Personal photo taken in the Shenandoah area of Virginia

JESSE HARRIS, My Theory

In genealogy it is best to start with what you know and work backwards to prove your ideas. This information starts with the Jesse Harris who died after 1840 in Weakley County, Tennessee.

I believe that Jesse Harris born between 1760-1770 (unknown place) and died after 1840 in Weakley Co. TN was the father of :

Shaderick; Thomas W; Unknown Male; Zephaniah H.; John; Jesse Jr.; and William S.

On the Harris DNA Results chart:

A Jesse Harris born about 1770, a Zephaniah Harris born in 1804, and a William S. Harris born about 1813 all appear in Group 5 with a genetic difference of "0". Also in Group 5 with a zero genetic difference is Burr Harris (proven son of Obed Harris) born about 1760.

1840 Weakley County, TN Census information and other notes:

Jesse Harris

Male born 1760-1770

Female born 1770-1780

Shaderick Harris born between 1780-1790 died about 1846 in Weakley Co. TN leaving no will. It is not proven he is a son, we need a descendants YDNA tested. He appears on the 1840 census in Weakley County, TN as:

Male 50-60 (born 1780-1790)

Female 50-60 (born 1780-1790)

Female 10-15 (born 1825-1830)

Administrator Bond for Shaderick Harris, deceased. John A. Harris is appointed as Administrator for the Estate of Shaderick Harris, deceased, who has died leaving no will. Given under my hand this 6th day of April 1846. Weakley County, TN.

Thomas W. Harris ... nothing known at this time except that he was on the 1843, 1846 and 1847 Weakley Co. TN tax list with one poll in District 7. It is not proven he is a son, we need a descendants YDNA tested.

Zephaniah. H. Harris (Descendant's Test Kit #214938) was born in 1804 in NC and died about 1847 in Weakley Co. TN leaving no will. He was a postmaster in 1830 in Sandy Bridge. His YDNA suggests he is a son of Jesse Sr. (1760/1770-1840). His genetic difference from Jesse is "0". He appears on the 1840 Weakley County, TN census as Z. H. Harris:

Male 30-40 (born 1800-1810)

He has 2 male children born between 1825-1835

Female 20-30 (born 1810-1820)

He has 3 female children born between 1830-1840

Administrator Bond for Zepheniah H. Harris, deceased. William R. Ross is appointed as Administrator for the Estate of Zepheniah H. Harris, deceased, who has died leaving no will. Given under my hand this 7th day of June 1847. Weakley County, TN.

John Harris was born bet. 1800-1810 and he appeared on the 1842 and 1843 Weakley Co TN tax lists with 1 poll in District 1. One John W. Harris died in Weakley Co. TN about 1843 leaving no will. There are other John Harris's. One was still living in 1850 and a clergyman of the Baptist Church married to Harriet Moore. Zephaniah named one of his sons John William Harris. Biographical sketch of this John said he was born in Buncombe Co, NC. Then there is the John born about 1810 and Elizabeth Harris on the 1850 Murray County, Georgia census on the same page as William S. born about 1813 and Jemima Harris.

J. W. Harris appears in the 1840 Weakley County, TN census as:

Male 30-40 (born 1800-1810)

2 males born between 1825-1840

Female 15-20 (born 1820-1825)

Jessee Harris (Jr.) was born in 1810 and died in Crockett Co. TN in 1885.

On the 1880 census in Crockett, Alamo, TN, Jesse Jr. lists his father's birthplace as VA and his mother's birthplace as NC. He married Catherine Boyd Keeble. Name, place and dates in time are the only proof he is a son of Jesse Sr. In the 1840 Weakley Co., TN census he appears as:

Male 20-30 (born 1810-1820)

Female 20-30 (born 1810-1820)

Females 2 born between 1835-1840

One slave

William S. Harris was born about 1813 in TN. (Descendant's Test Kit 434282)

If this is proven to be his family, his father Jesse Sr. would have been between 43 and 53 years old when he was born. William S. has the same YDNA as Jesse Sr. (Descendant's Test Kit 59744) and Zephaniah (Descendant's Test Kit 214938) and is likely Jesse Sr.'s son or other close relative. There is a William S. Harris in the 1840 Monroe County, TN census age 20-30 with 2 male children under 5 and 3 females under 20 with one female 20-30. Monroe County is all the way across the state from Weakley County. He was on the move and on the 1850 census in Murray County, GA William and Jemima appear with 9 children , 3 which would have been born before the 1840 census.

According to the "Biographic Sketch of Tennessee Baptist, by Joseph Borum," published in 1880, Elder John Harris, was born in Buncombe Co., NC. It states he moved to Warren County, TN with his father when he was 8 years old which would have been around 1809. If you look at the 1800 census of Buncombe Co, NC for the surname Harris you come up with these:

Harris, Mary under 26

Harris, James bet. 26-45

Harris, Jesse bet. 26-45

Harris, Samuel bet. 26-45

Harrison, John bet. 26-45

1800 Census Buncombe Co. Morgan, North Carolina Jesse Harris

2 M under 10, 1790-1800, Shaderick? and Thomas W.?

1 M 26-45, 1755-1774 (One Jesse had no poll in 1787-Culpeper Co., VA which would mean he was born after 1766.) (In Culpeper Co. VA, he married in 1787, just turned 21?)

1 F 16-25, 1775-1784

1810 Census Buncombe Co., NC, Jesse Harris

2 M under 10, 1800-1810, Zephaniah, John

3 M 10-15, 1795-1800, Shaderick? and Thomas W.? and Who?

1 M 26-44, 1766-1784

2 F under 10, 1800-1810

l F 26-44, 1766-1784

1 slave

1812 Tennessee Early Tax List 1812: Jesse Harris

1820 Census, Warren County, Tennessee shows on index as Jose Harris

2 males under 10, bet 1810-1820, Jesse Jr. and ?William S.?

1 male 16-18, 1802-1804, Zephaniah

1 male 16-26, 1794-1804, Shaderick? or Thomas W.?

1 male over 45

2 F 10-16, 1 F 26-45

1 slave

State of Tennessee No 1659, Warren County, 5 day of July 1824 land grant assigned to Robert Randolph assignee of Jessee Harris assignee of Richard Hull on Collins Creek 100 acres

1826 Jesse Harris ...Grant #5722 Page 193

In consideration of the sum of 12 1/2 cents per acre, paid to the ... office Warren county and entered on the 21 day of July 1825, grant parcel of land containing 50 acres on Barren fork of Collins river adjoining the land of said Harris and William McMahen

1838: Weakley TN Early Tax List

Jesse Harris; Thomas W. Harris; Z. H. Harris

The focus here is on Jesse. Note: There are no Tax Lists on the Family Search.org site for Buncombe Co. NC.

Source: Buncombe County, NC Register of Deeds

1799 Buncombe County October Court, George Baker sold to Jesse Harris 101 acres on Crabtree Creek.

1803 July, Jesse Harris sold 101 acres on Crabtree Creek to Lazarus Tilly.

1803 April, Jesse Harris bought 200 acres from James Ainesworth

1807 March, Jesse Harris bought 324 acres from Joseph Dobson

1807 August, Jesse Harris sold to Patton & Erwin 10 acres on the Caney River which included a store house and land

Remember: Rev. John Harris's bio sketch said he moved to TN with his father around 1809.

1815 over several months, Jesse sold to Hiram Ray 330 acres on Crabtree Creek. This acreage included the plantation where Jesse Harris now lives.

Jesse Harris already appeared on the Weakley Co. TN tax list in 1812

There were other Harris's in Buncombe Co. NC and I tried to connect our Jesse Harris to them but was not able to do so. Jesse Harris Jr. said in the 1880 Census that his father was born in Virginia. So where did he come from and who did he come with?

CULPEPER COUNTY VIRGINIA Marriage Records

Harris, Jesse married Molly Clatterbuck, January 25, 1787

Harris, James married Mary Brady, Dec. 18, 1788

If you will remember from above, the names Jesse and James Harris appear on the 1800 Buncombe Co. NC Census.

Harrison, Obed married Frances Lewis, April 4, 1793 I expect this is our Obed Jr. son of Obed Sr. of Loudoun County Virginia. In 1795, 97 and 98 Obed Jr. is on the Loudoun Co. VA tax list.

Nearby in AUGUSTA COUNTY VIRGINIA

Harris, Burr married Mildred Bohannon, October 18, 1785

In 1787-89, 91-95, 1797 Burr Harris with one poll is in the Loudoun Co., VA tax list

CULPEPER COUNTY VIRGINIA TAX LISTS:

1782 Harris, William 1 poll

1783 Harris, William 1 poll

1787 Harris, Jesse no poll, first time I see him while researching back to the 1782 tax list

1788 Not found (Perhaps it is him in Loudoun Co. with 1 poll)

1789 Harris, no first name, 1 poll

1790 Harris, Jesse 1 poll; Harris, James 1 poll

1791 Harris, Jesse 1 poll 2 horses; Harris James 1 poll 1 horse

1792 Harris, Jesse 1 poll; Harris James 1 poll

1793 Harris, Jesse 1 poll

1794 Not found

1795 Harris, James 1 poll

1796 Harris, Jesse 1 poll

1797-1798-1799 No Jesse or James Harris found

By 1799 Jesse Harris was buying land in Buncombe County, NC. By 1800 a Jesse and a James Harris appear on the Buncombe Co. NC census. It is unknown if or how these two are related. James is age 26-45 with no children. Jesse is age 26-45 with 2 male children...were these children Shaderick? and Thomas W.?

Who are the parents of the Jesse and James Harris in the Culpeper tax records? I had thought that perhaps they were the children of William Harris, son of Thomas Calvert Alias Harris and Sarah Sheppard Harris but it doesn't appear that this is true. William son of Thomas married 3 times: Elizabeth Davis 1777, and twice more later in Kentucky but 1777 is too late for our Jesse Harris born 1760-1770. Could this William have married once before Elizabeth Davis?

Another option could be that Jesse and perhaps James if not father and son themselves, were children of the "unknown" family of Thomas, son of Burr Calvert Alias Harrison. They must be very closely related since Jesse's YDNA is an exact match to Burr, son of Obediah.

1840 Weakley County, TN Census

1800 Buncombe County, North Carolina Census

1838 Weakley County Tennessee Tax List: showing Z. H. Harris, Thomas W. Harris and Jesse Harris