Biographical Sketch of J. C. Harris, Johnson County, Missouri, Rose Hill Township. >From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell, Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918. ********************************************************************** J. C. Harris a progressive farmer and stockman of Rose Hill township, is a member of a well known and respected pioneer family. He is a son of C. H., Sr. and Hulda (Collins) Harris. The paternal grandfather of J. C. Harris settled in Johnson county many years prior to the Civil War. His mother was a daughter of a family that came to Missouri from Kentucky in the earliest days. C. H. Harris, Sr., was a capable and enterprising stockman and became very well to do, owning at one time two hundred twenty-three acres of choice farm land in Johnson county. Mr. Harris was an active Democrat and one of the most reliable and earnest of men. He always worked for the interests of the Cockrells whom he held in the highest esteem. C. H. Harris, Sr., died in 1880. He was a citizen of Johnson county highly valued for his sterling integrity and high sense of justice and honor and his loss to the good citizenship of the county has been long deeply deplored. Mrs. Harris had preceded her husband in death many years before. In the public schools of Johnson county, J. C. Harris obtained a good common school education under the instruction of "Jim" Taylor. In early youth, Mr. Harris began working for himself and the first money he ever had was made by "hiring out." He began loaning money, on a small scale of course, and with this as a basis made a business deal whereby he acq- uired his present fine country home. The Harris farm embraces one hundred twenty acres of land on which Mr. Harris is rasing good grade cattle and Poland China hogs. In 1880, J. C. Harris was united in marriage with Ella Duncan, daughter of Captain Lee Duncan and to this union were born two sons: Charles L., Gunn City, Missouri; and Joseph A., Gunn City, Missouri. Mrs. Harris died and in 1889 Mr. Harris re- married. Mrs. J. C. Harris is a daughter of Alec and Mary Givens who came from Kentucky to Johnson county in a very early day. To J. C. and Mary E. (Givens) Harris has been born one child, a daughter, Mary Belle, who is now the wife of H. O. Smith, of St. Louis, Missouri. When J. C. Harris was born in Johnson county in 1851, this section of Missouri was very sparsely settled. In his boyhood days, he was often called upon to assist in breaking sod and he used yokes of oxen in this work, often plowing with four yokes of oxen at a time. Wild game abounded and the present flourishing city of Holden was then a very small place. The early settlers traveled along trails and by direc- tion as the roads in the county were not built until in the eighties. Mr. Harris is one of Rose Hill township's best and most careful farm- ers. He keeps close watch on his soil and on the gullies and ditches, which he fills as soon as they are discovered. He is an enthusiastic advocate of the use of fertilizer. He and Mrs. Harris are widely known and esteemed in Johnson county. ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: <> Penny (Eisenbarger) Harrell ====================================================================