{"id":162,"date":"2022-09-12T18:49:46","date_gmt":"2022-09-12T18:49:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/?p=162"},"modified":"2023-06-25T20:29:19","modified_gmt":"2023-06-25T20:29:19","slug":"harris-surname-in-black-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/harris-surname-in-black-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Harris As An African American Last Name"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>There were 264,620 black Americans with Harris as their last name in the 2010 U.S. Census. This was 42% of the total number with that name in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This article looks at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>19th and early 20<sup>th<\/sup>-century black census numbers for the name<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>notable African American people named Harris<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>early black military records and how to find them<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/harris-surname-in-black-history\/#Harris_Before_The_Civil_War\" title=\"Harris Before The Civil War\">Harris Before The Civil War<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/harris-surname-in-black-history\/#1850_Federal_Census\" title=\"1850 Federal Census\">1850 Federal Census<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/harris-surname-in-black-history\/#1860_Federal_Census\" title=\"1860 Federal Census\">1860 Federal Census<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/harris-surname-in-black-history\/#After_The_Civil_War\" title=\"After The Civil War\">After The Civil War<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/harris-surname-in-black-history\/#Harris_In_The_1900_And_1940_Census\" title=\"Harris In The 1900 And 1940 Census\">Harris In The 1900 And 1940 Census<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/harris-surname-in-black-history\/#Historic_Black_Figures_With_The_Harris_Surname\" title=\"Historic Black Figures With The Harris Surname\">Historic Black Figures With The Harris Surname<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/harris-surname-in-black-history\/#Catherine_Harris\" title=\"Catherine Harris\">Catherine Harris<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/harris-surname-in-black-history\/#Nathan_Harris\" title=\"Nathan Harris\">Nathan Harris<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/harris-surname-in-black-history\/#John_Harris\" title=\"John Harris\">John Harris<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/harris-surname-in-black-history\/#Bernard_Harris\" title=\"Bernard Harris\">Bernard Harris<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/harris-surname-in-black-history\/#Harris_In_Black_Military_Records\" title=\"Harris In Black Military Records\">Harris In Black Military Records<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/harris-surname-in-black-history\/#Black_Civil_War_Soldiers\" title=\"Black Civil War Soldiers\">Black Civil War Soldiers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/harris-surname-in-black-history\/#James_Harris\" title=\"James Harris\">James Harris<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/harris-surname-in-black-history\/#Willis_Harris\" title=\"Willis Harris\">Willis Harris<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/harris-surname-in-black-history\/#Black_Civil_War_Sailors\" title=\"Black Civil War Sailors\">Black Civil War Sailors<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/harris-surname-in-black-history\/#Tuskegee_Airmen\" title=\"Tuskegee Airmen\">Tuskegee Airmen<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Harris_Before_The_Civil_War\"><\/span>Harris Before The Civil War<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1850 census was the first to record all free members of households together. Before this, people who were not white were not named in the federal census.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1850, there was a box to enter color on the census. It was left blank to denote white, b for black, or m for mulatto. The third term is the language of the time. I will use mixed in the rest of this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are researching your black Harris ancestors in census archives, be sure to search under both categories. Do not rely on the census taker getting the category right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1850_Federal_Census\"><\/span>1850 Federal Census<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There were 2,183 people named Harris who were recorded as black in the 1850 census. 952 were recorded as mixed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because they are in the main federal census, these are free citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There was a total of 46,180 free citizens named Harris that year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1860_Federal_Census\"><\/span>1860 Federal Census<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1860 federal census recorded 2,295 people named Harris as black, and 1,159 as mixed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That is out of a total of 54,584 free citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, census-taking would change after the Civil War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"After_The_Civil_War\"><\/span>After The Civil War<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/1865-Newly-Freed-Family-Richmond-Virginia.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-163\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/1865-Newly-Freed-Family-Richmond-Virginia.jpg 800w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/1865-Newly-Freed-Family-Richmond-Virginia-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/1865-Newly-Freed-Family-Richmond-Virginia-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Newly freed family in Richmond, Virginia in 1865<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The 1870 census was the first after the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation. At last, all African Americans are included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those who were omitted in 1860 because they were enslaved are now in this census. Here are the numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>27,867 people named Harris were recorded in the 1870 census as black and 4,459 as mixed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The increase is clear. The overall total (all Americans) was 99,308.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1880 census recorded 40,999 as black and 7,375 as mixed out of a total of 128,472.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now we jump to the end of the 19th century \u2013 or the beginning of the 20th.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Harris_In_The_1900_And_1940_Census\"><\/span>Harris In The 1900 And 1940 Census<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1900, the mixed category was dropped. However, not all enumerators followed those instructions. I have found a small number of records where \u201cm\u201d was still used in the box for color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I will focus here on the black numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1900 census recorded 70,595 people named Harris as black within a total of 190,618.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There were 102,265 people named Harris recorded in the 1940 census as black within a total of 314,610.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Historic_Black_Figures_With_The_Harris_Surname\"><\/span>Historic Black Figures With The Harris Surname<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-rounded\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Harris-1-1024x536.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-176\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Harris-1-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Harris-1-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Harris-1-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Harris-1.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Here are some notable figures in history with Harris as their last name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Catherine_Harris\"><\/span>Catherine Harris<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Born: 1809<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Died: 1907<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>From: Meadville, Pennsylvania<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Catherine Harris was widowed in 1830 and moved with her child to New York. She married a barber and worked as a maid and cook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her husband, John Harris, grew a successful business. He was able to buy a house in Charlestown in 1838.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Slave hunters were rampant, and Catherine hid fugitives in the attic of their house. She turned it into an active station on the underground railroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Underground Railroad was a vast network of secret routes and safe houses organized by many abolitionists and rights activists. It helped thousands of enslaved people escape from the South.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/jones-surname-in-black-history\/#Mary_Richardson_Jones\">Mary Richardson Jones<\/a> was another wife of a successful businessman who turned their home into a stop on the Underground Railroad.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/underground-railroad.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-49\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/underground-railroad.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/underground-railroad-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/underground-railroad-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Nathan_Harris\"><\/span>Nathan Harris<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Born: before 1830<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>From: Anne Arundel County, Maryland<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/still-surname-in-black-history\/#William_Still\">William Still<\/a> was a member of the Underground Railroad committee in Philadelphia. He kept substantial notes on fugitives who they helped. He published the notes in a book in 1872.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nathan Harris appears in the book as part of a duo who escape together from Maryland. It was his friend Robert Fisher who first made up his mind to flee from bondage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But Nathan didn&#8217;t need much persuading. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The book doesn&#8217;t reveal their age but explains that they didn&#8217;t believe they would be freed when they reached twenty-five, which was the current law in Maryland. It may have been the law, but many owners didn&#8217;t observe it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The two men found their way to the Underground Railway committee in Philadelphia who helped them on their way further north to safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can read the full account in our excerpt on <a href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/fugitives-anne-arundel-county-underground-railroad\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"599\">two fugitives from Anne Arundel and the Underground Railroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"John_Harris\"><\/span>John Harris<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Born: 1859<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>From: San Francisco, California<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>John Harris was denied entry to a swimming complex in San Francisco in 1897. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Harris sued the mayor and the pool\u2019s owner. Local black leaders backed Harris with financial assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite hostile media coverage, Harris won his case. The jury awarded the lowest damages that they could, but it was still an important milestone in the history of Civil Rights in America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bernard_Harris\"><\/span>Bernard Harris<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Born: 1956<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>From: San Antonio, Texas<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Bernard Harris studied biology at the University of Houston and earned an MD (medicine) at Texas Tech University in 1982. He joined NASA&#8217;s AMES Research Center in Silicon Valley in 1987 and trained as an Air Force flight surgeon a year later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Harris moved to the Johnson Space Center in Houston to research measures to protect astronauts&#8217; bodies during extended space flights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like many teenage boys, the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 had made the young Bernard Harris want to become an astronaut. This aspiration came true in 1991, when he was selected by NASA as a mission specialist for the Space Shuttle program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His first mission was flying on the Columbia in April 1963 when he conducted biological research as a member of the payload crew. Harris was payload commander on STS-63 in February 1995, the first joint American-Russian mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On that flight, Bernard Harris became the first African American to walk in space. This picture (credit: NASA) shows the historic event:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bernard-Harris.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3179\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bernard-Harris.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Bernard-Harris-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other black astronauts<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/anderson-surname-in-black-history\/#Michael_Anderson\">Michael Anderson<\/a> (died in the Columbia disaster)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/lawrence-surname-in-black-history\/#Robert_Lawrence\">Robert Lawrence<\/a> (died the same year he was selected for NASA&#8217;s astronaut program)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/scott-surname-in-black-history\/#Winston_Scott\">Winston Scott<\/a> (two spacewalks)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wilson-surname-in-black-history\/#Stephanie_Wilson\">Stephanie Wilson<\/a> (three space flights)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Harris_In_Black_Military_Records\"><\/span>Harris In Black Military Records<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You may be surprised at the amount of genealogy information available from military records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some examples of the Harris surname from three different military services:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Civil war soldiers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Civil war sailors<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tuskegee airmen<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Black_Civil_War_Soldiers\"><\/span>Black Civil War Soldiers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Five regiments for black soldiers were formed during the Civil War. They were often known as Buffalo Soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The army records are part of the national archive of military monthly returns. The information includes the year and place of birth, where they enlisted, their occupation, and their height.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to do your own research, there is a free index of these military records on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/search\/collections\/1934\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ancestry.com<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.familysearch.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FamilySearch.org.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are just two Civil War soldiers named Harris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"James_Harris\"><\/span>James Harris<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>James Harris was awarded the Medal of Honor, which is the highest American military award. The citation was for &#8220;gallantry in the assault&#8221; and it was for his actions at the Battle of Chaffin&#8217;s Farm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>James was born in Maryland and enlisted in 1864 in the 38th Colored Troops regiment. Starting as a private, he had been promoted to Sergeant by September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That month, his regiment attacked the Confederate Texas Brigade. The first assault was rebuffed, but Harris was one of three men who headed the second attempt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The trio breached the defenses and fought in fierce hand-to-hand combat. With their comrades joining from behind, they routed the Confederates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Harris was given the Medal of Honor in 1874. <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"401\" height=\"544\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/James-Henry-Harris.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-165\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/James-Henry-Harris.jpg 401w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/James-Henry-Harris-221x300.jpg 221w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>James Henry Harris<\/em>, <em>1828-1898<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Willis_Harris\"><\/span>Willis Harris<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Another early military record in the archives for Harris appears in 1867. Willis Harris was a Recruit in the Tenth Cavalry, which means he enlisted after the Civil War. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Willis was stationed in 1867 at Fort Riley, Kansas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Black_Civil_War_Sailors\"><\/span>Black Civil War Sailors<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The National Parks Service has a free archive of African American sailors during the Civil War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The information includes their age, height, rank, occupation, and where and when they enlisted. It also includes every ship that they served on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can search the database on the&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/civilwar\/search-sailors.htm\" target=\"_blank\">National Parks website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Abraham Harris<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the earliest entries for the surname concerned Abraham Harris from Princeton, New Jersey. He enlisted in 1861 aged 21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His occupation before enlisting was as a Cook. His naval rank was Ordinary Seaman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>An ordinary seaman in the Navy is an apprentice who serves on the deck.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Benjamin Harris<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the later entries was for a sailor who enlisted in 1864. Benjamin was aged 27 and was from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His occupation before enlisting was as a Barber. His naval rank was Landsman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cLandsman\u201d was the lowest rank at the time and was given to recruits with little sea experience.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tuskegee_Airmen\"><\/span>Tuskegee Airmen<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Tuskegee Airmen were military personnel who served at the Tuskegee Army Airfield or related programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nearly one thousand black pilots graduated from the Tuskegee Institute. They flew single-engine fighter planes or twin-engine bombers. 352 fought in combat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This photograph is from the&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/resource\/cph.3b34943\/\" target=\"_blank\">Library of Congress archive<\/a>. It is thought to be classroom training for the pilots.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/tuskagee-airmen.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/tuskagee-airmen.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/tuskagee-airmen-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/tuskagee-airmen-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Archie Harris graduated as a 2nd Lieutenant from the Tuskegee Institute in 1944. He qualified as a bomber pilot. Archie was from Ocean City, New Jersey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richard Harris came from Montgomery, Alabama. He trained as a fighter pilot and graduated as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1943.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There were 264,620 black Americans with Harris as their last name in the 2010 U.S. Census. This was 42% of the total number with that name in the country. This article looks at: Harris Before The Civil War The 1850 census was the first to record all free members of households together. Before this, people &#8230; <a title=\"Harris As An African American Last Name\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/harris-surname-in-black-history\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Harris As An African American Last Name\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":164,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3271,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162\/revisions\/3271"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}