Son of Parna Chappell and Emer Harris. He came west in June, 1852 with the Harmon Cutler Company of wagon trains which brought members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the Salt Lake Valley in Utah Territory. They came from the eastern areas where they had gathered to make the treck, fleeing religious persecution.

Charles was seventeen at the time and traveled in the company of his father (71), his older (27) half brother, Dennison Lott Harris, Dennison's wife, Sarah Wilson and their children Deborah Jane, four and Sarah Ann, one.

In June 1850, his mother had traveled ahead of them in the William Snow/Joseph Young Company of wagons with the older sons, Martin Henderson, Alma and Joseph, along with their Uncle Ezekiel and her younger children.

His father's first wife, Roxana Peas, had died 9 February 1814. They had six children. His father's second wife was Deborah Lott, whom he married 16 January 1819 in Pennsylvania; they had five children. Several of those children had died and when Deborah died 18 March 1825 in Pennsylvania, they moved to Ohio. Here he had met and married Parna, 29 March 1826.

Charles' parents had joined the church early, during it's organization, and at Nauvoo, Illinois, his father had married again in polygamy to Polly Chamberlain, 11 January 1845. They had one daughter and Polly had died at Winter Quarters, Iowa, 9 June 1847.

Upon reaching the valley, they settled at Provo, Utah County. His father eventually married again, 10 September 1855, to a widow by the name of Martha Allen. (died 1860, Provo; buried Provo City Cemetery).

Charles' mother died 4 June 1857 at Ogden, Weber, Utah and is buried at Logan City Cemetery with his father, who lived until 28 November 1869.

Charles Harris married (1) Louisa Maria Hall 20 April 1855 at Ogden, Weber, Utah. They had eleven children, seven boys and five girls. One daughter died at fifteen, but the others lived to maturity.

They are: Charles Elisha 1857-1940, Charles Alvey "Alva" 1859-1885, Isabelle Maria 1861-1938, Jesse Orson 1864-1947, Mary Addrienne 1866-1954, Eugene 1869-1900, Silas Albert 1871-1964, Ida May 1873-1888, Ole Van 1876-1968, Clarence Earl 1879-1966, Mertie Adell 1881-1974.

Charles married in poylagamy, at 54, (2) Elizabeth Ann Anderson, who was sixteen. They had four children; two lived
to maturity, one died at 8 years old and one daughter was stillborn. They are: Juanita Blanche 1890-1899, Stillborn daughter, about 1892, Milo John 1901-1978, Susie Zetelle 1896-1954.

After his death, his first wife, Louisa, lived until 6 May 1923 and is buried at Provo City Cemetery, Utah County, Utah.

His second wife was married, three years after his death, to his grandson, Alva Delroy Harris, who was through the first wife's line. He was 34 and lived less than three months. Elizabeth was a widow for the second time at age 47. In 1923, she married Willard Barlow. She is buried alongside these two husbands in Harris Cemetery, but under the name of Barlow.