Name/Title
AU Harris, Paul Joseph Jr. - 1991-05-06 letter to Barbara (Gooding) HarrisEntry/Object ID
1991.2.26Context
3923 Seeley Avenue
Downers Grove, IL 60515
May 6, 1991
Mrs. Barbara Harris
54 Lorene Avenue
Athens, OH 45701
Dear Barbara,
It has been some time since I corresponded with you. I regret that my only excuse has been that I have not been working on my Harris line very much for quite a while. I have been working on my mother's family in New York and on trying to locate an adopted
half-brother on that side of the family. Now that spring is almost here, my thoughts turn to a long promised trip to Athens, as soon as the weather really gets warm and pleasant.
I have been transcribing some of the three hundred plus letters between my grandparents, 1894-1898, and have extracted a few that I think might interest you. The top letter on the enclosed stack is the first and only occasion that I have found where Joseph Harris mentions his mother and her death. He wrote many stories about family members but I have never found any mention of his mother, Martha Jane Dille. I am sure that he expressed many of his feelings about her in his diary entries but their whereabouts is unknown. I suspect that Uncle Dan may have destroyed them at some time but I will continue to hope he may still have them. The other ten letters from Joseph and the one last one from Leonard all have references to Alice Harris, her sickness, and finally her death and funeral. I know she was a child of William but know nothing more about her than what is revealed in these letters. Apparently, Joseph felt quite an affinity for his cousin, spending so much time with her near the end. I would like to know more about her and William's family. Have you ever published anything of detail on them?
I have been wondering if you have had any luck with locating any North families that might know the location of that Harris Family Bible mentioned in John Work Harris's letter or the families that may have David Work's sword from the War of 1812?
There are so many more items I need to share with you and I can't begin to thank you for all of the information you have sent to me.
I'll close for now to get this in the mail. Will be in touch again soon.
Best regards,
