First Generation: William Jasper Harris, Jr. Joseph Albert Harris Hyrum Smith Harris Mary Emily Harris Franklin Hill Harris Lucy Smith Harris John Fielding Harris Mercy Ann Harris Zina Christine Harris Martha Artimissa Harris Sarah Lovina Harris GO BACK TO THE William Jasper, Sr. and Martha Ann Smith Harris Home Page

Biography and History Links — Extended Family of William Jasper Harris, Sr. and Martha Ann Smith Harris Purpose This page features biographical and/or historical items pertaining to ancestors of William Jasper Harris, Sr. and Martha Ann Smith Harris. As you can see, it also provides hotlinks at the left of the page to separate pages for biography and history of the families of each of their children. These linked pages have similar hotlinks to pages on the second generation families. Because there are sites related to this one devoted to the parents and grandparents of Martha Ann, the items posted on this page may seem to focus more on the Harris family forebears. However, links will be provided to biographical and historical items regarding Martha Ann's forebears posted elsewhere within the Hyrum Smith and Joseph Smith, Sr., Family websites. Ancestry Pages We have provided a subset of webpages devoted to the earliest known ancestors in our Harris Family line as part of this website. Some of the information in those pages has come to us just in the spring and summer of 2001. Many of us did not know the name of any ancestor earlier than Benjamin Harris until quite recently, and had no information about the other children of our direct Harris ancestors in generations before William Jasper Harris. The Ancestry pages will provide updates as new information about those generations becomes known to us. For a quick link to some of the information linked from those pages, we have provided a summary and links to two key genealogical research articles on this page, near the bottom. Family Organization Charter Did you know that the William Jasper Harris family formally set up a family organization many years ago? For many years family reunions were held on a somewhat regular basis, and the organization that took care of the details was known as the William J. Harris Family Society. Carole Call King, currently our genealogy expert for the website, provided a copy of the document that organized the family. Some of us recall, as children, knowing of reunions, often held at "Luke's Hot Pots," or some other pleasant location in or around the Utah Valley. The document hotlinked above does not indicate the date or place where the formal family association was approved, but if any member of the family has anything that gives that information we'd certainly like to hear about it. No doubt it would be a simple matter to rejuvenate the organization at an upcoming family reunion. Garda Hodgson Article Our distant cousin, Garda M. Hodgson, wrote a paper that she has titled Harris & Related Families that traces the lineage and origins of Isaac Harris, father of Benjamin Harris, grandfather of Silas Harris, great-grandfather of Zachariah Harris, and great-great grandfather of William Jasper Harris, Sr. [The version now available via this hotlink is being posted on a temporary basis, pending review, updating, and approval by the author. --This note dated July 7, 2001 -dp] Article from Virginia State Library In 1977 Doug Paulson found a document which purported to spell out Harris Family origins in the US as he was doing family research at the Virginia State Library in Richmond. In June, 2001, when he received a copy of Garda Hodgson's paper, cited above, he looked up the copy he had made those many years previous. Though we cannot at present tie any of the individuals mentioned in this document to our Harris Family line, both this research paper and the one listed above trace to Brunswick Co., VA in the mid-1700s, and both include an Isaac Harris. The operating theory is that these two Isaacs very well may have been related. If the theory is correct, the existence of these two documents brings us within "hoping distance" of establishing a link to the origins of our branch of the Harris Family. We have included this interesting document in hopes it may help a family genealogist to locate a possible missing link between our Isaac Harris, born in 1829 ir 1830 to the Isaac Harris in this document, who probably was born after 1840. [Could he be a nephew or cousin?]