Wow this is great stuff and from my files I have this Descendants of William Harris 1 [1] William Harris 1750/51 - 1788 b: March 15, 1750/51 in Louisa, VA d: 1788 .. +Unknown Mitchell *2nd Wife of [1] William Harris: .. +Mary Thompson !SOURCE: Copyright by Don Norman; 41991 Emerson Ct.; Elyria, OH from INTERNET 11 Jan 1997 ----- Original Message ----- From: <Hdanw@aol.com> To: <VAALBEMA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, February 02, 2003 8:49 PM Subject: [VAALBEMA] William Harris (d. ca 1776) of Albemarle Co., VA > Dear Harris Hunters & others, > > Do you know of the two reported marriages of William Harris, son of Major > Robert Harris and his wife Mourning? > > Here are some of my notes: > > WILLIAM HARRIS SON OF ROBERT HARRIS, MAJOR. Little is known of William > Harris, reportedly born Nov 1752. He reportedly died before 1777, according > to the Albemarle Co. deed cited below. > > William was seemingly under age or ill when his father Major Robert > Harris wrote his will in June 1765. According to Malcolm Hart Harris, his > first wife was a Miss Michie. Another account states his wife was Hannah > Jameson, which we believe is an error. The Albemarle Co. deed cited below > involving his brother Chirstopher indicates his widow was Elizabeth. At any > rate, he is reported to have died in 1776. More research is needed. > > Robert Harris's (abstracted) will (W.B. 3-165) in Louisa Co. reads as > follows: > > 18 June 1765. I August 1765. Son Christopher to have 40 acres of land > in Albemarle County, known as "Bears Cornfield." After decease of wife, son > William to have all land I now hold in Albemarle County. Sons, Robert, Tyre > and William Harris to have slaves. Wife Mowrning (Mourning) to have use of > all lands during her life. Son William [who probably was underage] to be > under direction of son-in-law John Rodes. Exrs: sons-in-law John Rodes and > William Shelton. Wit: Daniel Maupin, John Mullins, Jr, William Maupin and > Connerly Mullins. > > (Rosalie Edith Davis, LOUISA COUNTY, VIRGINIA DEED BOOKS A AND B, > 1742-1759 [Bellevue, WA, 1976] shows many Harris males involved in land > transactions in that county. Perhaps these Harrises were related because > their names appear often in conjunction with others who are related to female > lines, i.e., Rice, Dabney, Glen.) > > We believe, but cannot prove, that this patent may apply to the son of > Maj. Robert Harris of Louisa Co. We know from other land records that the > Harrises owned land near Moorman's River in Albemarle Co. > > Patent Bk 42-633: William Harris, 211 acs. Albemarle Co. on the S side of > Pasture fence Mountain on some of the Eastern brs. of Moremans Riv., adj his > own line; 5 Jul 1774, p. 633, 1 pd. 5 Shillings. > > (Dennis Ray Hudgins, CAVALIERS & PIONEERS, V. 7 [Richmond: Virginia > Genealogical Society], p. 346) > > In December 2002, one correspondent states that William Harris with wife > Henrietta [unknown] is the son of Robert Harris, but we cannot verify this > union from the following abstracted deed, which is signed acknowledged by a > William Harris with a wife named Elizabeth. > > Question: Did Elizabeth have two names, or are these distinctly > different wives? Furthermore, we cannot identify Samuel Harris, Overton > Harris and James Harris. A James Harris is said to have married Mary, the > daughter of Robert Harris and is verified to have been son-in-law of Major > Robert Harris. James left a will in Albemarle Co. dated 5 Feb 1792. Are > Samuel and Overton Harris brothers of James Harris, the groom of Mary? > > Because of the late date of this deed--1786--this person seems NOT to be the > same as Robert Harris's son William who died ca. 1776-1777, as indicated in > an Albemarle Co. deed cited below. Why is one of the grantors named > Hennaretta, and yet the deed is signed by a woman named Elizabeth Harris? > Did the transcriber make an error, or did the county clerk assign the wrong > name--a not unusual occurrence, my experience reveals? > > Louisa Co. DB F-150-151 5 Oct 1786 William Harris & Hennaretta his wife of > Louisa Co. to Manoah Lasley of same; 9 pds; 48 1/2 a. on north east side of > Long Cr. bounded by lands of Menoah Lasley, William Harress & John Boswell. > William Harris Elizabeth Harris > Wit: Samuel Harris, James (X) Harris, Overton Harris > > (Rosalie Edith Davis, LOUISA COUNTY, VIRGINIA DEED BOOKS E & F, 1774-1790 > [Manchester, MO: Privately published, 1983] p. 60) > > An earlier Louisa Co. deed specifies that one William Harris has a wife > named Elizabeth. > > Louisa Co. DB E-238-239, 9 Mar 1778 William Harris & Elizabeth his wife of > Louisa Co. to David Bigger of sd. Co.; 200 pds.; 100 a. on the south side the > North Anna River... Parson Douglass corner on the river...Wm. Harris' > line...Thomas Graves line...Thomas Harris line > Wit: none William (+) Hrris Elizabeth (X) Harris > 9 Mar 1778 ack. by William Harris & Elizabeth his wife > > (Davis, p. 27) > > William Harris, son of Robert Harris, apparently died ca 1777, as > indicated by a deed executed with his widow Elizabeth and his brother > Christopher Harris and Christopher's then wife (Agnes McCord), cited below. > > Is he the William Harris who appears in this Albemarle Co. deed? The > association with a male Mechie suggests that he is the same person. > > Albemarle Co. DB 5-188,189: [blank] day of [blank] 1770 between > William Mechie of Fredericksville Par. and Albemarle Co. & William Harris of > same... 60 pds. 150 acres .. n. side of Mechams River ... Robert Lewis's > line... /s/ William Mechie > Ackd by William Mechie at Albemarle June court 1770 > > (Adapted from Ruth & Sam Sparacio, DEED ABSTRACTS OF ALBEMARLE COUNTY, > VIRGINIA 1768-1770 [McLean, VA: The Antient Press, 1990], p. 95) > > Albemarle Co. DB 5-312-313 12 Nov 1770 William Clark and Frances his > wife of county of Albemarle and Parish of Fredericksville to William Harris > of above county & parish for 57 pds. one shilling & three pence ... 336 acres > ... upper side of Meachams River .. John Mechie's line > William Clark > Frances her mark X Clark > Wit: Nonan Mills, Benjamin Clark, John Rodes > At Albemarle May Court 1771 proved by oaths of Nonan Mills, Benjamin Clark & > John Rodes > > (Adapted from Ruth & Sam Sparacio, ALBEMARLE COUNTY, VIRGINIA DEEDS AND > WILLS, 1768-1772, PART II [McLean VA: The Antient Press, 19??] p. 23) > > Because there is an association with a John Rodes, whose wife was Sarah > Harris, a daughter of Major Robert Harris, and because the land is on > Mechum's River, we suspect the William Harris of Albemarle Co. is the more > likely candidate to have been son of Robert Harris. > > The name of the widow of William Harris--Elizabeth--appears in a 1777 > deed in Albemarle Co > > Deed Bk 1776-1782, p. 56-58. Abstracted, the deed reads: > > 8 May 1777 between Christopher Harris and Agnes, his wife, and Elizabeth > Harris, the widow of William Harris deced. all of Albemarle Co. to Thomas > Garth - two parcels of land 150 acres on N. side of Mechum's River and 336 > acres on both sides of Mecham's River ... Albemarle Co. Old Line .. John > Michie's ln.... said Elizabeth his widow and said Christopher his Brother and > Heir, and said Elizabeth his Widow and said Christopher his Brother and Heir > .. Elizabeth .. possessed of one third part of each of the parcels of land as > of her Dower of the Estate ... and Christopher .. as brother and Heir to said > William ... remaining two thirds of each of the parcels and is also entitled > to a Reversion after the death of said Elizabeth whensoever the same shall > happen... Now the said Christopher Harris and Agnes his Wife and said > Elizabeth in consideration of ... 100 pounds .. convey to Thomas Garth in fee > simple ... two tracts of land containing by estimation 486 acres. > (no witnesses recorded) Christopher Harris > Agness Harris > Elizabeth Harris > > (Adapted from Ruth & Sam Sparacio, ALBEMARLE COUNTY, VIRGINIA DEEDS > 1776-1778 [McLean, VA: The Antient Press, 1997] pp. 27-29) > > Apparently, there are two William Harrises with a wife named Elizabeth, > one who had died by 1777 as indicated in the Albemarle Co. deed cited above, > and one who was very much alive in 1778 in Louisa Co. as indicated in the > Louisa Co. deed. Or, conceivably the 1778 deed was recorded after William's > death. > > Corrections and additions are welcomed. > > Submitted by > E.W.Wallace > > PS If you use this material in your own research, please add the > citations--as good genealogists should do. > > > > > > ==== VAALBEMA Mailing List ==== > Please limit, or even remove, signature files that merely clutter your > messages. These may appear, and take up space, over and over again > in the Rootsweb Archives. > > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > >