HARRISON HERITAGE
September 1985 Page 635

QUERIES

HARRISON HERITAGE
September 1985 Page 641

MY HARRISON LINE

by Ruth Harrison Jones

Delving into the life of Charity Cowperthwaite Harrison reveals that she may have had only one son, Thomas C. Harrison, and therefore was not the mother of Joel.

As stated in previous issues, John Harrison, Jr., Charity's husband, was very active in the real estate business from 1798 to 1805. After 1805, there is no record of his buying or selling property in Monmouth County, New Jersey. It was in 1805 that John sold his Dover Plantation to Apollo Woodward, while he was a resident of Stafford Township, Monmouth County. Perhaps he sold it to him to satisfy the judgement of 1803.

Charity's sister, Mary Cowperthwaite had married Benjamin Woodward, son of Anthony Woodward. The Woodwards were staunch Quakers and Anthony was a radical Loyalist during the Revolutionary War. He was familiarly referred to as "Black Nat." Anthony abandoned his land in Monmouth Co in 1776 and joined the British. His land was sold under confiscation procedure in 1779 and brought $15,000.00 in gold. After the war his property was restored to him, but there were still hard feeling against the Harrison's (John and John, Jr.) who abandoning their religion joined the cause of the Colonies.

The problems that John, Jr. had with his step-mother, the sheriff and his wifes' relatives is well documented in the deeds of 1801 to 1805.

From 1808 til 1829, Charity Harrison, listed as a 'householder', never as a widow, buys and sells considerable property in Monmouth Co., NJ.

On 25 July 1826, Charity sells 2 parcels of land to her son, Thomas for $60.00. They are 24/100's of an acre and 2 and 53/100's Acres. She had originally acquired this land for $20.00 on 1 Oct 1811 from Caleb Antrim. Witnesses were Isaac Woodward and William Emley. (Ledger: M-40 & V-20)

On 23 July 1828, Charity sold a house and lot in New Egypt, NJ, which she had purchased in 1811 from John Garrett. The price was $550.00. (Q-311)

There are many other instances of Charity and her son Thomas giving property for the building of a Friends Meeting House and disposing of land in Upper Freehold Township.

The Monmouth County Tax List shows the following HARRISON'S:

We assume that:

1. John deserted Charity
2. John and Charity were divorced
3. John was ill, mentally or physically

John had paid a tax on a covered wagon, that he inherited from his father in 1798. The writer suggests that John became a 'traveling man' sometime after 1805.

HARRISON HERITAGE
September 1985 Page 642

By the time that Charity died in 1831, she had deeded all her property to her son, Thomas C. Harrison. According to census records, Thomas was between 30 and 40 when his mother died in 1831. If he were born in 1797, he would have been 34 years old. Since no other children appear in any of Charity's land dealings, or in her household, I am inclined to believe that all these children I credited to this family in the June issue, belong to another family. Since she died at the plantation at Imlaytown, it would seem that this is the home originally occupied by the John Harrison, Sr. family.

We printed on page 615 of the June issue, that John Sr. had one known brother, Thomas who would have been born 1730 to 1750. He did not remain in Burlington County, nor is he to be found in Monmouth County. So where is he?

In reading the Bergen County mortgages (now Passaic Co, N.J. home of Joel Harrison) we find a Thomas Harrison, buying land 27 April 1804 and again on 22 Oct 1805 (Ledger C-256 & 342) On 6 Jan 1811, he purchased another parcel (D-233). If this is the brother of John, he may be considerably younger born ca 1750, would have made him 18 when his father died. His father being 17 years older than his mother. Which may be the reason that John bought his father William's land and quitclaimed half of it to his brother Thomas. Thomas not being of an age to be able to participate in the purchase.

Could this Thomas be the father of my JOEL??? He would have been 48 when Joel was born, but could have had a younger wife. Joel named his first born, THOMAS. In researching the legal discription of the land owned by Joel Harrison of Passaic County in 1824, it appears to be the same land as discribed in the 1804 mortgage of Thomas Harrison.

Isaac Harrison, named in the will of his father, John, Sr. who was not of age in 1798, is also found in the Bergen /Passaic County mortgages. Both he and his sister and brother-in-law, Clayton and Catherine Harrison Wildes were involved in land deals. So we know that this branch of the family settled in the Bergen County area. I believe that this is the same "Thomas" who is listed in the Morris Co Militia in 1793. So with these facts in mind, it is time to reshape my thinking.

Until proven otherwise, John Harrison, Jr. becomes a loveable uncle, who took to the road to sell liniment or some other 'cure-all' from the back of his covered wagon. He probably went up to Bergen/Passaic County to be near his relatives and some time after Charity died, he married MARY, who like the rest of the family journeyed up to northern Pennsylvania and is buried there as is stated on page 617 of the June issue.

In researching WILLIAM HARRISON father of John and Thomas, several bits of information were found. We need to remember that this is the man who disappeared until 1728, when at the age of 39 he married Sarah Bullock, age 22.

It has been assumed that he 'ran away from home' at an early age, which was the reason his father left him only 5 pounds as an inheritance. The Court records of Gloucester Co show that a William Harrison had a problem involving the Sheriff in 1713, this William would have been 24 years old. The same type of sheriff's record shows up again in Salem County in 1715. I was unable to find the nature of the problem.

HARRISON HERITAGE
September 1985 Page 643

From Quaker record: (film 849562):

William Harrison, son of Richard Harrison was appointed on the 8th month Third Day 1745 to be one of a committee of 6 persons to obtain a deed from Benjamin Wright for land for a burying ground.

.. His son, William Harrison, Jr. declared intention to marry Alice Starkey on Third month, third day 1753 and on Fourth month, fifth day 1753 and permission granted Fifth month, third day 1753.

So now we are able to add yet another son to the family of William and Sarah Bullock Harrison.

There is also in existance a deed of William Harrison, who on 17 October 1740, purchased from John Lawrence, 305 acres of land in Upper Freehold Township, Monmouth County NJ. John Lawrence had received this land from his father, James in 1739. This is the same 'plantation' which John Harrison purchased in 1755, quitclaiming half of it to his brother, Thomas.

It seems logical that William Harrison, Jr. might have been the first son, or at least older than brother Thomas. There may have been other sons, perhaps, George (the one paying taxes 1785-89). There may also have been several daughters.

PETER HARRISON ..... (father of Richard)

On page 560 (March issue) mention is made of Peter having attended the marriage of Richard and Ruth Buckman Harrison. Two other pieces of data have been found to substantiate the existance of said "Peter".

On 5 July 1678 Peter Harrison (Herrisone) was one of 29 petitioners to the Governor of N.J. in favor of Avery Jacobs.

24 June 1684, at a meeting of proprietors and freeholders, in the First Tenth, a list was made of all land holdings including: Burlington Co NJ Peter Harrison - 50 Acres.

(Bu Ct Bk:31)

By December the writer should have some documentation from the Trenton New Jersey Archives that will identify the parents of Joel, for sure. AND, some copies of deeds from 1865, 66, 67 of Passaic Co., NJ where Joel Harrison is selling property to a Samuel Beatty, Samuel Pattenger, Charles Patterson and where Anthony Day is acting as administrator for Joel Harrison. Should this be THE JOEL HARRISON, then we will know that in the early 1860's lie returned to West Milford, his home from at least 1819 to 1853, and that he died here in 1867. If this is true, then we will be able to say that another HARRISON LINE has been completed.

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HARRISON HERITAGE (ISSN 0740-9001) was a family genealogical quarterly. Published in March, June, September and December 1981-1986. RUTH HARRISON JONES, Editor and Publisher. Reprinted here with permission from the editor.

The Harrison Genealogy Repository http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~harrisonrep

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