Richard Thomas Harrison (1777 - 1824)

Born 24 Aug 1777 in London, England

Husband of Elizabeth (Hodge) Harrison — married 27 Oct 1805 in St Martin in the Fields, Westminster, London, England

Descendants

Died 22 Jul 1824 at age 46 in Trafalgar, Oakville, Halton, Ontario, Canada

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Biography

Thomas is thought to be the Richard Thomas who was christened August 31, 1777 at St. Martin in the Fields Church, the son of Thomas Harrison and Sarah Ireland. However, according to the Rowe-Snow tree, FamilySearch Pedigree Resource File, Thomas may have been the son of Thomas Harrison and Faith and christenened 26 Jan 1778 at St. Mary's Castlegate, York. His birthdate estimated in 1777 is by transcription of his gravestone at Milton Pioneer Cemetery by Jane Watt of Halton Peel Genealogical Society.

Thomas married Elizabeth Hodges at St Martin in the Fields Church, Westminster, London in 1805. According to the birth records of his children in Yorkshire, he was employed as a cooper during the years 1807 to 1813 and a brewer 1815 to 1818. Thomas and Elizabeth left England in 1820 with their children, born respectively:

• Mary Anne, (Sculcoates, Yorkshire,1807),
• WIlliam, (Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, 1808),
• Henry, (Welton with Melton, Yorkshire, 1810),
• Eliza, (Welton with Melton, Yorkshire, 1813),
• Richard, (Welton with Melton, Yorkshire, 1815), and
• Charles, (Welton with Melton, Yorkshire, 1818).

They moved to Ontario, Canada in 1820 where Thomas cleared the forest, built a house (the first in that part of the country), and farmed in Lot 12, First Concession, Trafalgar Township, Halton County, until his death in 1824. Two more sons were born in Ontario:

• Johnson, 1822, and
• James, 1824.

According to the website of family researcher Ethel Ingalls, citing Arnott Douglass Harrison: "Thomas Harrison's father died and left all his property in England in the care of his brother, who was to hand it over to Thomas, then a young man, providing he did nothing to displease the uncle. Of course they were all Church of England people. In the year 1805 he (Thomas) married Elizabeth Hodge (sic) of Devonshire, England and with her joined the Methodist Church, which was considered to be a disgrace by his uncle and (he) was at once disowned. Which probably figured greatly in his decision to emigrate."

In response to a query in 2014, Ethel Ingalls wrote:

From a Harrison History, done by Arnott D. Harrison, typed and poorly copied, ca 1950-1956, he lists Henry Harrison’s father as Thomas Harrison (1777-1824) and Henry’s siblings as Mary Ann (Mrs. Daniel McLoed), William, Eliza (Mrs. John McCollom), Richard, Charles, Johnson and James.

Research Notes

According to secondary sources, Richard and Elizabeth's son William married Hannah Hessey (1823-1890), and they were the g-g grandparents of British actress Alexandra Bastedo through the following (unproven) line:

• William Harrison (1808-1895) m. Hannah Hessey (1823-1890)
  • Hannah Marie Harrison (1850-1931) m. James Bastedo (1832-?)
    • Gilbert T. Bastedo (1983-?) m. Florence L. Ebbels (1894-?)
      • Gilbert L. Bastedo (1915-1985) m. Liberiana D. Rescagliora (1917-2001)
        • Alexandra Bastedo (1946-2014) m. Patrick Ewart Garland (1935-2013)

Sources

• FamilySearch Pedigree Resource File: Rowe-Snow Tree.
• FamilySearch. org England Marriages 1538-1973.
• A House of Harrison, p1.
• FamilySearch.org England Births and Christenings 1538-1975.
• Ethel L. Ingalls April, 2008.
• Canadian Headsotnes database.