Researchers, Does anyone have the book "Marriages of Patrick Co, Va 1791-1850"? I desperately need the title page of the book so I can use this for proof for the DAR. I have the page I need on the person in the book, but somehow never got the title page. I would really appreciate it if someone could scan the page to me. Thanks so much, Kathy Wells. Kathy & David Wells 425 Evergreen Dr., Hurst, Texas 76054 [email protected] Successful Participant in the Carter DNA Project http://www.carter-cousins.org. My Homepage http://www.geocities.com/kathywells2002/index.html Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Tent #1, Texas (President & Past Registrar) http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/7706/DUV.html Member of Mayflower Society http://geocities.com/texasmayflower/index.html ------------------------------------------------------------ "History is the essence of innumerable biographies" - Carlyle

Yes, Kathy, I have it. I will scan and send in another e-mail. Maxine David & Kathy Wells wrote: >Researchers, > Does anyone have the book "Marriages of Patrick Co, Va 1791-1850"? I desperately need the title page of the book so I can use this for proof for the DAR. I have the page I need on the person in the book, but somehow never got the title page. I would really appreciate it if someone could scan the page to me. > >Thanks so much, Kathy Wells. > > > >Kathy & David Wells >425 Evergreen Dr., Hurst, Texas 76054 >[email protected] > >Successful Participant in the Carter DNA Project >http://www.carter-cousins.org. > >My Homepage >http://www.geocities.com/kathywells2002/index.html > >Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Tent #1, Texas >(President & Past Registrar) >http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/7706/DUV.html > >Member of Mayflower Society >http://geocities.com/texasmayflower/index.html > >------------------------------------------------------------ > >"History is the essence of innumerable biographies" - Carlyle > > > >==== VAPATRIC Mailing List ==== >Patrick Co., Va. List Administrator >Barb Stanley >[email protected] > > > > > -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.298 / Virus Database: 265.7.0 - Release Date: 1/17/2005

Mary, There is a History of Patrick County, Virginia published in 1999 that has some on the Webbs. For instance Isham was a landowner in 1791 and William was an ensign in the Henry County militia in 1777 and a landowner in 1791. Many of my wife's ancestors were in Patrick and I don't personal know any details on the Webbs. Take care, Larry D. Christiansen

Wilma, I think you need to go back to the very first posting. As I said there, it is an exact match and shows that the two William Harrises belonged to the same family, but the DNA test does not reveal the exact relationship. What it shows is that they both descended from the same male Harris. They could be cousins or uncle and nephew. Judging from their ages--one born before 1737 in order to have had a son born in 1752; the other born about 1790 according to the 1850 census--I suspect they are grandfather and grandson. A father-son relationship is almost certainly incorrect, because the older William already had a son named William who was old enough to be on the 1787 tax list and sign a deed in 1796. I now think there were three generations of William Harris, as follows: William Harris I (bef. 1737 - 1790) m. Sarah Steele William Harris II (bef. 1766; may have married Sarah Tuggle in 1809) William Harris III (1790 - 1876) m. Elizabeth Hylton in 1814 Charles

Leon, I think your answer lies in the YDNA test. An exact match shows the same line. A very close relationship. Have you had the test and is it the same as William's who married Sarah? Wilma ----- Original Message ----- From: "wilmapadgett1919" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2005 9:42 PM Subject: Re: [VAPATRIC] DNA test shows two early William Harrises of Patrick County we... > Leon, did the markers match for the two Williams? I mean match exactly? If > so, they are in the same family. Dates that are real are difficult to come > by. I need an answer to my first question. Sarah could have had a baby at > the age of 51. Unusual, but it happens and has happened before. > > Wilma > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2005 4:10 PM > Subject: Re: [VAPATRIC] DNA test shows two early William Harrises of Patrick > County we... > > > > Hi Wilma, > > What you say makes sense if it is true that the two William Harrises are > > father and son. I would like very much to see any documentation for that, > but > > without it, I find it hard to accept. The main problem is that Sarah > Steele > > must have been born before 1739 to have been the mother of James, and > that would > > make her at least 51 in 1790, when the younger William was born. It would > be > > very unusual, if not inconceivable (pardon the pun). The second problem > is > > that William Jr. signed a deed in 1796 in which his brother Samuel bought > his > > mother’s and siblings’ shares of their late father’s land. He could not > have > > done that if he was under 21. The William Jr. who was the son of William > Sr. > > and Sarah Steele must have been born before 1765. > > > > I know little else for sure about this William Harris Jr. Maybe he was the > > one who married Sarah Tuggle in 1809, but I am pretty sure he was not the > one > > who married Elizabeth Hylton in 1814. I can eliminate the other sons of > > William and Sarah Steele Harris as fathers of the William b. in 1790, so > that > > leaves William b. bef 1765 as the most likely father of the William b. > 1790. > > Leon > > > > > > ==== VAPATRIC Mailing List ==== > > Patrick Co., Va. List Administrator > > Barb Stanley > > [email protected] > > > > > > > > ==== VAPATRIC Mailing List ==== > Patrick Co., Va. List Administrator > Barb Stanley > [email protected] > >

If anyone has information about Webb's in Patrick Co. Va. in the late 1700's and 1800's I'd appreciate hearing from you. Some names were Isham, William, Morris, Robert, Sylvester.....especially interested in names of children of Isham Webb Sr. and his son William Webb's children. Thanks for any help. Mary

Leon, did the markers match for the two Williams? I mean match exactly? If so, they are in the same family. Dates that are real are difficult to come by. I need an answer to my first question. Sarah could have had a baby at the age of 51. Unusual, but it happens and has happened before. Wilma ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2005 4:10 PM Subject: Re: [VAPATRIC] DNA test shows two early William Harrises of Patrick County we... > Hi Wilma, > What you say makes sense if it is true that the two William Harrises are > father and son. I would like very much to see any documentation for that, but > without it, I find it hard to accept. The main problem is that Sarah Steele > must have been born before 1739 to have been the mother of James, and that would > make her at least 51 in 1790, when the younger William was born. It would be > very unusual, if not inconceivable (pardon the pun). The second problem is > that William Jr. signed a deed in 1796 in which his brother Samuel bought his > mother’s and siblings’ shares of their late father’s land. He could not have > done that if he was under 21. The William Jr. who was the son of William Sr. > and Sarah Steele must have been born before 1765. > > I know little else for sure about this William Harris Jr. Maybe he was the > one who married Sarah Tuggle in 1809, but I am pretty sure he was not the one > who married Elizabeth Hylton in 1814. I can eliminate the other sons of > William and Sarah Steele Harris as fathers of the William b. in 1790, so that > leaves William b. bef 1765 as the most likely father of the William b. 1790. > Leon > > > ==== VAPATRIC Mailing List ==== > Patrick Co., Va. List Administrator > Barb Stanley > [email protected] > >

Hi Wilma, What you say makes sense if it is true that the two William Harrises are father and son. I would like very much to see any documentation for that, but without it, I find it hard to accept. The main problem is that Sarah Steele must have been born before 1739 to have been the mother of James, and that would make her at least 51 in 1790, when the younger William was born. It would be very unusual, if not inconceivable (pardon the pun). The second problem is that William Jr. signed a deed in 1796 in which his brother Samuel bought his mother’s and siblings’ shares of their late father’s land. He could not have done that if he was under 21. The William Jr. who was the son of William Sr. and Sarah Steele must have been born before 1765. I know little else for sure about this William Harris Jr. Maybe he was the one who married Sarah Tuggle in 1809, but I am pretty sure he was not the one who married Elizabeth Hylton in 1814. I can eliminate the other sons of William and Sarah Steele Harris as fathers of the William b. in 1790, so that leaves William b. bef 1765 as the most likely father of the William b. 1790. Leon

Hey Cleon, youre hitting all around me, descendant of John Tuggle of Patrick Co., his son James J. Tuggle Sr. Married Nancy McAlexander, their son James J. Tuggle Jr. married Lucy Burnett dau. of Nancy Tuggle and Reuben Burnett. I looked in my records and did NOT find a Sarah Tuggle (as you mentioned) until a Sarah Ann Tuggle dob of 1940 for my direct line of Tuggle's. ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2005 6:10 PM Subject: Re: [VAPATRIC] DNA test shows two early William Harrises of Patrick County we... > Hi Wilma, > What you say makes sense if it is true that the two William Harrises are > father and son. I would like very much to see any documentation for that, but > without it, I find it hard to accept. The main problem is that Sarah Steele > must have been born before 1739 to have been the mother of James, and that would > make her at least 51 in 1790, when the younger William was born. It would be > very unusual, if not inconceivable (pardon the pun). The second problem is > that William Jr. signed a deed in 1796 in which his brother Samuel bought his > mother’s and siblings’ shares of their late father’s land. He could not have > done that if he was under 21. The William Jr. who was the son of William Sr. > and Sarah Steele must have been born before 1765. > > I know little else for sure about this William Harris Jr. Maybe he was the > one who married Sarah Tuggle in 1809, but I am pretty sure he was not the one > who married Elizabeth Hylton in 1814. I can eliminate the other sons of > William and Sarah Steele Harris as fathers of the William b. in 1790, so that > leaves William b. bef 1765 as the most likely father of the William b. 1790. > Leon > > > ==== VAPATRIC Mailing List ==== > Patrick Co., Va. List Administrator > Barb Stanley > [email protected] > >

Leon, I need more explanation. You have sent Harris' who should all have the same markers in YDNA. Children of William Harris and Sarah Steele are: + 2 i. James2 Harris, born 1752 in Buckingham Co., VA; died October 03, 1836 in Floyd Co., KY. + 3 ii. Reuben Harris, born 1760 in Virginia; died 1842 in Jackson Co., MO. + 4 iii. Samuel Harris, born Abt 1775. 5 iv. Henry Harris, born Abt 1776. He married Barberry King. + 6 v. Elizabeth Harris, born Abt 1778 in Patrick Co., VA; died October 11, 1869. + 7 vi. Lucy Harris, born Abt 1779 in Meadows of Dan, Patrick Co, VA; died in Meadows of Dan, Patrick Co, VA. + 8 vii. William Harris, Jr., born 1790 in Patrick Co., VA. He married (1) Sarah Tuggle. He married (2) Elizabeth Hylton. LEON, YOUR SECOND WILLIAM HARRIS, BORN 1790 IS THE SON OF THE FIRST WILLIAM HARRIS AND THEY WOULD CARRY THE SAME GENES. ALL THE MEN, REUBEN, HIS SONS, JAMES, HIS SONS, SAMUEL, HIS SONS IF ANY, HENRY, HIS SONS, AND ON DOWN THE LINE FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION WOULD CARRY THE SAME GENES AS WILLIAM HARRIS WHO MARRIED SARAH. WHAT AM I MISSING HERE? THE ONLY WAY THE MARKERS COULD BE DIFFERENT WOULD BE IN A CASE LIKE YOURS WHEREIN YOU, YOURSELF WOULD NOT HAVE THE SAME MARKERS AS THE OTHERS, UNLESS YOUR GRANDFATHER WAS A TRUE HARRIS IN THE LINE OF WILLIAM WHO MARRIED SARAH. JOHN JEFFERSON HARRIS IS THE GREAT GRANDFATHER OF MY BRO. IN LAW, WARREN HARRIS. JOHN JEFFERSON SHOULD CARRY THE SAME MARKERS AS WILLIAM HARRIS WHO MARRIED SARAH STEELE. IN FACT ALL THE MALE MARKERS (YDNA) SHOULD BE THE SAME UNLESS THERE WAS A WOMAN IN THE FAMILY WHO GAVE HER SON THE HARRIS SURNAME (HERS) BECAUSE SHE DID NOT WANT TO REVEAL THE NAME OF THE REAL FATHER. THEN THAT SON WOULD NOT CARRY THE SAME MARKERS AS WILLIAM HARRIS WHO MARRIED SARAH STEELE. PLEASE RETURN WITH YOUR THOUGHTS. WILMA ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2005 9:21 AM Subject: [VAPATRIC] DNA test shows two early William Harrises of Patrick County were related > Unrelated families with the same surname can often be a problem for > genealogists. As I showed recently for five Harris families in Patrick County, > families can sometimes be distinguished by their locality. Another approach is > testing the DNA on the Y chromosome. Since the Y chromosome is handed down from > father to son in the same way as surnames, it is often possible to determine > whether two men with the same surname descended from the same male. I recently > used that approach to determine whether two William Harrises who lived on > the headwaters of Smith River in the late 1700s were related to each other. > > There was already a Y-chromosome test for the first William Harris, whose > line of descent is as follows: > WILLIAM HARRIS bef. 1737 - bef. 1790 married Sarah Steele > ........ REUBEN HARRIS abt. 1775 - 1842 m. Margaret Ann McAlexander; went to > MO in 1830 > ................... WILLIAM HARRIS 1796 - 1847 m. Rhoda Effaniah Burnett > ............................. JOHN HARDIN HARRIS 1832 - 1918 m. 2nd Louisa > Jane Powell > ........................................ JOHN FREDERICK HARRIS aft. 1860 - ? > .................................................. HOWARD KENNEDY HARRIS > aft. 1875 - ? > ............................................................. DNA TEST #1 > > The second William Harris was born around 1790 and could have been a > grandson or great nephew of the first one, or he might not have been closely related > at all. In order to find out, I identified as many living male-line > descendants of this William as I could and wrote letters asking if they were > interested in being tested. I offered to pay for all or part of the test ($99) and > enclosed a self-addressed postcard. Some of the letters were returned as > undeliverable, and I never heard from several others, but I did get a positive > response from a gentleman whose line of descent is as follows: > WILLIAM HARRIS abt. 1790 - 1876 married Elizabeth Hylton > ........ WILLIAM J. HARRIS abt. 1822 - bef. 1870 m. Angeline Booth > ................... JOHN JEFFERSON HARRIS 1845 - 1931 m. Nancy E. Wood > ............................. BENJAMIN HERBERT HARRIS 1890 - 1927 m. > Claudia Eva Agee > ......................................DNA TEST #2 > > The gentleman kindly agreed to the very simple procedure for collecting a > DNA sample, which I arranged by enrolling him in the Harris Surname Project at > _www.familytreeDNA.com_ (http://www.familytreeDNA.com) . After about 6 weeks > the results arrived, and they showed an exact match in the Y chromosomes of > both participants. This means that the two William Harrises almost certainly > belonged to the same family, although I haven’t yet figured out how they were > related. If anyone can help, I would like to hear from you. > > If anyone else has a similar genealogical puzzle that might be solved by DNA > testing, I would be glad to share my experience with you. > Charles Leon Harris > > > > > ==== VAPATRIC Mailing List ==== > Patrick Co., Va. List Administrator > Barb Stanley > [email protected] > >

Unrelated families with the same surname can often be a problem for genealogists. As I showed recently for five Harris families in Patrick County, families can sometimes be distinguished by their locality. Another approach is testing the DNA on the Y chromosome. Since the Y chromosome is handed down from father to son in the same way as surnames, it is often possible to determine whether two men with the same surname descended from the same male. I recently used that approach to determine whether two William Harrises who lived on the headwaters of Smith River in the late 1700s were related to each other. There was already a Y-chromosome test for the first William Harris, whose line of descent is as follows: WILLIAM HARRIS bef. 1737 - bef. 1790 married Sarah Steele ........ REUBEN HARRIS abt. 1775 - 1842 m. Margaret Ann McAlexander; went to MO in 1830 ................... WILLIAM HARRIS 1796 - 1847 m. Rhoda Effaniah Burnett ............................. JOHN HARDIN HARRIS 1832 - 1918 m. 2nd Louisa Jane Powell ........................................ JOHN FREDERICK HARRIS aft. 1860 - ? .................................................. HOWARD KENNEDY HARRIS aft. 1875 - ? ............................................................. DNA TEST #1 The second William Harris was born around 1790 and could have been a grandson or great nephew of the first one, or he might not have been closely related at all. In order to find out, I identified as many living male-line descendants of this William as I could and wrote letters asking if they were interested in being tested. I offered to pay for all or part of the test ($99) and enclosed a self-addressed postcard. Some of the letters were returned as undeliverable, and I never heard from several others, but I did get a positive response from a gentleman whose line of descent is as follows: WILLIAM HARRIS abt. 1790 - 1876 married Elizabeth Hylton ........ WILLIAM J. HARRIS abt. 1822 - bef. 1870 m. Angeline Booth ................... JOHN JEFFERSON HARRIS 1845 - 1931 m. Nancy E. Wood ............................. BENJAMIN HERBERT HARRIS 1890 - 1927 m. Claudia Eva Agee ......................................DNA TEST #2 The gentleman kindly agreed to the very simple procedure for collecting a DNA sample, which I arranged by enrolling him in the Harris Surname Project at _www.familytreeDNA.com_ (http://www.familytreeDNA.com) . After about 6 weeks the results arrived, and they showed an exact match in the Y chromosomes of both participants. This means that the two William Harrises almost certainly belonged to the same family, although I haven’t yet figured out how they were related. If anyone can help, I would like to hear from you. If anyone else has a similar genealogical puzzle that might be solved by DNA testing, I would be glad to share my experience with you. Charles Leon Harris

The fifth and last cluster of early Patrick County Harrises includes those who lived on the headwaters of the Smith River and, like Samuel in the previous posting, left numerous descendants in the county. Smith River, often called the Irvine River in early records, is formed by several creeks that flow southeastward out of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the northern part of the county. The 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners lists the following Harris properties on the Smith River and it tributaries. James Harris on Smith River 11 miles north of Stuart Reuben Harris on Smith River near the Blue Ridge 17 miles north Reuben Harris on Widgeon Creek 16 miles north Samuel Harriss on Smith River 15 miles northwest William Harris on Joint Crack Creek 18 miles north. Figuring out who this WILLIAM HARRIS was is the most difficult task, because there were several with that name in early Patrick County records. The first land tax record of Patrick County on 1 June 1791 listed: Harris, William, Deceased (of Samuel Allan) 112 (acres) Harris, William 100 Harriss, William (of J. L. Elkins) 100 It appears that the William Harris in the 1815 directory was the son of the William Harris, deceased, in the 1791 tax list. William Harris bought 112 acres on the north fork of Joint Crack Creek from Samuel Adams on 26 June 1785, and the 1791 tax record suggests that he died not long before the list was compiled. A Sarah Harris, evidently a widow, was listed in the tax list dated 4 July 1790 near the location of that property, so I conclude that William was her husband and died before that date. As part of the settlement of William’ s estate, this 112 acres was sold by deed dated 15 Nov 1796. It lists Sarah Harris’s children as James, Reuben, Henry, Samuel, William, Elizabeth, and Lucy. The William on Joint Crack Creek in the 1815 directory was probably this William. James, Samuel, and Reuben were probably the Harrises of that name in the 1815 directory. (Only one Reuben Harris was old enough to own property in Patrick County in 1815, so the two properties were probably both owned by him.) The children of William and Sarah Harris are as follows: JAMES HARRIS b. 1752 in Buckingham County VA, d. 03 Oct 1836 in Floyd County KY. REUBEN HARRIS b. Abt. 1760, probably Buckingham County VA, d. 16 Mar 1842, Jackson County MO. He left Patrick County in 1830 in a large wagon train. . HENRY HARRIS b. 23 Jan 1762. There is no record of him in Patrick County after 1810. SAMUEL HARRIS, b. 1766, Patrick County VA; d. 09 Oct 1855, Patrick County VA. WILLIAM HARRIS, b. Bef. 1770. There were probably at least three William Harrises in Patrick County in the early 1800s, including the one from Spoon Creek, and it is difficult to determine which record goes with which William. ELIZABETH HARRIS, b. Abt. 1779; d. 11 Oct 1869, Patrick County VA. She married DAVID EDENS 23 Sep 1813 in Patrick County. LUCY HARRIS, b. Abt. 1780; d. Aft. 1860. She married HENRY THOMPSON 03 Oct 1797 in Patrick County. Much more information is available on this family. Charles Leon Harris

The patriarch of the fourth cluster of early Patrick County Harrises was the SAMUEL HARRIS listed in the 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners as living on Blackberry Creek 18 miles northeast of Stuart. Blackberry Creek flows eastward out of foothills in the eastern edge of Patrick County and joins the Smith River about 5 miles to the west in Henry County. Before a boundary change in 1856 a mile or two more of the creek was in Patrick County than is the case now. This area would have been less than a day’s trip from Spoon Creek or the headwaters of the Smith River, but there is no evidence that this Harris family was related to Harrises in those two areas. It is often difficult to tell, however, because this Samuel Harris is easily confused with a Samuel Harris living at the same time on the Smith River headwaters, as will be described in the next posting. Unlike the previously discussed Harris families, Samuel left many descendants in Patrick County. This Samuel Harris married (Sarah) Elizabeth Hollandsworth, daughter of Thomas Hollandsworth of Blackberry Creek, in Patrick County on 14 May 1793. Samuel apparently died before 1820. Sarah Harris is listed in the census that year next to her brother Thomas Hollandsworth, Jr. and near her father. In her family were the following males: 2 under 10, 2 under 16, 1 16-18, 2 18-26; and the following females: 2 under 10, 1 under 16, 1 under 45 and 1 older than 45 (herself). Their known children are as follows: THOMAS HARRIS, b. Abt. 1797, Patrick County VA; d. 19 Sep 1857, Floyd County VA. DAVID HARRIS, b. Bet. 1797 - 1800. JOEL HARRIS, b. Abt. 1800. JAMES HARRIS, b. Bet. 1801 - 1804; d. Aft. 1864. SAMUEL MONROE HARRIS, b. 1807; d. 10 May 1887, Horsepasture, Henry County VA. ROBERT HARRIS, b. Bet. 1807 - 1810. DANIEL HARRIS, b. Abt. 1809; d. 01 Jun 1879, Patrick County VA. CALEB HARRIS, b. 1813, Henry County VA; d. Aft. 1850. Much more information is available on this family. Charles Leon Harris

This third cluster of early Patrick County Harrises lived in the areas of Spoon and Russell Creeks in the southeast corner of Patrick County. Spoon Creek begins on Bull Mountain about 4 miles northeast of Stuart, flows just south of No Business Mountain, and enters the South Branch of the Mayo River about 11 miles southeast of Stuart. Russell Creek begins about a mile south of Stuart and enters the South Branch of the Mayo River about 8 miles southeast of Stuart. The 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners refers to the following Harrises in that area: Elijah Harris on Russell Creek 8 miles southeast of Stuart James M. Harris living on the south side of No Business Mountain 15 miles east Bernard Harriss on Russell Creek 7 miles south (listed twice; either a duplication or two different properties) William Harriss, Sr. on Spoon Creek 7 miles east JAMES M. HARRIS may have been the James Harris who received two land grants or patents in 1793 and 1799 to 85 and 60 acres on an unnamed south branch of the North Mayo River. This branch might have been Mill Creek, which runs close to Spoon Creek. There are numerous records to one or more James Harrises from this period in Patrick County, but it is not possible to attach any of them to this James M. Harris. Nor is it clear whether or how James M. Harris was related to the following Harrises. WILLIAM HARRIS was the father of ELIJAH, as shown by an 1807 deed by which William gave Elijah 60 acres on the south fork of Russell Creek. There was also a deed from William Harris to Barnard Harris dated 26 Feb 1806, and Barnard witnessed another deed from William to Elijah on 25 Apr 1807, so Barnard may also have been a son of William. BERNARD HARRISS is apparently the Barnard Harris whose will dated 15 May 1827 and recorded in 1828 mentioned his wife Polly, his daughter ELIZABETH HARRIS, and Elizabeth’s son WILLIAM BARNETT HARRIS. The 1820 census indicates that William and Polly were born before 1775 and were living with a boy born between 1802-1804, a girl born between 1810-1820, and another girl born between 1794-1804. Barnard Harris is mentioned in the inventory of the estate of an OBEDIAH HARRIS on 12 Feb 1814, so he and Obediah may have been related. The 1820 census is the latest record of any of these Harrises in Patrick County. I would like to hear from anyone who knows where this family came from or went to. Charles Leon Harris

The second cluster of early Patrick County Harrises appear to have lived along Harris Creek in the south-central part of Patrick County. Harris Creek originates in the Blue Ridge Mountains about 10 miles west of the county seat, Stuart, and it flows south into the Little Dan River. The 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners refers to the property of SHERWOOD HARRISS, deceased, on the north side of the Dan River 15 miles west of Stuart, but Harris Creek is about as far west as one can go from Stuart and still be north of the Dan. I therefore assume that Sherwood Harris actually lived in the vicinity of Harris Creek, which may have been named for him or his descendants. This Sherwood Harriss is probably the Sherod Harriss/Sharod Harris recorded in the Henry County tax lists for 1787 and 1790. His will dated 14 Jan 1814 lists CLAIBORNE HARRIS as his oldest son (to whom he left a “still with worm and head”), seven youngest children named “PATSEY, ROBERT, POLLEY, SALLEY, BEVIN, ELIJAH and JAMES,” and four married daughters named “DICY, BETSEY, CHARLOT and LYDY." Charlotte married Edward Palmer in Patrick County on 22 July 1805. Their daughter, Melinda, married NATHANIEL N. HARRIS, son of the Samuel Harris from Smith River who will be mentioned in the last posting of this series. Elizabeth married Hugh Holt in Patrick County on 17 Mar 1807. Claiborn married Elizabeth Blanks in Patrick County on 23 Dec 1819. There are only scattered records for the others, and most of those end in 1830, so the sons may have moved away. The names Claiborne and Sherod first occur among children of two Harris settlers in Jamestown, so this family may have descended from them. I would like to hear from anyone who knows where this family came from or went to. Charles Leon Harris

As noted in my previous posting, I have been using the 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners to sort out the early Harrises of Patrick County into clusters of likely relatives. I think I can divide all the Harris landowners into five family. In counterclockwise direction starting in the extreme southwest of the county, the five clusters resided on Johnson and Lovills Creeks; Harris Creek; Spoon and Russell Creeks; Blackberry Creek; and the headwaters of Smith River (Jack Creek, Rock Castle Creek, Joint Crack Creek, Widgeon Creek). The first cluster comprises the following three property owners: ARCHD [ARCHIBALD] HARRIS living on Johnsons Creek 30 miles west of Stuart JOSHUA HARRIS on south waters of Lovings Creek 30 miles west JOSHUA HARRISS on Lovings Creek 30 miles west Johnson Creek and Lovings (now called Lovills) Creek are separated by a narrow ridge, and both flow south through Mt. Airy NC into the Ararat River. Joshua Harris married Elizabeth Scott and had a son also named Joshua. There is no further record of this family in Patrick County. I would like to hear from anyone who knows where they came from or went to. Charles Leon Harris

In 1815 the property tax enumeration for the state of Virginia listed the approximate distance and direction of each property from the seat for each county. R. G. Ward has abstracted this information, and it is available from the New Papyrus Publishing Co. as the 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners. <_http://genealogyresources.org/index.html_ (http://genealogyresources.org/index.html) >. This information should be useful for grouping individuals with the same surname into family clusters based on geography, especially in counties that were settled a few generations before 1815 and in which travel was difficult. Under those conditions, sons would be expected to live on or near the land of their fathers and grandfathers and to marry their neighbors. I have been using this directory to sort out the Harrises of Patrick County, and I expect to post the results soon. I have a copy of the directory for the counties of Bedford, Brunswick, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Greenville, Halifax, Henry, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania, Prince Edward, Southampton, and Sussex. If you contact me directly, I will be glad to look up specific surnames for any of these counties. Charles Leon Harris

Hello all, Are there any descendants of John Marion REED, Sr. (ca 1889-1934) and Virginia Blanche ORANDER/ORRENDER (1894-1962) around that are into genealogy and have information on these lines? Thanks. Maxine -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.298 / Virus Database: 265.6.7 - Release Date: 12/30/2004

Dr. Ralph H. Lutts of Meadows of Dan recently published an article entitled “ Like Manna From God: the American Chestnut Trade in Southwestern Virginia” in Environmental History <_http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/eh/9.3/lutts.html_ (http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/eh/9.3/lutts.html) > The article is interesting not only for its discussion of the importance of chestnuts in the Patrick County economy, but also because it explains how the chestnut blight of the 1920s contributed to so many Patrick countians having to find work in coal fields, knitting mills, and furniture factories. One exodus I was not aware of was to Amelia County. Dr. Lutts writes that, “Enough Patrick countians moved to Amelia County, located southwest of Richmond, to establish the ‘Little Patrick’ community.” This might be a place to look for missing cousins. Charles

Ladies I am developing a web site about Patrick County genealogy and history. If you know of any web sites that would be beneficial to those interested in our county's history please forward them along. Thanks Tom Perry