Alexander Harris (writer)
Encyclopedia
Alexander Harris was a soldier, teacher and author
known for his early fictional accounts of convict
life in Australia
.
He arrived in Sydney
, Australia in 1825 and returned to London
, England
in 1841.
He had numerous jobs including a soldier, clerk, a tutor and a timber-getter. He travelled mostly around the Hunter Valley
, the Shoalhaven
, Illawarra
and Bathurst
in New South Wales
. In 1851 he emigrated to the United States
. He emigrated to Kitchenor Waterloo, Canada on the outbreak of the U.S. civil war in 1861. He died in Copetown, Ontario 1 Feb. 1874.
and his wife Ellen Jane Fitton Carr-Harris had several children: Mary Alexandria (b. Mar 1, 1875); Ferguson (b. Dec 25, 1877); Captain Ernest Dale (b. Feb 14, 1878); #555 Robert R. (civil engineer b. April 1881); Athol (civil engineer b. Sep 1883); Grant (b. Jun 1898); Guy (b. Jun 1898), #1325 Lorne Howland (b. 1899). All of Robert Carr Harris' sons and two of his nephews were cadets at the Royal Military College of Canada
in Kingston, Ontario
. Alexander Harris' grandson Grant Carr-Harris wrote the biography 'The secrets of Alexander Harris' in 1961. Grant Carr-Harris also wrote 'Carr-Harris - history & genealogy' (Toronto 1966). Lorne Carr-Harris
was the goalie on the British ice hockey
team which won the bronze medal at the 1924 Winter Olympics
in Chemoix, France.
Captain Ernest Dale Carr-Harris R.E., who died on November 3, 1914 at 36 years of age, was commemorated on page 565 of the First World War Book of Remembrance.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
known for his early fictional accounts of convict
Convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
life in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
He arrived in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia in 1825 and returned to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1841.
He had numerous jobs including a soldier, clerk, a tutor and a timber-getter. He travelled mostly around the Hunter Valley
Hunter Valley
The Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney with an approximate population of 645,395 people. Most of the population of the Hunter Region lives within of the coast, with 55% of the entire...
, the Shoalhaven
Shoalhaven
The City of Shoalhaven is a Local Government Area in south-eastern New South Wales , Australia, two hours south of Sydney. It is more or less conterminous with an area referred to as The Shoalhaven. It is on the Pacific Ocean and the Princes Highway and is the terminus of the South Coast line...
, Illawarra
Illawarra
Illawarra is a region in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a coastal region situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the Shoalhaven or South Coast region. It encompasses the cities of Wollongong, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven and the town of Kiama. The central region contains Lake...
and Bathurst
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. In 1851 he emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He emigrated to Kitchenor Waterloo, Canada on the outbreak of the U.S. civil war in 1861. He died in Copetown, Ontario 1 Feb. 1874.
Family
Alexander Harris married Ursula Carr. They had several children including a son, Robert Carr Harris, who was born in 1843. Robert Carr-Harris, a professor of engineering at the Royal Military College of CanadaRoyal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
and his wife Ellen Jane Fitton Carr-Harris had several children: Mary Alexandria (b. Mar 1, 1875); Ferguson (b. Dec 25, 1877); Captain Ernest Dale (b. Feb 14, 1878); #555 Robert R. (civil engineer b. April 1881); Athol (civil engineer b. Sep 1883); Grant (b. Jun 1898); Guy (b. Jun 1898), #1325 Lorne Howland (b. 1899). All of Robert Carr Harris' sons and two of his nephews were cadets at the Royal Military College of Canada
Royal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
in Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
. Alexander Harris' grandson Grant Carr-Harris wrote the biography 'The secrets of Alexander Harris' in 1961. Grant Carr-Harris also wrote 'Carr-Harris - history & genealogy' (Toronto 1966). Lorne Carr-Harris
Lorne Carr-Harris
Lorne Howland Carr-Harris was a British ice hockey player who competed in the 1924 Winter Olympics. He was the goalie of the British ice hockey team, which won the bronze medal. He was a member of the team that won World Championship bronze in 1924.-Family:His grandfather was Alexander Harris who...
was the goalie on the British ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team which won the bronze medal at the 1924 Winter Olympics
1924 Winter Olympics
The 1924 Winter Olympics, officially known as the I Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was held in 1924 in Chamonix, France...
in Chemoix, France.
Captain Ernest Dale Carr-Harris R.E., who died on November 3, 1914 at 36 years of age, was commemorated on page 565 of the First World War Book of Remembrance.
External links
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
- Electronic copy of Settlers and Convicts (University of Sydney)
- John Metcalfe, 'Harris, Alexander (1805 - 1874)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 1, Melbourne University Press, 1966, pp 515-516
- Alexander Harris, Robert Carr-Harris (son), and Grant Carr-Harris (grand-son) fonds in the State Library of New South Wales.
- Lorraine Neate, 'Alexander Harris: A Mystery No More', National Library of Australia Catalogue ID 2216523