Emerson Harris Family Papers

Collection

Identifier: Mss 81

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Emerson Harris Family Papers include correspondence, farming receipts, bank account book, legal documents relating to the estate of Harris and his wife, Theresa Harris. Among the letters is one from Taylor Crum asking Mr. Harris for a letter in attempt to secure a pardon for Emil Wendland. The postcard correspondence is between various members of the Harris family with the most written to Theresa Harris. The Subject Files Series includes two certificates of annual membership for Emerson Harris in the American Secular Union and Freethought Federation for years 1898 and ‘299.’ In addition there is some genealogical information, account books of farming operations, book of quotations and poems by son Nathan K. Harris. The Nathan Harris file, father of Emerson, contains receipts and other documents related to his learning the tanning trade in Lower Canada. There are pension claim forms and other documents for Emerson Harris who served in Hatch’s Independent Battalion of the Minnesota Volunteer Cavalry from 1864 to 1866. There are no papers dated 1855-1874.

Dates

1816-1854, 1875-1927

Creator

Harris, Emerson, 1834-1898. (Person)

Access

The collection is open under the rules and regulations of the Institute.

Copyrights

Copyrights to this collection are not held by the Institute.

Biography

Emerson Harris was born June 13, 1834 in Lower Canada and moved with his parents to Jefferson County, Wisconsin in the 1950s. He served in the army during the Civil War and was stationed at Fort Abercrombie, Dakota Territory. After the war he married Teresa Goodman on Nov. 11, 1867 at Oranco, Minnesota. They lived near Zumbrota, Minnesota for a number of years where son Nathan was born. They then moved to Pelican Rapids, Minn. and in 1875 the came to Fargo where Teresa operated a butcher shop, but shortly thereafter moved to a homestead north of Fargo. Emerson Harris died in 1898 while in Fargo and Teresa in 1926. Their three sons Asa, Frank and Henry operated the farm, located along the Red River. Son Nathan operated a Pure Food Store in Fargo.