My Genealogy Hound

EDWIN HARRIS, an enterprising and successful agriculturist, has since 1887 prosperously managed the old Hadden homestead, a valuable farm of three hundred and seven acres located in Ontwa Township, Cass County, Mich., and owned jointly by our subject and his mother. Mr. Harris was born in Erie County, N. Y., October 23, 1867, and was the son of Edwin and Mary L. (Hadden) Harris. The paternal grandfather, Laman Harris, was a farmer of New York, and upon the old home were born three children: Margaret, wife of J. W. Steward, of Pittsford, N. Y; George, of Saginaw County; and Edwin. The father of our subject was reared upon the old home place, and on attaining to maturity began life for himself. He was killed in August, 1867, by falling from a barn which he was erecting upon his own property. He left a widow and four children to mourn his untimely loss. The eldest, Elberta Mills, of Weedsport, N. Y.; Eugenia Mills, also of New York; and Charles L., of Cato, N. Y., were the three children of the first wife, Kate Hunting. Our subject was the child of the second wife, Mary L. Hadden.

The maternal grandfather of Edwin Harris, Charles D. Hadden, was born in Westchester County, N. Y, January 31, 1811. He was the son of Gilbert and Deborah (Barton) Hadden, who were of Scotch ancestry. When but two years old, Grandfather Hadden removed with his widowed mother to Auburn, N. Y. He was one of eleven children, and as the family were in limited circumstances enjoyed but a brief schooling. He began the work of life as a farmer boy and purchased and located on a farm in Savannah Township, Wayne County, N. Y., in the year 1835. In December, 1839, he settled in Butler Township, and twelve years after made his home on another farm, within the borders of his native State. In 1867, appreciating the broader opportunities of the West, he journeyed to Michigan and located four hundred acres upon section 6, west of Edwardsburgh, which was improved. He died January 26, 1878. His wife, surviving a number of years, passed away December 12, 1886. Grandfather and Grandmother Hadden were both devout members of the Presbyterian Church, and were prominent in benevolent and religious work. In political affiliation the grandfather was in early years a Whig and later a Republican.

The maternal grandmother, Nancy (Blythe) Hadden, was the daughter of Samuel and Margaret (Gilman) Blythe. She was born October 1, 1809, and was the mother of six children: Samuel; Mary; George; Alonzo, who died young; Elizabeth Parsons; and James G. The Blythes came originally from Ireland, accompanied by their family of two sons and two daughters. The maternal great-grandmother of our subject, Margaret (Gilman) Blythe, emigrated from Ireland to America at eleven years of age. The mother of Mr. Harris accompanied her father to Michigan in December, 1867. She was twice married, her second husband being Jacob D. Crowell, of Conquest, Cayuga County, N. Y. He died April 26, 1893, and for a second time the mother of our subject is a widow. She lives in New York and is active in the Presbyterian Church, of which she has been a member ever since she was twenty-one years old. Our subject was reared upon the homestead where he now resides and which was then the property of Grandfather Hadden. Mr. Harris was educated in the schools of the home district, and before attaining his majority took full charge, in 1887, of the magnificent farm, of which he owns one hundred and eight and his mother one hundred and ninety-nine acres.

Mr. Harris was united in marriage May 12, 1888, with Miss Minnie J. Hanson, daughter of William and Matilda (Kornover) Hanson. Their pleasant home was brightened by the birth of two children: Charles, who died at two years of age; and William, yet surviving. Mr. Harris is politically a Republican and is interested in both local and national issues. Spending his entire years among the associations of early youth, he is respected by all who know him. Intelligent and energetic, he devotes himself to the business of daily life and with his wife occupies a high social position and is numbered among the leading citizens of Ontwa Township.