John Harris (1652 - 1732)

Born 7 Jan 1652 in Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Grace (Searle) Harris — married 8 Jan 1685 in Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

Died 21 Nov 1732 at age 80 in Ipswich, Essex, Province of Massachusetts Bay

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Biography

John was born on 7 January 1652 in Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony.^[1] He was the child of Thomas Harris and Martha Lake. ^[2] His older brother Thomas died at sea in the lifetime of their father, leaving John as the oldest surviving son. He apparently eventually inherited his father's lands after the death of his mother, and lived his entire life in Ipswich. His younger brother William moved to New Jersey, and Ebenezer to Connecticut.

John Harris took part in the expedition against Quebec in 1690, and this is likely where he earned the military title sergeant.^[3] He is called Sergt. John Harris in a deed in 1693. In his own will, he refers to himself as a yeoman.

He married Grace Searle, the daughter of William Searle and Grace Cole. They had eight children.

John Harris died on 21 November 1732 in Ipswich. He left a will where he gave most of his estate to his wife, and upon her death it was to be split equally among his children. The only children actually named were his oldest son John, and his unmarried daughter Martha. Grace died in 1742. After her death, the six sons of John Harris in December 1642 deeded his homestead to the eldest grandson, being John Harris son of John Harris.

Birth

Born: 7 January 1652 in Ipswich, Essex County, Massachusetts.^[4]

Marriage and Children

Married: Martha Lake on 8 January 1685 in Ipswich, Massachusetts.^[5]

Children of John Harris and Martha Lake:^[6][7]

1. John Harris. Born on 18 December 1686 in Ipswich. He married Elizabeth Cowes on 26 October 1717 (intention). John died on 28 May 1764 in Ipswich.
2. Thomas Harris. Born about 1688. He married Joan Pulsifer on 9 December 1710 in Ipswich. Thomas died on 28 February 1763 in Ipswich.
3. William Harris. Born on 26 November 1690 in Ipswich. He married Ann Franklin on 10 July 1712 in Boston.
4. Rebecca Harris. Born on 11 January 1692 in Ipswich. She married William Wilcomb on 11 September 1725. She died five months later on 10 February 1725/6. William Wilcomb died later that year on 3 December 1726. They had no children.
5. Samuel Harris. Born on 4 April 1695 in Ipswich. He married first Mercy Brackenbury on 31 October 1719 (intention), and had six children. He married second Anne Stanwood on 3 April 1733, and had four more children. Samuel died on 29 January 1770 in Newbury.
6. Martha Harris. Born on 2 December 1698 in Ipswich. She never married. Martha died on 9 March 1782 in Harvard where she was living with her brother Richard.
7. Daniel Harris. Born on 22 November 1700 in Ipswich. He removed to Preston, Connecticut about 1725. He married first Mary Bullard on 18 November 1726 in Preston, and had three children. He married second Lydia Hill about 1739 and had seven moe children. He married third Hannah Benjamin in 1771. Daniel died on 25 November 1792 in Preston.
8. Richard Harris. Baptized on 25 November 1705 in Ipswich. He married first Martha Foster on 10 May 1735 (int.). He married second Phebe Wright. He died on 20 December 1776.

Death

Died: 21 November 1732 in Ipswich, Essex County, Massachusetts.^[8]

Will: of John Harris of Ipswich, yeoman^[9]

Dated 20 August 1728; proved 18 December 1732.

Summary:

- to Grace my well beloved wife... the whole of my household

- to my daughter Martha... (unmarried)

- on my wife's decease, my estate to be equally divided among my children...

- except my son John who gets £5 more...

- my wife sole executor

Research Notes

Disambiguation/John Harris, fisherman: A John Harris, fisherman, died in Ipswich on 5 December 1738. Given that his father and older brother were lifelong fishermen by profession, you might think this is the death record of this John Harris. However, the will of John Harris, fisherman, shows that this is not the case.^[10] That John Harris was "of Marblehead" and died without a wife or child.

Sources

1. ↑ Ipswich. Vital Records of Ipswich, vol. 1: Births. (1910): page 174.
2. ↑ Davis. The Ancestry of Bethia Harris. (1934): pages 18-20.
3. ↑ Watkins, Walter Kendall. Soldiers in the Expedition to Canada in 1690. (Boston, 1898): page 51.
4. ↑ Ipswich. Vital Records of Ipswich, vol. 1: Births. (1910): page 174.
5. ↑ Ipswich. Vital Records of Ipswich, vol. 2: Marriages and Deaths. (1910): page 205.
6. ↑ Ipswich. Vital Records of Ipswich, vol. 1: Births. (1910): page 173-177.
7. ↑ Ipswich. Vital Records of Ipswich, vol. 2: Marriages and Deaths. (1910): pages 204-208.
8. ↑ Ipswich. Vital Records of Ipswich, vol. 2: Marriages and Deaths. (1910): page 577.
9. ↑ Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881. (AmericanAncestors online database). Probate #12494, will of John Harris of Ipswich.
10. ↑ Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881. (AmericanAncestors online database). Probate #12495, probate of John Harris, fisherman.

• Davis, Walter Goodwin. The Ancestry of Bethia Harris, 1748-1833, Wife of Dudley Wildes of Topsfield, Massachusetts. (Portland, ME: Sourthworth Press, 1934).
  Internet Archive    HathiTrust

• Ipswich. Vital Records of Ipswich Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849, volume 1: Births. (Salem, MA: The Essex Institute, 1910).
  Internet Archive    HathiTrust

• Ipswich. Vital Records of Ipswich Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849, volume 2: Marriages and Deaths. (Salem, MA: The Essex Institute, 1910).
  Internet Archive    Google Books    HathiTrust

• Ipswich. Vital Records of Ipswich Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849, Volume 3: Misc. Records. (Salem, MA: The Essex Institute, 1919).
  Google Books    HathiTrust

• Watkins, Walter Kendall. Soldiers in the Expedition to Canada in 1690. (Boston, 1898): page 51.

See Also

• William Preston Johnston, Edward Harris and his ancestors, 1634-1820 (1899); digital images Hathi Trust. Note that he incorrectly states that John Harris was born in 1654.

• William Preston Johnston, The Johnstons of Salisbury, with a brief supplement, concerning the Hancock, Strother and Preston families (1897); digital images Hathi Trust.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Tayler Mccormick for starting this profile. Click the Changes tab for the details of contributions by Tayler and others.