Just as many of my Harris ancestors remained in or near Marshall County, (West) Virginia ... others, including David and Melissa, headed west as so many folks did in the 1800s. Six of their children were born in (West) Virginia; two more were born in Illinois.
The photo above is courtesy of Rosann Brown - a distant cousin and direct descendent of David and Melissa who I met online and eventually in person when she came "back east" a few years ago. I consider this photo a wonderful treasure as it's not everyday I get an image of someone from that generation. I don't know the exact date the photo was taken, but the year was 1885, meaning David would have been around 70 years old. I wonder if his birthday might have been the occasion - he was looking quite dapper!
David died on 20 February 1897 at the age of 81; Melissa lived another 17 years. Both are buried in the Dallas City Cemetery, Dallas City, Illinois. You can find a photo of their gravestone and additional details about their family on my website - search for either David Harris or Melissa Jane Bartlett.
Reviewing David has been part of my ongoing cleanup as I work through my database. His ID no. is 253 ... the highest one is currently 2638 ... time to get back to it!
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