Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 5.djvu/656

 VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

was born at the University of Virginia, March 2, 1850. His father was Dr. Gessner Harri- son, an eminent educator, who was a mem- ber of the faculty of that institution for a period of over thirty years. Dr. Gessner Har- rison was born at Harrisonburg, Rocking- ham county, Virginia, June 26, 1807, and died near Charlottesville, Virginia, April 7, 1862. In the year 1825 he entered the University of Virginia, and received degrees from the schools of ancient languages and medicine iri 1828. He was then appointed professor of ancient languages on the retirement of Professor George Long, and served till 1859, when he established first in Albemarle county and the following year at Belmont, \'irginia, a classical school, which had a wide influence throughout the South. He was author of "Greek Prepositions and Cases of Nouns" (Philadelphia, 1848), and "Expositions of Some of the Laws of the Latin Language" (New York, 1852). His motto "Trust God and work," explains his character, and his name and words are still echoed in the halls of the University of Vir- ginia. He married Eliza Lewis Carter Tucker, the mother of Robert Lewis Har- rison, daughter of Professor George Tucker, who was a very well known teacher, his- torian and scholar. He wrote a history of the United States, a "Life of Thomas Jeffer- son," and he was appointed a professor of moral philosophy at the University of Vir- ginia by President JeiTerson, dying in 1866. A number of Harrisons settled in Virginia in the seventeenth century. Those who emi- grated before Benjamin Harrison, the clerk, ancestor of many of the Virginia Harrisons, apparently died without issue. Very soon after 1640 appeared Thomas and Edward Harrison, the former figuring in Neill's works on Virginia history, first as Gov- ernor Berkeley's chaplain, and then as a non-conformist divine. They are also men- tioned in Savage's "Genealogical Diction- ary of New England," and they resided there for some time. They are embraced in the following tradition, brought over from Eng- land by the Rev. Joseph Harrison, who lived in the city of New York in the early part of the last century, viz: Four brothers of the name of Harrison went to America whom the Rev. Joseph Harrison called Thomas, Richard, Benjamin, and Nathaniel, of whom his own father had told him two went north and two south, a fifth brother,

Edward, a clergyman, remaining in Eng- land. Two brothers went to Virginia and two other branches of the family, descend- ants from a third brother, settled in Con- necticut and New Jersey. The Harrisons of the latter state claimed that one of their family went to Virginia and a removal thither at the beginning of the eighteenth century is not impossible. Among the other Harrisons who came to Virginia were Dr. Jeremy and his wife Frances, the latter a widow receiving, in 1654, a patent of one thousand acres in West Moreland county. In 1655 one thousand acres, another thou- sand acres, were granted to Giles Brent in the same county. Benjamin as a baptis- mal name had some popularity at the time, and many of the Virginia Harrisons, fami- lies who had no connection with each other beyond the community of the family name, bore the name Benjamin. Benjamin re- mained a favorite name in the family, and both the signer, Benjamin Harrison, born in 1726, and the second president bearing the Harrison patronymic, bore the personal name.

The earliest acquisition of land made in Virginia by Benjamin Harrison, the emi- grant, was by deed from John Davis, of Kiskiake, dated July 9, 1634, for two hun- dred acres on Warrosquioake Creek, which was said to be a tenure of Thomas Jordan. Other patents followed but "Berkeley" and "Brandon," the seats of the family on the James river, were acquired by later gener- ations. The first Harrison appears to have left bui two children surviving him, Ben- jamin md Peter, both by his wife Mary, who afterward married Benjamin Sidway.

The father of Gessner Harrison was Dr. Peachfv Harrison, who resided -at Harrison- burg, jtockingham county, \'irginia, a phy- sician, like his son after him. The father of Dr. P-achey Harrison was Benjamin Har- rison, who was born in 1741, died in 1819. He wis a colonel in Macintosh's campaign in 177 during the revolutionary war, and led toops in 1781 to aid Lafayette against Cornvallis. Benjamin Harrison was one of the aptaiiis wi.o took part in the famous battb of Point Pleasant. October 10, 1774 He A^as the son of Daniel Harrison, of Rocingham. In Felix Gilbert's day book covring several years, from December 5, 177, the name of Ca]5tain Benjamin Har- risci frequently appears. Evidently he was