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The Harris Family in the Civil War |
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Tracey Family |
Charles Harris Family |
A Missionary's Story |
This page summarizes the research I have done on the family of William Harris of Bedford County, Virginia. I have additional information on many of the families and individuals listed. I invite your corrections, your questions, and your comments.
Absalom D. Harris, a son of Rev. William Harris, was born in Bedford County about 1814. He married Sarah B. Turner 27 Oct 1846, and they had at least one child, Lucie P., born about 1847. In about 1856 or 1857, Absalom and his family left Bedford County. According to a lawsuit connected with the settlement of his father's estate, Absalom was still living in 1878, although not a resident of Virginia. Where did they go? Clues, hints,and suggestions will be appreciated.
Rev. William Harris was a prominent Baptist preacher in Bedford County, VA and the surrounding area. At the time of his death in 1865, he was probably the oldest Baptist minister in Virginia. Fifteen years earlier, he stated that he had baptized twenty-five persons who had themselves become pastors. Although not a well-educated man, he was apparently a powerful and gifted preacher.
He moved from Buckingham County to Bedford County in 1805, where he joined the Goose Creek Baptist Church. Although he had begun his ministry in Buckingham County, he was ordained in Bedford County. He also served churches in Roanoke and Botetourt Counties. During the course of his life, he served the following churches: Little Otter (now Bedford Baptist), Timber Ridge, Hunting Creek, Goose Creek (now Morgans), Wolf Hill, Suck Spring, Glade Creek, Tinker Creek, Jennings Creek, Cove, and New Prospect.
In his Recollections of a Long Life, Dr. Jeremiah Jeter describes Rev. Harris as six feet tall, "neither lean nor fat, but well developed, of a yellow complexion, and almost entirely beardless. His hair, in the later part of his life, was white, with a yellowish tinge, and worn long, hanging over his shoulders. His face bore an unmistakable smile of benevolence. His dress was homespun, differing neither in texture nor color from that worn by his neighbors. The fashion of his coat was peculiar. It had long skirts, with deep outside pockets, covered with broad flaps. In one of these the old man always carried a pipe, with the stem projecting not less than a foot above the flap."
At his death, no fewer than four obituaries were published in the Religious Herald, a Virginia Baptist newspaper. He was buried in a small family cemetery near the present location of Suck Spring Baptist Church in Bedford County. Many years later, funds were raised by the Strawberry Baptist Association and a monument to him was erected in Longwood Cemetery in the town of Bedford.
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