ETCHED IN OLD STONE: Harris Family Connections

SMITH-Dort/Winsor-Secord/HARRIS

Genealogy: building a family forest, tree by tree

In recent months I have been carefully exploring the branches of my newly-discovered HARRIS family tree in an effort to verify and document our Mayflower connections. And, the more I sort through the twigs and leaves, the more convinced I am that my 4^th great-grandmother Lydia Harris was, indeed, the daughter of Asa Harris IV and Lydia Pitts. (Asa was the son of Faith McCall Harris whose family line leads directly back to the passengers of the Mayflower.)

My research of this particular Harris family tree is beginning to reveal more than I ever anticipated in terms of interesting family members and their many contributions to the shaping of American history. In the coming weeks I hope to share with you some of the life stories I’ve already discovered amidst its branches, with others yet to be found among its leaves.

(As a disclaimer I will say that, although I am confident that our "linchpin" Harris family connections are sound …I am still collecting documentation that will verify our Mayflower lineage as shown by this research. I have thoroughly enjoyed doing the detective work that led to the stories I am about to share with you and the descendants of our shared Harris family whose transplanted roots lead back to the Great Migration of the 1600’s through the English emigrants named Harris, Denison, Weld, Rogers, Rowland, Stanton, Lord, Bird, Ely, Champlin, and others.)

Upcoming Harris family stories:

A Michigan “mining era” cousin who was honored along with her husband by having a mountain named after them (hint: see photo above),

The Connecticut Harris migration toNova Scotia as “New England Planters”(I bet you didn't learn about them in your high school history classes ...neither did I.)

The New York Harris migration to Michigan as part of the “Go West, young man” movement
A place called Harris Hill where a family tavern played a role in history

Even some famous “Swiss”bell-ringers and

The inventor of the “Harris Frog”fishing lure

…and there’s more!