Disambiguation: Benjamin Harris of Blount County and Benjamin C. Harris of Carter County

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Tennessee
Surname/tag: Harris

Two Benjamin Harrises, seemingly second cousins, were born around 1780 and came to East Tennessee within a few years of each other. These commonalities seem to have induced some conflation. This page is to help disentangle the records of these men and justify the current connections of these men to their families on Wikitree.

Summary

Benjamin C. Harris

BIRTH: probably between 1776 and 1780 in Frederick County, Maryland

DEATH: between 1835 and 1840 in Morgan County, Illinois

PARENTS: Benjamin Harris and Jane Crampton

SPOUSE: married Mary Ragan circa 1806, probably in Virginia or Maryland

MIGRATION: (1) from Maryland to Elizabethton in Carter County, Tennessee around 1810; (2) to Morgan County, Illinois around 1830

occupation: reportedly a hatter

MILITARY: private, Bunch's Regiment, Mounted (1813-1814) East Tennessee Volunteers, War of 1812

ASSOCIATES: father-in-law Jeremiah Ragan, who came to Jonesborough in Washington County, Tennessee (about 17 miles west of Elizabethton, where Benjamin lived) and had another daughter Sarah who married Benjamin's brother John Crampton Harris; John Keplinger, who lived in Washington County, Tennessee and migrated north to Illinois a few years before Benjamin, around 1828 — John himself married Benjamin's (much younger) daughter Abigail, as his second wife, and four more of Benjamin's children married children of John Keplinger

Benjamin Harris

BIRTH: around 1777 probably in Fauquier County, Virginia

DEATH: 20 June 1829 in Blount County, Tennessee

PARENTS: uncertain, but probably a grandson of Samuel Harris of St. George's County Maryland and later Fauquier County, Virginia, and either a son of James Harris or a son of Richard Harris of Fauquier County

SPOUSE: probably married Eleanor Smith in 1799 in Madison County, Virginia

MIGRATION: from Fauquier County, Virginia to Blount County, Tennessee by 1811, probably between 1807 and 1809.

OCCUPATION: unknown

ASSOCIATES: common migration to Blount County with his probable siblings James Harris and Nathaniel Harris; deed from father-in-law John Andrew Smith in Fauquier County, 1799; the Hitch family, which included siblings-in-law Lucy Hitch, Archibald Hitch, Eleven Hitch, and Dorcas Hitch, includes four marriages between Hitches and Harrises in Fauquier County followed by a common migration to Blount County, Tennessee around the same time.

Y-DNA tests of patrilineal descendants of each man prove that they were of the same line of Harrises, so probably both descending from Thomas Harris and Rachel Maddox who married around 1698. Unsourced accounts claim that Benjamin C. Harris of Maryland was the son or grandson of Benjamin Harris who married Anne Isham Eppes, but Y-DNA tests indicate also that the said Benjamin Harris was unrelated to the present men.

Conclusions

The main error put forth in many online trees is that Benjamin Harris of Blount County, Tennessee was Benjamin "Crampton" Harris, son of Benjamin Harris and Jane Cramphin of Frederick County, Maryland.

The correct conclusion is instead that when they came to live in Washington County, Tennessee, their son Benjamin C. Harris came to live nearby across the county line in Carter County. The Benjamin Harris who came to reside further southwest, in Blount County, was originally of Fauquier County, Virginia. The principal evidence is:

• the middle initial 'C.' The older Benjamin Harris who came from Frederick County, Maryland to Washington County, Tennessee reportedly had a son Benjamin C. Harris — this seemingly comes from an old private family record. Land records in Elizabethton in Carter County, Tennessee show the Benjamin Harris residing there with the middle initial 'C', as does the 1830 census, at which time he was briefly residing across the county line in Washington County.
• the striking associations with people with unique names who were tied by kinship and/or made the same migrations between the same places. Especially notable are:
  • the migration of Benjamin Harris Sr. from Frederick County, Maryland to Washington County, Tennessee with several children. It is more likely that his son was the Benjamin C. Harris who lived nearby, rather than the Benjamin Harris living several counties away.
  • the connection of Benjamin Harris of Fauquier County, Virginia to John Andrew Smith by a deed in that same place, then marriage of Benjamin Harris to Andrew's daughter Eleanor Smith in a nearby county, followed by the Benjamin Harris who appeared in Blount County, Tennessee also being married to an Eleanor. Also the intermarriage of probable siblings James, Polly, Lucinda, and Joseph Harris in Fauquier County to siblings Lucy, Archibald, Eleven, and Dorcas Hitch, marriages in Fauquier County, followed by the appearance of people named James and Nathaniel Hitch and Archibald and Eleven Hitch in Blount County, Tennessee with close associations with each other and with Benjamin Harris of Blount County.
  • the connection of Benjamin C. Harris of Carter/Washington Counties, Tennessee with Jeremiah Ragan through a deed and through marriage of John Crampton Harris, son of Benjamin Sr., to a daughter of Jeremiah Ragan. Then Benjamin C. Harris who appeared in Morgan County, Illinois, coming from Tennessee, is reported by secondary sources to have married Mary Ragan, daughter of the same Jeremiah Ragan. Also the connection of Benjamin C. Harris to John Keplinger, through the marriage of their son and daughter in Washington County, followed by common migration to Illinois and further intermarriages between their families.

While nothing here is direct evidence connecting either Benjamin to a parent (other than the purported private record stating that Benjamin Harris of Maryland had a son Benjamin C. Harris), there are just too many associations here to believe, as is commonly put forth, that Benjamin Harris of Blount County, husband of Eleanor, was the son of Benjamin Harris of Frederick Maryland. He was clearly instead the man from Fauquier County, and the correlating indirect evidence is strong that instead Benjamin C. Harris who lived nearby Benjamin Harris of Maryland was his son.

Contents 1 Benjamin C. Harris 2 Benjamin Harris 2.1 Probate Case file, Benjamin Harris, Blount County, Tennessee,1829 3 Y-DNA 4 Land Records from Blount County, Tennessee 5 Sources

Benjamin C. Harris

Secondary informants report that Benjamin Harris and Jane Crampton of Frederick County, Maryland had a son Benjamin C Harris, but with no further information. The range 1776–1780 for his birth comes from the 1776 census of Maryland, in which Benjamin and Jane appear with so far just one son: John "Cramphin" Harris, and the 1830 US federal census of Washington County, Tennessee, in which Benjamin C. Harris appears aged 50–59. Parents Benjamin and Jane removed to the vicinity of Jonesborough in Washington County, Tennessee

Birth location is supported by direct evidence in the form of two secondary accounts in biographies of Benjamin's son-in-law and grandson-in-law.^[1][2] Indirect evidence comes from family trees that indicate daughter Abigail was born 30 September 1809 in Maryland. The original source of this information is unknown. There is a bible record for the family of Abigail's husband John Keplinger held by the DAR that should be consulted to see if it supports her birth information.

Dr. Crampton Harris Helms provided a biographical summary of Benjamin C. Harris's proposed father Benjamin Harris Sr., including the list of children, and states that the entire bio is sourced from Brumbaugh's Maryland Records vol. 1 and additional records of Gov. Nathaniel Edwin Harris (governor of Georgia). The list of children is not found in Brumbaugh, so it is expected to be from a private family record, perhaps once belonging to the governor. Benjamin C. is named third in the list, after John Cramphin and Jane, but the order of the children has dubious credibility because it does not match the order for part of the list that can be derived from the 1776 census of Frederick County Maryland. There is no direct evidence linking this purported son to the Benjamin C. Harris who was later in Elizabethton, Tennessee and then Illinois, but circumstantial evidence includes:

• Elizabethton, where Benjamin C. Harris lived, is only about 17 miles east of Jonesborough, where Benjamin Harris Sr. and his son John Cramphin Harris lived
• Benjamin C. Harris is reported by biographies of his son-in-law and grandson-in-law to have married Mary Ragan, daughter of Jeremiah Ragan, an attribution indirectly supported by Jeremiah Ragan's purchase of land in Elizabethton from Benjamin C. Harris in 1822, paying the significant sum of 1000 dollars. Jeremiah's daughter Sarah is certain to have married John Crampton Harris. It then is reasonable to guess that John Crampton Harris and Benjamin C. Harris, separated in age by just a few years, were brothers.

Benjamin C. Harris is not known to be documented before his arrival in Tennessee. All original records mentioned here use the middle initial "C", correlating with the secondary sources that give such an initial to the son of Benjamin Harris and Jane Crampton.

Benjamin C. Harris purchased land in Elizabethton in 1810 and again in 1812. In 1822, he sold land in Elizabethton to Jeremiah Ragan, reportedly his father-in-law. His final land transaction in the Carter County records was another sale in 1829.

In the 1830 census, he is found less than 20 miles to the west, in Jonesborough, Washington County. This is where father Benjamin Harris had removed and where he died in 1820. Other family had moved there as well, including brother Dr. John Crampton Harris. This appearance in Jonesborough appears to have been a brief staging before the move to Morgan County, Illinois. Presumed eldest daughter Abigail married John Keplinger in Morgan County in July of 1830, so it seems likely most or all of the family had moved north around the time of the census.

Benjamin C. Harris is found in Morgan County in the 1835 census. He is not found later, but a [J] Mary Harris is found in the 1840 census just below presumed son-in-law John Keplinger, and with a household compatible with the households in the earlier censuses. Her grave names her "Mary wife of Benj. C. Harris" died 1 December 1845 aged 58 years. No death, burial, or probate record for Benjamin is known.

The only direct evidence that Mary was a Ragan, daughter of Jeremiah, comes from the biographies of her son-in-law and grandson-in-law.^[1][2] However, the fact that Jeremiah purchased land from Benjamin C. Harris in 1822 for 1000 dollars suggests a family connection, and it is known that Jeremiah's daughter Sarah Ragan married John Crampton Harris.

Migration: census records in Illinois of numerous suspected children of Benjamin C. Harris indicate they were born in Tennessee. Several of them married children of John Keplinger in Illinois (Abigail married John himself, as his second wife). Land and tax records show that the Keplingers lived in Washington County, Tennessee before their migration. In the first of these Harris/Keplinger marriages, Thomas Jefferson Harris married Catherine Keplinger in 1828, recorded in Washington Tennessee. This and a story of the migration was repeated in a compiled genealogy.^[3][4]

Occupation: Worth S. Ray reports that Benjamin Harris had a hatter's shop in Elizabethton, Tennessee.^[5] Biographies of Benjamin's son-in-law and grandson-in-law state that Benjamin Harris who came to Illinois was a hatter.^[1][2]

Military: because his name appears as "Benjamin C. Harris" in the War of 1812 service record, it is expected that the man who served in the Tennessee Volunteers could be no other. Secondary accounts from biographies of his son-in-law and grandson-in-law also state that he served in that War.

Benjamin Harris

Benjamin first appeared in Fauquier County, Virginia on a tax list in 1798 and again in a municipal record, shown as a patroller.^[6][7] The tax list shows him in a cluster with consecutive names Geo. Harris, Saml. Harris, James Harris, Zapha. Harris, and Benja. Harris, all paying tax on August 3. This perhaps indicates proximity, as the collector visited them all on the same day, and they are seemingly George Harris, Samuel Harris, and James Harris, presumed sons of Samuel Harris Sr., respectively born ca. 1767, 1765, and by 1750, and his grandsons Zephaniah Harris and Benjamin Harris. This construction of the family group is quite uncertain, but since Benjamin had one male over 21 and no tax liability, it is expected he was a young man. He would not be liable for tax before age 21 in Virginia, except at times when the county exercised its right to tax men as young as 16, and even then an adult would be responsible for his tax, and he would be entered on the list with them. So since his first appearance on the lists was in 1798, responsible for himself, it is expected he was born around 1777.

One would expect his father to be kin to this same group of Harrises, born by the late 1750s. Samuel Harris Sr. was born around 1722 and seemingly started having children in the mid-to-late 1740s. It may be presumed that all of the many Harrises who appear together on various records in Fauquier County, then migrated together and named children after each other, were descendants of this Samuel --- a few are named so, and estimated birthdates provide reasonable spacing for the people born in the 1740s-1760s to all be Samuel's children. We would expect Benjamin to be a son of one of Samuel's sons. (Samuel's last child was seemingly George Harris, the Quaker, born circa 1767, and there is too large of a gap before Benjamin's birth to reasonably suspect Benjamin was a younger child of Samuel Sr.) Samuel's son Thomas was probably born in the 1750s, but he remained in Fauquier County and named no son Benjamin in his will. The only other male Harrises who seem to be documentarily connected to this family and old enough to be Benjamin's father are:

• James Harris, born before 1750, wife named Susannah in 1771, who stayed in Fauquier and seemingly died by 1810. He consistently appears on tax lists near the other Harrises of this group, and he or his son appeared on several marriage bonds for the other Harrises in the group.
• Richard Harris, born probably by 1753. He served as a sergeant in the Virginia Line during the Revolutionary War, then returned to Fauquier and died around 1793. He has only one known child, Richard, born around 1779, but it is suspected that there may have been others.

If Benjamin's father appears in records in Fauquier, then it seems likely he was either James or Richard. Richard had only known son, Richard, who was apprenticed to Archibald Duncan after his father's death and appeared on tax lists after 1795 in the households of others who had the tax liability until he came of age. If Benjamin were also a son of Richard, then being around 16 when his father died, we would expect to see the same of him. Because no such record is found in Fauquier, it seems maybe most likely that he was a son of James. It is notable that the younger Richard moved south to Culpeper, while Benjamin went south to Madison County to marry his bride, and also that Richard named a son Benjamin. But this could be just because the men were comparable in age and that Benjamin was the closest thing to a brother that Richard could have, or it could be that they were indeed brothers and that Benjamin lived elsewhere after his father died.

Considering onomastics, Benjamin gave the names Susannah and Elizabeth to two daughters, seemingly his eldest. If he were the son of James and Susannah, these would seem to be names used in honor of Benjamin's mother and then his mother-in-law. His first son was named Zephaniah, the name of a family member in Fauquier County who was almost certainly a son of James and so could have been Benjamin's brother. Most other children seem to have been given family names, so the prominent use of Susannah first is supports the notion that he was a son of James and Susannah Harris.

Benjamin's marriage seems likely to be the marriage on 3 January 1799 recorded in Madison County, Virginia between Benjamin Harris and Nelly Smith. The marriage return lists no family or other associates, so it would be helpful to track down a marriage license, if one exists. Eleanor "Nelly" Smith was the daughter of John Andrew Smith, whose Revolutionary War pension application states that he was born in Fauquier in 1754 (although technically, it wasn't separated off from Prince William County until 1759). In 1799, Benjamin Harris purchased an enslaved woman Mourning from Andrew Smith through a deed executed in Fauquier County and witnessed and acknowledged by James Harris.^[8] The will of John Andrew Smith of Lawrence County, Indiana dated 1 September 1836 names his daughter Nelly Harris.^[9]

Benjamin continued to appear on the annual property tax lists of Fauquier County in from 1801 through 1804 and in 1806. The microfilm of the tax lists held by the Family History Library seems to be missing the 1805 list that would show Benjamin and seems to missing the 1808 lists entirely. Benjamin is not found with his probable kin in the 1807 lists, but the relevant list shows a "Richd. Harris" twice, the only such list to suggest there were two Richard Harrises in the region at this time, so it is suspected that one of these may have been an error for Benjamin. Benjamin never appears again on a Fauquier County property tax list, at least from the years 1809 to 1819.

The tax lists then indicate that Benjamin left Fauquier County sometime between 1807 and 1809. This fits well with the appearance of a Benjamin Harris in Blount County, Tennessee by 24 March 1811, on which date Benjamin Harris of Blount County purchased of Joseph McFadin 204 acres on Little River, "within the tract located for the use of academics."^[10]

The main evidence used to conclude that Benjamin Harris who disappeared from Fauquier County was the same man who later appeared in Blount county is as follows:

• Y-DNA tests matching two descendants of Harris men from Blount County (one a probable descendant of Benjamin and the other presumed to be a descendant of one of his brothers) with descendants of Thomas Harris and Rachel Maddox through their sons Thomas and Benjamin, as well as two more men tentatively ascertained to be descendants of their son Samuel.
• Association with the Hitch family. A cluster of Harrises in Fauquier County married a cluster of Hitches. These couples are James Harris/Lucy Hitch, Polly Harris/Archibald Hitch, Lucinda Harris/Eleven Hitch, and Joseph Harris/Darcus Hitch. In Blount County are then found later men by the name of Archibald Hitch, Eleven Hitch (both named in the probate of Benjamin Harris) as well as James Harris and Nathaniel Harris. Their brother Elias Hitch also appears first in Fauquier County and then a man by the same name in Blount County.
• Onomastic evidence. Benjamin of Blount County seems to have given most of his children names associated with the expected family of Benjamin Harris of Fauquier County. His eldest known son had the name Zephaniah Harris, and this was also the name of a grandson of Samuel Harris the migrant to Fauquier County. Zephaniah's father was probably James, who is also the most likely candidate to be Benjamin's father. Other names were Susannah given to Benjamin's first daughter and also the name of James Harris's wife, Andrew Harris, the name of Benjamin Harris of Fauquier's probable father-in-law, Thomas, the name of the progenitor of the Fauquier Harris family, frequently occurring in the first few generations, and Joseph and Lucinda, presumed brother and sister of Benjamin of Fauquier who both married into the Hitch family.

Probate Case file, Benjamin Harris, Blount County, Tennessee,1829

Benjamin Harris of Blount County, Tennessee died intestate. People named in his probate case file from 1829:^[11]

Receipts Received of Elinor Harris, signed Will Wallace, tax for the year 1829

Inventory and Auction 18 August 1832. Purchasers:

Major Reader

Isaac Cundiff

John White

Willis Beckner

Alexander Mc Bath

Gardner Maize

Cowen Gilispie

Beven Haddox

William Harriss

William Haddox

Jonathan Sharp

John Deadney

John Martin

Peter Wheeler

Dailey W. Hood

Commadore Deadney

Thomas Cundiff

Settlement (undated) "Notes obtain by sales of property by 'vandue'". Notes on

Andrew Harris

Thomas J. Tipton

Zephaniah Harriss

Nathaniel Harris

Shelton Harriss

Elizabeth Harriss

"Alender" Harriss

James Heaton (crossed out)

"Notes which came into the hands of the Administratrix that were given before the decease of sd. Harriss

James Heaton, dated 22nd December 1822, due nine months after date and doubtful

Gabriel Carwley, sd. note in the hands of an officer but cannot be collected

"Amounts dued and collected on notes came into the hands of the Administratrix that were given before the decease of Sd. Harris."

James Heaton

"Vouchers produst by the Admx. of Benjamin Harrisses estate. Includes:

Mcintoshes account proven ([Donald McIntosh, creditor of Nathaniel Harris?])

McFarlin

[Dread?] J. Freeman

James Wilson

William Montgomery

No Heading

note on Reuben Tipton

note on Jonathan Sharpe

note on John Lacy

note on William Harriss

Amounts, dates starting Feb. 9 1822:

2 foot [Coinages?]

4 ditto self and daughter

"as sum set for your son Shelton Harris"

Petition from Elender Harris, March 1832. The estate had three enslaved individuals — one woman and two men, one aged about 26 years old and the other about 20 — petitioning that the enslaved individuals be sold so that the proceeds could be divided among the 11 heirs.

Accounts of debt,

• due James A. Wilson, dated 8 April 1828, and receipt from him of payment 23 March 1830.
• due Donald McIntosh dated 1829, with Eleven Hitch, Justice of the Peace, notarizing

Petition from Eleven Hitch, 25 March 1833.

notes that "some considerable time since he became the security of Elender Harris as the administratrix of Benjamin Harris deceased..." and he is "solicitous to be released from said securityship as he is apprehensive there may be some difficulty in the final adjustment of said estate..."

Guardianship to Archibald Hitch, 23 June 1829, with securities John Armbrister and Will Wallace

Administration bond to Elender Harris, 23 March 1829, with securities Eleven Hitch and Jefferson [Tipton?]

guardian of Thomas Harris, Joseph Harris, Mary Harris, Lucinda Harris, and Benj. Harris

List of the sale of the property, 8 September 1829

• Zephaniah Harris
• Thomas J. Tipton
• Andrew Harris
• Elizabeth Harris
• John Rule
• Shelton Harris
• James Kirby
• Eleven Hitch
• William Settle
• James Harris
• Wm. Tipton
• Wise Hitch
• David Hume
• Nathaniel Harris

Y-DNA

Y-DNA results publically available at the Harris surname project at FamilyTree DNA prove that purported descendants of both Benjamins are patrilineal relatives. A descendant of Benjamin C. Harris's brother John Crampton Harris and a descendant of Benjamin Harris's have a genetic distance of 2 using 37-marker STR tests. From this is estimated a 50% chance that the two testees are patrilineally related within six generations and a 90% chance that they are related within twelve generations. If both lines are correct, they are eight generations and ten generations from Thomas Harris and Rachel Maddox, equivalent to a separation of nine generations. They are almost certainly related within a few generations previous to this point, so this adds credibility to the lengths and general reasonableness of their proposed lines. It should be noted that these tests do not prove particular relationships between the men involved. Perhaps in the future, full-genome sequencing of Y-chromosomes can provide such resolution.

Land Records from Blount County, Tennessee

Here are recorded land records from the 1800s involving Harrises in Blount County, Tennessee.

26 May 1807 — William Harris from Joseph Smith, 80 acres plus personal property^[12]

24 March 1811 — Benjamin Harris from Joseph McFadin, 204 acres on Little River, "within the tract located for the use of academics"^[13]

29 March 1814 — William Harris to George Douglass, 389 acres on Pistol Creek^[14]

25 September 1815 — John B. Harris from Robert Strain and James Strain, 100 acres on [Baycers?] Creek^[15]

4 September 1816 — Nathaniel Harris from Peter [Putal?], 260 acres on Stock Creek "within the tract located for the use of academics"^[16]

26 March 1817 — S[amuel?] Harris to John Right, 126 acres on Four Mile Creek^[17]

3 March 1818 — William Harris to John [Paluud?], 150 acres on Nine Mile Creek^[18]

23 March 1818 — William Harris, James Henry, and John Hurgis to William Finley, 124 on Nine Mile Creek originally granted to Andrew [Ivins?] and [Merkel?] Wills^[19]

26 March 1818 — Joseph Harris from Lewis Shroyes, 94 acres on Nails Creek^[20]

31 December 1819 — William Harris to John Wilkinson, 170 acres on Nine Mile Creek^[21]

13 November 1824 — Elias Hitch from Samuel McCulluch, 32 acres in the [Walen?] of Little River^[22]

10 February 1827 — Isaac Tipton to Benjamin Harris, 100 acres, part of a survey granted to Joseph McFadden^[23]

10 November 1827 — Loid Hitch to William Harris, 5 acres originally part of a grant to Lucas Hood from the State, no. 1384. Witnesses Isaac Tipton, Jonathan Sharp, Nathaniel Harris.^[24]

29 October 1828 — Nancy Harris widow of John B. Harris to Thomas S. Upton, 100 acres on Baker's Creek.^[25]

14 September 1829 — Shelton Harris of Orange County, Indiana to Andrew Harris, quitclaims all of his interest in "three two boys and one girl" and all the land in the estate of his father to his brother Andrew Harris.^[26]

9 March 1830 — Nathaniel Harris to Jesse F. Bunker, one enslaved man John about 21 years, witnesses Rudolph Kidd and Zephaniah Harris.^[27] On the same day, between the same parties but in the opposite direction, same witnesses, an enslaved woman Mary, aged about 17, and her daughter Harriet, about 10 months old.^[28]

7 May 1830 — Zephaniah Harris to Thomas J. Tipton — Zephaniah relinquishes all claim he has in his father's estate to his brother-in-law Thomas J. Tipton. Witnesses Andrew Harris and Jabes Thurman.^[29]

14 August 1832 — Jonathan Trippett Harris from Jonathan Trippett, part of a tract of 411 acres on Pistol Creek.^[30]

26 October 1832 — Jonathan T. Harris to Jonathan Trippett, 411.5 acres on Pistol Creek. Witness Robt. Houston and Wm. Harris.^[31]

28 January 1833 — Wm. Harris, Jonathan Sharp, and Bevin Haddox from Henry Roddy, two tracts one 95 acres and one 50 acres, one sold as the property of James Harris and the other by a deed of conveyance.^[32]

6 March 1833 — James Harris to William Harris, 50 acres granted from the State of Tennessee to James Harris entry 113^[33]

13 August 1833 — Nathaniel Harris to Moses Lindsey, one enslaved woman Mary aged about 22, previously traded by Nathaniel with Jesse F. Bunker, in order to secure a prior bond with Donald McIntosh.^[34]

15 August 1833 — John N. Harris from Abijah Conger, 101 acres on Baker's Creek, part of a tract originally granted to Joseph Glen no. 160.^[35]

21 December 1833 — Zephaniah Harris to Moses Lindsey, personal property to secure a bond. Witnesses Nathaniel Harris and William H. Miller.^[36]

3 February 1834 — Eleven Hitch from James Houston, 22 acres on Pistol Creek.^[37]

16 April 1834 — Nathaniel Harris to Moses Lindsey, in security of a debt owed to Donald McIntosh, conveyed the land upon which he lives, 206 acres, neighboring land owned by heirs of Benjamin Harris decd., and an enslaved mulatto man Henry, aged about 27 years.^[38]

21 February 1835 — Nathaniel Harris to Rowly Brown, 52 acres south of French Broad and Holston^[39]

23 March 1835 — Nathaniel Harris to Joseph Scott, in security of a debt due Donald McIntosh of Knox County, 206 acres, neighboring land owned by heirs of Benjamin Harris decd., and an enslaved mulatto man Henry, aged about 28 years.^[40]

31 March 1835 — Nathaniel Harris and Polly Harris to Donald McIntosh of Knox County, an enslaved mulatto man Harry, aged about 25 years. On the following page, a deed executed the same day between the same parties, selling two tracts of land totaling 218.5 acres, including one of 12.5 acres deeded from James Stennett to Nathaniel Harris on 25 December 1824, both tracts south of French Broad and Holston.^[41]

25 June 1835 — John N. Harris to John Dunlap, 110 acres on Baker's Creek.^[42]

2 March 1836 — Zephaniah Harris from John Kidd and Mary Kidd, all interest in the estate of [her] father to [her] brother Zephaniah^[43]

29 April 1836 — Joseph Harris to Zephaniah Harris, Joseph relinquishes all interest in the state of his father to his brother Zephaniah Harris^[44]

3 June 1836 — Elizabeth Harris to Donald McIntosh, lot number 10 in the division of the estate of Benjamin Harris^[45]

2 July 1836 — Zephaniah Harris to Donal McIntosh of Knox County, lot number 3 in the division of the estate of Benjamin Harris, the whole being 362.5 acres, the lot containing 25 acres, relinquished to Zephaniah by his brother Joseph Harris, and lot number 5 containing 25 acres, relinquished to Zephaniah by Mary Kidd and ____ Kidd. Witness: Elizabeth Harris and Joseph Harris. On the following page, a separate deed executed the same day between the same parties, same witnesses, enslaved individuals Allech and Nance, who had belonged to the estate of Benjamin Harris decd.^[46]

4 November 1836 — Elendor Harris administratrix to the estate of Benjamin Harris decd. to Donald McIntosh, enslaved individual Alleck aged about 27 years. Witnesses Joseph Harris, Elizabeth Harris, Wm. Swan.^[47]

4 November 1836 — Adrian Ball and wife Mary Ball formerly Mary Harris of Boone County, Indiana by their attorney John N. Harris, and John N. Harris himself, Robert G. Harris, Joseph Rorix and wife Rossey Ann Rorix, Jonathan T. Harris of Monroe County, Tennessee, Matthew T. Harris of Boone County, Indiana by his attorney William Harris to Peter W. Nash, 205 acres on Pistol Creek part of the tract originally granted to Jonathan Trippett no. 830.^[48]

10 March 1837 — Matthew T. Harris and wife Martha Harris of Boone County, Indiana to William Harris, power of attorney to sell their interest in the estate of James Trippett.^[49]

9 April 1840 — Zephaniah Harris, Thomas J. Tipton and wife Susannah Tipton formerly Susannah Harris, John Kidd and wife Mary Kidd formerly Mary Harris, and Joseph Harris to Andrew Harris, all interest in the dower of Elenor Harris widow of Benjamin Harris decd. Witnesses Samuel Harris and Benjamin Harris.^[50]

4 January 1841 — Nathaniel Harris to Andrew Harris, 205 acres. Witnesses R. J. Davis and Zephaniah Harris.^[51]

15 March 1842 — Elias Hitch to Thomas McCalloch, three tracts, 32 acres on Little River, 10 acres and 50 acres.^[52]

28 February 1843 — Samuel Harris to Nuton Wheeler, lot no. 1 from the division of the estate of Benjamin Harris decd. Witnesses Zephaniah Harris and Joseph Harris.^[53]

22 December 1851 — Lucinda Hitch, James Hitch, and Elias Hitch to Samuel Wallace, 106 acres on Little River, near the mouth of Pistol Creek, part of two grants from the state of Tennessee to Eleven Harris decd. dated 8 January 1825 and 30 June 1824 nos. 1089 and 18099.^[54]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} History of Macoupin County, Illinois. With Illustrations Descriptive of its Scenery, and Bigraphical Sketches of some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers (Edwardsville, Ill. (corresponding office): Brink, McDonough & Co., 1879) page 205
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Charles A. Walker, History of Macoupin County, Illinois: biographical and pictorial vol. 2 (Chicago, Ill.: S. J. Clarke, 1911) page 500
3. ↑ James Wesley Keplinger, Short History of the Keplinger Families (Zanesville, Ind.: the author, 1939) page 158
4. ↑ William F. Short (ed.), Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois; and History of Morgan County vol. 2 (Chicago, Ill.: Munsell Publishing Company, 1906) page 866
5. ↑ Worth S. Ray, Tennessee Cousins: a History of Tennessee People (Austin, Texas: the author, 1950)
6. ↑ Fauquier County, Virginia personal property tax list, Joseph Withers district, 1798
7. ↑ Fauquier County, Virginia minute book 1798-9 page 245
8. ↑ Fauquier County, Virginia, deeds book 14 page 717
9. ↑ Lawrence County, Indiana, wills book A page 47
10. ↑ Deeds book 1 pages 95–6
11. ↑ Probate case file, Benjamin Harris, 129, Blount County, Tennessee probate cases, settlements, guardianships, 1795-1980 [DGS 106347760]
12. ↑ Deeds book 1 pages 161–2
13. ↑ Deeds book 1 pages 95–6
14. ↑ Deeds book 1 pages 290–1
15. ↑ Deeds vol. 1 pages 451–2
16. ↑ Deeds vol. 1 pages 473–4
17. ↑ Deeds book 1 pages 440–1
18. ↑ Deeds book 1 pages 484–5
19. ↑ Deeds book 1 pages 494–5
20. ↑ Deeds vol. 1 pages 527–8
21. ↑ Deeds vol. 2 pages 92–3
22. ↑ Deeds vol. 2 page 537
23. ↑ Deeds vol. 2 pages 474–5
24. ↑ Deeds vol. 4 pages 406–7
25. ↑ Deeds vol. 4 page 418
26. ↑ Deeds vol. 4 page 85
27. ↑ Deeds vol. 4 pages 91–2
28. ↑ Deeds vol. 4 page 377
29. ↑ Deeds vol. 4 page 144
30. ↑ Deeds vol. 4 pages 317–8
31. ↑ Deeds vol. 4 pages 349–50
32. ↑ Deeds vol. 4 page 404
33. ↑ Deeds vol. 4 page 394
34. ↑ Deeds vol. 5 page 72
35. ↑ Deeds vol. 5 pages 187–8
36. ↑ Deeds vol. 5 pages 138–9
37. ↑ Deeds vol. 5 pages 189–90
38. ↑ Deeds vol. 5 pages 232–3
39. ↑ Deeds vol. 3 pages 133–5
40. ↑ Deeds vol. 5 pages 368–70
41. ↑ Deeds vol. 5 page 370–1
42. ↑ Deeds vol. M pages 14–15
43. ↑ Deeds vol. 3 page 197
44. ↑ Deeds vol. 3 pages 197–8
45. ↑ Deeds vol. 3 page 199
46. ↑ Deeds vol. 3 page 203
47. ↑ Deeds vol. M pages 57–8
48. ↑ Deeds vol. M pages 324–6
49. ↑ Deeds vol. M pages 220–1
50. ↑ Deeds vol. T pages 18–9
51. ↑ Deeds vol. Q pages 175–6
52. ↑ Deeds vol. Q pages 296–8
53. ↑ Deeds vol. T pages 48–9
54. ↑ Deeds vol. W pages 298–9