William Henry Harrison (son of Luke Harrison and Hannah Lodge), was born July 20th, 1813, at Sussex, N.B., and died May 2nd, 1901, at Sackville, N.B.He had no family by his first and second wives.He and his third wife, Lavina M.Knight, daughter of Rev.Richard Knight, D.D., of Devonshire, England, had family as follows: Richard Knight, married to Anne Graham, of Sussex, N.B., living at Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.A.; Hannah Lovell, dead; William Henry, of Sackville, N.B.; Charles Allison, dead; F.A.Lovell, of St.John, N.B.; Albert Thornton, of New York City; Mary Louisa, married to T.Dwight Pickard, of Sackville, N.B., living at Fairview, B.C.; Frank Allison, of Sackville, N.B., married to Flora Anderson.
John Harrison, of Rillington, Yorkshire, England, who settled at Maccan River, N.S., Canada, in 1774, was a relative of John Harrison, born at Foulby, in the Parish of Wragley, near Pontrefact, Yorkshire, May, 1693.John Harrison, of Foulby, was the inventor of the chronometer, for which he received from the British Government the sum of L 20,000.
He died at his home in Red Lion Square, London, in 1776.The chronometer accepted by the Government from John Harrison was seen in July, 1901, at Guildhall, London.
The following letters were written by members of the Harrison family to friends in England.
William H.Harrison, a descendant of John Harrison, visited Yorkshire about the year 1854, and received the letters from friends there, bringing them back to Nova Scotia, where they were written so many years before.They are interesting as giving the experience of the emigrant in the new country.The first was written by Luke, a young man twenty years old, who had come to Nova Scotia with his father and had been in the country but three months.The second was written by John Harrison, a brother of Luke's, in 1803, after they had tested the country.
EXTRACTS FROM OLD LETTERS OF THE HARRISON FAMILY.
"TO MR.WILLIAM HARRISON, "Rillington, Yorkshire, "England.
"June 30th, 1774.
"DEAR COUSIN,--
"Hoping these lines will find you in good health, as we are at present, bless God for it.We have all gotten safe to Nova Scotia, but do not like it at all, and a great many besides us, and are coming back to England again, all that can get back.We do not like the country, not never shall.The mosquitos are a terrible plague in this country.You may think that mosquitos cannot hurt, but if you do you are mistaken, for they will swell you legs and hands so that some persons are both blind and lame for some days.They grow worse every year and they bite the English the worst.We have taken a farm of one Mr.Barron, for one year, or longer if we like.The rent is L 20 a year.We have 10 cows, 4 oxen, 20 sheep, one sow, and one breeding mare.He will take the rent in butter or cheese, or cattle.The country is very poor, and there is very little money about Cumberland.The money is not like our English money.An English guinea is L 1 3s.4d.In Nova Scotia money a dollar is equal to 5 shillings, and a pistereen is a shilling.In haying time men have 3 shillings a day for mowing.The mosquitos will bite them very often so that they will throw down their scythes and run home, almost bitten to death, and there is a black fly worse than all the rest.One is tormented all the summer with mosquitos, and almost frozen to death in the winter.Last winter they had what was reckoned to be a fine winter, and the frost was not out of the ground on the 20th day of June, which I will affirm for truth.I shall let you know the affairs of the country another year, if God spare life and health.Dear cousin, remember me to my uncle and aunt and to all that ask after me.