6390. Walter¹⁴ Harris was born in England. Walter died 6 November 1654 in Dorchester, Essex, MA.

He married Mary Fry about 1612 in Waymouth, Dorsetshire, England. Mary was born 1592 in Weymouth, Dorset, England. Mary was the daughter of William Fry and Sarah Hill. Mary died 24 January 1656 in Dorchester, MA, at 63 years of age.

The following was kindly sent by Richard D. Harris, Avon, CT. July 1998
He cites http://www.maryandjohn1630.com as his source.

Until 1993, it was believed that Walter Harris was one of sixteen men aboard the "William & Francis" that left England in March of 1632 to work in Plymouth. This is not the Walter Harris who died in New London in 1654. There was a second Walter Harris In 1993, Mr. Doug Richardson of Mesa AR found records that establish the following as true.. His efforts are published in Vol. 19, of "Search for the Passengers of the Mary & John 1630" Walter Harris & Mary Fry were married in England in early 1621. She was thought to be the daughter of William Fry and Sarah Hill of Axminster, Devon, but this is now doubtful.. They had seven children in Honiton, Devon. Six sailed to America in 1637 aboard the Speedwell, a ship one-third the size of the Mayflower. As of this writing, the parents, grandparents, etc of Walter Harris are unknown, but it is surmised that they were also from the Axminster area. Walter was evidently a man of wealth (for those days), possibly a weaver or lace maker since Honiton is noted for it's cloth and lace. In addition, his son Gabriel was a wool and silk weaver at New London. In 1637, the center of Honiton was at the top of a hill about two miles uphill and south of current town center The Church where the children were baptised is in the old town at the top of the hill. St. Michaels church, rectory and graveyard are still there. The babtismal records of the children are as follows: Mary; Nov. 1621, Sarah; Mar 6, 1624,5,, Mary(?) Feb 4, 1626/7, Gabryell; Mar 1629/0, Ellyzabeth; 28 Aug 1631, Susanna; May 31,1634,and Thomas; Jan 1635/6. Susanna was buried 27 Aug 1634.(LDS-SLC) 917,147 and 917,148) For the trip to America, Walter would have had to load all their possesions on oxcarts for the 35 mile trip to Weymouth. The sailing list of the Speedwell for 1637, Shows Walter, Mary, six named children and three servants. The trip to America probably took about 70 days, which was typical for that time. They had been preceeded there by Mary's brother, Wm. Fry and her two sisters; Thomasine Fry Rawlins and Hannah Fry Meigs, all of whom had come over on the" Mary and John" in 1630. Four years after arriving in Weymouth, Walter was made a "freeman"and granted full political rights in the Massachusetts Bay Colony on June 2, 1641.. He was the appraiser of two estates in Dorchester as well as the estate of his brother-in-law, William Fry whose will ties together the Harris, Fry, Meigs and Rawlins families. Walter was the owner of "eyght acres in Harrises raing, and eyght acres in the Mill Furlong", both in Weymouth and Dorchester..

(From Parkhurst Vol 13 1-157) New London Records May 30, 1651 " Walter Harris of Dorchester desires house lot by John Coit's (West side of Thames River across from Pfizer Co.) Granted." The deed also includes some "hideous rocks" in the harbor which can still be seen. Aug 5, 1652 : Goodman Harris, for his son Gabriel (age 24) hath given him six acres of uplands for a house lot, next to his father's" (A wedding present?). June 21, 1654 Goodman Harris chosen by the towne an "Ordinary (Inn) keeper but he died shortly after that. . Nov. 6 1654, Widow Harris was granted by vote also to keep an Ordinary, if she will. She died Jan 24, 1656 and her's is one of the oldest wills ever filed in the Connecticut Colony at Hartford, It can be seen in Caulkins History of New London and the CT State Library. The burial site of Walter and Mary Fry is not known at this time.

The Harris line has continued in southeastern Connecticut for 15 generations.

Walter Harris and Mary Fry had the following children:

6392 i. Mary Harris was born in England in 1621. She died before 1626/7.

6392 ii. Sarah Harris was born in England in 1624/5.

6392 iii. Mary Harris was born in England in 1626/7. She died young.

6397 iv. Gabriel Harris was born in Honiton, Devonshire, England 1629/30. Gabriel died 16 March 1684 in New London, New London, CT, at 54 years of age. He married Elizabeth Abbot 3 March 1653 in New London, New London, Connecticut.

6393 v. Elizabeth Harris was born in England in 1631.

6393 vi. Susanna Harris was born in England in 1634. Susanna was buried 27 Aug 1634.(LDS-SLC)

6394 vii. Thomas Harris was born in England in 1635/36. Thomas probably died in Dorchester, Suffolk, MA.

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