© January 2005

Compiled by Teresa Martin Klaiber

22937 Long Branch Road, Rush, KY 41168

tklaiber@deliverancefarm.com

Ebenezer Harris, [Thomas, Thomas] was born about 1663/1665 in Ipswich, Essex County Massachusetts. He was the son of Thomas Harris and Martha Lake.

He married Rebecca Clarke 15 September 1690 in Ipswich, Essex County Massachusetts. Rebecca Clarke, born Abt. 1668 in Ipswich, Essex County Massachusetts. The same year he married, 1690, Ebenezer bought land from Fitch and Winthrop in the Quinebaug Country which would become Plainfield, Windham County, Connecticut.

While he had made the land purchase, there was trouble between the Winthrop family and Major Fitch which involved the residents in major lawsuits. The eastern settlers favored the Winthrops and the western Major Fitch. Ebenezer along with John Fellows and John Gallup quietly entered a parcel of land on the plantation of Plainfield and cleared about eight acres growing English grain. Major Fitch forced them off the land just as the crop was ready for harvest, arrested and imprisoned them and extorted a large amount of money from them to gain their freedom.

Life moved along with Rebecca and Ebenezer having three children, Thomas [1692/3], Ebenezer [1694] and Martha. The children were all born in Plainfield. Martha, the youngest, was born 26 November 1696. Rebecca died 16 June 1699 in Plainfield, Windham County Connecticut, and while the records do not give cause of death, this compiler’s assumption is that it was due to child birth.

Ebenezer left with three toddlers remarried. He married Christobel Crary born 6 February 1679 in Stonington, New London County, Connecticut. According to one source their marriage took place in Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts on 8 May 1701. Ebenezer would have nine more children with his 2^nd wife.

To resolve the land disputes and the disagreements of the Fitch/Winthrop followers the inhabitants threw in their previous purchases into a common stock and in 1704 received an equal and regular allotment. Ebenezer’s name was on the February petition for this arrangement. But this did not resolve all their problems. In September property owned by a family named Tracy noted that some forty acrs had been wrongly appropriated. The town seized the extra land giving it over to the Indians to raise a crop of corn. Once this crop was ready to harvest the Plainfield people heard that people from Norwich who favored the Tracy’s were coming to clear the Indian corn field. The town knew this would cause more trouble with the natives so the constable was ordered to gather corn for the use and improvement of the Indians. Ebenezer Harris was hired to assist the constable along with Benjamin Palmer. While picking the corn a number of men from Norwich which included Joseph Tracy seized the corn and began loading it on wagons. After some ado they were arrested. Palmer, the constable and Harris rode off with the prisoners but long before reaching Norwich the men made an escape. Ebenezer and the two others pursued them to James Bushnell’s tavern where some of them were once again told they would be brought before the Governor but were rebuked by the men who rode away.

Yet another time Ebenezer was involved with a dispute over the boundary of Canterbury and the town of Plainfield. Plainfield appointed a committee to defend the town's rights, with power to recover some rails. But William Marsh, Joseph Spalding, Ebenezer Harris and James Kingsbury had the honesty and fairness to protest since the town intended rails which were rightfully gotten by Canterbury. It apparently did little good as Plainfield assumed full jurisdiction of all the land east of the Quinebaug, laying out divisions and ordering fences at pleasure; while Canterbury retaliated by pulling down fences and carrying off hay and grain.

In 1728 Ebenezer Harris was seriously injured when a bridge was being built over the Shetucket River. History states that forty men wee on one end of the bridge when it gave way. One nineteen year old, Jonathan Gale of Canterbury, was killed and among the many reported as wounded was Ebenezer. Ebenezer recovered from the wounds and lived until 12 February 1751 when he died in Plainfield, Windham County, Massachusetts.

i. Thomas Harris, born 22 March 1692/93 in Ipswich, Essex County Massachusetts; died Bef. 1744 in Cornwall, Connecticut; married Elizabeth Church 11 February 1713/14 in Plainfield, Windham County Connecticut.

ii. Ebenezer Harris, born 11 June 1694 in Ipswich, Essex County MA.

iii. Martha Harris, born 26 November 1696 in Plainfield, Windham County CT; died 04 January 1791 in Voluntown, New London County CT; married Ebenezer Dow 27 December 1720 in Voluntown, New London County CT.

Children of Ebenezer Harris and Christobel Crary are:

 

i. Sarah Harris

ii Christobel Harris