Brief Life History of Woodson Alexander
When Woodson Alexander Harris was born on 23 December 1814, in North Carolina, United States, his father, George Washington Harriss, was 21 and his mother, Margaret "Peggy" Gaddis, was 21. He married Mary 'Polly' Briggs on 6 February 1837, in Schuyler, Illinois, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 son and 5 daughters. He lived in Brown, Illinois, United States in 1850. He died on 27 April 1890, in Little Elm, Denton, Texas, United States, at the age of 75, and was buried in Little Elm, Denton, Texas, United States.
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Family Time Line
Sources (11)
- Woodson Harris, "United States Census, 1860"
- Woodson Hornig, "Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1940"
- Woodson Alexander Harris, "Find A Grave Index"
Spouse and Children
Parents and Siblings
World Events (8)
1818
Illinois is the 21st state.
1830 · Trail of Tears
In the 1830's, President Jackson called for all the Native Americans to be forced off their own land. As the Cherokee were forced out of North Carolina many of them hid in the mountains of North Carolina.
1839
Historical Boundaries: 1839: Brown, Illinois, United States
Name Meaning
English (southern England and south Wales): from the personal name Harry + genitival -s. This surname is also established in Ireland, taken there principally during the Plantation of Ulster. However, in some cases, particularly in families coming from County Mayo, Harris can be an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hEarchadha. This surname is also very common among African Americans.
American shortened and altered form of Greek surnames begining with Cha(r)-, such as Chasandrinos (variant of Kassandrinos, a habitational name from the Kassandra peninsula of Chalkidiki), and various patronymics from the personal name Charalampos (see Charos ). In North America, the surname Harris may possibly also originate from a transferred use of the Greek personal (given) name Charis or Harris (shortened forms of Charalampos) as a surname (i.e. as a replacement of the original surname).
Americanized form of various like-sounding Jewish surnames.
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
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