Ira Harris III wrote: Source: CAVALIERS AND PIONEERS         Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants         VOLUME FOUR: 1732-1741         Abstracted by Nell Marion Nugent         Edited by Dennis Ray Hudgins ROBERT HARRIS, 95 acs. Hanover Co., S side of Little Riv., adj. Col. Jones & sd Harris; 20 July 1738, p. 77. 10 Shill. Which Robert is this? Any insight is appreciated. Please respond through HH or H-COLONIALVA so that others may be helped. Response: I suspect, but cannot prove decisively, that this Robert Harris may be the son of William Harris (Patent Bk 11-220) and may be related to a Thomas Harris (Pat. BK 11-224), both cited in Cavaliers & Pioneers, Vol. III, p. 248. Why do I think this? Because his land is on Little River in Hanover Co. In Rosalie Edith Davis's book entitled Hanover County, Virginia Court Records 1733-1735, she has a map of Hanover Co., ca 1734, and Little River is shown as a long watercourse, relatively speaking, and it empties into the Pamunkey River. Just to refresh your memory, both these patents appear, as stated, in C&P, Vol. 3, p. 248: William Harris, 400 acs. (N.L.), Hanover Co.; on the ridge bet. the Northanna & Little Rivers; on Abraham Cook's cor; on the New Market tract; 5 Sept. 1723, p. 220. 40 Shill. Thomas Harris, 300 acs..; (N.L.), Hanover Co. on N. side of the Little River; bet. Thomas Sharp & Thomas Rice; 5 Sept. 1723, p. 224. 30 Shill. >From the sparse information in these abstracts, I cannot figure out a relationship, if any, between the two men. Possibly Thomas Harris a son of William Harris. I do suspect that William Harris MAY be the father of Robert Harris, who later became a surveyor in Louisa Co., was from time to time in the House of Burgesses, and also a vestryman for Fredericksville Parish. Robert Harris owned land on Little River, as demonstrated by the following deed: 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. (Rosalie Edith Davis, HANOVER COUNTY, VIRGINIA, COURT RECORDS 1733-1735: DEEDS, WILLS AND INVENTORIES [Manchester, MO: Published by author, 1979], p. 4-5) That both Benjamin and Robert Harris were sons of William Harris is implied in the following document which immediately follows the preceding document: 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. (Davis, p. 5) Further implication of the father-son relationship of William Harris and Robert Harris is found in an Indenture Tripartite, Hanover Co., dated 15 Aug 1734. The three parties are Benjamin Bibb of St. John's Par.,King William Co., George Braxton the younger of the Par. of St. Stephen in King and Queen Co. and Humphry Brooks of the Par. of St. John, King William Co. Toward the end of the deed is this clause: "whereas the sd. Benjamin Bibb part to these presents is Seised of one other Tract of land in Hanover Co. which he purchased of Robert Harris, part of a patent granted to William Harris.... (Davis, pp. 49-50) Caution: Although these Harris persons are listed in Mrs. Davis's index of Hanover Court Records of a couple of years, 1733-1735, one cannot draw the conclusion that they were all of the same family. One of the women listed, Mourning [said to be nee Glen or Glenn] is the wife of Robert Harris, both later of Louisa Co., which was formed from Hanover Co. Robert, Jr. is one of their sons. James Harris may be another son [not proved] as he has land on Little River, and a July 1734 deed in which he is grantor is witnessed by both Robert Harris and Robert Harris Jr. Elizabeth, James's wife, relinquished her dower. Those Harrises in the index: Benjamin (as above), David, Edward, Elizabeth, George (witness only), J. (witness only), James (witness to both previously cited deeds), John, John Jr., Mourning, Richard (witness to both previously cited deeds), Robert (many references), Robert Jr. (witness only), Sarah (witness only), Stephen (witness only), Thomas (as above), William (many references). Oh, yes, and Harris' Ordinary. Concerning Harris' Ordinary--although that was its name, the ordinary license bond was for Thomas Trevillion [variant spellings] and the other bondsman was Math. Jouet, whose son John Jouett was to marry Mourning Harris, dau. of Robert & Mourning Glen. There were two such bonds, a year apart. Are there any cousins on this list who claim descent from Robert and Mourning [Glen?] Harris? I have corresponded with one such person. E.W.Wallace (female) (II) owned land in the same vicinity as other Harris males identified as his siblings. We deduce that Robert Harris was of legal age by 1727; at least he patented land on that date. By 1733, New Found River is shown on a map as being in Hanover Co., which was formed in 1720. It flows into the Pamunkey River. Patent Bk. 13, p. 149: "Robert Harris, 100 A (new lease) New Kent Co.; on the New Found River, cor. of Col. Henry Duke; 16 June 1727, p. 149. 10 Shill." (Nell Marion Nugent, CAVALIERS & PIONEERS, V. III, P. 330) That Robert Harris is the son of William Harris is inferred, but not proved, from the following Hanover Co., VA. deeds: Hanover Co. Court Record 1733-1735, p. 178-179: INDENT. 14 Aug 1734 Benjamin Bibb [sometimes spelled Byb] of St. Johns Par., King William Co., to George Braxton the younger of St. Stephens Par., King and Queen; Lease, 5 shillings currt money. 226 A. in St. Martins Par., purchased by sd. Bibb of Robert Harris; part of a patent granted to William Harris... beginning at John Rhodes... William Harris line... south fork of Elk Creek. /s/ Benj. Bibb. Wit: John Thomson, Cornelius Dabney and George Dabney, James Ellet. 2 Jan 1734 proved by oaths of John Thomson, Cornelius Dabney and George Dabney.