My gggf, Thomas Owen, had a daughter named Amanda (Mandy)
who married a Ben Harris in the area of El Dorado, Ark. I
found an 1880 census record for Union County Ark, Garner
Township, Pate 18, SD #1,ED 276,Line 1,
which shows the following data:
--birthplace--
name relation age comments born F M
Harris, B W 32 Farmer SC SC SC
Amanda wife 29 keeps house GA SC SC
G. E. s 8 at school Ark SC GA
R. E. s 6 at school Ark SC GA
Carrie s 5 ARk SC GA
Wm T s 3 Ark SC GA
In the 1900 census, the only data I found on this family was a
listing for William T Harris in Union County, Garner Township,
age 23 married to Lena M with one daughter named Bessie O.
In a 1994 letter from martha Sue Wright of the Union County Genealogical
Society in El Dorado, Ark, I was supplied with the following data:
Benjamin W Harris
b Sep 12, 1847 in SC
d March 10, 1902
buried at Friendship Cem, Union County, Ark
Amanda Owen Harris
b Nov 26, 1849
d May 30, 1935
buried at Friendship Cem, Union County, Ark
Children:
* George E Harris June 1872, Ark m. Louello Y.
Benjamin S Harris- son b Jan 1895
Penkie S Harris-dau b Apr 1897
Lonie B-dau b Nov 1898
Baby-dau b Apr 1900
Robert E Harris Sep 22, 1873 to Aug 20, 1926 Friendship Cem
no children shown in 1900 or 1910 census
He was married to Nancy Jane.
Amanda's probate in 1935 showed heirs of Robert as:
* Melvin Harris
* Velma Harris
* Carrie Harris (m to J M Farris Nov 29, 1901) b Jan, 1875
did not find on 1900 census
William T Harris Nov 19, 1876 to Oct 6, 1917 Friendship Cem
He was married to Lena Rodgers
* Bessie Harris Sewell b Mar 1898
son Wendell Sewell
son Murray Sewell
* Harper Harris b abt 1902 d 1940
m to Ester or Esther Smith (b 1899, d 1935)
The children of Harper and Ester grew up in
an orphanage in Little Rock:
Mildred Jean d 1972 of cancer (Ks)
Linda (daugh) had 3 children
William Harris (Texas)
William Harris, Jr
Eloise (died 2/2000) Little Rock
Fred Allen
Wayne Allen
Wayne Watson b 12-10-1925 N Little Rock
Deborah Ann
Debbie Harris Nicholas
Donovan Wayne Harris
Holly Kim
William David Stewart
Elizabeth Ann
Louise L b 2-22-1928, d 5-5-2001
of Lung Cancer, Ft Smith Ar
Linda
Rick
* Felix Harris b abt 1910
One son: Joe William
(Harper and Felix show up in the 1920 census, Union
(Cty,Ark, Garner Tnship, SD 7 Ed 163, Sheet 7A, Ln 5,
(Household 132.
Alice R Harris b abt 1879 d before 1935
(m J T Sewell Dec 13, 1896)
William G Sewell b Dec 1897
* Annie M Sewell Sims b Jan 1899
* Alma Sewell
* Martell Sewell
(note that William was not listed in Amanda's
probate in 1935 so he may have predeceased)
(info from 2900 census Union Cty, Garner Tnship,
(SD 6, ED 121, Page 4b, Household 76.
Jessie Harris b Oct 18, 1882 d Feb 13 1904 Friendship Cem
"*" = listed in Amanda's probate record in 1935 as being her living
descendants
Much of the above data was sent to me by letter dated Oct 5, 1994 from
Martha sue (Mrs N. O. Jr) Wright, Union Cty Gen Society, 514 Drexel Ct,
ElDorado, Ark, 71130.
Friendship cemetery is just a few miles north of the Hopewell Baptist
Church cemetery where Amanda's parents are buried.
The tombstone shows:
Amanda Owen
Wife of B W Harris
She was 86 years, 6 months and 4 days old at the time of her death.
My daughter, Kim Owen Chance, obtained a copy of Amanda's death certificate
and it showed:
Name: Amanda Fenton Harris
Res: 438 W. Block St
DOB: 11-26-1849
Age: 85 years, 6 mos, 4 days
birth: Merriweather Co, Ga
Father: Thomas Owen
birthplace of Father: (Blank)
Mother: (blank)
DOD: may 30, 1935
Cause: Pyatitis??, Nephritis
Other: Senile and intestinal tract
suicide: No
Autopsy: No
buried: June 1st, 1935 at Friendship Cem
Kim and I visited the Friendship Cemetery on Oct 1, 1998 and took
photos of the Harris tombstones.
In October, 1998, Kim got a copy of Amanda Owen Harris' probate record
which listed the descendants as follows:
"Mrs Carrie Farris, daughter, George E Harris, son;
Alma Sewell, Annie May sims and Martell Sewell, heirs
of Alice Sewell, deceased daughter; Harper Harris, Bessie
Sewell and Felix Harris, heirs of Will Harper, deceased;
Melvin Harris and Velma Harris, heirs of Robert Harris,
deceased son."
note that the above listing in 1935 (or soon thereafter) does not list
John Harris but perhaps he died before his mother.
The Debbie Nicholas listed as a grand-daughter of Harper Harris can be
contacted at debbienicholas@hotmail.com as of July 23, 2001.
Back to Marvin's Central GENEALOGY page
Back to Marvin's homepage