The Harris families of Cass County
Lon Harris was barely a teenager when arrived in Cass County Texas with his parents Joel and Paulena Harris. Alonzo (Lon) David HARRIS was born February 15, 1880 in Chambers County AL, and died June 29, 1957 in Vivian. Caddo Parish, LA. He was the second son of Joel C. Harris and Paulena Moore. Lon BARMS married Ida HARRIST about 1903 in Cass. County TX. Ida HARRIST was born 05 June 1886 in TX, and died 17 June 1947 in Vivian, Caddo Parrish. LA. They were buried in the Vivian Cemetery.
Lon HARRIS farmed on of his father’s holdings and his own. About 1916-1917, Lon and his father had a falling out over the land, possibly the 200 acres in the “most east 640 acres of the survey in the name of John Germany” [bk F-4, pg. 565, Warranty Deeds, August 1, 1917], This land was sold to M.W. OLIVER. Lon moved his family to Oil City and according to Arrie’s letter to niece Verna PARKER VARNELL the land deal created irreconcilable differences ‘’There was a bridge between them that they never crossed.” Bobbie confirmed that her father never spoke of her grandparents when they were growing up. She remembers visiting her Uncle. Grover Cleveland HARRIS, and My family lived nearby. Vivian HARRIS WEEKS, Grover’s daughter, recalls the visits and has a picture taken during one of them.
Lon and Ida left Cass County around 1919, with their family and moved to Oil City, in Caddo Parish, LA. This period of American history saw many young men leave the family farm and move to the towns and oil fields to reap the rewards of black gold springing from the Caddo- Pine Island fields, green fields that once were used for growing cotton and timber were fewer. Lon went to work for Standard Oil Company of Louisiana, one of the 37 companies Standard Oil Company, incorporated by John D. Rockefeller in 1870, was forced to divest by U. S. Antitrust legislation in 1911. Lon worked for Standard Oil as a pumper, retiring around 1945 near the end of WWII.
Bobbie remembers her parents with fondness. She said they were very dear and caring people. Her father was a devoted family man. According to Willie Jean HARRIS, Lon Jr. ‘s wife, they were “passionate about their children”. They were close to their grandchildren, Mary Helen TAYLOR, and Johnnie Sue WALL. Bobbie said that her father provided well for his family, they never wanted for anything. Lon and Ida were members of the Baptist Church in Oil City, and all the children were involved in the church.
Alonzo and Ida HARRIS had three children. (1) Lois HARRIS was born 02 January 1904, and died 21 June 1994 in Shreveport, Caddo Parish, LA and buried Greenlawn Cemetery Spartanburg, SC. She married 1st William George TAYLOR. She married 2nd Cecil BERRY. Lois and William Taylor had one daughter Mary-Helen TAYLOR, living. (2) Lillian “Bobbie” HARRIS was born about 1908. She married 1st Johnny WALL about 1924. She married 2nd Clarence BURNHAUSEN. Bobbie and Johnny Walls had one daughter, Johnnie Sue WALL, born 22 August 1925 and died 12 February 1972 in Dallas, TX . She is buried hi Pasadena, TX. She married 1st Jerry Donald BASS about 1947. She married 2nd John PECK about 1953.
(3) Alonzo David LD HARRIS, Jr was born 17 March 1917 in Cass County . TX and died 06 February 1981 in Oil City, LA. He married Willie Jean DAVIS 20 February 1940. LD and Willie Jean Harris had three children: (1) Phillip David HARRIS; (2) Mark Steven HARRIS; and (3) Donna lean HARRIS.,.
Lois and Mary Helen married and eventually moved away. LD was much younger and remained close to his parents leaving the area only during WWII to join the US Army in 1943. He was an engineer hi Petroleum Distribution. LD helped his father with the family garden growing Kentuck Wonder Beans. Willie Jean recalled that she and Ida did a lot of canning and that Ida worked from home for extra income, sewing and quilling. Ida was a long lime volunteer for the American Red Cross.
Arrie Myrtle Harris
Arrie Harris was the most colorful of Joel and Paulena (Lizzie) Harris’s children, possibly because she was the youngest. She was the family record keeper and kept the records of time in her favor, as her recorded age on each marriage certificate would indicate. Betty Louise LEWIS GUIFFRA remembers her Grandmother, Arrie, as a “social butterfly” who liked being the center of attention. She was not the dotting grandmotherly type. Carol Sue LEWIS Wright remembers Arrie as a responsible person. Arrie often had the duty to check on Carol after school while her parents worked. She seems to have been thrifty. A trait learned from her parents.
She loved keeping scrapbooks, and it is to her efforts many family photos have been preserved. She was the peacemaker keeping in touch with family members. She was particularly close to her sister Susie Ida Harris Parker Swearengin. In a letter to Susie’s daughter Verna, she briefly recounts her family history. “Your grandmother (“Lizzie’) was a wonderful woman— blonde. Your grandfather as a wonderful man — black hair and dark, like you and your mother (Susie Ida HARRIS) ...
She followed with— “And I am wondering if your mother ever told you much about your father (Luther Noah PARKER). You see I stayed with Susie a lot when you all were babies and before I married. Your daddy provided well for his family. The PARKER ‘s are very fine people. “ Her scrapbooks and family Bible remain with her grandson Joel C. Lewis Jr.
Arrie would have been glad to know her heritage. Paulena, ‘Lizzie1 came by her fair complexion and blonde hair described by her daughter Arrie, from the HODNETT’s. Benjamin HODNET, Lizzie’s great-grandfather is described in his enlistment papers as fair complexion, light hair, and blue eyes. Benjamin mustered with the Virginia Militia on the steps of the Chesterfield courthouse under Captain Joseph SCOTT in 1780 at age 19.
Arrie Myrtle HARRIS was born 23 April 1892 in Arkansas, and died 01 May 1961 in N. Little Rock, AR—buried at Pine Crest Memorial Park, Alexander, Arkansas. Memorial Services for Arrie were held At Drummond Memorial 04 May 1961. According to Jane at Drummond Funeral Home Records record her age as 63, and birth place as Atlanta, TX. She was raised as Methodist, and this was listed as her religious faith. She married without parental consent Harvey B. BROOME on 05 October 1908, crossing the State lines to Kiblah, Miller, Arkansas. She married second to Joe Wiggins LEWIS on 20 May 1914 in Anders, Little River, Arkansas. She married third to T. C. McRAE on 29 September 1937 in Little Rock, Pulaski. Arkansas. She married fourth to Harvey I. EVANS on 28 January 194 2 in Creston, Union, Iowa.
Arrie had four children (1) Clarence BROOME was born 06 October 1909 in Atlanta, Cass TX. He died 1977 in Haughton, LA; buried at Hillcrest Cemetery. Clarence was married to Pearl Green. (2) Joel Chandler LEWIS was born 01 December 1912 in Atlanta, Cass, TX, and died 02 February 1993 in Little Rock, Arkansas. He married Stella ORR on 05 November 1932. (3) Lena Jo LEWIS was born 14 August 1916 in Arkansas. She married first Theodore FOLSOM. She married second to Cliff KRESS. (4) Paul Wiggins LEWIS was born about February 1920, and died about 1980 in Memphis, TN.
Sources- Compiled records and personal collections of various records including Deeds, Wills, Vital and Military records, Tombstone transcriptions and Obituaries , Bible records, photographs, and family newsletter’s The Road to East Texas Our Family Reunion, for Harris, Megginson, Moore, Hodnett, Parker, Forbes from Debra Buster, 13619 Sable Grove Ln, Houston, TX 77014.