John Harris Sr. (1673 – December 1748) was an American businessman who emigrated from Britain to
America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
late in the 17th century. Harris would later
settle and establish
Harrisburg
Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in P ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Mary ...
, which was later named in his honor.
Biography
Harris was born in
Yorkshire, England
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
, the son of
Welsh parents. He worked in
London, England
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...
as a
brewer
Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with yeast. It may be done in a brewery by a commercial brewe ...
until middle-age.
When Harris landed in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
, his total wealth was 16
guineas
The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...
(about
$25,692.27 in 2017 dollars).
He began to improve his fortune through contracts to clear land and open streets in the city. He formed a firm and lifelong friendship with
Edward Shippen
Edward Shippen (1639, Methley, West Yorkshire, England – October 2, 1712, Philadelphia, Province of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania) was the second List of mayors of Philadelphia, mayor of Philadelphia, although under William Penn's charter of 1701, ...
, the second Mayor of Philadelphia, justice of the State Supreme Court, the later president of the
Provincial Council. Harris would go on to marry Shippen's niece Esther Sey (Say), also a native of Yorkshire, England. He developed cordial relations with the
Penn family as well.
[
In 1705, the first John Harris received his trader's license to "seat himself on the Sasquahannah" (Susquehanna River) and "to erect such buildings as are necessary for his trade, and to enclose and improve such quantities of land he shall see fit." At first a roving trader, he eventually established a trading post along the river. Soon after, he became known for his fair dealings with the local Indians and later, wise counsel to the settlers, reputations which became traditional with him and his sons.
In 1733, he was granted the right to operate a ferry across the Susquehanna and for more than half a century "Harris's Ferry" was the funnel through which much of the ]Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
, Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
and German migration trickled west. In the same year Harris acquired, through grants, two tracts of land adjacent to his ferry, totaling . Today, the area has been developed into downtown Harrisburg. John Harris Sr. had seven sons and two daughters.
Death
Harris died in December 1748 and left the management of the estate and control of an important strong point on the frontier to his son John Harris Jr.
See also
* History of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
References
External links
The John Harris–Simon Cameron Mansion
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, John Sr.
British emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies
People from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
People from Philadelphia
1673 births
1748 deaths
People of colonial Pennsylvania