Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 295, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 December 1916 — Obituary. [ARTICLE]

Obituary.

Another life is ended, a life of many years, full of toil, happiness, pain and tears. Such w T as that of Benjamin Harris, who lived 8 years more than the allotted 3 score years and ten. ' ' . - ’ The son of Benjamin and Elizabeth Harris, both of w’hom were born and raised in Virginia and were Quakers. The six children were - William F., Henry 0., John T., Virginia W., and Regina, Benjamin being the youngest. The family moved from Virginia to county, Indiana, where this Subject w’as born. His father died a few weeks before the birth of his son Benjamin, in 1838. He received a common school education, supplemented by six months’ school in Boonville. In 1851, when he was 13 years old, the widowed mother with her six children, came to Jasper county and just east of Mt. Ayr on a farm now owned b’y Henry O. Harris. They w’ere among the early settlers. Here he worked with his brothers for several years. He was married to Katherine Wood in the early - 60’s, but this home was broken updn about a year by the death of his wife and infant daughter. This was at the time pf the civil war. Benjamin enlisted and was drafted into service w’as not accepted, hot being strong enough physically. Hb owned and operated a mill at Brook after this. He w r as also surveyor for .two years in Newton county.

In 1871 he was* 1 married to Emily Crisler. To this union was bom one daughter, Flora. ■ They began housekeeping on the farm five ijniles south of Mt. Ayr on the Iroquois river, where they lived uirtil 1888, when they moved to Rensselaer - > About 1873 he uniteel with the Church of God, remaining very strong in the faith of that denomination. He was a Bible student, and was ever ready to give a Bible /‘reason of the hope” which he had in God’s promises. Although never a .robust man, "Uncle Ben” ha<pa wonderful constitution and vitality. He was very gen■erousand never pretentious in any of his arts of life. The last year was marked by a very gradual decline. Though of such an active, ambitious disposition, he showed very great patience in his last suffering, which ended in. his death at, 11:S| a. m., Dec. 8, 1916, at his home in this city.