Robert Harris Sr. (abt. 1626 - 1701)

Born about 1626 in England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 1701 at about age 75 in New Kent County, Colony of Virginia [uncertain]

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Robert Harris Sr. resided in the Southern Colonies in North America before 1776. Join: US Southern Colonies Project Discuss: southern_colonies

Biography

This profile is part of the Harris Name Study.

Robert Harriswas born about 1626 in England, son of William Harris (~1596–~1656) and Ellen Burrows (~1599–1670).

Came to Virginia from England about 1650. Married Mrs. Mary (Claiborne) Rice, daughter of William Claiborne, in 1660, ^[1]

Robert Harris settled in York County around 1650. The descendants of Rob- ert spread up the York River watershed into the Shenandoah Valley and over the mountains into Kentucky. These are the Midwest Harrises. He also left descendants on the peninsula which can be followed into the middle 1700s.

Robert died in 1701 in New Kent County, Colony of Virginia, aged about 74. Buried at Harris Graveyard, Hanover Co., VA

Children

His children were:

• Richard Harris (1651–1739)
• Martha Harris (1654–1664)
• Judith Harris (~1655–1739)
• John Harris (1657–~1733)
• Robert Harris (~1664–1740)
• Mary Eppes Harris (1664–1698)
• Benjamin Harris (~1665– )
• Thomas Harris (~1667–1725)
• William Harris (~1669–~1730)

Research Notes

Conflated / Duplicated?

See these (are there more):

• Robert Harris Sr. (abt.1626-1701)
• Robert Harris (abt.1625-aft.1673)
• Robert Harris (1625-1717)
• Robert Harris (abt.1623-1701)
• Robert Harris (abt.1623-abt.1701)

They variously share wife Mary Claiborne, same birth, or death in 1701 in New Kent Co.

Father of William

Research of Malcolm Hart Harris, M. D. [deceased] posted in THE VIRGINIA GENEALOGIST: Dr. Harris concluded that there was little doubt that Robert Harris was the father of William Harris, who settled in the Forks in Hanover Co., another burned county. Dr. Harris examined the records of the Land Office which were kept by the Secretary of the Colony of VA. He states: There is no record of a patent being issued to Robert Harris in New Kent Co., but in a patent to George Browne, 29 April 1659, Browne's 200 acres is described as lying on the north side of the head branches of Ware Creek, on William Gilliam and Mr. Overman and southwest on a branch parting from Robert Harris. Dr. Harris refers readers to patents in Vol. 4-268 as complied by Nell Marion Nugent in Cavaliers and Pioneers, Vol. 1. This land was owned by Robert Harris from prior to 1659 until after 1675/6----Sometime before 9 Oct. 1673 George Brown died. On that date a warrant was issued by Sir William Berkeley, the governer, to the Escheator of New Kent County......Dr. Harris lists jurymen, Wm. Overton, Evan Jones and Robt. Harris. Jury records confirms that Robert Harris was qualified for jury service, was a freeholder and resident of the County of New Kent ca 1673......Harris names listed in the Vestry Book of Saint Pauls Parish prior to the formation of Hanover Co. VA were: William, John, Christopher, Robert Sr., Robert Jr., and Richard Harris.

Review

According to a note on a profile that has since been merged with this one: This Robert Harris is NOT married to Mary Claiborne Rice.^[2]

In Aylsebury England, there was another Robert Harris who had a daughter that married William Piggott/Puckett. The Piggott/Puckett, Harris, Gunganey, Hoare and several others had family members who moved to America from Alysebury, England and settled in Virginia.

Robert Harris (b. Abt. 1636, d. Abt. 1701)
Robert Harris was born Abt. 1636 in Jamestown, VA, and died Abt. 1701 in Blissland Parish, New Kent Co., VA.He married Mary Claiborne? on 1660 in New Kent Co., VA. Includes NotesNotes for Robert Harris: Occupation: Planter This Robert Harris appears in numerous family trees, but his place of birth is a subject of much dispute. Some say he was born in Glamorgan, Wales, and emigrated from there about 1650-1661 and located in the "Forks of Hanover" colony of Virginia, while others say he was born in the vicinity of Jamestown, VA. We are not certain whom he married, nor do we know for sure the identiy of his parents.Was his father Thomas or William Harris?The following comments address some of these issues. Robert may have worked in the tobacco house of a man named Rice, who soon died, leaving the door open for him to marry Mr. Rice's widow.The general consensus is that he married Mrs. Mary Claiborne Rice, daughter of Elizabeth Butler and William Claiborne (1587-1676).However, this is in dispute, as we see in the following quote:"Now, despite it not being my line and really none of my business, I'm still going to say it: THERE IS NO MARY CLAIBORNE WHO WAS A DAUGHTER OF WILLIAM CLAIBORNE! WILLIAM CLAIBORNE HAD NO SECOND DAUGHTER NAMED MARY!ROBERT HARRIS OF NEW KENT IN 1662 WAS NOT MARRIED TO ANYONE NAMED MARY CLAIBORNE RICE!Malcolm Hart Harris is generally credited with being the source of the Mary Claiborne myth, but as Mr. Wallace indicates in his post, Malcolm Hart Harris only made a very slim case that Robert Harris MIGHT have been married to a daughter of William Claiborne. Harris researchers ever since have taken that and made a whole lot more of it than Malcolm Hart Harris ever intended."Source: J. Phillip Harris, 3/2/2003. "I know a number of genealogies show this man as the son of Thomas Harris, but I think that's just one of those inaccuracies that got put into print and won't go away. I've never seen any real evidence of that, and, in fact, the evidence that exists seems to suggest Thomas Harris' "only" son was William Harris. The work that Helen Harris Ott did during her six years in Essex has a genealogy that traces Robert Harris back to William Harris, the eldest son of William Harris of Shenfield by his first marriage to Joanne Smythe. This needs more work as well as Joanne Smythe's possible connections to the Smythe family. Robert Harris settled in York County around 1650 and supposedly married the daughter of William Claiborne. Claiborne has suggested connections to the Smythe family, as well, with his wife, Elizabeth Butler, supposedly being connected to the marriage of Ursula Smythe to William Boteler. The descendants of Robert Harris spread up the York River watershed into the Shenandoah Valley and over the mountains into Kentucky. These are the Midwest Harrises. He also left descendants on the Peninsula which can be followed into the middle 1700s, but I still can't quite make the connection, although the proximity is so close it's unreal." Source: J. Phillip Harris 603 Wexwood Court Richmond, Virginia 23236-4138 1999 publication, Colonial Families of Surry and Isle of Wight Counties, Virginia, Volume 2, by John Anderson Brayto n of Memphis, Tennessee. His book is important to all of us because he maintains that a Robert Harris is the father of Mary Harris and that little is known of his background. Much in RootsWeb.com and FamilySearch.com information leads us instead to a Thomas Harris/Alice West or Thomas Harris /Adria Osborne and an extensive genealogical tree behind him. My interest is that a part of my family was the Philips, which are, in part the descendants of Mary Harris (b. 1636 and m. 1667 - the second time she married a Matthew Swann and their daughter Mary married a William Philips). Source: Stanley F. Rose 3/21/2001 More About Robert Harris: Burial: Unknown, Harris Graveyard, Hanover Co., VA. More About Robert Harris and Mary Claiborne?: Marriage: 1660, New Kent Co., VA. Children of Robert Harris and Mary Claiborne? are: +Robert Harris II, b. 1663, The Forks, New Kent, Hanover Co., VA, d. Abt. 1740, Isle of Wight Co., VA127, 128, 129.

DNA Information

The Gleaves, Glosser, Hunter, and Rogers Home Page
Glen Gohr Harris DNA Group 6 under Claiborne Ned Harris, Son of Richard Harris of Granville Co. NC might tell us something about our heritage from Elizabeth Harris, dau. of Sherwood Harris Sr. of the same county. Group 6 carries the DNA line of RM269 and may tie into Sherwood Harris and his brothers, Robert III and Richard who married Kimbrough. Study continues.

Sources

1. ↑ The Gentry family in America, 1676 to 1909 : including notes on the following families related to the Gentrys : Claiborne, Harris, Hawkins, Robinson, Smith, Wyatt, Sharp, Fulkerson, Butler, Bush, Blythe, Pabody, Noble, Haggard, and Tindall by Gentry, Richard, b. 1846 Publication date 1909 Publisher New York : Grafton Press
2. ↑ included in text of a merged profile. No other information. In close proximity was William Harris of Jamestown & Descendants Part 1 on RootsWeb.

• The Gentry family in America, 1676 to 1909 : including notes on the following families related to the Gentrys : Claiborne, Harris, Hawkins, Robinson, Smith, Wyatt, Sharp, Fulkerson, Butler, Bush, Blythe, Pabody, Noble, Haggard, and Tindall by Gentry, Richard, b. 1846 Publication date 1909 Publisher New York : Grafton Press
• Entered by Linda Plummer.
• included in text of a merged profile. No other information. In close proximity was William Harris of Jamestown & Descendants Part 1 on RootsWeb.
• The Gentry family in America, 1676 to 1909 : including notes on the following families related to the Gentrys : Claiborne, Harris, Hawkins, Robinson, Smith, Wyatt, Sharp, Fulkerson, Butler, Bush, Blythe, Pabody, Noble, Haggard, and Tindall by Gentry, Richard, b. 1846 Publication date 1909 Publisher New York : Grafton Press
• Hylbom Family Ancestry Project / Paternal Lines / Paternal Go to Ha / Harris #12208 Discusses Harris, Claiborn and Butler family relationships in 17th Century from Essex, England, to colonial Virginia. Well-worth reading.
• Burke, Ashworth P. Burke’s Family Records. Baltimore, MD, USA: Clearfield Company (Genealogical Publishing Co.), 1994.
• Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970. Louisville, Kentucky: National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. Microfilm, 508 rolls.
• Yates Publishing. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA:1994.
• William Harris of Jamestown & Descendants - Part 1 on RootsWeb.
• Hylbom Family Ancestry Project
• Copeland,Harris,Lawrence,Neville,Pittman,Turner,Wheeler, Roots Web
• http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/g/l/e/Robert-M-Gleaves-NC/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0964.html