Jefferson County, NY Pioneers
PIONEER HARRIS FAMILY
1. JOHN HARRIS was sent from Hailey, Oxfordshire, England to America in
1829 by George Hounsfield, who owned a large tract of land in Jefferson County.
JOHN HARRIS was to supervise the construction of a flour mill at a place called
Camps Mill. He had married a Fawdry previous to leaving. He returned to
England in 1833 to get his wife, JANE FAWDREY, with whom he settled in
Hounsfield. While he was in England, he invited DANIEL FAWDREY to
emigrate to Hounsfield. Historian Hamilton Child says that JOHN and JANE
HARRIS had eight children, one of whom, GEORGE HARRIS, married
CHARITY LEE of England with whom he came to Hounsfield, Jefferson County,
New York in 1833. However, the marriage record for Hailey shows that
GEORGE FAWDREY, not GEORGE HARRIS, married CHARITY LEE of
Hailey on 23 March 1818. CHARITY was apparently pregnant at the time, for
their son, JAMES FAWDREY, was baptized 13 September 1818 in Witney---less
than six months after her wedding date. Hamilton Child may have confused the
Hounsfield GEORGE HARRIS with GEORGE FAWDREY since both
had sons named JAMES. On the other hand, GEORGE FAWDREY and
GEORGE HARRIS may have been the same person. A GEORGE FAWDRY was
baptized on 26 June 1796 at the Hailey Chapel. The entry shows only the
mother's name: JANE. Perhaps GEORGE HARRIS was JANE FAWDRY's
illegitimate son who took the HARRIS name when he emigrated.
According to Jefferson County historian Edgar C. Emerson, a millwright
named JOHN HARRIS (1810-1882) and his wife ANN, nee FAULKS [sic], were
married in 1833, and emigrated in 1834. ANN'S family name was probably
FOX, not FAULKS.
Children of JOHN & ANN (FAULKS) HARRIS:
2 i CAROLINE HARRIS
3 ii JOHN J. HARRIS
4 iii LUTHER HARRIS
5 iv CHRISTOPHER HARRIS
6 v MARIA HARRIS
7 vi WILLIAM HARRIS
For further information, contact:
Bob Ward
21010 Mastick Rd.,
Fairview Park, OH 44126.
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