Great x4 Grandfather John Harris

My Great x4 Grandfather John (1794 - after 1851) was an agricultural labourer and father of three.

John Harris was born around 1794 in Coldridge, Devon.

There were two John Harris baptised in Coldridge around 1794. Unfortunately it is impossible to work out which is ours, meaning we know little about John's early life.

On 9th May 1819, John (about 25), an agricultural labourer, married Ann Rogers (about 27), in his native Coldridge. On the same day as they married, their son William was also baptised.

John and Ann had three children (one son and two daughters):

• William 1819 -
• Ann  1822 -
• Mary  1824 -

At some point the family moved from Coldridge about four miles east to Lapford, where they can be found living at Cleave Cottage on the 1841 census.

1841 Census:

John's two daughters soon married two brothers. On 12th June 1841, his eldest daughter Ann married elder brother George Edworthy, who, the 1841 census shows, lived with the Harris family at Cleave Cottage before their marriage; then, a few years later, on 26th September 1843, his youngest daughter Mary married younger brother William Edworthy. A few years early, Mary had given birth to an illegitimate daughter, whom she called Ann (likely after her mother and sister), and whose father may well have been William. The 1841 census shows the baby (not yet named at one week old) was part of the family, and seemingly accepted by grandparents John and Ann.

In the 1851 Census, John is shown still living at Cleave Cottage with his married daughter Ann, her husband George Edworthy (George now listed as the head of the household), and their three young daughters. John is still listed as married, but where is his wife Ann? She may have passed away in the 1840's, and the census is incorrect on the married front, and he should have been recorded as widower. Unfortunately Ann Harris is a common name; several Ann Harriss passed away in that general area in the 1840's, and it is impossible to work out which ours, without ordering a massive pile of documents, but it is likely one was our Ann, as she disappears from records after this time.

1851 Census:

Like his wife before him, John simply disappears from record. It seems likely he passed away, in his sixties, sometime in the 1850's, as there are records of several John Harriss passing away in the general area from that time, and one was likely our John.