Thomas Harris was born about 1788 in England. Around 1817, at St Giles’ Church in Camberwell, Surrey, he married Louisa Lawrence, who had been born about 1796. Two sons followed in Deptford, Kent – Thomas in May 1818 and William in April 1821 – with both baptised in the parish soon after birth. Louisa died young in December 1829, leaving Thomas a widower with small children. In October 1830, Thomas married again at St Giles’ Camberwell. His new wife, Sarah Cunningham, born about 1790, became stepmother to his children. A further child, Alfred Benjamin, was born about 1835. By 1836, Thomas and Sarah had arrived in Hobart, where their daughter Sarah was born and baptised that year. They later moved to Bothwell, where Thomas worked as a shopkeeper and general dealer. The 1842 census recorded Thomas and Sarah with their children in Alexander Street, Bothwell, and in that year, their youngest, Frederick Benjamin, was born. Thomas ran the store, took part in civic life and business partnerships under the name “T Harris & Co,” and regularly appeared in newspapers advertising goods, offering contracts or signing local petitions. Tragedy struck several times. Frederick Benjamin died in 1843 at only 21 months old, and Alfred Benjamin died in 1848 aged 13. Nonetheless, the Harris family remained active in Bothwell’s commercial and religious life. Thomas was involved in land transactions and road disputes, while Sarah Harris appeared in newspaper notices selling Bibles and helping with local fundraising. Thomas Harris senior died in Bothwell on July 10, 1854, after a long illness, aged 66, and was buried in Bothwell Cemetery. Sarah outlived him by nearly four years, remaining a familiar figure in local charitable activities until her own death on April 27, 1858, aged 68. She too, was buried at Bothwell Cemetery. The Alexander Street property, which had been the centre of their family life and business, was finally sold by the executors of Sarah Harris in December 1860.

Thomas Harris.

b: abt 1788, England; d: 10 Jul 1854, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: aft 10 Jul 1854, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

Spouse (1) - Louisa Lawrence.

b: abt 1796, place unknown; m: 8 Jun 1817, Camberwell, Surrey, England d: 21 Dec 1829, Deptford, Kent, England.

Children of Thomas Harris and Louise Lawrence:

1. Thomas Harris - b: 4 May 1818, Deptford, Kent, England; bap: 31 May 1818, Deptford, Kent, England; d: 16 Feb 1886, Geelong, Victoria. Spouse - Caroline Sadler, daughter of James Sadler and Elizabeth Maton, b: abt 1826, place unknown; m: 26 Feb 1849, New Town, Tasmania; d: 26 Sep 1918, Geelong, Victoria.

2. William Harris - b: 8 Apr 1821, Deptford, Kent, England; bap: 29 Apr 1821, Deptford, Kent, England; d: 22 Feb 1904, Geelong, Victoria.

Spouse (2) - Sarah Cunningham.

b: abt 1790, place unknown; m: 31 Oct 1830, Camberwell, Surrey, England; d: 27 Apr 1858, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: aft 27 Apr 1858, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

Children of Thomas Harris and Sarah Cunningham:

1. Alfred Benjamin Harris - b: abt 1835, England; d: 21 Feb 1848, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: aft 21 Feb 1848, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

2. Sarah Harris - b: 15 Apr 1836, Hobart, Tasmania; bap: 14 May 1836, Hobart, Tasmania; d: 8 Apr 1899, Constitution Hill, Tasmania. Spouse - Robert John Nichols, son of John Nichols and Ann Fortnam, b: 7 Apr 1843, Green Ponds, Tasmania; bap: 3 Mary 1843, Green Ponds, Tasmania; m: 3 Feb 1864, Constitution Hill, Tasmania; d: 15 Dec 1928, Dysart, Tasmania, Australia; bur: 17 Dec 1928, Congregational Cemetery, Kempton, Tasmania.

3. Frederick Benjamin Harris - b: 17 Feb 1842, Bothwell, Tasmania; bap: 27 Mar 1842, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 30 Nov 1843, Bothwell, Tasmania.