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Welcome to the John B. Harris Family File Collection
John B. Harris was born in Ridgeway January 6, 1908. He attended Marrowbone Elementary
School, and the Martinsville Colored Grade School. He graduated from the Piedmont Christian
Institute and Virginia State College. He did post graduate work at Patrick Henry Community
College and at the University of Virginia. He retired from the Henry County schools after
38 years of service; however, he never retired from being an educator.
After his retirement from education, he took on the role of historian. He continued to
educate the community by sharing his research and his love of local history and genealogy.
This African-American research is most valuable not only to our area, but to African-Americans
from across the country.
His collection, given to the Bassett Historical Center by his family, is used and appreciated,
as it is the only one of this nature in the immediate area. His card files measure 8 linear
feet, and his obituaries span the years 1956 to 1996 when he then became too ill to continue
his research. Also included in his collection are family charts, loose papers, newspaper
clippings and family files. His work was used in publishing the booklet entitled “Proud
Heritage of Black Educators: Resource Guide” for the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of
Commerce in 2003.
From the 1960s until the mid 1990s, Mr. Harris spent many hours at the Bassett Public Library
in the genealogy area, researching Black History of the area, patiently searching through
microfilm and records of Henry County. He continued to research at the now Bassett Historical
Center, and would spend several days a week researching at the Center.
Mr. Harris was a member of Oak Hill Baptist Cathedral of Glory and was very active in his church.
He served in several capacities including church clerk, Chairman of the Deacon Board, as Sunday
School Superintendent and, again, as a teacher.
The Bassett Historical Center is extremely proud to have been given the Harris Collection.
Mr. Harris abstracted the “Henry County Cohabitation List” , one of the few cohabitation lists
left in the state of Virginia. He also abstracted the “1880 Census for Henry County, Virginia”
(2 volumes) and these books are available for the public at the Center.
Mr. Harris, along with Beverly Millner, also compiled “African-American Census 1870-1910 of
Henry County, Virginia” (2 volumes) and “African-American Marriages of Henry County, Virginia”.
These books, along with two family compilations, are quite valuable to researchers.
John Bruce Harris, Sr. died January 28, 1999 and we miss him still, his knowledge, his quiet
manner, his friendship. We are enriched by having known him and by being able to still learn
from this educator and historian through his works.
View the list of family files available.
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