St. Clair County People of Interest



DR. EDWIN EUGENE HARRIS (1828 – 1864)

Son of Samuel Woods Harris & Sarah Miner (Ware) Harris. He was also the brother of Marcellus James Harris.
His daughter Agnes M. Harris married William Tell Johnson, son of Waldo P. Johnson.

For further information, see William Tell Johnson and Marcellus James Harris.



From “Bitter Ground”, by Kathleen White Miles:

Dr. Edwin Eugene Harris, native Virginia, came to Osceola 1840 and studied with Dr. Lewis. Entered military service in Confederate army as surgeon in General Clark’s Cavalry Division in the Trans-Mississippi department. He died in Arkansas before the war ended. He held the rank of Colonel.



From “It All Started With a Tornado” by Wilbur Zink:
 
Dr. Harris built a large house in 1854 between Osceola and Vista. This house is still standing and is referred to as Harris-Cox Plantation.



From St. Clair County Democrat, February 22, 1940:

Edwin Eugene Harris, son of Samuel Woods Harris and Sarah Miller Ware, was born in Albemarle County, VA, March 30, 1828 and died at Princeton, Dallas County, Arkansas, September 10, 1864. His parents took him to
Cumberland co, KY in 1830 and to this section of Missouri in 1840.
Here in St. Clair County, he received his early education and studied medicine with Dr’s Lewis and Cox. In 1848, he went to Louisville, KY and attended the medical lectures at the University of Louisville, from which he received his degree in 1850.
He returned to St. Clair County for a brief period of practice and after his father’s death, he went to Louisville for a post-graduate course the winter of 1852-53.
Quote (in part) from B. F. Lawler reminisces: Dr. Harris was a skillful, cultured and able physician besides being a wealthy gentleman.
October 6, 1853, he was married to Margaret Ann Cox, daughter of Dr. P. M. Cox. They lived with Mrs. Samuel Woods Harris on her farm South of Osceola and built the two-story white frame front to the building leaving the original log house as an L to the back.
In 1861 the Civil War began and Dr. Harris took his family to Texas and joined the army. October 25, 1862, he arrived at Horse Head Creek near Clarksville, Arkansas where a recruiting station for the Confederate Army had been established and because acting surgeon for the camp.
Shortly after this, he appeared before the Medical Board for the Trans-Mississippi Department at Little Rock and qualified for appointment as army surgeon with rank of Major.
He reported first to Surgeon John M. Haden and then to Col. Waldo P. Johnson at Horse Head Station in Johnson Co., AR. He was assigned to Musser’s 8th battalion in Frosts Brigade of Missouri Volunteer Infantry. Later he was Surgeon of the 9th Missouri Infantry.
Twice, he was forced to take sick leave but kept going back to active duty. On August 30th, 1864, the regiment was in Princeton, Dallas
County, AR and Major Harris was critically ill. He was given every attention but grew worse and died September 10, 1864. Major Harris was buried in the town cemetery at Princeton and his grave is marked by a
marble headstone.
Major Harris was tall, with grey eyes, light brown hair and beard.



Missouri History Encyclopedia 1901:

Mr. (William Tell) Johnson was married September 15, 1885 to Miss Agnes M. Harris, a liberally educated and highly cultured lady, daughter of Dr. Edwin E. Harris, of St. Clair County, who rendered distinguished services as a surgeon in the Confederate Army, and died in the line of duty. Three children, Margaret, Robert and Mary, have been born to this marriage.



Missouri State Archives, Soldier Database:

Name: E.E. Harris
Rank: Surgeon
Conflict: Civil War
Side: Confederate
Type of Unit: Infantry
Name of Unit: 8th Battalion Missouri Infantry
Company: F & S
Record Group: Office of Adjutant General
Series Title: Index of Service Records; Confederate, 1861-1865
Box: 103, Reel: s732
Record: Missouri Soldiers (1861-1865) War Between the States
Name: Harris, E.E.; Rank: Surgeon
Service: F. & S., 8th Bttn., Mo. Inf.
Final disposition not found of record.
Confirmation of record: Enlisted Surgeon, Nov. 7/62; last appears on a return for the month of Nov/63 as being sick on leave.
War Department



1850 St. Clair Co., MO Census – District No. 79 Being:
Line 31, 19 August
47/47 Sam’l W. Harris, age 57, male, farmer, $5000 real estate, birthplace VA
Sarah M. Harris, age 54, female, birthplace VA
Edwin E. Harris, age 22, male, Physician, birthplace VA
Marcellus J. Harris, age 24, male, farmer, $2000 real estate, birthplace VA

1860 St. Clair Co., MO Census – Osceola Township:
Page 14, Line 40, 2 July, Osceola Post Office
85/85 E.E. Harris, age 32, male, Physician, $10,000 real estate, $35,000 personal estate, birthplace VA
(next page): M.A. Harris, age 26, female, birthplace MO
B.V. Harris, age 5, female, birthplace MO
S.E. Harris, age 3, female, birthplace MO
M.A. Harris, age 9 months, female, birthplace MO
S.M. Harris, age 64, female, birthplace MO

1860 St. Clair Co., MO Census – Osceola Township:
Page 19, Line 23, 4 July, Osceola Post Office
116/116 A.B. Harris, age 39, male, farmer, $7000 real estate, $10,000 personal estate, birthplace KY/VA
Eliza, age 35, female, birthplace KY
James M., age 13, male, birthplace MO, attended school
Julia M., age 10, female, birthplace MO, attended school
Sam’l W., age 7, male, birthplace MO, attended school
Eugene, age 5, male, birthplace MO, attended school
W.B. Harris, age 3, male, birthplace MO
Ann E. Harris, age 8 months, female, birthplace MO
Marcellus J. Harris, age 34, male, farmer, $4000 real estate, $7000 personal estate, birthplace VA, married within the year
Olive Harris, age 22, female, birthplace VA, married within the year

1880 St. Clair Co., MO Census – Doyal Township:
Dist. 6, ED 235, Page 11, Line 28, 18 June
95/97 Pleasant M. Cox, white male, age 70, married, farmer, birthplace KY, both parents born NC
Elizabeth M. Cox, white female, age 80, wife, married, keeping house, birthplace VA, both parents born VA
Margaret Harris, white female, age 46, daughter, widowed, keeping house, birthplace MO, father born KY, mother born VA
Pleasant M. Cox, white male, age 39, son, married, Cattle Dealer, birthplace MO, father born KY, mother born VA
Sarah E. Cox, white female, age 36, wife, married, keeping house, birthplace MO, father born KY, mother born VA
Edwin P. Cox, white male, age 10, grandson, single, no occupation, attended school, birthplace AR, both parents born MO
Walter Cox, white male, age 7, grandson, single, attended school, birthplace AR, both parents born MO
Clay L. Cox, white male, age 4, grandson, single, birthplace MO, both parents born MO
Bessie R., white female, age 1, granddaughter, single, birthplace MO, both parents born MO
Lucinda Bradford, white female, age 21, Servant, single, Domestic Servant, birthplace Ohio



International Genealogical Index:

Pleasant Meredith Cox – Elizabeth Madison McClanahan, married @1829 MO.



Appleton City Journal, 17 July 1913:

Estate of Chas. F. Johnson, deceased; E.E. Harris, Executor, first annual settlement.



Osceola Presbyterian Church:

The early settlers of Osceola needed a place to worship. Harmony Mission was so far distant that they planned an organization of their own. In 1842, there were found to be eight members of the far distant church living in Osceola. They called for representatives from the Mission to come and meet with them and organize them into a church body. Rev. Amasa Jones and Rev. E.P. Nod met with them on the first Saturday in March 1842. Those members presenting their letters were: Samuel W. Harris, Robert Osborn, Melissa Osborn, Dovey Osborn, Elizabeth Osborn, Lawrence Lewis, Jane S. Moore and Elizabeth Cox.



Osceola Cemetery Records, Osceola, St. Clair Co., MO:
HARRIS, Edwin Eugene born 1828; died 1864
HARRIS, Margaret Ann, 1833-1914, buried beside him in old records
HARRIS, Samuel W., 1793-1852 (1812 War Veteran)
HARRIS, Sarah Miller, wife of Samuel W., 1796-1861

St. Clair Co., MO Cemetery Records:
Harris, Edwin Eugene, 1828 – 1864
Harris, Margaret Ann, 1833 – 1914
Harris, Samuel W., 1 April 1793 – 5 February 1852
Harris, Sarah Miller, 14 April 1796 – 19 November 1861