As a young boy I knew “Grandma Harris” but I don’t really remember much about her. I just remember her as an ancient woman, small and very weathered. She died when I was only 7 1/2 and I do remember the funeral at the Church of Christ and going to the cemetery for her burial. I also have memories of being at the house of Aunt Grace and Uncle Lowrey Foster in Georgetown during the couple of days between when Grandma Harris died and the day of her funeral. All of her family were there and I recall her daughters cooking large meals for all of us family mourners and cleaning up after us. I have a vivid memory of Aunt Grace and my Grandma Lay both washing and drying dishes while bawling like children at their loss.238

MRS. CORDELIA HARRIS

GEORGETOWN, Jan. 19.–(Spl) Mrs. Cordelia Paralee Adair Harris 83, died in a local hospital Wednesday. A pioneer resident of Georgetown, she lived here since 1883. She was born in Tyro. Miss., June 28, 1861. She was a cnarier member of the Georgetown Church of Christ.

Funeral services will be held Thursday at 4 p.m. in the Church of Christ with the Rev. Ben West officiating. Burial will be in the Oddfellow cemetery.

Survivors are one son, C. E. Harris of Georgetown; three daughter, Mrs. L. B. Campbell of Taylor. Mrs. Lowrey Foster of Georgetown and Mrs. Mabel Lay of San Antonio. one brother, E. L. Adair of Bishop; four sisters. Mrs. Laura Hargin of Oxford, Miss., Mrs. Robert Stewart of Dilley, Mrs. Pearl Frank of Rusk and Mrs. B. H. Rylander of Buda.

Charles Morton Harris was born to Felix and Elizabeth Harris on September 21, 1861 in Senatobia, Mississippi. Senatobia was incorporated in 1856 and became the county seat when Tate County was established in 1873 from DeSoto and Marshall counties. It is in the northwest corner of Mississippi and lay astride a major north-south rail line, the Mississippi and Tennessee.

On January 24, 1883 Charles Harris married Cordelia Paralee Adair, who was born in the nearby village of Tyro, on June 28, 1861. The marriage took place in Thyatira, also in Tate County. The 1880 census of Mississippi shows that the population of Tate county was 18,721, including 935 in Senatobia, 125 in Tyro, and 60 in Thyatira.

Charles and Cordelia Harris had two children in Mississippi, Frances Elizabeth and Charles Edward. In December of 1886, a large group, including the Harris and Adair families, was led from Tate County to Texas by Banney Hargis, known by his followers as "Uncle Banney." Banister was the husband of Mary Ann Adeline Gant, older sister of Frances Gant. He had married Mary Ann Gant in 1850, when she was only 16 years old. The couple had moved to Caldwell Co TX and were living there in 1860 and 1870. It must be that Banny Hargis returned to Marshall County to lead his relatives to Texas. The group settled in Hays County, around Kyle. Hays Co borders Caldwell Co, where Banny Hargis and his family lived.

In 1890 they settled in Georgetown, a prosperous town of about 2500 in Williamson County. Georgetown lay on the San Gabriel river about 10 miles north of Round Rock, which lay on the intersection of Brushy Creek and the famous Chisholm Trail, which was used for cattle drives from about 1867 until 1871. It was in Round Rock in 1878 that the outlaw Sam Bass and his cohort Seaborn Barnes were gunned down in the street by a vigilante group in the course of a bank robbery.

It was in Georgetown that Charles and Cordelia Harris' last child, Mabel Coral, was born in 1891. The 1900 census records that Charley M. Harris was a grocer and lived with his family on Orchard Street in Georgetown. In addition to wife Cordelia, the family included children Fannie, Eddie, Gracie, and Mabel.

Charles and Cordelia Harris both lived long lives in Georgetown. The were charter members of the Georgetown Church of Christ when it was organized in June, 1892 and Charles was a deacon of that group for many years. In their elder years, Cordelia was affectionately known as "Mother Harris," and Charles was called "Grandad" by his friends in the courthouse, shops, offices, and stores of Georgetown. In 1933 an all-day golden wedding anniversary celebration was held at the home of their daughter Frances Campbell in Taylor, Texas. Cordelia died on January 19, 1944 and Charles died on May 12, 1945. They are buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Georgetown.

1900 Census of Georgetown, Williamson Co TX

Name Age
Charley M Harris 38
Cordelia P Harris 38 mother of 4, all living
Fannie E Harris 16
Eddie Harris 14
Gracie Harris 10
Mabel Harris 8

1910 census of Williamson Co TX (28 April 1910):

Harris, Charles M. head M W 48 m 27
Harris, Cordelia wife F W 48 m 27
Foster, Grace dau F W 21 m 2
Foster, Lowrey son-in-law M W 24 m 2
Foster, Myrtle granddau F w 2/12
Lay, Mabel dau F W 18 m 0
Lay, Jesse son-in-law M W 22 m 0

1920 census of Williamson Co TX (12 June 1920):

Harris, Charley M. head M W 58 m
Harris, Cordelia wife F W 58 m
Foster, Lowrey son-in-law M W 33 m
Foster, --- daughter F W 30 m
Foster, Grace H. granddaughter F W 7 s

1930 census of Williamson Co TX (10 April 1930):

Harris, Charley head M W 69 m
Harris, Cordelia wife F W 69 m

1940 Census of Williamson Co TX (18 April 1940)

W Lowrey Foster head 54
Grace Foster wife 50
Chas M Harris father-in-law 78 college, 1st year
Cordelia Harris mother-in-law 78 elementery school, 5th gradee
Paul B Rich lodger 41