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John Harris and Amelia Ryerse were married on June 28, 1815. The family legend was that Amelia had seen John on a ship six weeks ealier and had immediately declared her intention to marry him. They were married by Amelia's uncle, John Ryerson, a justice of the peace, as there was no minister close by. Amelia was seventeen years old, John was thirty-three. They were married for thirty-five years, until John's death in 1850, during which time they had twelve children, ten of whom survived to adulthood.