The Moses Harris house at 10 Summer Street is listed in the Ipswich assessors office as having been constructed in 1838. The gable end of the house faces the street with pilasters surrounding the front door, the roof rakes and cornice returns are wide, and the trim is painted green, all typical of the Greek Revival architectural era.
Moses Harris was the son of Thomas and Hannah (Soward) Harris, and married Emily A. Cotton, age 18, the daughter of Charles and Abigail (Jewett) Cotton who owned several parcels in the area, probably including this house or lot.
His namesake was apparently his grandfather, Captain Moses Harris, the father of the only Thomas Harris listed during that period. Thomas was born in 1770, the son of Captain Moses Harris and his wife Tabitha (Goldsmith). In 1783, news reached Ipswich that Captain Moses Harris and William Rust, serving in the Continental Army, had died on board a British prison ship in New York.
Many members of the Harris family in Ipswich can trace their roots back to Thomas and Martha (Lake) Harris, who settled in the town in 1644.
Sources:
- The Harris family: Thomas Harris in Ipswich, Mass, in 1636, and some of his descendents,
- Salem Deeds, Book 2845, page 284, Descendants of Moses Harris sale to Fred B. Harris for $1.00, May 8, 1930
- Salem Deeds Charles Cotton to Thomas Harris, Book 459, Page 20; April 1832
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