Mansfield Civil War Veterans: George H. Harris

Press release from the Mansfield Historical Society:

Amanda Rutha

November 1, 2022

George H. Harris was a resident of Mansfield on August 11, 1862 when he enlisted as a Private in Co. D of the 21st Regiment Connecticut Volunteer Infantry; he was mustered out June 16, 1865.

The descriptive muster roll of the 21st Regiment Connecticut Volunteer Infantry lists his age as 34 and his occupation as farmer. He is described as 5’ 6” tall with a fair complexion and brown hair and hazel eyes.

He was born about 1827 in Mansfield to Daniel Parker and Anna (Bettis) Harris. In the 1860 U.S. census in Mansfield, he is a 33 year old head of household who is both a farmer and an overseer of the poor. There are 18 individuals listed as paupers living in his household. George Harris married Eunice M. Reynolds between 1850 and 1855. Children include: Marianna F. Harris, born about 1855 and John C. F. Harris, born about 1857. George Harris married second, Lydia E. (_____) Bentley on July 10, 1887 in Mansfield.

Following the war, George Harris returned to Mansfield and resumed farming. In 1876, he purchased an old gristmill located near the Gurley Cemetery in Mansfield. He repurposed it as a bone mill for manufacturing fertilizer. Bone Mill Road owes its name to this enterprise.

On March 15, 1882, he applied for an invalid pension, No. 442,881 that was granted under certificate No. 587,621. His widow applied for a pension.

George H. Harris died on November 16, 1897 in Mansfield and is buried at the Gurley Cemetery in Mansfield.

This press release was produced by the Mansfield Historical Society. The views expressed here are the author’s own.

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