The Harrison family tree has to start somewhere. We’re not a particularly special crew. Like so many we started from humble roots – in our case, the land, as agricultural labourers – but we’ve done well, I think. Don’t you? So where do we start? We start with Francis Harrison, illegitimate son of Jane who was born in 1806 in Woodgreen, near Hale in Hampshire. It’s not been possible to find her birth record in the Hale Parish register … yet. Whether I attempt to go any further back … I don’t know.
[Update 2 April 2019: I did go back quite a bit further and after two visits to the Winchester Archive constructed a Family Tree that goes back to William Harrison b.1640. How accurate this is, I can’t say for certain as the Parish Records don’t give a full family record and you have to make assumptions based upon family names, ie the eldest son takes the name of his father, etc. The Family Tree of descendants from William that I created can be viewed from this Harrison Family Tree.]
Map of Civil Parish of Redlynch in 1890 from Wiltshire Community History page.
Francis was born in 1830 (in Hatchett, just to the south of the parish of Redlynch – above, in the parish of Hale, Hampshire). The record in the Parish Register confirms he was the illegitimate son of Jane Harrison. Jane married William Harrison (his second marriage) in 1838 and they lived together in North Charford until he died in 1856. In the 1851 census he is shown as the son-in-law to William Harrison (born in Downton, 1793) living at Parsonage House, Hale. Jane’s father is listed as John Harrison. It is possible to find a record for a John Harrison, who married Leah Smith at about the right time (1803), but without documentary evidence it’s not possible to definitely say this John Harrison was her father. [Incidentally, Leah is a name that was adopted from its original Jewish roots by Puritans after the Reformation up until the end of the 18th century, giving us another possible clue to our origins as both Smith and Harrison are names that have long been associated with the post Pilgrim Father emigration to the New World.]
Jump ahead to the 1861 census and Francis is married to Fanny Arney and living in Woodfalls-on-the-Hill, East Downton, Wiltshire (again, on map above). They had married a couple of years previously in 1859, where Francis’ age is recorded as 28 and that he was a widower – Fanny’s sister – Elizabeth Bundy (together with her husband – John), were witnesses. His earlier marriage to Elizabeth Steel (formerly Barter – herself a widow) ended with her death in 1856, the same year as his daughter (Elizabeth) who had been born in the year of their marriage, in 1853. Quite a tragic few years.
Francis and Fanny have two children – Charles (3 months) and Emily (1 year), both born in Woodfalls. By 1871, Fanny has died (she died in 1867 and Francis is living in Morgans Vale, Downton (see map above), with Emily, Charles and Alfred, my great grandfather, born in 1863 in Redlynch, Downton, and his mother – Jane. It’s likely that Jane came to live with them after Fanny’s death, and after her husband William’s death in 1856, so that she could help with the children; in 1861 she was living as a boarder in North Charford (see map above).
There is no reference to Francis in either the 1881, or 1891 census. Why? There is a possible record of him doing damage to a Yew Tree in Hale in 1872, the property of Mr Joseph Goss, and being fined 6d – more delving needed. Could he have committed another offence and been transported to the colonies? No record of this, however!
In 1901, Francis (Frank) re-appears in Charlton-All-Saints, Downton living with Henry Frampton and his wife Mary. He’s referred to as ‘father-in-law’, which might indicate he was Mary’s father, however after much painful researching it appears that it is Mary’s husband – Henry Frampton – who is the relative of Francis (now calling himself Frank) through his mother Sarah Harrison.
Francis’ life ends in Charlton-All-Saints, Downton, when he is found dead in bed of asphyxia on the 12th May, 1902.
He left behind Emily, Charles and Alfred (my great great grandfather). The rest is our history.
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