Family History Nathan Harris, Emer Harris and Emer's Daughter Rebecca Harris Taylor Yates

Living so close to many church history sites has been a blessing to our family. I especially have had the opportunity to research and search out my own Family History sites. Though I can't get a picture with my Great, Greats I guess their places of residence will have to do.

I would like to talk about another of my Great x4 Grandfathers Nathan Harris. Nathan's Son, Emer, married Solomon Chamberlin's daughter Polly. Nathan bought 600 acres of land from John Swift, most of that land is just a mile down Maple road from the four corner churches in Palmyra. While my brother Kyle was in town I searched out Nathan Harris's home and where this 600 acres would have been located. Thanks to Larry Porter and all his research that he did in a book titled "Sacred Places, New York and Pensylvania" I was able to locate the location of Nathan Harris's home this home is located just down the street from Martin Harris's home and is privately owned. Martin acquired 320 acres from his father Nathan, so it would make sense that his house would be so close. Here is a picture of the home that stands here now.

Site of Nathan Harris frame home, whether or not this is the actual Harris frame home, we don't know

When we visited the home, I asked the owners son if I could take some pictures and he said it was fine.

In Larry Porter's book he states: "Both Don Enders and Bob Lowe are of the opinion that this is the site where the Nathan Harris farm home stood, but they are reluctant to specify that the existing frame home is the original dwelling house without further research and proper verfication." The current owners son told me that the basement was built in the 1800's and he let me see that basement. If you take a good look at the entrance to the homes basement that was built in the 1800's one might believe that maybe this house, underneath all of it's modifications, could truly be the original frame home, but we may never know.



Enterance to the basement of the possible Nathan Harris frame home

What was so neat was that if it really was the basement that Nathan built, that his great x5 grandson who we named after him would later have a picture taken of him in there. Here I am holding him in the basement. Also, a picture of me, a couple of my kids and brother Kyle.

 

Lydia looking closely at the walls which were made mostly of large rocks and mudd in the Nathan Harris basement this area of the basement was very narrow

We do know that Nathan moved first into a log house which they built at the north end of Wintergreen Hill (now Walton Hill). In this picture you can see the edge of Wintergreen Hill and where his farm land is and the edge of the current frame home that stands there, so somewhere in this picture he built the log house first and then later the frame home.

Picture of Nathan Harris Farm in Palmyra NY. Panorama of the Edge of Wintergreen Hill and the edge of where the Nathan Harris frame home stood January 2012

Kyle Yost and Jan Yost West standing in front of the possible Nathan Harris frame home

On another one of our adventures seeking out the past was taking a trip to Kirtland, OH in April of 2011 more specifically Mentor Lake, Ohio where the home of Nathan's son Preserved lived. In Nathan Harris's history it states "moved to Ohio in 1831 along with some of his married children and their families, migrating with other followers of the newly formed Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Nathan lived to be quite an old man and died in November 1835 at Mentor Lake, Ohio. There is no record that indicates that he ever joined the Church.

In the Prophet Joseph Smith’s diary 18 Nov 1835 in Kirtland, he recorded, "I then went to Preserved Harris's, to preach his fathers funeral Sermon, by the request of the family I preached on the subject of the resurection, the congregation were very attentive My wife my mother and my scribe went with me to the funeral, we rode in a waggon, had a pleasant ride, the weather was pleasant, when we went, but cloudy and cool when we returned" In Nathan Harris's history it states "Preserved Harris' home still exists and is located on southwest corner of Rt. 84 and Chillicothe in Mentor." Exact address is approximately 8900 Johnnycake Ridge Rd. Mentor, Ohio. In Emer's history it states "In November of 1835 Emer´s father Nathan died at Menton Ohio, while living with Preserved, younger brother of Emer and Martin." So, we found another home that Nathan lived in, in Mentor, Ohio. Also, the fact that Joseph Smith preached the funeral sermon of Nathan Harris was facinating to me and so we searched out the home of Preserved and here it is in 2011 just after Nathan our 4th was born. It was neat to stand on the property and know that somewhere on that land Joseph stood and preached my great x4 grandfathers funeral sermon. I have not been able to locate Nathan's burial site though, if anyone knows where Nathan Harris son of Preserved Harris and Martha Mowry who was born March 23, 1758 in Smithfield, Rhode Island. He died on 11 Nov 1835 in Mentor, Lake, Ohio. 4 is that would be so helpful.

Here are some pictures of Preserved Harris home in Mentor, Ohio. A lady in Mentor told me that the house was yellow for a long time before they painted it this color. It is privately owned and currently the owner ownes 5 acres of land, but I do not know how much land Preserved owned at the time he lived there. I assume it was definatley 5 acres maybe even more?

Me and my 4 children standing in front of Preserved Harris home

Preserved Harris Home, Mentor, Ohio 2011

Front of Preserved Harris Home

Preserved Harris Farm Mentor, Ohio 2011

I haven't searched out Emer Harris and his places of residence yet, but I do have a picture of Emer Harris's daughter Rebecca Harris seen here on the bottom left (when facing the picture) sitting next her is her daughter Rebecca Harriet Taylor Tracy and two of Rebecca Tracy's daughters, though I don't know their names. David Samuel Tracy and Rebecca Harriet Tracy's daughters names in order are: Fanny Elizabeth, Mary Levina, Rosetta, Lydia Jane, Evelyn, Ida Lilly, and Nellie Rebecca. So it has to be two of these girls?? Rebecca had 6 sons as well. So 13 children in all. Someone responded to my post and now we know who the two daughters are, but we don't know the name of the baby.

Rebecca Harris Taylor Yates, Emer Harris and Polly Chamberlin daughter

From Left to Right Bottom: Rebecca Harris Taylor Yates and Rebecca Harriet TaylorTracy
Top: Left to Right Back
daughter Mary Livinia; baby?; daughter Fannie Elizabeth