Joseph Harris (Sr.) was born July 1848 to Rosalie Brady, of John Francis Harris, in Baltimore, Md. In Mar 1869 he became Dr. of Medicine, Univ. of Md., School of Medicine. The likely but undocumented mother of the illegitimate child of Dr. Joseph Harris was Eliza 'Lizzie' F. Petrie, M.D. She received her degree, Mar 1869, Women's Med. Col. of PA in Philadelphia. Their only child Joseph Harris (Jr.) was b. Kansas City, Mo., 7 Jul 1882. His father died in KC (1885). He was left in KC with a nanny and (likely Hill) families. At age 16, Joe Jr. biked 1700 miles over mountains and deserts to Fresno and on to a Hill Family in Lemoore, CA.
There he met Maude Buttercup Hill and married her in Fresno, 21 Oct 1902. After Birdie was born in Fresno, Joe and Maude migrated northward to Washington. There their three other children were born: Alma Evelyn, James Joseph, and Robert William.
Eight chapters of text tell stories of these principals, illustrated with 36 figures. Three appendices complete the book.