© January 2005

Compiled by Teresa Martin Klaiber

22937 Long Branch Road, Rush, KY 41168

tklaiber@deliverancefarm.com

Thomas Harris, [Ebenezer, Thomas, Thomas] was born 22 March 1692/93 in Ipswich, Essex County Massachusetts;. He was the son of Ebenezer Harris and Rebecca Clarke.

Thomas married Elizabeth Church 11 February 1713/14 in Plainfield, Windham County Connecticut. His father bought land from Fitch and Winthrop in 1690 in what would be Plainfield. His uncle Thomas Harris was a signer of a petition for town privileges of Plainfield in 1699. Roads were developed in the 1700's from Providence to Norwich that ran through the town of Plainfield, making it an important trading post for agriculture. Access to the Moosup and Quinebaug River made Plainfield an industrial area in the 1800's. But when Thomas and Elizabeth married the main occupation was farming.

The family had seven children all born in Plainfield. Six of the children were daughters. Their first daughter, Rebeckah, was born 26 September 1714 at Plainfield. Our ancestor Martha was born in Plainfield 1 March 1718. In 1728 an unknown illness swept through the town leaving 20 dead as well as an unknown number of Indians. There is no record showing that this effected the Harris family. Their last child Ruth was born 27 July 1730. Their son Thomas born in 1725 moved to Columbia County, New York when he became an adult.

Thomas purchased land in Cornwall established in 1740. The new town was surrounded by a small valley with heavy pine groves. It was not very accessible and most of the proprietors were non-residents. But Thomas and his family did take up residence. There was some agriculture and sawmills. The thick pine groves had to be cut for settlement. Today the town contains Mohawk Mountain State Park and parts of the Mohawk and Housatonic State Forests. Thomas Harris died in Cornwall, Litchfield County, Connecticut prior to 1744. The last of his property in Cornwall was sold by his daughters to the Cornwall selectmen in 1770 and in turn some acres were regained by grand son Reuben Geer who was born about the same time Thomas Harris had died. Reuben kept the property for a short time.