Charity (Cowperthwaite) Harrison (1769 - 1855)

Born 1769 in Salem Co, NJ

Ancestors

Wife of James Harrison UE — married 28 Apr 1788 in Sheffield, NB

Descendants

Died 15 Sep 1855 at about age 86 in Sheffield, NB

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Biography

Charity was born in 1769 to a family of Quakers in Philadelphia. Her father was Hugh Cowperthwaite and her mother was Sarah (Mead) Cowperthwaite. Her father had been a member of the West Jersey Loyalists who were later integrated into the New Jersey Volunteers.

In 1783, at the end of the American Revoluntionary War, her father emigrated with his family to what is now New Brunswick. Her father took up farming in Sunbury County.

She married James Harrison, a company Lieutenant in the New Jersey Volunteers 20 years her senior who had also settled at Maugerville after the war. James held a 500-acre farm and was originally from Antrim, Ireland. They were married on Sept 28, 1788 in Sheffield.^[1]

In Esther Clark Wrights, "The Saint John River and it's Tributaries," written in 1966, the following story is related regarding their courtship.

There is a charming legend in the family about the pretty little Quakeress being discovered leaning over a bridge to look at her reflection in the water. There was no mirror in the home, and the young Irish lieutenant had begun to pay attention to her.^[2]

They lived at Maugerville where they raised a large family, 5 sons and 4 daughters in all and were affiliated with the Maugerville Anglican Church.

James passed away in 1806, leaving Charity a reasonably young widow with a large family none of whom had reached the age of majority. In fact, Charity was the only surviving adult relative among the Harrisons. The oldest of her children was 14 at the time and James's brother Charles had passed away several years earlier in 1800.

Because James was a Lieutenant and his brother Charles a Captain in their loyalist regiment, their land grants were a combined 1250 acres of land on both the Jemseg River and in Maugerville. Charles left half of his large farm at Jemseg to James's son Charles and the rest to the James's other 8 children. This left a huge amount of land the possession of Charity and her family.^[3]

They endured challenges after her husband's death, however. By some accounts, Charity was pregnant with the youngest (William) although other accounts state he was born in 1804 and would have been quite young. Either way, she had 9 mouths to feed still living at home. She did not apply for a widow's pension, something which would have been available. This was reportedly partly due to pride and due to her Quaker upbringing. Applying for a pension would have meant swearing an oath that she was in financial need, something which Charity refused to do.^[4]

After the death of her husband, Charity and her children left the Anglican Church preferring instead to join the Methodist denomination. Her son William later started his religious training as a Methodist ministerial candidate.^[4]

Charity outlived her husband by nearly 50 years. She passed away in Sheffield on September 15, 1855, aged 86.^[5] She was interred at the Sheffield Congregational Cemetery (Now known as the Sheffield United Cemetery).^[6]

Known Children

• Martha Gregory (Harrison) Perley 1788-1813 m. Thomas Perley
• Sarah (Harrison) Hathaway 1789-1854 m. Calvin Luther Hathaway
• Charles Harrison 1792-1879 m. Mary Burpee
• James Harrison 1793-1878 m1. Charlotte Sherman Putnam m2. Mary Gallishan
• Thomas Bean Harrison 1796-1874 m. Elizabeth Coburn
• Jane Ferguson (Harrison) Bridges 1797-1837 m. Jonathan Bridges
• Hugh Harrison 1799-1878 m1. Margaret Jewett m2. Mary Elizabeth Day
• Elizabeth (Harrison) Smithson 1800-1887 m. William Smithson
• Rev. William Harrison 1804-1879 m. Julia Merritt

Census Records

• 1851 Census, Sheffield Parish, New Brunswick

Sources

1. ↑ Sheffield Town Record Book, Transcription by Barnett, Cleadie. Online at Rootsweb.com
2. ↑ Wright, Esther Clark, The Saint John River and it's Tributaries Canada (1966), page 127. https://archive.org/details/stjohnriveritstr0000wrig/page/126/mode/2up?q=mirror
3. ↑ Extracts from the will of Charles Harrison, Wallace Hale Collection, Public Archives of New Brunswick
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Stevens, L.G., A Review of the First Half Century's History of St. Luke's Church, Portland, Saint John, N.B" Published 1889.
5. ↑ Death Announcement, Weekly Chronicle Sept 21 1855. Transcribed in Johnson, Daniel, Vital Statistics from New Brunswick Newspapers Vol 15 No 1582
6. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #178278125, Charity Cowperthwaite Harrison (1769-1855)