviously, you need to change your method of attacking this problem. We do tend to get in a rut. Rootsweb (which is free, if you subscribe) has several genealogy lessons on its website. With whom did your Elijah Harris associate? Track down all those folks. Especially check out those folks with uncommon surnames--I hope he had one or two such associates. Those of us who have common surnames in our lineage have to study a LOT of the neighbors. I hope you don't have to spend too many more years on hunting for poor Elijah!!! E.W.Wallace who has at least a dozen common surnames in her lineage