Robert Harris

Robert Harris was born 16 December 1807 in Hucclescote, England, the son of Robert Harris, Sr., and Sarah Oakey. His Father was a butcher so that is the trade Robert adopted. The family moved to Deerhurst shortly after his birth. As a young man Robert loved to fight bare-fisted at the county fairs. Robert married Hannah Maria Eagles 18 March 1835. Sometime after their marriage they converted to the United Brethren Church. When Wilford Woodruff arrived in England, Robert resisted his message and was angry when he found Wilford Woodruff teaching in his home. He tried to throw him out but the spirit overcame Robert and he was baptized in April 1840, a few days after his wife Hannah.

Robert’s brother-in-law, Daniel Browett, was the leader of a company of Saints that sailed to America 16 February 1841 on the ship “Echo”. Robert was one of six assistants Daniel chose. They arrived in Nauvoo 1 May 1841. Robert and Hannah bought a plot of land in Nauvoo. Robert served in the Nauvoo Legion. Every tenth day he worked on the Nauvoo Temple. Robert went into Iowa and worked for a farmer in exchange for a pair of steers to pull his wagon so he could join the Mormon exodus as they were driven out of Nauvoo. They had many hardships crossing Iowa.

Robert enlisted in the Mormon Battalion on 16 July 1846. When he was released from the Battalion in 1847, Robert expected to find his family in Salt Lake. They had not made it, so Robert left for Winter Quarters, arriving after many hardships and nearly starving. He found his family living in Winter Quarters and soon moved them to Council Point, Iowa, where they lived until they came to Utah in 1850. On arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, he took his family to Kaysville. The Harris family stayed with the Edward Phillips family for a short time until Robert could build a “wattle” house, composed of sticks and mud. He later built a log home and expanded it as time and resources permitted. The home eventually became large enough to hold Church meetings in. He farmed a piece of ground near the shores of the Great Salt Lake. Robert donated labour to build the Salt Lake Temple on a regular basis.

In 1869 Robert sold his farm in Kaysville and moved to Portage to help colonize that part of northern Utah. It was difficult living there. In 1872, crickets destroyed their grain crops. He moved back to Kaysville in 1875 and again worked on the Salt Lake Temple. The land that Robert farmed near the Great Salt Lake at Kaysville has never been developed. It is now part of the Nature Conservancy.

Robert died 29 June 1876 in Kaysville and Wilford Woodruff spoke at his funeral – Age 68.