Annals, Comprising Memoirs, Incidents and Statistics of Harrisburg; From the Period of Its First Settlement for the Past, the Present and the Future (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ANNALS OF HAREISBURG. JOHN HARRIS?HIS FIRST SETTLEMENT. From authentic records, we learn that John Harris commenced a settlement, on the present site of Harrisburg, a short time previous to the year 1719. Mr. Harris was a native of Yorkshire, England, and appears to have been a brewer by profession, as he worked at that business in the city of London. In " Watson's Annals" it is stated that " he was a middle-aged man when he came to America, and was one of the first emigrants with William Penn, at which time his entire capital amounted to only sixteen guineas." He first settled in the city of Philadelphia; and according to a writer in Hazzard's Register, " the nucleus of his future wealth was formed by a profitable contract he obtained from the authorities for removing the stumps and opening streets in that city." During his residence in Philadelphia, Mr. Harris was on intimate terms with, and enjoyed the friendship and esteem of, Edward Shippen, Esq., the first Mayor of that city, and for a long time one of the leading members of the Provincial Council. It was in this gentleman's family that he first saw and become acquainted with his future wife, Esther Say, also a native of Yorkshire, who is represented to have been a lady of superior intelligence and extraordinary energy. HARRIS BECOMES AN INDIAN TRADER. From Philadelphia, Mr. Harris and his wife moved to Chester county; thence to the neighborhood of the present site of Bainbridge, Lancaster county. Being an enterprising man, he became an active pioneer, and with the fruit of his industry commenced a trade with the Indians, penetrating by degrees to the westward until he reached the present site of Harris- burg. On the 17th of December, 1733, the proprietaries of Pennsylvania granted to John Harris, by pat...