John Swainson Harrison Jr. (1859 - 1932)

Born 1859 in Saint John, St. John, New Brunswick, Canada

Ancestors

Husband of Louisa (Merritt) Harrison — married 1 Nov 1897 in Lexington, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States

Died 31 Jul 1932 at about age 73 in Savannah, Chatham, Georgia, United States

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Biography

John was born in 1859 in Saint John, New Brunswick. He was a son of John Swainson Harrison Sr. and Mary (Ferguson) Harrison.^[1][2]

By 1895, he was living in Savannah, Georgia. An article written in the Saint John Daily Telegraph while he was visiting says he was a "former employee" of the Saint John Post Office and was the inventor of a bottle stopper which he patented.^[3]

He married Louise Merritt, a second cousin, on November 1, 1897 in Lexington, Massachusetts. Louise was a daugher of David J. Merritt and Annie (Magee) Merritt.^[1]

John appears to have had varied occupations throughout his lifetime. His marriage registration in Georgia in 1897 lists him as a "Shorthand Reporter." When his son was born in New Brunswick in 1899, the birth registration lists John as a "Lawyer" which was also his occupation in Georgia in 1900. The 1895 article calls him an inventor. The same article says he used to be an employee of the Saint John post office.^[3]

He died of drowning at Gordon Wharf on the Savannah River, Georgia, on July 31, 1932 at the age of 71. He was interred at the Laurel Grove Cemetery North in Savannah.^[4][2]

Known Children

• Louis Merritt Harrison 1899-1952

Census Records

• "United States Census, 1900", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3N9-8PX : Thu Oct 05 20:15:17 UTC 2023), Entry for Estella Metzger and Walker Metzger, 1900.
• "United States Census, 1930", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:3S2T-1T2 : Wed Oct 04 17:09:32 UTC 2023), Entry for Henry E Moxley and Mabelle Moxley, 1930.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841-1925", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N4CP-43R : 16 December 2022), John Swainson Harrison and Louise Merritt, 1897.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} "Georgia Deaths, 1928-1943", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJX9-2FYS : Wed Nov 15 17:01:58 UTC 2023), Entry for John S Harrison, 31 Jul 1932.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Article, 'The Daily Telegraph', Sept 30, 1895. Transcribed in Johnson, Daniel Vital Statistics From New Brunswick Newspapers, Vol 99 No 1465
4. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #219197429, John S. Harrison (1861-1932)