The Richard Tighe Harris family papers were presented to the University of Alaska, Anchorage Library by Mr. Frederick B. Harris and his family in 1980. Frederick B. Harris is the grandson of Richard Tighe Harris and the son of William John Harris. The Harris family, the staff of the Archives and Manuscripts Department, and the UAA Library agreed that it would be most appropriate and consistent with the university's mission to enhance research that a guide to this unique collection of papers be published. The recent centennial of the founding of the city of Juneau in which Richard T. Harris played a most prominent role was another factor. In particular, the Frederick Harris family wanted both the preservation of their family papers and the publication of a guide to be their contribution to the centennial of the founding of the city of Juneau.
The basic objective of this publication is to detail for researchers the contents of the Richard T. Harris Family Collection. It is not the intent of the author to present a definitive narrative on Richard T. Harris and his family, or on the founding and early history of Juneau. That task is the function of the scholar and historian who will use this guide as a key to the collection. The brief historical sketch on Harris and his family is a general summary which is derived primarily from the contents of the collection.
This guide is divided into two parts, an Addenda, and an index. Part I contains a brief historical sketch of the family, an examination of the scope and content of the collection, a statement concerning the acquisition of the papers, and a series and container list. Part II contains the detailed information on the collection; it is divided into seven chapters. Chapter 1 contains a calendar of the correspondence, that is, brief summaries of the contents of most of the letters. The other chapters concern legal records, financial records, memoranda, pictorial and printed materials, and Masonic Order memorabilia. In the Addenda are 22 letters selected from the 232 letters in the collection. They were chosen on the basis of the significance of their content, their authorship, or their relative historical importance. Included are all the letters from George Pilz, and letters from Dr. Sheldon Jackson, Governor John Brady, and various U.S. Navy officers with whom Harris was associated. The index relates only to the second part of this guide.
The format, organization, and writing of this guide is the work of the author Dennis F. Walle. Barbara Smith of Anchorage and Patricia Walle have read the final work and have made many useful comments. Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Harris of Anchorage also made many useful suggestions as to the content of the guide. The author wishes to also thank Dr. Jack O'Bar, UAA Library, for his support of this publication. All typing of this guide and the various drafts was the work of Marcia Boutang of the Archives and Special Collections Department, UAA Library.
Dennis F. Walle
Richard Tighe Harris, Irish immigrant, came to America, acquired an education, and went West to make his fortune. His life was that of a self-made individual toiling to achieve what was not possible in Europe. He struggled to gain success and wealth. These he gained and then lost. Like many others struggling to make something of himself Dick Harris participated in the ongoing development of this nation.
The family of Richard Tighe Harris originated in Ireland. His parents, John and Mary Harris, lived in Dummadonald, County Down, Ireland. John Harris was married twice; from his first marriage he had at least four, and possibly five, children. From his second marriage there were six children. While the names of the children from the first marriage are not known with certainty, it appears there may have been a Samuel, Reid, Joseph, James and Sarah Harris (Pinkerton). From his second marriage, the children were:
Name Birth Death
Sarah Harris (McCormick) ------
June 1, 1825 ---------------- Sept. 28, 1892
Martha Jane Harris (Weir) ------- August 1, 1826 -------------
April 26, 1901
John Harris ---------------------- May 24, 1828 --------------
June 4, 1850
Robert Harris -------------------- May 8, 1830 ---------------
Dec. 15, 1845
William C. Harris ---------------- March 2, 1832 -------------
April 24, 1897
Richard Tighe Harris ------------- Oct. 31, 1833 --------------
Oct. 11, 1907
John Harris died at 76 years of age on March 29, 1848. Mary Harris died July 3, 1842, at the age of 50. The exact date of the immigration of members of the Harris family to America is not known. Martha Jane Harris never left Ireland and it is probable that both Robert and John Harris died in Ireland. However, Sarah Harris (McCormick), Sarah Harris (Pinkerton), William C. Harris, and Richard T. Harris did come to America.
Early in his life in America, Dick Harris lived in Ohio and in Pennsylvania. While in Ohio, he stayed with his uncle Caldwell Anderson who was the brother of his mother, Mary Anderson Harris. He attended Duff's Merchant's College in Pittsburgh and graduated from that school in 1818.
Later in 1858, Dick Harris went West and probably stayed with his brother in Missouri after which he went to Kansas Territory. In 1859, he apparently left Fort Leavenworth for the mining country. This was the beginning of his life on the ever westward moving mining frontier of America. In 1864, Harris was somewhere in Idaho Territory and probably had been in the vicinity of Virginia City. That same year he recorded several claims near Bannack City, Montana Territory, where he probably stayed through 1868. There are no records in the collection concerning his activities between 1868 and 1877 but it is probable that he was engaged in mining and prospecting activities in various parts of the west during the period.
From 1858 to 1868, Harris corresponded with a woman named Ellen McCutcheon. She also was an Irish immigrant, and both were interested in marriage. It is apparent that she was much more religious than he and that their social views were different. They did discuss marriage but her family was against that union. In the mid-1860's, he was about to return to Pennsylvania to marry her; but he never did.
Dick Harris was in British Columbia prospecting for gold in 1877. Two years later, he was prospecting for gold in Southeastern Alaska. In 1880, Harris and Joe Juneau were grubstaked by George Pilz. Accompanied by Cowee and two other natives, they prospected various locations in the Gastineau Channel. In October, they discovered gold in the Silver Bow Basin and proceeded to locate claims there and on other nearby sites for themselves, Pilz, and others. Harris named the town Harrisburgh after the capital of Pennsylvania; the Harris Mining District was however named after him. In addition they located mill sites and a town site. Within two months, the stampede to the area began.
Harris called his own operation the Discovery Mining Company. Between 1881 and 1885, the company produced over $40,000 in gold and had expenses just over $14,000. In 1884, he had seven white men as well as a number of Indians working for him.
In 1882-1883, Harris traveled from Alaska to Missouri and possibly further East. It is not certain whether he went back to Ireland to visit his relatives. Harris was generous with his new wealth and he gave money to his relations both in Missouri and in Ireland. Indeed his sister, Martha Jane Weir, later wrote that when her husband died, the only money that was left to her was that which Dick Harris had given them years ago. Other relatives also commented on his generosity.
Newman A. Fuller, supported by W.T. Coleman, sued Harris in 1884 because Harris worked an area of overlap between their claims in the Silver Bow Basin. During the proceedings, he was advised by J.B. Coglan, U.S.N., and represented by a man named Maloney. Harris eventually lost the case and all of his properties except for several town lots. Later another lawyer, A.K.Delaney, informed him that his case had been "shockingly handled". It is apparent that Harris was not knowledgeable about legal matters.
During the 1880's, Harris, while in his 50's met and married a young Tlingit girl from Hoonah; only her first name, Kitty, is known with certainty. To their union four children were born. William J. Harris, Jr., was born on May 14, 1882; he died 2 days later. A second son was born to them on March 29, 1884, also named William J. Harris, Jr. On November 10, 1885, Richard Tighe Harris, Jr. was born; and two and a half years later, on March 22, 1888, Mary Kelchine Harris was born. Kitty Harris and the three children were baptized on Sunday, July 15, 1888, by Reverend Eugene S. Willard in the Presbyterian Church in Harrisburgh, Alaska. Mary Kelchine Harris died on February 24, 1889, at the age of 11 months. Kitty Harris died in February, 1893, at 26 years of age. The two Harris boys attended the native school in Juneau. In the mid-1890's, they began to study at the Indian School at Chemawa, Oregon. The first correspondence in the collection between them while at school and their father begins in late 1897.
Very little is known about the life of Dick Harris in Juneau, Alaska. A long time Mason, he was admitted to the Jamestown Lodge in Sitka in 1881. In 1885, he served on the first Grand Jury in Alaska. He began working for Thomas L. Nowell as the manager of the Alaska. Union Mining Company mill and property on Douglas Island in 1891; his salary was $100 a month. Later, he worked for the District Court as Clerk and as Special Deputy Marshall and also for the U.S. Customs Service as an inspector.
In his later years, Harris became recognized as a pioneer and a founder of Juneau, Alaska. As such, he acquired a certain amount of prominence. In 1893, 1900 and 1902, articles appeared in Alaska newspapers discussing his contributions and his life. He continued to be interested in mining activities and he later grubstaked a few prospectors. In 1900, he acquired a mining claim in the Porcupine District. With the closure of the Nowell Mining Company in early 1901, Dick Harris was not only out of a job but in poor straits financially. He had to rely on the jobs with the courts and the Customs Service to survive. He attempted to sell the three family plots in Juneau in 1902 but, since they were in his children's name, he had to obtain permission from them to sell. The sale, however, never took place and the land remained in the family's hands. In 1903, the Juneau City Assembly excused him from paying property taxes because of his services to the public.
Dick Harris' eyesight began to fail by mid-1904. His son, Richard Harris, Jr., joined his father in Juneau in August of that year. A month later, the son wrote to his brother in Chemawa that their father had liver and eye trouble. During this time he helped his father at the Customs Office; before the year was out, Dick Harris' eyesight and mind failed him. He was sent to a nursing home operated by the Masonic Order in Portland, Oregon. He died there on October 11, 1907, at age 73. He was buried in Juneau, Alaska, on December 28, 1907.
Dick Harris' sons continued to live in Alaska in the Juneau area. William John Harris worked as a guide and as a sign painter there for many years. Richard Harris, Jr., became a musician and carpenter and also lived in Juneau for most of his life. Both men raised large families. Richard Tighe Harris, immigrant, pioneer and miner made a lasting contribution to the development of Alaska. The discovery of gold in the Silver Bow Basin and the founding of Juneau were important contributions in themselves but there were others less spectacular but just as permanent. Dick Harris was encouraged many times by his family and friends to leave Alaska but he could never do so. Unlike many who passed through the legion and left forever, he accepted the challenge of the area, he stayed, made his mark and established a family many of which still live in Alaska. In the family, there is the joining of two races and two cultures - a tradition that still continues to this day. in his life, there is exemplified the ongoing story of the development of Alaska - and of America.
The Richard Tighe Harris Family Collection contains a diverse body of historically valuable original records. There are about 750 items dating between 1853 and 1969. Among them are papers that reflect not only on the life of Dick Harris but also on the lives of his two sons William John Harris and Richard T. Harris, Jr. Because of the nature of the papers, it was not possible to separate them into different groups based upon various family members. Therefore, the papers were arranged by series or type of record. There are seven series: correspondence, legal records, financial records, memoranda, pictorial materials, printed material and memorabilia.
The collection contains significant though limited information on the early life of Richard Tighe Harris. His naturalization papers and the correspondence that relates to the family in Ireland and in the United States provide important and unused information relative to the origins of the family and its history. Several documents and letters give hint of Harris' travels and mining activities in the West. Unfortunately, not all of the story of Harris' life and of his family's movement to America is contained in these papers.
There are many records concerning Harris' involvement in prospecting for gold and other operations between 1879 and 1886. Of his activities between 1879 and 1881 there is significant documentation in the form of a cash book, locations of claims, agreements, mining laws, and similar materials. In addition, his time book, dated 1884, provides information both on the amount of gold produced and the expenses of his mines. That same book also provides information on labor costs in the mines around early Juneau. Some of the correspondence and papers from 1885 and 1886 hint at a few of the legal problems Harris faced in the suit against him by N.A. Fuller.
A few papers in the collection illustrate the activities of George Pilz over this period. Among these are a draft of an agreement between Pilz, Harris, and Juneau dated 1880. In addition, there are 12 letters mainly from Pilz or his wife to Harris. These letters document the whereabouts of Pilz and his own legal problems in California during the period. They also give indication of the support that Harris and John Olds gave to Pilz and his wife during their legal problems. A draft list of Pilz' property is included in the collection as it is apparent Harris was empowered by Pilz to sell his property in Alaska in order to raise cash for lawyers' fees. In addition to such mining and business records, the collection contains a fair amount of information on Harris' family, in the form of correspondence, genealogical information from the family Bible, and a large number of photographs. There are many letters between Harris and his two sons and photographs of William John Harris and his family.
The correspondence section is divided into five sub-series: dated, undated and incomplete correspondence; invitations; and envelopes. The largest of these is the dated correspondence. The more interesting early letters are those which shed some light on the early life and activities of Harris, especially on his origins and involvement in prospecting in the latter part of the 1850's and 1860's; nonetheless, there remain significant undocumented portions of his early life. A major portion of the correspondence is between Richard Harris and his two sons while they were in school in Chemawa, Oregon. In addition to the personal qualities they convey, these letters also detail some aspects of life at an Indian boarding school. There are, as well, letters from relatives of Richard Harris throughout the United States, Other interesting items include letters from Governor Brady and Dr. Sheldon Jackson.
The mining legal records mainly concern the period 1880 through 1886 and include the locations of claims, contracts, agreements, and papers relative to the law suit against Harris in 1885. The most interesting of these are: the handwritten document entitled "The By-Laws of the Harris Mining District" dated 1880; a list of George Pilz's property; and a copy of an agreement between Harris, Joseph Juneau and George Pilz. Among the miscellaneous legal papers, the most important document is Richard Harris' Naturalization record, which indicates that he became a naturalized citizen in 1858. Also included are: a draft of Harris' will dated 1893, several claim locations, and a location of townsite dated 1880.
The financial records, the third series, contain essentially three types of records, a cash book, an account book, and receipts. Of these the cash book is the most unusual item. Among the entries are statements indicating the amount of money paid out to Harris, Juneau, and many others for prospecting trips in British Columbia and Alaska from 1879 to 1881. An index of the cash book is included in this guide as well as a list of the main entry headings. The account book covers the period 1881-1885 and bears the title "R. T. Harris Time Book" and the date "1884" on the outside cover. The book indicates the amount of money paid by Harris to various workers; two pages near the end of the book summarize the amount of gold produced by Harris' operation, the Discovery Mining Co., and the total of his expenses for the five year period, 1881-1885.
In the next series, there are two memoranda books, notes by Harris on his early discoveries around present day Juneau, and genealogical notes. The latter include very useful information on Harris' relatives and birth and death dates of many family members. These notes are helpful for those attempting to determine the relationships of Harris' family correspondents.
The pictorial material, series five, is divided into three parts; they are drawings by William John Harris, "Old Tillicum" pictures, and photographs. The drawings of William John Harris are primarily caricature drawings made by him while he was at the Indian school at Chemawa, Oregon and in Juneau, Alaska. Most of these drawings are dated prior to 1920. The "Old Tillicum" pictures are photographs of Dick Harris and Joseph Juneau which were used on advertisements for the sale of "Old Tillicum" cigars.
The main body of pictorial materials is identified photographs including individuals, families, groups and buildings. In addition, there are unidentified photographs of people and photographs of inanimate objects. There are almost 250 developed photographs in the collection as well as 55 undeveloped negatives, including 1 ambrotype and 3 tintypes. Most of the photographs are of the families of Richard Tighe Harris and his son, William John Harris, as well as of their various relatives from around the country. The photographs that concern William John Harris depict him with his family and friends, as a guide, and as a sign painter. Most of the group photographs and the photographs of buildings, ships and .so forth are from the area of Juneau, Alaska.
The collection contains a variety of types of printed matter. The most important of these are maps, publications, a scrapbook, and newspapers. Of the publications, the catalog from Duff's Merchant College identifies R. T. Harris as a student in 1857. The maps include a large naval chart upon which is a note by Harris indicating that it was the map that he brought with him in 1880 when he was prospecting for gold in the vicinity of Douglas Island and present day Juneau. A note on another map indicates that Harris obtained it from Dr. Sheldon Jackson whom he knew and with whom he corresponded. Another interesting map was issued by Montgomery Ward Co.; it shows various routes to the Klondike Gold Fields and on the reverse presents a list of supplies and equipment needed by men and women going to the gold fields. The scrapbook and about half of the newspapers are contemporary with, and concern the life and activities of Richard T. Harris. The remaining are retrospective accounts relative to Harris' goldmining activities and the history of Southeastern Alaska.
The last section of the collection, the memorabilia, mainly contains Masonic Order materials which belonged to Richard Harris. The most important item is his apron, which identifies him as becoming a member of the Masonic Order in 1881.
As a whole, the Richard Tighe Harris family collection offers documents which will provide some insight into the history of the Harris family and of Dick Harris' mining activities. There are many documents, letters, and other papers concerning Harris' mining activities around Juneau between 1879 and 1881 and in 1885 and 1886. Several of these may add to the knowledge of the period and of the legal problems that some miners faced. Of course, overall they provide evidence concerning several interesting episodes in the founding and early history of the city of Juneau, Alaska. The later records provide not only insight into the later life of Dick Harris in the Juneau area but also his relationship with his sons. Their own correspondence provides information relative to life at the Indian school in Chemawa, Oregon. The correspondence and photographs concerning William John Harris and his family document the life and activities of this lifelong Alaska citizen. On the whole the Richard Tighe Harris family collection is a useful and diverse body of papers concerning the early history and development of Alaska.
Harris family relationships are extensive and often confusing. The offspring of Dick Harris' brothers and sisters were very numerous. While a complete Harris family genealogy cannot be presented here, a guide to the myriad of names and the attendant relationships is necessary. The following list has been compiled in order to aid the researcher in the identification of relatives who correspond with Richard T. Harris and his family and of those whose photographs are in the collection. These notes do not identify any other individuals listed in any other part of this guide. Please Note: the list may contain some errors as there are severl people in the family with the same or similar names.
Mary Ann (Harris) Dobbins
Wife of T.C. Dobbins; daughter of William Charles Harris (brother
of R. T. Harris); sister of Aquillar, Brice, George, Richard
J., Samuel, and William John Harris.
Letters: Nos. 67, 98, 99, 140, 141, 145, 147, 149, 150, 151,
158, 168, 169, 181, 183, 187, 189, 206, 208, 210, 230. Photo:
No. 24.
T.C. (Charles) Dobbins
Husband of Mary Ann (Harris) Dobbins.
Letters: Nos. 65, 67. Photo: No. 24.
Robert M. Fryar
Cousin of R. T. Harris; husband of Sarah Fryar. Letters: Nos.
64, 68.
Sarah Fryar
Wife of Robert M. Fryar; cousin of R. T. Harris; daughter of
James Harris (brother of R. T. Harris).
Letters: Nos. 64, 68.
Agnes Gillespie
Daughter of Martha Jane (Harris) Weir (sister of R. T.Harris);
niece of R. T. Harris.
Letter: No. 95.
Aquillar Harris
Son of William C. Harris (brother of R. T. Harris); brother of
Brice, George, Richard J., Samuel, and William John Harris and
of Mary Ann (Harris) Dobbins; nephew of R. T. Harris.
Photo: No. 6.
Brice Harris
Son of William C. Harris (brother of R. T. Harris); brother of
Aquillar, George, Richard J., Samuel, and William John Harris
and of Mary Ann (Harris) Dobbins; nephew of R. T. Harris.
Letter: No. 153. Photo: No. 7.
Fred Harris
Uncle of William John Harris and R. T. Harris, Jr.
Letter: No. 126.
George T. Harris
Son of William C. Harris (brother of R. T. Harris); brother of
Aquillar, Brice, Richard J., Samuel and William John Harris and
of Mary Ann (Harris) Dobbins.
Letters: Nos. 59, 117, 164. Photo: No. 8 (?)
Hugh Harris
Son of John Harris and Grandson of Samuel Harris of Drummadonald,
County Down, Ireland; nephew (?) of R. T. Harris.
Letters: Nos. 43, 44, 45.
Jane Harris
Wife of William Charles Harris (brother of R. T. Harris).
Letters: Nos. 56, 57.
Lotta A. Harris
Sister of Mary Ann Harris; niece of R. T. Harris.
Letter: No. 222. Photo: No. 11.
Margaret Harris
Wife of William John Harris (son of R. T. Harris); mother of
Richard T., Frederick B., and Margaret Harris.
Letters: Nos. 203, 205, 212, 213, 220, 226. Photos: Nos. 9, 14.
Margaret Harris
Daughter of William John Harris (son of R. T. Harris).
Photo: No. 10.
Mary Harris
Wife of James Harris (brother of Mary Ann (Harris) Dobbins);
niece of R. T. Harris.
Letter: No. 110.
Mary Ann Harris
Sister of Lotta A. Harris; niece of R. T. Harris.
Photo: No. 11.
Reid Harris
Brother of Brice Harris and Mary (Harris) Dobbins; son of William
C. Harris (brother of R. T. Harris); nephew of R. T. Harris.
Photo: No. 7.
Richard J. Harris
Brother of Aquillar, Brice, George, Samuel, William John, and
Mary Ann (Harris) Dobbins; nephew of R. T. Harris.
Letter: No. 154.
Samuel Harris
Brother of Aquillar, Brice, George, and William John Harris and
of Mary Ann (Harris) Dobbins; nephew of R. T. Harris.
Photo: No. 12.
William Charles Harris
Brother of R. T.Harris.
Letters: Nos. 21, 56, 57.
William Jennings Bryan Harris
Son of George Harris; grandson of William C. Harris (brother
of R. T. Harris); nephew of R. T. Harris.
Photo: No. 13.
William John Harris (Billy)
Son of William C. Harris (brother of R. T. Harris); brother of
Aquillar, Brice, George, Samuel Harris and Mary Ann (Harris)
Dobbins; nephew of R. T. Harris.
Letters: Nos. 84, 149, 151, 153, 154, 165, 168.
Mrs. James (Ann Weir) Linton
Daughter of Agnes (Weir) Gillespie; granddaughter of Martha Jane
(Harris) Weir (sister of R. T. Harris) and William Weir; grandniece
of R. T. Harris.
Letter: No. 55.
Frank McCormick
Son of George McCormick and Sarah (Harris) McCormick (sister
of R. T. Harris); brother of James McCormick; nephew of R. T.
Harris.
Photo: No. 29.
George McCormick
Husband of Sarah (Harris) McCormick (sister of R. T. Harris);
father of Frank and James McCormick.
Letters: Nos. 26, 50, 53.
Sarah McCormick
Wife of George McCormick; mother of Frank and James McCormick;
sister of R. T. Harris.
Letters: Nos. 26, 50, 53.
Bessie Maguire
Sister of Margaret Harris (wife of William John Harris - son
of R. T. Harris).
Letters: Nos. 211, 220.
Mary Nichols
Niece of R. T. Harris
Letters: Nos. 66, 127.
James Pinkerton
Husband of Sarah Pinkerton (sister of R. T. Harris); cousin of
R. T. Harris.
Letters: Nos. 9, 63, 69, 108.
Sarah (Harris) Pinkerton
Sister of R. T. Harris; wife of James Pinkerton.
Letter: No. 9.
Mary I. Reid
Niece of R. T. Harris.
Letters: Nos. 16, 39, 217.
William James Reid
Grandnephew of R. T. Harris.
Photo: No. 32.
Sarah Starr
Daughter of Frank and Jenny (sister of Kitty Harris wife of R.
T. Harris) Starr.
Letter: No. 100. Photo: No. 34.
Martha Jane (Harris) Weir
Sister of R. T. Harris; wife of William Weir; mother of Agnes
Gillespie; grandmother of Ann Weir Linton and Richard Weir.
Letters: Nos. 40, 76, 228.
Richard Weir
Son of Martha Jane (Harris) Weir (sister of R. T. Harris) and
William Weir; brother of Agnes (Weir) Gillespie; nephew of R.
T. Harris
Letter: No. 47.
William Weir
Husband of Martha Jane (Harris) Weir (sister of R. T. Harris).
Letter: No. 40.
Mary Williams
Daughter of William John Harris (son of William C. Harris a brother
of A.T. Harris); niece of R. T. Harris.
Letter: No. 92.