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In December 13, 1903, Leonard Harris was born to George Bryson Harris and Minnie Jones Harris.  Minnie Jones Harris passed away when Papa Harris  was about 7 yrs old. 
On her death bed she asked her boy to promise her to be good and meet her in heaven. 

Papa Harris and his siblings lived with relatives for a time after her death    The 5 siblings were Nolan, Leonard, Nina, Eunice, and Myrtice.  After about three yrs, GB Harris published an ad for a mail order bride to take care of him and his five children.  A lady named Ida answered the ad,  days later, GB Harris gathered up his five kids, met her and married her that very day.  Ida failed to mention she only had one arm, (she lost the other at a young age when ran over by a train.)  The five children returned home with them and they went on to have three more children....Fred, Emma and ILabee.  

Ida treated all eight children as if they were her own, she was known to their children as 'Grandma Harris' and they loved her alot.  In the mid 50's, GB Harris was hospitalized and  Papa Harris would have Ruby sit in the car with Judy while he went in to visit his dad in the hospital.   

There aren't any known photographs of Minnie Jones, hopefully we can recover one of Ida Harris. 

After his mother passed away, Leonard lived with his Uncle Will Hunter until GB married Ida.  Leonard Harris became a Christian and always gave credit to his Uncle Will as being a huge influence in his salvation.  In his late teenage years, he felt God had called him to preach.

Papa Harris' Grand Parents were Henry James Jones and Sara Holbert Jones. 

       

On June 23, 1907, Charles Nathan Allen and Nancy June Daniel Allen had a daughter which they named Ruby Dell.

Ruby's grandparents were Wiley Jones Allen and Mary Ann Tisdale Allen.  

     

              

Ruby was raised in western Oklahoma.  She was the youngest of eight siblings.  Ruby's mother passed away when she was a young girl.  Being the youngest, she took over cleaning and cooking for her dad and brothers.  A couple days out of the week, she would go to her older sister, Mattie's house and stay with her and help her with her children.  Ruby's oldest brother, Charlie did not care for Leonard, and forbid her to see him.  Each month there was a Barn Dance.  Ruby would go with a boy named Leo and Leonard would go with Leo's girlfriend.  Once they were at the Barn Dance, they traded partners and Leonard and Ruby would get to visit with each other.  Leonard realized this couldn't last forever, so he talked to Ruby about marriage.  She told him when she turned 19 years old on June 23, 1926 she would marry him.  He quit coming around and on her 19th birthday he drove up in the drive way.  Ruby went out to see him, and he reminder her of what she had said and he asked her to marry him.  She went in, packed up her belongings and he took her to her brother Oscar's house.  Ruby stayed with Oscar and his wife Una until her and Leonard married 2 months later.  They married on August 21, 1926. 

  

 

Leonard knew God had called him to preach but his family was Church of Christ and he felt more inclined to follow in the Baptist faith.  His father, GB Harris, did not want him preaching so about six months after they married, the couple moved to California.  Leonard went to work in the Orange groves while holding revivals preaching the gospel. 

 

Their first child, Evelyn Modell,  was born August 11, 1927.  

Their middle child was a son, Leonard Carroll, born July 22, 1929. 

  On Sept 6, 1942 Judy Roceal was born.

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