Preserved Harris, the third son of Nathan Harris and Rhoda Lapham, was born on 8 May 1875 in New York. Initially, his religious faith was Quakerism. Between May 1, 1808 and November 20, 1818, Preserved and his wife Nancy Warren Harris began attending the First Baptist Church of Macedon, New York (The First Baptist Church of Macedon, New York (Macedon, New York: Bicentennial Committee of the Church, 2000), 212).
Martin Harris said that the first time he heard about Joseph Smith possessing the golden plates was from his brother, Preserved Harris, who had been to the village, and the people were talking about the hot topic. He asked Martin if he had heard of Joseph Smith and the golden bible. Martin said that the next day he, too, visited the village and exchanged views with the townspeople (“Mormonism No. II,” 167–68).
In the 1830 US Census for Palmyra, the census taker listed households in immediate proximity to each other—“Daniel P. Haggart, Preserved Harris, Martin Harris, and Northrop Sweet” (US Federal Census for Palmyra, Wayne County, New York, 1830). Notice that Preserved lives next to his brother Martin.
The precise baptismal date for Preserved and his wife, Nancy, is unknown. When the Prophet Joseph Smith left for Ohio in late January 1831, he stopped to preach at the Preserved Harris home in Macedon, New York, where there were “some baptisms” (Smith, Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, 171).
In anticipation of moving from Palmyra to Ohio, in a joint arrangement with his father Nathan, Preserved sold 193 acres of land to Henry Jessup of Palmyra. (See Nathan Harris to Preserved Harris (for a dollar difference), Wayne County Land Deeds, April 13, 1831, book 9, 523–24; Preserved Harris to Henry Jessup, Wayne County Land Deeds, April 13, 1831, book 9, 522–24). It should be noted that Preserved did not sell all of his New York property at that time. He still retained certain properties in the greater Palmyra area.
At age forty-six Preserved, and his wife Nancy and their children Sarah, Rhoda, Job, Elizabeth, Patience, John, and Asa joined with Martin Harris in journeying to Ohio.
Once in Ohio, on June 9, 1831 Preserved purchased fifty acres of farmland in Mentor Township, Ohio (Carter Foote to Preserved Harris, June 9, 1831, Geauga County Land Records, Deeds, 14:452–53, Geauga County Records Office, Chardon, Ohio). Later that same year, Preserved purchased an additional 74.23 acres also in Mentor Township.
In about 1835, he built a substantial frame house, which still stands today. It is known as the Lake County Heritage Home, HH230, and is described as “Preserved Harris House: 8900 Johnnycake Ridge Road (West of Chillicothe Rd.) in Mentor, Ohio 44060. The home has a vernacular, gable front, 1-1/2 & 1 story, 2 bays over 3 left wing, 2 bays over 3 right wing, porch & left wing added, cedar shakes (Lake County Heritage Homes File, Lake County Historical Society, Painesville, Ohio). On February 20, 1835, Preserved procured 60 acres from Northrop Sweet in Hambden Township—notice that Northrop Sweet was a near neighbor in Palmyra (Deeds, 19:436–37, Geauga County Records Office).
Bishop Newel K. Whitney testified that at some time unspecified by him, Preserved Harris had given him fifty dollars to send to Zion (Minute Book 1, June 16, 1836, Church History Library). On that same date, Preserved was called to present himself before the high council of the LDS Church in Kirtland, Ohio. By this point, Preserved had enjoyed notable success in his farming operation and was encouraged to give of his surplus to the Church. Although Preserved had given some contributions before, it was felt that he had “not been as liberal as others in these matters” as observed by Bishop Newel K. Whitney. Preserved was charged by Joseph Smith with “want of benevolence to the poor and charity to the Church” as the Kirtland high council met in the Kirtland Temple (Kirtland Council Minute Book, 16 June 1836).
During the trial sequence, Jared Carter testified that “he has been in a situation to know the liberality of the Saints, being one of a committee to build the Lord’s House. P. Harris donated some, but too little for one who knows & intends to do his duty in this respect—seeing so many loud calls have been given for the rich to assist the poor, he knows . . . that he has [not] assisted.”
Joseph Smith testified that he and Oliver Cowdery had called on Preserved and explained the need of assistance to the poor and the purchase of property in Zion. Preserved replied “that he had promised [his wife, Nancy,] that if she would come to this place, he would settle down and not remove again, & therefore he could not help us as we wished in building Zion [in Missouri].”
At the conclusion of Joseph Smith’s remarks the accused was given an opportunity to speak for himself. Preserved said that “he had a considerable [amount of] property in hand—has helped the poor some—got his property by hard work. Some that are liberal with other’s property do not labor to get much to give to the poor themselves; he may have failed in some things, but has done as he felt before God.” After discussion, it was the decision of the council that the charges be fully sustained and that “the hand of fellowship is withdrawn from him until he shall see that the course he is pursuing is contrary to the gospel of Jesus” (Kirtland Council Minute Book, June 16, 1836).
Preserved chose not to alter his course. He continued to reside in Mentor but did not affiliate with Mormonism. The Mentor Personal Property Tax Book for 1837 lists Preserved Harris as having above average assets and thus a tax requirement (see Tax Duplicates 1839, Personal Property, book 22, p. 31, Geauga County Archives and Records Center, Chardon, Ohio).
He was later described by George Levi Booth as “very active and I remember him as a butcher who was very skillful. He was a little snappy man. When he was thru sharpening his butcher knife he would throw it over his head and it would stick up every time” (George Levi Booth, interviewed by M. Wilford Poulson, Kirtland, Ohio, August 20, 1932, M. Wilford Poulson Collection, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University).
Preserved aligned himself with James J. Strang and was a member of a Strangite high council on August 7, 1846 (Frank J. Young, comp., Strangite Mormons: A Finding Aid (Vancouver, Wash.: By the author, 1996), 89). When his brother Martin talked of pursuing a mission to England for the Strangites, Martin designated Jacob Bump, a newly appointed Strangite bishop, and Preserved to be his “lawful agents” in his absence. They were to administer “for the benefit of [his] family and the Church of Christ.” The document granting power of attorney reads:
Kirtland Sept the 4th 1846
Know all men by these presents that I Martin Harris am about to leav[e] this continut [Continent] and expect to go to Europe and remain there one year or more I therefore constitute Jacob Bump and Preserved Harris my lawful agents to transact all my business in my name and do further mor[e] giv[e] the said Bump and Harris the full care and controll of my farm and all my personal property in the township of Kirtland and for the benefit of my family and the Church of Christ of which I am a member It is further understood that the said Jacob Bump and Preserved Harris is [to] hold there [sic] agency for at least one year and if I do not return within one year their agency to continue until my return And I hereby this day, and by these presents deliver to the said Bump & Harris all the cattle—sheep—grain—hogs—farming utensils for the use abov[e] mentioned with the right to work or lease my farm as my agents shall think proper—
Signed sealed day and year abov[e] mentioned
In presence of—
Nathaniel Millikin Martin Harris
Wm H. Fuller (Final Record No. F, 30–31, in Court Records of Lake County, Lake County Courthouse West Annex, Painesville, Ohio).
Apparently there were problems that ensued over the handling of Martin’s affairs while he was in England. A jury trial date was set for January 9, 1847. Subpoenas were issued for the appearance of Preserved Harris as a witness. After hearing the evidence, the jury returned their verdict to Justice Sharp—“The said Plaintiff [Martin Harris] have restitution of the premises mentioned and described in the said verdict of the Jury and recover of said defendants the cost herein taken at nine dollars and forty five cents” (Complaint of Martin Harris v. Jacob Bump and William Fuller, March 16, 1847, Final Record No. F, 29). The verdict was appealed and the case was heard before the Court of Common Pleas of Lake County in its March 1847 term. On March 16, 1847 the court rendered its decision which found the defendant, William Fuller, “not guilty” except in the case of the one-half acre. The plaintiff, Martin Harris, was required to pay court costs as specified in the above verdict (Complaint of Martin Harris v. Jacob Bump and William Fuller, March 16, 1847, Final Record No. F, 35, italics added; see also transcript for H. A. Sharp’s docket book for March 16, 1847, in Martin Harris Legal Documents).
Preserved, Nancy, and their children Harriet, Job, and John are buried in the Mentor Municipal Cemetery (see Janet Lisonbee, Obituaries and Life Sketches of the Early Saints Who Died in the Kirtland, Ohio Area, 25).