User:Harris family

James Harris of Bedford County, Tenn., was born Feb. 10, 1777, in Rowan County, N.C., the second of six children of James and Hannah Stapleton Harris. He was married on June 28, 1797, to Ann(Nancy) Thompson who was born Oct. 29, 1780 in Union County S.C., daughter of John Thompson and Ann Wallace Thompson. Both died in Bedford County, he on Nov. 3, 1863 and she on Oct. 1, 1869. Both are buried in family cemetery on the land they settled.

James Harris and Nancy Thompson grew up about 100 miles apart, a distance formidable but often traversed in pioneer America. Exact circumstances of their meeting is not known but a Nicholas Harris is known to have lived in Union County near the Thompsons and to have been members with them of the Fairforest Presbyterian Church. Possibly, even probably, young James went to South Carolina to visit relatives, attended church with them, and there met Nancy. However it happened, they were married there when he was 20 and she was 16, and returned to his native Rowan County, N.C., where they lived for 10 years on a farm near his parents. Foure of their ,ight children were born therem and their first-born son died there.