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Adele Briscoe Looscan CollectionLewis Birdsall Harris Papers, Manuscript Collection: MC066
Creator SketchLewis Birdsall Harris was born in Waterloo, New York on July 1, 1816, the third child of John R. Harris and Jane Birdsall. When his mother left New York for Texas in 1833, he remained at the home of his grandparents until the spring of 1836. Although he arrived in Texas on April 21st, he quickly joined the Texian Army. Harris later held government positions as a clerk for both Andrew Briscoe and DeWitt Clinton Harris and served in the military including participating in the Somervell Expedition. In 1849 Harris joined the rush for California. He eventually settled in Sacramento, where he served as county clerk. Lewis B. Harris was a prolific correspondent and wrote frequently to his relations in New York and Texas. He maintained a journal from 1836 to 1842 describing his journey from New York to Texas and his life in Texas. Harris married Jane E. Wilcox in 1846. In 1854, he married Amanda C. Dell, and had two children: Lewis B. Harris, Jr. and Gordon B. Harris. Lewis B. Harris died in San Diego, California, on June 12, 1893. Return to the Table of Contents Scope and Content NoteFinancial documents, correspondence, and legal papers briefly record the life of Lewis Birdsall Harris. Statements of account (4) and tax receipts (2) document Harris' financial transactions. Of interest are 3 records concerning the rental and eventual purchase of Mary, a 24 year old black woman, by Henry F. Fisher in 1849, the year Harris left Texas for California. Correspondence includes 2 letters received by Harris, one from his nephew J. S. Birdsall in Oregon in 1871 asking for financial assistance. Three letters written by Harris from California in 1851 are addressed to "friends" - probably his Texas relatives. Legal documents include 2 records signed by Harris as county clerk in Harrisburg County and a deed to lots in Harrisburg sold to Harris by Johnson Hunter. Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Table of Contents RestrictionsRestrictions on AccessNone. Terms Governing UseOpen for research by appointment. Publication RightsCopyright has not been assigned to the San Jacinto Museum of History. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Library Director. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Jacinto Museum of History as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher. Return to the Table of Contents
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Return to the Table of Contents Administrative InformationCitation[Identification of Item], Lewis Birdsall Harris Papers, MC066, San Jacinto Museum of History, Houston, Texas. AcquisitionMr. and Mrs. George A. Hill, Jr., Houston Public Library, Annie Hume, 1939-1940. Processing InformationProcessed by Sandra Eileen Yates, 2002. Return to the Table of Contents Bibliography:
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