This is Chapter Nine of twelve, where for a period of time, packet ships dominated travel and immigration between the United Kingdom and America. Once in America, the Harris brothers — Evan and William — make their mark in Tallmadge, Ohio.
We are fortunate in our research when we come across a birth register in which there are many answers for what we are seeking with a family line. Such is the case with the Mynyddyslwyn, Beulah Chapel (Baptist) Registry, in Monmouthshire, Wales.
A Registry for 3 Sons
We meet our ancestor Evan Harris in Monmouthshire when his birth and baptism is recorded, along with those of his brothers William and Henry Jr.. As we learned in the last chapter, their parents are named are Henry Harris and Ann (Unknown). (Observation: In some other records, Harris is sometimes spelled as Harries, when we know we are reading records about the same people).
along with his brothers William, and Henry Jr. (following). From the
Mynyddyslwyn, Beulah Chapel (Baptist) Registry, in Monmouthshire, Wales.
In the 1806 baptismal record for Evan Harris, the entry states that he was “October the 5th 1802 and baptized November _?_ 1806”. Throughout his life, it became clear that Evan (and also his wife Hannah) were unclear on their exact ages, because the records vary somewhat. We have seen this with many other family lines, when the ancestors lived in a pre-literate world. (1)
Evan Harris Marries Hannah Morris
It took us a long while to locate his marriage record and make sense of what we found. Does the name Evan Evans sound familiar? (Of course not). We had been looking for our Grandfather who was named Evan Harris. It seems that whoever was writing this record was a bit confused when writing with their quill pens. We know that this is the correct marriage because of the ages of the people involved, their ages, and the parish. We’ll explain further below the marriage record .
When you look at the details, the parish name is misspelled, as Monyddysloin. This name never existed as a real parish, but is certainly a phonetic spelling of the true name Mynyddyslwyn. (Historic records confirm this). Also, it is clear that in a preliterate world, Evan Harris and Hannah (Morris) Harris signed their names with an X, as most of our ancestors did before (circa) the 1880s. They couldn’t verify what was written, but had to rely on the kindness of others for this type of thing.
Further, if you look at the actual penmanship for their recorded names, it appears that the last portion, the ‘r-r-i-s’ letters, which both surnames share, look very much the same. as in H-a-r-r-i-s, not E-v-e-r-r-i-s. We don’t know what was going on in the room at the time, put whomever recorded this made a mistake.
Finally, there is a man named Evan Evans living in Monmouthshire at this time, in another parish. In 1824, he is marrying a woman named Rachel Thomas. (Please see the footnotes). (2)
Mysteries Concerning Young Elvira From 1840
We know that Evan and Hannah had at least six children. All of them were born in Mynyddyslwyn Parish, Monmouthshire, Wales.
- Henry E. Harris, 1827-1920, Henry carries the family name forward.
- Sally [or] Sarah (Harris) Reese Lewis, 1829-1894*
- Ann Harris, 1831-Unknown date
- Mary (Harris) Morris, 1833-1890
- Hannah (Harris) Thomas, 1838-1910
- Elvira Harris, 1840-Unknown date
*She was recorded as Sarah on the 1841 Wales Census, but it appears she used the name Sally in America.
There are a couple of mysteries about their youngest daughter Elvira...
We know she was born in Wales and came to America with her family. For that journey she would have been 8 years old, but mysteriously, she is not listed on the manifest. We thought that perhaps she could have come over with Evan’s younger brother William, since his family moved to America in the same time frame. We found no evidence of that. We poured over the 10 page manifest for their ship, the Caleb Grimshaw, but did not see any entry for an E. Harris at 8 years of age. We noticed that in the entire manifest, there is only one additional mark — it is a deliberate checkmark [√] next to the mother Hannah Harris’s name. Could this notation be the only indication that there was a young child being carried in her mother’s arms?
Elvira is listed on the 1841 Wales Census as being one year old, and she is also found on the 1850 Tallmadge, Ohio Census. Therefore, we know that she traveled from Wales to Ohio by some means. Perhaps the record keeper at the immigration point in New York just missed her?
with the arrival date in New York of May 27, 1848.
We learned from the Find A Grave website [contributor C. E. Tabbert’s notes] that Elvira “was listed on the 1850 Tallmadge Census age 10… as deaf and dumb… [and] the 1860 census does not have her listed… [nor is she listed in the 1868 draft of her father Evan’s Will]. The name in the Tallmadge Cemetery Lot Book is written over and illegible. There is a headstone in that area of the cemetery that has fallen on its face and is also unreadable. I believe that Elvira is buried in Grave 6. Her parents, brother and other family members are buried in this same lot.” (3)
It’s True. Timing Really Is Everything.
We have speculated about why the Harris family came to the decision to immigrate to America. The only thing that has made sense is the idea that they learned through either friends or (perhaps) family that there were riches to be made, and opportunity to be had, in America. An old story, that was new at that time. The point is, they came and prospered.
This family immigrated to America in 1848 on board the packet ship Caleb Grimshaw. It appears from the ships short history that they were likely on the premier voyage (or close to the premier) when the ship left Liverpool for New York. Their timing was a blessing.
from the Liverpool Mercury, 1849. Oil painting of the Caleb Grimshaw by Samuel W. Walters,
circa 1848. Walters was considered to be Liverpool’s leading marine artist at the time.
(Both images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).
Here is the history of the Caleb Grimshaw ship…
“When the influx of Irish migrants hit Liverpool [England] with the start of the potato famine in 1845, an estimated 1.5 million desperate people crossed the Irish Sea heading for the city, three quarters of which then boarded ships to New York, Philadelphia, or elsewhere.
Whilst living in New York in 1818, British merchant Jeremiah Thompson had pioneered the concept of the sailing packet which was guaranteed to depart on schedule rather than (the traditional) waiting until its hold was full. Offering a time table, his Black Ball Line revolutionized the transatlantic trade. British and American merchants joined forces to take full advantage of the migration boom. The Liverpool firm of Caleb Grimshaw & Company, specialists in migration traffic, teamed up as agents for Thompson in 1842 to take charge of the Liverpool to New York route.
Left to right: The Liverpool port area, showing the Waterloo Dock, where their ship
would have departed England. Then, the Lower Part of New York City, 1851, with an arrow indicating the Black Star Line piers, where their ship would have docked.
(Images courtesy of Grimshaw Origins and History).
One of the vessels operated by Grimshaw was the wooden packet ship Caleb Grimshaw (named after the company’s late founder). Built at William Henry Webb’s shipyard in New York and launched in early 1848, she sailed from Liverpool’s Waterloo Dock to New York under command of Captain William Hoxie with a crew of thirty men, carrying a maximum of 427 migrants.
The ship completed a total of five trips before disaster struck on her sixth crossing in November 1849 with 425 migrants aboard. A fire created panic and chaos. A lack of leadership drove some passengers to take matters into their own hands, lowering one of the ship’s boats which crashed into the water. Twelve people were swept away and drowned. Another boat was lowered by the crew, equipped with supplies of food and water for a select number of passengers.
The next morning, with the blaze raging, a boat was reserved for the captain’s wife and daughter who were joined by some of the first-class cabin travelers. Later that day Hoxie himself abandoned ship. The unfortunate migrants in steerage were left behind to fend for themselves, building survival rafts with remaining members of the crew on board.
Fire Consumes The American Packet Ship Ocean Monarch,
English Wood Engraving by Morel Fatio, 1848. (Image courtesy of Amazon.com).
Help arrived on the fourth day when the trading barque Sarah, sailing from London to Halifax, drew alongside. Her master David Cooke first rescued the passengers on the boats and rafts, leaving more than 250 passengers on board clinging to the burning wreckage. It took a total of ten days to save the last of the survivors and deliver them safely to the port of Flores in the Azores. When the Caleb Grimshaw finally sank, the lives of ninety migrants had been lost.” (New York Almanack) The Caleb Grimshaw only made five voyages, and this disaster was obviously her last trip.
Since our ancestors lived in a community where many immigrants from Wales and Ireland had moved to, it is likely that they eventually learned of this disaster. One wonders what they may have thought? (4)
(Image courtesy of the David Rumsey Map Collection).
The Harris Brothers Make Their Mark
Evan’s brother William H. Harris was living in the area near to Tallmadge township, Ohio in the very early 1840s, so he obviously immigrated to America before his brother’s family. We know this from records in the Tallmadge cemetery which correspond to the larger family circle*. Since William arrived at least seven years before his brother Evan did, he was established and connected to the community in the area.
*Please see the footnotes regarding his 1841 marriage, and the 1842 birth of his oldest son John Harris.
Communication back then took much more time, but when there is work and opportunity, word still travels pretty far. We are sure that both word-of-mouth and Welsh language newspapers carried the news that coal mining was available and would let you transplant your family to the opportunities in America.
Black ink wash on paper Coal Mining Scene, by Harry Sternberg.
(Image courtesy of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art).
The following is both derived from and quoted from in several sections: A History of Tallmadge Coal: A Tale of Woodchucks, Welshmen, and a Canal, by Judy Anne Davis. It is one of the few publications which document the life of the Welsh community in Tallmadge.
“Coal was first discovered in the southeast corner of the township, with another discovery attributed to a woodchuck digging on ‘Coal Hill’ around 1810. In 1819 or 1820, Samuel Bronson and Samuel Newton opened a mine in the bluff of Coal Hill. By 1827, Henry Newberry began hauling coal by wagon to Lock 16 on the Ohio Canal to sell in Cleveland, although initial sales were slow. Daniel Upson arrived in 1832, recognized the potential, and secured a charter from the Ohio State Legislature in 1838 for the Tallmadge Coal Company. This company consolidated most of the mining rights in Coal Hill, excluding Newberry’s, ultimately controlling around 500 acres.
[This made us take notice…] By 1852, Upson and another major operator, William H. Harris, were shipping 10 to 20 tons of coal daily. In 1855, the Tallmadge Coal Company produced 23,000 tons of coal. The mines operated heavily through the 1850s, with over 300,000 tons removed from just 60 acres by 1857. The industry largely defined the industrial development of early Tallmadge before fading in the late 19th century.”
and Evan Harris held their coal land dealings, during the period matching their records.
(Image courtesy of Old Maps).
Specifically, this document went into more detail about our ancestors. Evan’s brother William was very successful in this business enterprise. From page 13 of the same document —
“By the early 1840’s another Welshman, William Harris, had arrived in Tallmadge and quickly started operations of his own in a coal bank in Tract 2, east of Long Swamp and northeast of Howe Road. He soon had three mines in operation and employed 50 men. Harris is noted especially for his efforts to not only recruit Welshmen to the community but also to assist them in establishing themselves once they arrived. Many of the men he recruited came directly from Wales; when they arrived, he frequently supplied furnished living quarters for them until they had earned enough to go out on their own. The efforts of Harris undoubtedly drew many additional families from Wales into this area.”
“Harris, too, increased his holdings both by purchase and lease. Land transaction records show that he concentrated his efforts in Tracts 2 and 6. Harris is known to have operated three mines in the area; in addition to the two which were served by his rail road and located east of his home in Tract 2, he also had an entry in the high ground of Tract 1 between Northwest Avenue and Howe Road at the northwest six corners.” (A History of Tallmadge Coal…) (5)
The Old Welsh Church in Tallmadge
In chapter 5 we wrote about the famous Congregational church which stands to this day at the center of Tallmadge Township. The Harris family may have attended services there, but they could have preferred services at a chapel which conducted services in their native Welsh language.
“Despite this acceptance on the part of the Congregational Church, many of the Welsh longed for a church of their own where services could be conducted in their native language. This was particularly true of those for whom English was an insurmountable challenge.” In about 1860 the town erected a building.
(Image courtesy od Summit Memory).
“Mrs. Martha P. Bierce provides a personal sketch of the church in an article she wrote for the Tallmadge Sesqui-Centennial which was then published in the book, A History of Tallmadge, Ohio. According to her description, the church… ‘was a small frame building with a seating capacity of 75 to 100. Perhaps its only claim to beauty was the unusual fan light (window) centered over the double front door, door, There were nice pews with green cushions, a chandelier for coal-oil lamps, and a coal burning stove. Upon the wall hung an antique clock…
Finally, there came a day when all of the church founders were gone. Their descendants having become thoroughly Americanized, gradually drifted away from the old church and from the mother tongue. For many years the old landmark stood abandoned, clinging helplessly to its foothold on the hill. The land reverted to the farm of which it was originally a part. Grading for a paved road made the position of the building precarious and it was thought best to tear it down.” (A History of Tallmadge Coal…) (6)
Where Was Evan in 1860?
When we see the Tallmadge United States Census for 1850, nothing that unusual stands out. Evan describes himself as a coal digger. The 1860 Census is the similar, where his son Henry describes himself as a miner. There is one thing however on the 1860 Census, — where is Evan? His entire family is listed, but he is not there. We have a record of him paying taxes in Tallmadge in 1861, so likely wasn’t too far away for the rest of the decade. (This 1860 Census mystery is one that we have not yet solved, since he lived until 1869).
Evan Harris died on March 9, 1869 and his Will, which was drafted a year earlier, provides for his wife Hannah and each of his children, as well as some of his grandchildren. Hannah lived on after him for nearly ten years, passing on December 26, 1878 while living in the home of her son, Henry E. Harris, and his family.
It is his family, that of Henry E. Harris and Ann Thomas, which we will be writing about in the next chapter. (7)
Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations
A Registry for 3 Sons
(1) — five records
Evan Harris
in the England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers, 1567-1936
Rg4: Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths > Monmouthshire > Independent > Piece 1246: Penmain (Independent), 1787-1833
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2972/records/150167990
Digital page: 53/159, Right page.
Note: His baptism record. Three records for sibling births and baptisms are recorded at the same time in this register — Evan 1802, William 1804, Henry 1807.
Evan Harris
in the U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/125051446
and
Evan Harris
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/151377723/evan-harris
Note 1: His birth and death dates are, 1801 – March 9, 1869.
Note 2: From the Find A Grave file, Evan was the brother of William H. Harris. Both brothers were from Wales and settled in Tallmadge around 1840.
Hannah Harris
in the U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/125051509
and
Hannah Harris
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/151377791/hannah-harris
Note: Her birth and death dates are 1796 – December 26, 1878.
Evan Harris Marries Hannah Morris
(2) — two records
Evan Evans
in the Monmouthshire, Wales, Anglican Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1551-1994
Mynyddislwyn > Marriages and Banns > 1777-1906
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62107/records/548206
Book page: 79, Digital page: 154/933, Right page, top.
Notes: The parish name is misspelled, and Evan Harris’s surname was incorrectly noted when the record was recorded. Observe that they signed their names with an X, so they likely could not read the record to verify it.
(The real Evan Evans…)
Evan Evans
in the Breconshire, Wales, Marriage Index, 1813-1837
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1175/records/4372
Note: See the suggested search items which support that this person is not the husband of Hannah (Morris) Harris.
Mysteries Concerning Young Elvira From 1840
(3) — three records
Henry Harries
in the England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers, 1567-1936
Rg4: Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths
Monmouthshire > Baptist > Piece 0630: Mynyddyslwyn, Beulah Chapel (Baptist), 1803-1837
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2972/records/45968
Book page: 19 or 21, Digital page: 25/119, Last entry on page.
Notes: His birth record with his parents Evan and Hannah Harries. The Harris surname is misspelled as Harries on the Ancestry file name.
Birth and death dates for their children —
Note: we have compiled and reconciled the birth and death years from various sources for the family from the following link, and other sources.
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/62607448/person/282197451798/facts , and associated links
Evan Harris
in the New York, U.S., Irish Immigrant Arrival Records, 1846-1851
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/5969/?pg=6&f-F000981E=CalebGrimshaw40927May1848
Note: The ship they sailed on from Liverpool was the Caleb Grimshaw, with the arrival date in New York of May 27, 1848.
It’s True. Timing Really Is Everything.
(4) — six records
New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1920
Path: Follow these links to arrive at the Caleb Grimshaw passenger manifest for May 27, 1848:
> https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/image/index?owc=http://platform.prod.us-east-1.prod.fslocal.org/records/collections/1849782/waypoints
>> NARA Roll Number – Content, 0072 – 9 May 1848-31 May 1848
>>> https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939V-5K6B-8?wc=MX62-DZS:165749401&cc=1849782&cc=1849782&lang=en&i=525
Digital page: 526/838, Film # 004678332,
Note: There are 7 people listed in the middle of the page, by their first initial and then the Harris surname.
New York Almanack
Massacres & Migrants at Sea: Deadly Voyages To New York
by Jaap Harskamp
https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2023/01/migrants-at-sea-deadly-voyages-to-new-york/
Note: For the text.
Caleb Grimshaw
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caleb_Grimshaw#:~:text=4%20References-,Construction,May%201848%20and%20August%201849.
Note: For the Liverpool Mercury sailing notice and oil painting portrait of the ship.
Grimshaw Origins and History
Beginnings, History, Emigration Patterns, Prominent Families
The Caleb Grimshaw
http://grimshaworigins.org/prominent-grimshaw-individuals/the-caleb-grimshaw-immigrant-ship/
Note: For the Waterloo and Black Star Line dock maps.
Fire Consumes The American Packet Ship Ocean Monarch
English Wood Engraving
by Morel Fatio, 1848
https://www.amazon.ca/Shipwreck-Accidental-Brazilian-Survivors-Engraving/dp/B07DPGS51D
Note: For the illustration as a parallel 1848 example of what also happened on the Caleb Grinshaw packet ship.
The Harris Brothers Make Their Mark
(5) — eight records
David Rumsey Map Collection
Ohio
by Samuel Breese and Sidney E. Morse, 1842
https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~21740~660104
Note: For the map image, as originally published in Morse’s North American Atlas, 1842.
William H. Harris
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10969120/william_h-harris
Note: “Husband of Mary Harris. William was the brother of Evan Harris. William came from Wales and settled in Tallmadge around 1840.”
William Harris
in the Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61378/records/2846284?tid=&pid=&queryId=c4ba7271-7af4-4973-9640-f6a6844396f5&_phsrc=NFU21&_phstart=successSource
Note: For his June 19, 1841 marriage record to Mary Lewis.
John Harris
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/261975898/john-harris
Note: William Harris’s oldest child, with notes from his Find A Grave file —
“was born in Middlebury, East Akron [on March 9, 1842]. He is the son of Will H. Harris (b. Wales) and Mary Lewis (b. England). The informant on his death certificate is Stanley Harris of Akron.”
Amon Carter Museum of American Art
Coal Mining Scene, Black ink wash [drawing] on paper
by Harry Sternberg
https://www.cartermuseum.org/collection/coal-mining-scene-1998121
Note: For the artwork.
Akron-Summit County Public Library
A History of Tallmadge Coal:
A Tale of Woodchucks, Welshmen, and a Canal
by Judy Anne Davis, 2006
https://www.akronlibrary.org/images/SpecCol/TallmadgeCoal_.pdf#:~:text=
Notes: In library reference use only. For the texts about the mining operations, and the Harris brothers.
Old Maps
Tallmadge, Ohio 1856 Old Town Map Custom Print – Summit Co.
https://shop.old-maps.com/ohio/towns/summit-co-oh-1856-town/tallmadge-ohio-1856-old-town-map-custom-print-summit-co/?srsltid=AfmBOoqBXTOqBHIS8GqjhNgXCYqzxlkZKeSGmQogsdpHa8y8cLxklOcH
Note: For the 1856 map image.
The Old Welsh Church in Tallmadge
(6) — two records
Akron-Summit County Public Library
A History of Tallmadge Coal:
A Tale of Woodchucks, Welshmen, and a Canal
by Judy Anne Davis, 2006
https://www.akronlibrary.org/images/SpecCol/TallmadgeCoal_.pdf#:~:text=
Notes: In library reference use only. For the text about the old Welsh church.
Summit Memory
Old Welsh Church (photograph)
by Unknown photographer, circa 1925
https://www.summitmemory.org/digital/collection/tallmadge/id/8/rec/1
Notes: “Located at the Northwest Six Corners, the Welsh Church played an important role in the religious life of Tallmadge. Many people emigrated from Wales to Tallmadge to take advantage of the coal mining industry, at its peak in this area between 1860 and 1870. A religious people, they soon formed a church. The Welsh Congregational Church disbanded by the 1890s, and the building was abandoned. It was demolished about 1925.”
Where Was Evan in 1860?
(7) — seven records
Eran Harris [Evan Harris]
in the 1841 Wales Census
Monmouthshire > Mynyddyslwyn > ALL > District 5
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8979/records/8358140
Book page: 8-9, Digital page: 5-6/9, Right page, bottom.
Note 1: This census covers two pages. It carries over from the bottom of one page, to the top of the following page.
Note: Evan 35, Hannah 40, Henry 14, Sarah [or] Sally 12, Mary 10, Hannah 3, Alvira 1.
Evan Harris
in the 1850 United States Federal Census
Ohio > Summit > Tallmadge
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8054/records/19601199?tid=62607448&pid=282197451798&ssrc=pt
Digital page: 28/60, Lines 31 through 36.
Note 1: Evan 46, Hannah 58, Henry 23, Mary 16, Hannah, Alvira 10.
Note: Evan is listed as a coal digger (miner).
Note 3: Contributor C. E. Tabbert’s notes on daughter Elvira from the FindaGrave website:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/269329914/elvira-harris
Hannah Harris
in the 1860 United States Federal Census
Ohio > Summit > Tallmadge
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7667/records/42152554
Digital page: 15/30, Lines 1 through 9.
Note 1: Hannah 58, Henry 53*, Sarah 30, Mary 26, Anna (Hannah) 22, Thomas 3, Daniel 1, Henry Rees 9, Eliza Rees 7
*His age should be listed as 33.
Note 2: Where is the father Evan? Henry is listed working as a miner.
Note 3: Daughter Sally had previously married Solomon Reese (presumably by the 1850 Census, because he is not listed). Her children, Henry (9) and Eliza (7) are living with this family.
Sarah Harris
in the Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993
Summit > 1840 – 1861
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61378/records/903330820
Book page: 535, Digital page: 599/667, Right page, 2nd entry.
Note: Sally married first Solomon Rees [Reese] who died in 1855, then she married second Caleb Lewis, in 1857.
Evan Harris
in the Ohio, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1786-1998
Summit > Old Original Wills, No 9-5296, 453, 1840-1884
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8801/records/15505944?tid=62607448&pid=282197451798&ssrc=pt
Digital pages: 2,159 – 2,163/5,157
Note: The file information indicates that he drafted his four page Will in 1863.
Hannah Harris
in the 1870 United States Federal Census
Ohio > Summit > Tallmadge
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/records/40038061
Book page: 7, Digital page:7/32, Lines 10 through 15.
Note 1: Evan Harris has passed away and Hannah is living on the home of her son Henry E. Harris and his family.
Note 2: The notation that Henry’s wife Ann was born in Wales is a mistake by the enumerator. She was born in Palmyra township, Summit County, Ohio.
Our Ancestors, Our Narratives 