John Harris, Sr.

John Harris, Sr.. The Harris Family and the New Settlement. John Harris was born in Yorkshire County, England in 1673. A brewer by trade, he came to Philadelphia in 1694 and spent a few years in there working at removing stumps and building and clearing city streets. , Harris became a friend of Edward Shippen, the first Mayor of the city. It was at Shippen's home that he first met Esther Say, also a native of Yorkshire, who has been described as “a lady of superior intelligence and extraordinary energy.” Harris married Esther Say, and they had six children who reached maturity: Elizabeth, Esther, John, William August, Samuel and David. , In January 1705, with Shippen's assistance, Harris received a license from the Penn family - "to seat himself on the Sasquahannah at Pextang, to erect such buildings as are necessary for his trade, and to enclose and improve such quantity as land as he shall think fit." , The Harrises did not move to their land immediately, but lived in Chester county, then relocated to Conoy - the present site of Bainbridge, Lancaster County - where he became a trader. , Harris arrived in this area around 1717 and built a cabin on the east bank of the Susquehanna (near where Washington St. is now), not far from the Delaware settlement at Peshtank - which means “where the waters stand” - located where Paxton Creek joins the Susquehanna River. , Harris and his wife began to cultivate the land. (Harris is credited with bringing the first plow to the area). They built sheds to accommodate the furs he acquired by trading with the Native People. The Harris homestead and trading post was at the crossroads of the Indian trails. Northern Native Americans came by the Harris Trading Post on their way to and from the hunting grounds. The Harris trading post was the focal point for traffic, with the Allegheny and Paxton trails converging there.