Life of Daniel Harris
Compiled by Shirley DeLapp
(Compiled 1963—Incomplete and probably incorrect in some details)

Daniel Harris was born on 17 march, 1831, in South Bend, St. Joseph county, Indiana, or nearby in Michigan, as a census record states.

His parents, John Harris and Lovina Eiler, were married two months before his birth—probably because of the scarcity of ministers in their area; His father's family had come there three years before from Ohio and they were the first white settlers in that area. They chose a choice prairie grassland enclosed by wooded area, which is named Harris Township to this day.

When Daniel was 16 or 17 years old, and his brothers and sisters numbered seven, his father and mother decided to go to Oregon. They were converted to the Church at Council Bluffs. His father, mother, and a brother and sister were baptized. Daniel and the oldest girl were not (or the record is lost).

They remained in that vicinity until 1848. A baby brother was born at Harris Grove, Iowa. They emigrated to Utah in 1848 in Brigham Young's second company. There were over a thousand people in the company. Did Daniel notice and become acquainted with a young sixteen year old girl. Lydia Harris, who was no relative but later became his wife?

Daniel's father settled in Farmington, Utah and another brother was born there. In 1851, this family went to San Bernardino, California with Lyman and rich to make a Mormon settlement. Two years later he married Lydia Harris, whose family had also moved to California.

In 1856, his father was sent on a mission to the mining camps of Northern California to raise money to pay the mortgage on their land. John Harris mentions in his diary about Daniel going home—was he called on a mission too? By this time Daniel and Lydia had a son and daughter.

In 1857 Johnson's army invaded Utah and Brigham Young called the San Bernardino settlement back to Utah. Because of their hurried departure, they only received a fourth of the full value of their property. Their ranch there has been described as "The most beautiful spot on earth". It must have been heart breaking to leave it.

At times Daniel and his family lived at Harrisburg, Parowan, at Fillmore, a son was born, and at Deseret two years later, a daughter.

Daniel was called with some of his father's family to go back to San Bernardino to bring back some of the cattle left behind. They were accused of stealing livestock, and jailed. This episode caused friction in Daniel's family, and he left Lydia and his children (his oldest son about 12 years old) and never saw them again as far as we know.
His wife, Lydia, moved in with her father and mother in Southern Utah. She married Samuel White and moved to Beaver. He died several years later. She spent the remaining sixty years of her life as a widow of meager means and raised Daniel's four children and Samuel's one daughter alone.

Daniel evidently moved to Juab County. In the 1870 census he was living at the new settlement of Chicken Creek with his parent's family. He was baptized while there—the first baptism in the new ward.

Where and how did he meet Rachel and Hannah Thornton? These two English girls had emigrated to Salt Lake and evidently spent several years doing housework before marrying Daniel. In 1873, he married Rachel when she was 27 years old. He married Hannah about a year later when she was about 20. One wife lived in Juab and one in Salt Lake. Five years later both were living in Salt Lake City.

Rachel's family history was tragic. She had four children born in five years. Two were stillborn; one lived two months and one eight months.

After 1879, Daniel and his two wives left Utah, joining others of the John Harris family and went to Colorado to work on the railroad. Family tradition says a land transaction left them with bitter feelings toward Utah.

From there they evidently went to New Mexico where they met the Bingham brothers who were hauling freight to soldiers who were pursuing Geronimo. They worked with the Bingham boys and at times lived in Chavis, Lincoln, and Grand Counties.

Around 1885 they met James McGee, who was head of an apostate Mormon group and affiliated themselves with him.

Daniel moved his family to Thatcher, Arizona, where there was a branch of the Church. Was he interested in reaffiliation?

Hannah had six children by this time, five boys and one girl. While at Thatcher the youngest boy died. In 1892 Daniel went with McGee to Mexico to look after mining property. While there he died on August 25. McGee said he died of Salt poisoning—that is, took too much salt to ease the pain of abdominal cramps. The site of this grave is not known to us. He died at Rancho Dromacorco, Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico.

McGee moved Hannah and Rachel and their families to Tucson and at Ranch Reno they grew up.

Daniels's two families were not well acquainted—hardly knew the other existed. Now we're happy to have them reunited in a family organization.