Evelyn, Not trying to offend you (or anyone else on this so extremely- sensitive mailing list), but these two Benjamin Harrises were just not the same person at all. The Benjamin Harris that I believe was the brother? of our Robert Harris (and the son of William & Temperance Overton Harris) was a Quaker who died in 1762. His records are listed in the Cedar Creek Monthly Meeting records, in the Louisa Co., VA deeds and wills, and in the Cavaliers & Pioneers records that were recorded in his lifetime. I think he was born in 1699 or 1700? Benjamin Harris who died in 1765 was a son of an unidentified Harris line (but which I think was somehow related?) THAT Benjamin Harris died a very young father in Louisa County, his wife remarried, and his estate was finally settled about 20 years after he died. The reason that I have not posted any documentation to the Harris lists regarding the various Benjamin Harrises is that I have never yet compiled them (as I was not really sure, until recently, which Benjamin actually belonged to the line of William & Temperance Overton Harris> Robert & Mourning Glenn Harris.) So when I have the time to go through all my records of the various Benjamin Harrises, then I will post my documentation to the lists. (And, just in case anyone missed this fact, the second son of Dabney Harris (1743-1810) with his first wife was also a Benjamin Harris.) (Dabney was the eldest son of Christopher & (1) Mary Dabney Harris, and the grandson of Robert & Mourning.) I have spent a fortune in researching all these Harrises (as I do believe Evelyn & several other persons have, but I am just willing to share in order to figure out all of these Harris lines.) I am, as always, your friend. Pam pamstone@cfl.rr.com -----Original Message----- From: harris-hunters-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:harris-hunters-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of EVELYN WALLACE Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2012 4:19 PM To: Harris Hunters Subject: [HARRIS-HUNTERS] Some Notes Concerning Benjamin Harris Dear Harris-Hunters, I am sharing these notes for those who are trying to sort out some of the relationships of Robert Harris of colonial Louisa Co., VA where he was 1) in the House of Burgesses for that county 2) resigned that post to become surveyor of Louisa Co., VA.  At times, he is labeled Major, but to date we have not found military papers to indicate his position. Louisa Co had been formed from Hanover Co. (a burned county, now called something else) in late 1742.  Therefore, if you have lost your ancestors in pre-Civil War Hanover Co., possibly their names will appear in Louisa Co. records of early date. If you use this material in your own genealogical explorations, please cite the sources where I have given them.  This citation is required (in greater details by published authority Elizabeth Shown Mills) in all genealogical material these days.  Don't you yourself wonder, I wonder where he/she got this stuff?  If your work cannot be replicated by others, it is probably useless.  That was the main criticism of the International Genealogical Index and even worse, Ancestral File published by the Family History Library, These databases were criticized by well-known genealogists of national repute. If you have other information, how about sharing with Harris-Hunters? Evelyn W. Wallace Here goes:      BENJAMIN HARRIS I OF COLONIAL LOUISA CO., VA.  Malcolm Hart Harris in "Three William Harrises in Hanover County" in VIRGINIA GENEALOGIST, V. 22, p. 3 ff, states that Benjamin Harris married Sarah Dumas 27 Jun 1737 and he died 13 Mar 1762.  A patent cited below indicates that a Dumas family was a neighbor of Benjamin Harris.   He apparently had a wife named Mary at the time of his death ca 1765 in Louisa Co., VA, which had been formed from Hanover Co. Benjamin Harris in his Louisa Co. will of 1765 (WB 1-72) named as executors his wife Mary and his two brothers, Frederick Harris and Robert Harris (of Louisa, later of Albemarle Co.)    He named two sons, as indicated below, and there was a third son, whose name does not appear in the torn will.  Apparently Benjamin Harris had been married previously to a woman named Sarah, as indicated in the following deed, but Sarah is not the name of his widow Mary.+          Benjamin Harris had previously lived in Hanover Co. from which Louisa Co. had been formed 1742. Hanover Co. VA Records - 1733 Hanover Co., VA Court Records 1733-1735:  pp. 14-15:  INDENT.  1 Feb 1733  Robert Harris of Hanover Co. to Benjamin Harris of Co. afsd; 40 pds sterling money; 256 a. on both sides of north fork of Little River bounded by the lines of Stephen Pettus, John Garland, William Mullin, Benjamin Brown, William Harris and Benjamin Byb.  /s/ Robert Harris.  Wit:  Thomas Dickinson, James Harris, Richard Harris 1 Feb 1733 ack. by Robert Harris. p. 15  INDENT.  1 Feb 1733 Benjamin Harris of Hanover Co. to Robert Harris of Co. afsd; 40 pds sterling money of England; 256 a. left him by the Last Will and Testament of his Father, William Harris dec'd., being commonly known by the name of Walkers Neck.  /s/ Benjamin Harris.  Wit:  Thomas Dickinson, James Harris, Richard Harris.  1 Feb 1733 ack. by Benjamin Harris. (Rosalie Edith Davis, HANOVER COUNTY, VIRGINIA COURT RECORDS 1733-1735:  DEEDS, WILLS AND INVENTORIES [Manchester, MO:  1979], pp. 4-5) This latter deed establishes the fact that Benjamin Harris is a child of William Harris and his wife Temperance Overton, as is Robert Harris.  The identities of two of the witnesses, James Harris and Richard Harris, are unknown to this writer.  We do not know to which Harris an ordinary in Hanover Co. ca 1733 had belonged, but reference is made in an ordinary license bond in which Thomas Trevillion and Matthew Jouet bound themselves.  Trevillion had obtained a license to keep an Ordinary "at the place called Harris's Ordinary in this Co."  for one year.  One of the daughters of Robert Harris married John Jouett, the younger, who in Revolutionary times lived in or near Albemarle Co., VA.  Whether the Harrises intermarried with the Trevillions is unknown. Louisa Co. Records (Louisa Co. formed 1742 from Hanover Co.) 1745 -       Louisa Co. DB A-187  25 Jun 1745  Benjamin Harris and Sarah, his wife, of St. Martin's Par., Louisa Co., to Robert Harris of Fredericksville Par., Louisa Co.  50 pds currt money.  400 A in Fredericksville Par... land whereon sd. Harris now lives ... at head of Rocky branch in Harper Ratclift's line .. Ratclift's and John Matlock's line ... Samuel Waddy's line by main branch of Hickory Bear Creek ... Thomas Thomson's corner; granted to John Blair of the city of Williamsburg, Esqr., by patent 17 Mar 1736; conveyed to Benjamin Harris by deed at the Capitol, 23 Oct 1742.  /s/ Benja. Harris, Sarah Harris.  Wit:  Joseph Fox, Jeremiah Glen, Rich. Yancey, Nathl. Williams.  25 June 1745 ack. by Benja. Harris, Sarah, his wife, gave consent.        (Rosalie Edith Davis, LOUISA COUNTY, VIRGINIA DEED BOOKS A AND B 1742-1759 [Bellevue, WA:  Published by author, 1976], p. 21) Comment 1:  The above document confirms that Benjamin's then wife was named Sarah.  This also seems to confirm that Benjamin is related to Robert Harris [Major], surveyor of Louisa Co., vestryman of Fredericksville Parish, and sometime member of House of Burgesses.  The degree of relationship is not stated in this abstract. Comment 2:  In the version of this deed, abstracted by Lydia Sparacio Bontempo, Benjamin Harris and Sarah were of St. Michael Parish.  Has one of the authors misread the deed or abstracted too little information?  Also, the name Edward Lawes's line appears in the abstract by Bontempo. Comment 3:  Louisa Co. DB A-452 indicates that several years later,  in Jan. 1752, Robert Harris conveyed this same parcel of land to his son Tyree Harris (qv), and then in in 1757 Tyree Harris and wife Elizabeth conveyed the same tract to William Anderson, DB B-148, 22 Feb 1757.  Tyree Harris may have been preparing for his move to Orange Co., NC.  Other deeds show that other land owners on or near Hickory Bear Creek were John Matlock (qv), Thomas Travillion, Thomas Shelton, John Stree, Richard Bullock, Samuel Waddy and Matthew Jouett (qv). Comment 4:  Is one of these witnesses, Nathl.  (Nathaniel2) Williams a son or grandson of John1 Williams I of Hanover Co., who probably died ca. 1733, intestate?  The possible connection is through John Matlock.  In 1731,  Henry Graves whose second wife was reportedly  Mary2 Williams, daughter of John1 Williams I, had land adjoining that of John Matlock.  Possibly he was an older Matlock than the one named above.  However, many of these colonials clustered in the same neighborhoods and their families intermarried sooner or later.  Hickory Bear was described in some of the land records of Matthew Jouett of Hanover Co.; Jouett's daughter Henrietta Jouett married the reported brother of Nathaniel2 Williams, Joseph2 Williams, later of Lunenburg Co. and much later of Wilkes Co., GA.  One of the Jouett males married a daughter of Robert Harris, but this has not been thoroughly researched.  This latter couple reportedly moved to Kentucky. 1746 -      There is indication that Benjamin Harris and some of his neighbors were Quakers, thus affirming documents and not swearing to them.  In 1746, Benjamin Harris was appointed guardian for Charles Yancey, "an infant and eldest son and heir at law of said decedent."  (Probate Robert Yancey, Apr 1746, Louisa Co. WB 1, p. 8).  Benjamin Harris had been a witness to the will of Robert Yancey.  A later entry in WB 3-21, settlement of estate of Rev. Robert Yancey, names all his creditors, among them Rbt. Harris, probably the brother of Benjamin Harris, and also John Jouett, the son-in-law of Robert Harris. In 1747/48, Benjamin patented land in Louisa Co.  Patent Bk 26:  BENJAMIN HARRIS, 699 acs. Louisa Co. on both sides of Hickory Cr., Beg. at Dumas & Browns former C., on the Orphans Line {Orphans of Hugh Owen}, adj. Benjamin Brown; 5 Mar 1747/48, p. 256. 1 Pound 10 Shillings. The sd L. being formerly grt. Jeremiah Dumas by pat. 28 Sep 1728 {PB 13 p. 468} for 400 acs. but upon a Survey lately made by Robert Harris Surveyor of sd Co. is found to contain 699 acs. the Right & Title of which is since become vested in the sd Benjamin Harris  (Dennis Ray Hudgins, CAVALIERS & PIONEERS, V. 5, [Richmond, VA:  Virginia Genealogical Society, 1998]  p. 249)    Study of the Benjamin Brown family indicates that one of his sons married Lucretia Harris, believed to be daughter of Robert Harris.  (This has not been verified.)  1745      In 1745 a deed was recorded in Amelia Co.:  "p. 332 David Harris, planter, of St. Martin's Parish, Hanover Co. to Benjamin Harris, Planter of St. Martin's Parish, Louisa Co., VA.  Deed dated 26 Nov 1745.  Consideration:  35 pds.  Wit:  Robert Harris, Thomas Pavilett [Paulett or Pawlett?], William Snelson, James Johnson, James Yancey, Wm. Rice, and Benj. Dumas.  387 A Vaughans Creek being patented to said David Harris on Sep 16, 1743.      (Adapted from Gibson Jefferson McConnaughey,  AMELIA COUNTY VIRGINIA WILLS 1735-1761;  BONDS 1735-1754 [Amelia, VA:  Mid South Publications, 1978], p. 50) (Comment:  The identity of David Harris is unknown to this writer.  A reading of the original deed may help pinpoint his identity.  He has not been identified as a son of Capt. William Harris and Temperance Overton nor as a son of Robert Harris.  According to the will of Benjamin Harris and subsequent guardianship of his orphans, David Harris was not a child of Benjamin.  We have not determined successfully how many related Harrises may have lived in the same neighborhoods.)  1747/48  Patent Bk. NO. 26:  Benjamin Harris, 699 acs. Louisa Co. on both sides of Hickory Cr., Beg. at Dumas & Browns form C. on the Orphans Line [Orphans of Hugh Owen], adj. Benjamin Brown; 5 Mar 1747/48, p. 256.  L1.S10.  The sd L. being formerly gtd Jeremiah Dumas by pat. 28 Sep 1728 [PB 13 p. 468] for 400 acs. but upon a Survey lately made by Robert Harris Surveyor of sd. Co. is found to contain 699 acs. the Right & Title of which is since become vested in the sd. Benjamin Harris. (Dennis Ray Hudgins, Cavaliers and Pioneers, V.5, p. 249) Are the dates in the following abstract in error?  Or was that when the will was recorded, or when the guardianship was dismissed?  Further research is in order.  1785     Louisa Co. Will Bk 1-72 "Will of Benjamin Harris of Trinity Parish.  Wife Mary. 3 sons:  Robert, eldest son Overton & ---.  Dau:  Nancy.  Lands to be divided among my eldest son Overton & son Robert at death of my wife.  Excrs:  wife Mary Harris & two brothers:  Frederick Harris & Robert Harris.  Signed:  Benjamin Harris.  Wit:  James Overton, Charles Nuckolls, Mary Ratlif.  Dated 30 July 1785.  Rcd 14 Oct 1785." (Nancy Chappelear & Kate Binford Hatch, ABSTRACTS OF LOUISA COUNTY WILL BOOKS , p. 13) This will (abstracted) confirms that Frederick Harris is also a brother of Benjamin and of Robert Harris.      Louisa Co. Will Bk 3-227:  "Settlement of est. of Benj. Harris by Elias Thomasson, Excr.  For boarding and clothing Overton, Nancy, Robert & Benj;  443 pds-10-10 1/2.  Signed:  Chs. Barret, Robt. Barret, John Crutchfield, Elijah Dickinson.  Rcd.  ... 1785"      Question:  Had the widow Mary Harris remarried to Elias Thomasson, and that is the reason for change of executorship?  Stepfathers, by law, could request recompense for boarding their stepchildren. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to HARRIS-HUNTERS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message