Harris was born on May 20, 1812, probably in Tolland CT. No information could be found about his parents. Family Search contains records showing his two marriages and children from both.
He married Mary Ann, last name not known, on April 17, 1838 in Groton CT. They had three children: Mary Abbie (Freeman), born 1839, died 1906; Edward, born about 1841, died November 26, 1896 in Noank (Groton) CT; and Harris, born about 1844, died September 23, 1846 at age two years, three months. Mary Ann died on March 18, 1845 at age 33.
On May 30, 1847 Harris married Fannie, born May 24, 1824, again no last name. Together they had two children: Josephene, born Mary 28, 1848, and Ann, born March 27, 1850.
Harris died on September 20, 1857 in Noank. The gravestone for Harris and Fannie in Noank Village Cemetery in Noank records their dates of birth and death. The New London Daily Star (9/30/1859) records the death of Harris Fowler at Noank from cholera at age 46. The Mystic Pioneer records the same information a day later. No explanation of the difference in the year of Harris’s death could be located. Fannie died on March 29, 1918.
Harris served as master on two voyages on two ships with New London as home port:
PEARL (AS2158): (bark, 195 tons, length 91’, built in Medford MA in 1838, burned by SHENANDOAH on April 3, 1865 near Ascension Island, the crew taken ashore). It sailed on March 10, 1852 for the So. Atlantic and Indian oceans and returned on April 8, 1854. Ezra R. Forsyth (AM1998) was the master when the ship sailed from New London. Ezra left the ship under time and circumstances not known and Harris became the replacement master. Dennis Wood Abstract #2-304 makes no mention of Harris in the voyage report. Decker shows Harris, not Ezra as the sailing master. Williams & Haven was the agent. AV11335.
MARCIA (AS1840): (schooner, 128 tons, length 76’, built in Brookhaven NY in 1839). It sailed on August 21, 1856 for Desolation Island. MARCIA was lost when it struck a reef and sank at Prince Rupert Bay, Dominica WI on December 29, 1856. Richard H. Chappell was the agent. AV08881.
Harris served as a crew member on five voyages on four ships, all with New London as home port: GEORGIA (AS1468) on its 1832-1833 voyage, INDIAN CHIEF (AS1647) on its 1834-1836 voyage, IZAAK WALTON (AS1667) on its 1844-1847 voyage, and PALLADIUM (AS2137) on its 1847 and 1848 voyages.
Sources used: see sidebar and sources cited in text.
George Shaw
American Institute for Maritime Studies
Mystic Seaport Museum
August 2025