Walter Harris (abt. 1595 - 1654)

Born about 1595 in Devon, England [uncertain]

Husband of Mary (Fry) Harris — married before 1621 in Devon, England [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 6 Nov 1654 at about age 59 in Pequot Plantation, Connecticut Colony

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Walter Harris migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 152) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Walter Harris was born roughly about 1595 (assuming he was an average age of 25 at marriage). His parents and exact place of birth are unknown. He married Mary Fry by 1621 based on the baptism of their first child at Honiton, Devonshire. Mary Fry's origins are unknown although it has been suggested she was from Axminster, Devonshire, England. ^[1] Walter and Mary had seven children, all baptized at Honiton On Otter, Devon, England from 1621 to 1636.

Immigration

Walter and Mary came to New England on the Speedwell with six children and three servants, leaving Weymouth, England on April 22, 1637. ^[2]

Life in New England

Initially, the family established their residence in Weymouth, Massachusetts Bay Colony where Walter received land in the "west field."^[3] He became a freeman on 2 June 1641.^[4] In 1643, he took on the role of an appraiser for his brother-in-law William Fry's estate in Weymouth.^{[5] [1]} Mary's brother William Fry, of Weymouth, Massachusetts in his will left legacies to the youngest children of his three sisters, including nephew Thomas Harris. ^{[1] [6]}

He briefly resided in Dorchester sometime between 1649 and 1652. There are two mentions of him in the town records. He was "of Dorchester" when he first requested land in New London.

By December 5, 1653, Walter had moved his family to New London as "Goodman Harris" allocated six acres of upland to his son Gabriell for a house lot next to his own. In New London, Walter received permission to operate an ordinary, but he passed away not long after obtaining it. On November 6, 1654, the town decided to grant the ordinary license to his widow. However, she seems to have turned down the offer, leading the town to select John Elderkin as Walter's replacement. ^[1]

Death and Probate

Walter Harris died on November 6, 1654, in New London, which was still called Pequot or Nameaug until 1658, when its name changed to New London. ^[1]

His wife, Mary, died about a year later January 24, 1655/6.^[1]. Their combined estates were probated and settled together. Mrs. Harris's nuncupative is one of the oldest wills surviving in the County. A bequest to Rebecca Bruen of a hat that had belonged to her son Thomas Harris hints that he had been engaged to Rebecca, the daughter of Obadiah Bruen. ^[7] According to tradition, son Thomas had been dispatched to England to recover some family property. He was said to have been lost at sea, as he was never heard of afterward.

Her will was signed on January 19, 1656, and in it, she names: ^[1]

• eldest daughter Sarah Lane and Sarah's daughters Mary and Sarah
• daughter Mary Lawrence and her eldest, second and youngest sons
• youngest daughter Elizabeth Weekes
• son Thomas, if he comes home, or is alive
• son Gabriel
• my sister Migges (Meggs)
• cousin Caleb Rawlin (son of Thomas and Anna/Hannah) ^[8]
• cousins Mary and Elizabeth Fry (daughters of brother William Fry) ^[6]
• sister Hannah (Fry) Rawlin, and brother (Thomas) Rawlin ^[8]
• kinswomen Elizabeth Hubbard and Mary Steevens
• my brother Migges and his three youngest children
• Rebecca Bruen ^{[1] [8]}

Gabriel Harris, eldest son, deposed on May 6, 1656, to the veracity of the inventory of the estates of his parents Walter, and Mary, both deceased, taken on April 14, 1656, and valued at L79.02.03. ^[9]

Frances Manwaring Caulkins, in her analysis of Mary's will in History of New London, Connecticut, notes that the family was much more well-off than other families of the time due to the goods that Mary left behind. She notes: "It is one of the oldest wills extant in the county, and is rich in allusions to costume and furniture."

Children

Children of Walter and Mary (Fry) Harris, all baptized at Honiton, Devon, England:

1. Mary Harris baptized on November 4, 1621; died young. ^[1]
2. Sarah Harris baptized on March 6, 1624/5;^[10] died at Hingham, Massachusetts on March 27, 1695; George Lane of Hingham by 1638. ^[1]
3. Mary Harris baptized on February 4, 1626/7; died after May, 1685; married Nicholas Lawrence of Charlestown and Dorchester, Massachusetts by 1652. ^[1]
4. Gabriel Harris baptized March 2, 1628/9;^[11] died in New London, Connecticut on March 16, 1683/4; married Elizabeth Abbott on March 3, 1653/4 at Guilford, Connecticut. ^[1]
5. Elizabeth Harris baptized on August 28, 1631; died April 10, 1723 at Dorchester; married Amiel Weekes about 1655. ^[1]
6. Susanna Harris baptized on May 31, 1634;^[1] buried on 27 August 1634, Honiton ^[12]
7. Thomas Harris baptized on January 10, 1635/6;^[13] was away when his mother wrote her will ^[1]; he may have been betrothed to Rebecca Bruen, but there is no further record of him in New England. ^[7]

Research Notes

Updates to NEHGR 156 (2002):145-58: This profile contains updates to the Honiton parish register records referenced in Walter and Mary (Fry) Harris of New London, Connecticut by Gale Ion Harris:

• Sarah Harris baptized March 6, 1624 [not 13 March].
• Gabriel Harris baptized March 2, 1628/9 [not 8 March].
• Susanna Harris buried on 27 August 1634, Honiton [record not included in article].

See original images referenced on FindMyPast above Children

Birth estimated: Walter has no known birth year in any records. His birth year is given as 1588 on 1590 on some unsourced websites, but there is no historical record known for that and it is more likely that someone approximated the date for their family tree, and that it has been passed along on-line as a result. The year can be shown to have been approximated on user-submitted documents housed by the Latter-day Saints; this is probably the source of those estimations.

Earlier research/published accounts: Early accounts of Walter Harris confused him with the Walter Harris, a servant, at Plymouth who arrived in 1632. Cuyler confused matters further by misidentifying his son Gabriel as his brother. That Walter Harris of Weymouth was a different person was proven when "Search for the Passengers of the Mary & John" published the baptisms, researched by Douglas Richardson. Gale Ion Harris presented a more detailed account, and corrected some errors in the baptisms.

Not from Weymouth, Dorsetshire: It is commonly said that Walter Harris was from Weymouth, Dorsetshire, but this is the location that the Speedwell departed from England.

Merge Clean up The following should be reviewed and incorporated into the biography:

He (Walter Harris) and his wife were above average in economic status, owning a considerable supply of pewter, silver spoons, and such household items of convenience as a gridiron, copping knife, brewing tub, smoothing iron and two cushions.. He is referred to as "Goodman Harris," which would indicate a status below those who were called "mister." The house in New London consisted of a front room and shop room with a lean-to on the back and two chambers above. Today it would be called a Cape Cod house.

On his first application for a house lot at New London he is styled "of Dorchester," which makes it probable that his last temporary abiding place had been in that town. He married, at Weymouth, Massachusetts, Mary Fry, who survived him by less than three months, one inventory and settlement of estate sufficing for both. The will of Mrs. Harris is one of the oldest extant wills in the county, and is rich in allusions to costume and furniture. From it it is clear that the Harris family ranked in point of comfort and accommodations with the well-to-do portion of the community. They had a better supply of pewter than is found in many early inventories, and such articles of convenience as a gridiron, chopping knife, brewing tub, smoothing iron, "four silver spoons and two cushions. "The house consisted of a front room, lean to, shop room, and two chambers. Among the children were Gabriel and Thomas.

Source: Charles Harris, Walter Harris and Some of His Descendants

"Walter and Mary (Fry) Harris of New London, Connecticut," by Gale Ion Harris. NEHGR Vol. 156, Apr. 2002, pp. 145-158.

Genealogical and family history of Southern New York. 1914 By Cuyler Reynolds Vol. 3, Page 1349. - Google Books. Confuses with the earlier Walter Harris, immigrant of 1632, and confuses the generations.

Great Miration Directory: Harris, Walter: Unknown; 1637 on Speedwell; Weymouth, New London [NGSQ 71:176; MBCR 1:378; SPR 2:18; NEHGR 156:145-58, 262-79, 357-72].

Origins/Meaning of Harris surname See Harris: Surname Origins

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14} Harris, Gale Ion. Walter and Mary (Fry) Harris of New London, Connecticut, The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (NEHGS, Boston, Mass., 2002) Vol. 156, Page 145-58.
2. ↑ Citing NGSQ 71:176, Anderson, Robert Charles. "Focus on Immigration" Great Migration Newsletter, Volume 17, 2008: p. 22: (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2018.) American Ancestors (subscription)
3. ↑ Chamberlain, George Walter. The History and Genealogies of Weymouth, Massachusetts. 1923. pp 255-6. HathiTrust.
4. ↑ Shurtleff, Nathaniel. Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England (William White, Boston, 1853) Vol. 1, p 378. Internet Archive
5. ↑ Inventory of William Frye, Vol 2, Page 18 (original), "Suffolk County (Massachusetts) probate records, 1636-1899"
   Catalog: Suffolk County (Massachusetts) probate records, 1636-1899 Probate records v. 1-4 1628-1667
   Film number: 007703070 > image 365 of 832
   FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-C9YP-P2YS (accessed 13 August 2023)
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Abstracts of the Earliest Wills: William Frye in: The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 2, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts, 1848, p. 385
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Anderson, Robert Charles. "Disappointed Fiances." Great Migration Newsletter, Volume 23, April-June 2014: p. 16. American Ancestors (subscription)
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2} Anderson, Robert C. Thomas Rawlins in: Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume VI, R-S, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts, 2009, p. 6-10 (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2012.)
9. ↑ Connecticut: Early Probate Records, 1635-1750: Volume 1: 1650-1663: p. 123 (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2006-2019), (A Digest of the Early Connecticut Probate Records, by Charles W. Manwaring, R. S. Peck & Co. Printers, Hartford, CT, 1904.).
10. ↑ "Devon Baptisms," FindMyPast database online, images of the original parish register of Honiton $ [1]. Harris, Gale Ion, "Walter and Mary (Fry) Harris of New London, Connecticut," is mistaken in saying the date was 13 March.
11. ↑ "Devon Baptisms," FindMyPast database online, images of the original parish register of Honiton $ [2]. Harris, Gale Ion, "Walter and Mary (Fry) Harris of New London, Connecticut," is mistaken in saying the date was 8 March.
12. ↑ "Devon Burials," FindMyPast database online, images of the original parish register of Honiton $ [3]. Harris, Gale Ion, "Walter and Mary (Fry) Harris of New London, Connecticut," doesn't include this burial.
13. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JMPJ-GM2 : 19 September 2020), Mary in entry for Thomas Harris, 1635.

• Harris, Charles. Walter Harris and Some of His Descendants. Western Reserve Historical Society, 1922. Internet Archive.
• "Walter and Mary (Fry) Harris of New London, Connecticut," by Gale Ion Harris. New England Historical and Genealogical Register Vol. 156, Apr. 2002, pp. 145-158.
• "Abstracts of the Earliest Wills Upon Record in the County of Suffolk, MS." The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 2, Boston, Massachusetts, 1848, p. 385. Internet Archive.
• Anderson, Robert C. Thomas Rawlins in: Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume VI, R-S, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts, 2009, p. 6-10 (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2012.)
• Caulkins, Frances Manwaring. History of New London, Connecticut. 1852 & 1860. pp 269-272. FamilySearch Book: 525522.
• Harris, Gale Ion. “Early Harrises of Southwestern Connecticut: Two Men and Two Women, All Apparently Unrelated.” Connecticut Ancestry 47 (December 2004):131–37.
• Judd, Peter H. Four American Ancestries. 2009. Volume 3 pp 530-5. Google Books
• Ricker, Jacquelyn Ladd. The Ricker Compilation of Vital Records of Early Connecticut. 2006.
• Spear, Burton W. Search for the Passengers of the Mary and John. Toledo, OH. 1991. vol 6, pp 8, 44.
• Meigs Henry Benjamin. Record of the Descendants of Vincent Meigs Who Came from Dorsetshire England to America About 1635. J.S. Bridges 1901 https://archive.org/details/recordofdescenda00meig
• Kennan Thomas Lathrop. Genealogy of the Kennan Family. Cannon Printing 1907. https://archive.org/details/genealogyofkenna00kenn