Michael Harris (1849 - 1908)

Born Sep 1849 in Georgia

Husband of Martha J. E. (Ragsdale) Harris — married 20 Mar 1866 in Tallapoosa County, Alabama

Descendants

Died Nov 1908 at age 59 in Alabama

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Biography

Michael Harris was born in 1849 in Georgia [1] to William and Rachael (Jones) Harris. By 1855 the family had moved to Tallapoosa County, Alabama where Michael grew up. It was there he met and married his wife Martha in 1866 [3].

Michael and Martha lived in Tallapoosa for several years but by the time of the 1880 U.S. Census were living in Butler County, Alabama [5] where Michael worked as a blacksmith. They moved to Henry County, Alabama in early 1890. Michael was appointed postmaster of Newville on December 6, 1897.

Grief entered the life of Michael Harris twofold first when he lost his wife Martha, and second when he lost his daughter Mollie. The exact date of Martha's death is not known but it was somewhere between December of 1892 when she gave birth to their last child and March of 1899 [6] when Michael remarried. Michael's daughter Mollie died in approximately 1897. Her husband Wheaton Jones had died in approximately 1892 and she had struggled to raise three boys as a widow. She died leaving her sons orphaned. Though he had two young children by his second marriage, Michael took the three boys into his home to raise [7].

On Saturday, April 19, 1903, an election was held in the town of Newville to determine if the voters wanted the town incorporated. The vote was overwhelming in favor of incorporation. Once incorporated an election was held to elect the first mayor and Michael Harris was elected. Michael died November 1908 [8].

Sources

1. The 1850 U.S. Census for the State of Georgia, Muscogee County, Eighth District (Michael, age 1, born in Georgia living in the household of William Harris). [Census available on ancestry.com.]

2. The 1860 U.S. Census for the State of Alabama, Tallapoosa County, Western Division, Beat 8 (Micel, age 11, born in Alabama living in the household of William Harris).

3. State of Alabama, Tallapoosa County. Marriage License. Book 6, page 385.

4. The Alabama State Census of 1866 for Tallapoosa County, Schedule 1, page 67 (lists Michael Harris).

5. The 1880 U.S. Census for the State of Alabama, Butler County, Monterey Beat #10 (Michael, age 30, born in Alabama, working as a blacksmith.)

6. Helon H. Cutler, Henry County, Alabama Records. Volume 2: 1821-1901. Marriage Records (Cutler Publications, 1993), Page 73.

7. The 1900 U.S. Census for the State of Alabama, Henry County, Precinct 21-Newville (Mike, age 50, born in Georgia, working as a blacksmith. His grandsons Warren Jones and Wheaton Jones were living with him.)

8. The Abbeville Times for Thursday, November 26, 1908 (obituary-just mentions his death).

9. The estate papers of Michael Harris listed his surviving heirs as: Annie Hendricks, widow; Rachel Roney, wife of Watts Roney, residing in Henry County, Alabama; Ella Roney, wife of Punch Roney, residing in Henry County, Alabama; Thomas Harris, residing in LaGrange, Georgia; Mattie Davis, wife of Marshall Davis, residing in LaGrange, Georgia; Jackson Harris, resifding at Tallassee, Alabama; Hattie Helton, wife of John W. Helton, residing in Henry County, Alabama; and Oscar Henry Harris, residing in Henry County, Alabama.