226 ROCHESTER ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. [Nov. I4, 



cash, he found like many another that the friend had played him 

 false and had taken out the papers in his own name. Returning to 

 Rochester he studied surveying and landscape gardening under Mr. 

 Stillson at Mount Hope. 



In 1872 he married Miss Julia E. Hughes, and moved to Peter- 

 borough, Canada, where he laid out and beautified the Little Lake 

 cemetery, which stands to-day a monument to his skill as a landscape 

 gardener, being one of the most beautiful in the Dominion. Having 

 finished his work in Peterborough he moved to Detroit, Mich., where 

 he took charge of Elmwood cemetery, but once more his delicate 

 health stood in his way and he was forced to give it up. He then 

 returned to Rochester. This was about 1877. 



And now commences that part of his life which is most inter- 

 esting to us. Two years after coming back his family went away for a 

 time, and to while away the lonesome hours after his day's work was 

 done, he took up the study of history, reading everything he could 

 get relating in any way to the early settlement of the Genesee 

 Country, as well as all works bearing on the Seneca Indians. He 

 also took long tramps following up the old Indian trails and locating 

 their villages, looking up old settlers and gleaning from them all they 

 could remember of pioneers and pioneer life. It was most interesting 

 to listen to him catechise some old resident, awakening memories by 

 some incident of long ago. Mr. Harris made friends wherever he 

 went. His gentle nature coupled with a rare faculty of thinking 

 about the little things of life endeared him to his friends and 

 companions. A striking characteristic was his capacity for details. 



All his life Mr. Harris was a frequent contributor to the news- 

 papers, and on all sorts of subjects. For several years he was editor 

 of the " Odd Fellows' Column " in the Rochester Herald ; but his 

 contributions to the history of the Genesee Country have given him a 

 unique place among local historians and entitle him to more than a 

 passing notice by this Society. His best known work, that has made 

 his name familiar to all students of our early Indian History, is " The 

 Aboriginal Occupation of the Lower Genesee Country." The value 

 of this work cannot be too highly estimated, contaming as it does 

 facts gathered from old residents, with whom would have perished 

 much that is of great interest, had it not been for the untiring labors 

 of Mr. Harris. 



In Mr. Harris's terminology of the Genesee Country he has left 

 us a most valuable collection of Indian names. In tracing the Indian 

 paths or trails that once crossed and re-crossed the (Genesee Valley 



