Benjamin Franklin Harris was the son of Silas Harris an Jane Hill and born in the State of Tennessee. Benjamin’s father, Silas Harris was born on December 15, 1792, in Greenville County, South Carolina. Benjamin’s mother, Jane Hill, was born in the Pendleton District, in South Carolina.
Benjamin Franklin Harris went by the name Ben or Benjamin throughout his life. He was born in 1813 or 1815 in Tennessee.
Benjamin Franklin Harris married Mary Anne Williamson in 1935, in Macoupin County, Illinois. Mary Anne is sometimes referred to as Polly Anne. She was born in 1816 in Kentucky. Mary Anne was said to be a small woman. Mary Anne’s family came from Virginia.
Benjamin Franklin Harris was the family historian. If anyone wanted information about family heritage, they wrote to him. When the Civil War began, Benjamin Franklin Harris enlisted in the Union Army. He was injured in the war. We know that Benjamin Franklin Harris was in several battles. Many men died of their injuries some years after the war was over. He died of injuries that he sustained in the Civil War in 1871, in Macoupin County, Illinois. Benjamin Franklin Harris was buried in Macoupin County, Illinois.
Benjamin Franklin Harris and Mary Anne Williamson were the parents of eight children, born from 1836. The first of their children was Marian Harris. She was born in 1836 in Macoupin County, Illinois. Marian Harris died as an infant in 1837 in Macoupin County, Illinois. She was also buried in Macoupin County, Illinois.
The second child born to Benjamin Franklin Harris and Mary Anne Williamson was Martha Jane Harris. Martha’s nickname was Patsy. She was born in 1836, in Macoupin County, Illinois. Patsy married a man named Wagner. He was a doctor. We don’t know when or where they were married. Patsy’s Profession was that of school teacher. We have found no record of when or were she died.
John Silas Harris was the third child of Benjamin Franklin Harris and Mary Anne Williamson. He was named for his grandfather, Silas Harris. John Silas Harris was born in 1841 or 1842 in Macoupin County, Illinois. He served in the Civil War for the Union side. John Silas Harris married a woman named Melanie. We don’t know her maiden name. John Silas Harris did visit his brothers family in Springfield, Greene County, Missouri. He died in 1910. We have no record of his place of death or burial.
Benjamin Franklin Harris and Mary Anne Williamson’s fourth child was Benjamin Pearson Harris. He was born in 1843 in Macoupin County, Illinois. Benjamin Pearson Harris was a school teacher, a school principal and a farmer. At the beginning of the Civil War, Benjamin Pearson Harris enlisted in the Union Army. He fought in many battles during the war. At some point he dropped his Bible in the Mississippi River. Luckily, he was able to retrieve it.
Benjamin Pearson Harris married Ruth Anne Smith in 1880 in Bethalto, Madison County, Illinois. They, then moved to Willow Springs, Missouri to buy land for a farm and work as teachers. Their first daughter, Pearl Ruth was born in Willow Springs, Missouri. Later, they moved to Springfield, Greene County, Missouri. Their other children were all born there.
They farmed and built a small two story home on the North side of Springfield. The family was active in the Presbyterian Church and the community. The injuries that he sustained in the Civil War, always bothered him. His injuries may have contributed to his death. Benjamin Pearson Harris died on February 21, 1900 in Springfield, Greene County, Missouri. He was buried at the National Cemetery in Springfield, Greene County, Missouri.
The fifth child born to Benjamin Franklin Harris and Mary Anne Williamson was Pink. She was born in 1845 in Macoupin County, Illinois. Pink died as an infant in 1848 in Macoupin County, Illinois. She was buried in Macoupin County, Illinois.
A son was the sixth child born to Benjamin Franklin Harris and Mary Anne Williamson. He was born in 1848 in Macoupin County, Illinois. He died in 1848 in Macoupin County, Illinois. He may not have lived long enough to receive a name. He was buried in Macoupin County, Illinois.
Emma Julia Harris was the seventh child of Benjamin Franklin Harris and Mary Anne Williamson. She was born in Alton, Madison County, Illinois in1851. As a child, she was called Emmie. Emma Julia Harris went to teach school in Denver, Colorado. We have no record of the man she married. We know that they were married in Denver. No date is available. Emma Julia Harris only had one child, that we know of. She had a daughter named Dove. Dove was also called Dovie. She was a pretty little girl with blonde hair. Emma died in Denver Colorado. We don’t have a date of death. Emma wrote many letters to her family.
Benjamin Franklin Harris and Mary Anne Williamson’s eighth child was Harriett Isabelle Harris. She was called Hattie by her family and friends. Hattie was born in 1852 in Alton, Madison County, Illinois. We believe she was married. We have no further details about this. Hattie died in 1879 of lung cancer. We have no other information about Hattie.
Benjamin Franklin Harris was a carpenter, a farmer and a school teacher by profession. He died in 1879 in Macoupin County, Illinois. Benjamin Franklin was buried in Macoupin County, Illinois. He was sixty-three years old.