Descendants of the Harris family return to Crossgar

Descendants of the Harris family return to Crossgar

23 April 2025

DESCENDANTS of local people who emigrated from the area have a passion for where their grandparents and great grandparents came from.

For relatives of Stanley Harris, Crossgar was a place they knew about and recently they made the trip from California across the Atlantic to see the village and meet distant cousins.

Kerry Artico was delighted to be in her unusual ancestral home last week that was the birthplace of her mother — the village’s former windmill.

Kerry, accompanied by her three children and one of their spouses, fulfilled a life-long dream when she made a 5,000-mile journey to an old windmill stump in Crossgar to see the home of her Harris ancestors.

In 1931, Kerry’s maternal grandfather, Stanley Harris, having recently returned from New York with his new Crossgar wife, took out a lease of land from the Andersons on the Saintfield Road opposite Bells Tyres and he began converting an old windmill stump on it into a new home.

Molly and Stanley Harris had 10 children, five of whom were born in the stump, including Kerry’s mother, also called Molly.

Back then, it was a quirky idea which caught the attention of the local press which in 1931 carried a black and white image depicting Stanley Harris standing at the door during its conversion when a concrete roof was put on it and the windows widened. 

The bottom part was made into a kitchen and pantry, with the second and third floors used for bedrooms, with a staircase that ran around the side.

The windmill house had no electricity or running water, but it did have a fireplace on each floor and in 1932, their “novelty home” was ready to be lived in.

The windmill — which was built around the early 18th century — was once part of Creevy Mills on the banks of the Glasswater River. 

However, it likely came to ruin during the Night of the Big Wind in 1839, causing it to become abandoned for nearly a century until renovated by Stanley Harris, a respected plasterer from Ardigon.

The Harris family then moved to Killyleagh Street in the early 1940s where Molly nee Gibson’s parents had a shop. 

Their house is now replaced by Costcutters/Central Garages. With nine children, Stanley and Molly emigrated back to America in 1948, where their final child was born.

One daughter, Thelma, later revisited Crossgar and met Tom Robinson of Ballytrim at a dance in Crossgar War Memorial Hall, before the pair also settled in the US.

Recently, during a trip to Ireland, Kerry visited Crossgar for the first time, where she and her family were given a guided tour of Crossgar by her distant cousin Dermot Nesbitt, and Callum Bowsie, President of Crossgar Historical Society.

“People often get in touch from all around the world to trace their family history in Crossgar,” said Mr Bowsie.

“Four years ago, I was contacted by Kerry’s aunt Wendy Harris and was able to put them in touch with Dermot whose great-uncle Wesley Gibson was Wendy’s grandfather.

“Last week, Dermot and I had the privilege of showing descendants of the Harris family around Crossgar for their first time and we had a great day showing them the stump Kerry's mum Molly Harris was born in.”

Mr Bowsie said current owner, Anne Herron, has done a great job turning the stump into a wonderful home once again and thanked her for allowing the visitors to view the stump.

“We then showed the US visitors other various sites relating to their family around Crossgar and Listooder, including churches and mills, and even Costcutters on Killyleagh Street which they were initially puzzled by,” he continued.

“I explained that their family home and shop once sat here until around 1950 and they were also introduced to old family friends in Crossgar - Jim Ferris, Madge Adams and Betty Hamilton, who all recalled fond memories with the Harris siblings. 

“But the highlight of the day was visiting the stump, which was a first for me too.”

Kerry described her long-awaited visit to the stump her mother was born in as “surreal”. Before leaving, she spread her recently deceased mother’s ashes into the Glasswater River behind the windmill stump.

“My mom always wanted to be home in Northern Ireland and we were able to bring her home with the help of these local people,” she said.

Kerry (60) continued: "We weren’t sure what to expect and it absolutely exceeded all our expectations. 

“This was already a very special vacation for our family since it was my first time leaving the country and some of our first times traveling together. But being able to see the country from the locals point of view made us more connected to our heritage and each other. 

“The fact that Jim Ferris, Betty nee Anderson and Madge Adams all remembered the Harris family was the cherry on top of this trip.”

Kerry said she was “honoured” to see the windmill stump and imagine what her mother felt and saw growing up.

She added: “I am so grateful to bring her heart back home to a property that holds so much love. Anne did a fabulous job refurbishing the place and we know there will be continuous laughs and memories made there for years to come.

We can’t put into words how grateful we all are for the day. To the itinerary details, to the community that knew our family, and all the family history, it was surreal.”