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FICES: visitor, Queen Anne's County Free School,
elected 1746 and 1759; Old Chester Church Ves-
try, St. Paul's Parish, Queen Anne's County,
1748-1750; sheriff, Queen Anne's County, 1751-
1754. MILITARY SERVICE: captain, by 1741.
WEALTH DURING LIFETIME. LAND AT FIRST
ELECTION: at least 2,863 acres in Queen Anne's,
Cecil, and Kent counties (272 acres inherited from
his father after his brother died childless; 279 acres
through his marriage; at least 2,140 acres by pur-
chase or patent). SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN LAND
BETWEEN FIRST ELECTION AND DEATH: 2,345
acres in Queen Anne's County by patent, 1759;
281 acres in Queen Anne's County by purchase,
1759. WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED: on a Tuesday in
March 1760 in Queen Anne's County, of small-
pox. PERSONAL PROPERTY: TEV, £3,216.9.5 cur-
rent money (including 29 slaves, 1 servant, 90
books, and 36.5 oz. silver); FB, £2,723.4.7. LAND:
at least 6,045 acres in Queen Anne's, Kent, and
Cecil counties. A portion of 2,345 acres in Queen
Anne's County owned by Harris at his death was
escheated land that he had patented in 1759.
Someone apparently disputed his claim to the land
and in his will he ordered his son-in-law, George
Garnett, Jr., to commence a lawsuit to recover
possession. Garnett never did this, but Harris's
heirs nevertheless appear to have retained title to
the land.
HARRIS, WILLIAM (ca. 1644-1712). BORN: ca.
1644, probably in England. IMMIGRATED: by
1674, perhaps as early as 1668 as a free adult. RE-
SIDED: in Kent County; Cecil County, by 1693.
MARRIED by 1680 Joan. CHILDREN. SON: James
Harris (1682- 1743), who married first, Elizabeth,
daughter of Edward Jones (?-1697), and second,
Augustina, daughter of Matthias Vanderheyden (?-
1729). DAUGHTERS: (first name unknown), who
married Thomas Brown, stepson of William Hop-
kins (?-1702); Mary, who married Robert Dunn,
son of Robert Dunn (ca. 1630-1676); Tabitha, who
married Marmaduke Tilden (?-1726); and Marga-
ret, who married Charles Hynson (1663-1711).
PRIVATE CAREER. EDUCATION: literate. RELIGIOUS
AFFILIATION: Protestant. SOCIAL STATUS AND
ACTIVITIES: perhaps the "Mr. William Harris" in-
volved in a lawsuit in Kent County in 1668; he
began actively patenting land in the 1680s; he
made a trip to England in 1687. OCCUPATIONAL
PROFILE: attorney; factor; planter; owned a water
mill in partnership with Hans Hanson (ca. 1647-
1704). PUBLIC CAREER. LEGISLATIVE SERVICE:
Lower House, Kent County, 1686-1688 (elected
to the 1st session to fill vacancy); Associators'
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Convention, Kent County, 1689-1692; Grand
Committee of Twenty, 169O-1692; Lower House,
Kent County, 1692-1693 (Accounts 1; Elections
and Privileges 1), Cecil County, 1697/98-1700
(Elections and Privileges 1, 3, chairman 3; Ag-
grievances 1-3, chairman 2, 3), 1701-1704 (Elec-
tions and Privileges, chairman 2, 3; Aggrievances
1, 5, chairman 5; Laws 1). LOCAL OFFICES: justice,
Kent County, 1686-1692, Cecil County, 1692-
1704 (quorum); St. Paul's Parish Vestry, Kent
County 1699-1702, 1707-1708, 1711. MILITARY
SERVICE: major, by 1701; colonel at the time of his
death. STANDS ON PUBLIC/PRIVATE ISSUES: sup-
ported the revolution of 1689; recommended for
appointment to Council in 1691, 1702, and 1707,
but he was never actually commissioned. WEALTH
DURING LIFETIME. LAND AT FIRST ELECTION:
1,900 acres by 1689. WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED:
will probated on November 21, 1712. PERSONAL
PROPERTY: TEV, £960.19.9 sterling (including 17
slaves); FB, £93.4.2. LAND: probably over 1,900
acres.
HARRIS, WILLIAM (1704-1748). BORN: in 1704
in St. Paul's Parish, Kent County; eldest son. NA-
TIVE: third generation. RESIDED: on Fairly (Fair-
lee) Creek, Kent County. FAMILY BACKGROUND.
FATHER: James Harris (1682-1743), son of Wil-
liam Harris (ca. 1644-1712). MOTHER: Elizabeth
(?-1716), daughter of Edward Jones (?-1697).
STEPMOTHER: Augustina, daughter of Matthias
Vanderheyden (?-1729). STEPAUNTS: Ariana Van-
derheyden (1690-1741), who married first, James
Frisby (1684-1719), second Thomas Bordley (ca.
1683-1726), and third, Edmund Jennings (?-
1756); Francina Vanderheyden, who married sec-
ond, Charles Hynson (1692-1748). HALF
BROTHER: Matthias Harris (1718-1773). SISTERS:
Jane; Mary; Elizabeth; and Sarah. MARRIED
Ariana Margaretta (1717-?), daughter of James
Frisby (1684-1719); stepdaughter of both Thomas
Bordley (ca. 1683-1726) and Edmund Jennings (?-
1756); niece of Henry Ward (?-1734), Augustina
Vanderheyden, who married James Harris (1682-
1743), and Francina Vanderheyden, who married
second, Charles Hynson (1692-1748). Her half
brother was John Beale Bordley (1726/27-1804).
Her sisters were Sarah (1714-1730); Francina
Augustina (1719-1766). Her nephews were Wil-
liam Stevenson (1739-1785); John Brice (1738-
1820); James Brice (1746-1801); and Benedict
Brice (1749-1786). CHILDREN. SON James, who
never married. DAUGHTER: Ariana. PRIVATE CA-
REER. EDUCATION: literate. RELIGIOUS AFFILIA-
TION: Anglican, St. Paul's Parish, Kent County.
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