Providing dignified and affordable funeral service since 1820.
The Harris Family is one of America’s oldest families in funeral service.
Jonathan Harris, a cabinet maker, began the family business when he was called upon to construct a coffin for a small child in 1820. Generation after generation followed in the profession; each new generation, as committed as the previous has met the changing needs and requests of those they served, by providing dignified and affordable funeral service.
In 1868, Jonathan Harris died and his son Benjamin Franklin Harris continued the business as a coffin maker and undertaker. In 1896, B. F. Harris obtained his formal training as an embalmer in Montreal, Canada. Training at the institution and practical demonstration qualified him for “Embalming and Preserving of the Dead.”
First Generation
Jonathan Harris
Coffin Maker
1793-1868
Benjamin Franklin Harris had two sons, George W. Harris and Elton E. Harris, who assisted in the undertaking firm called B. F. Harris & Sons. George W. Harris received his undertaking license in New York State in 1905. In 1906, George W. Harris received his embalming license through the State of Illinois and was accepted to the New York State Embalmers Association in April of 1907. Soon after, his brother Elton E. Harris received his license.
Second Generation
Benjamin F. Harris
Undertaker
1832-1905
Third Generation
George W. Harris
Embalmer
1858-1922
George’s son, Samuel E. G. Harris, was a graduate of the Syracuse New York School of Embalming in 1924. In 1945, Samuel’s son, Benjamin A. Harris, became his father’s assistant and went on to school and became a licensed funeral director.
Benjamin A. Harris was followed by his son, B. Elton J. Harris, who received his degree from SUNY Canton in 1976 and holds a National Board Certificate in Mortuary Science.
Fourth Generation
Samuel E. G. Harris
Mortician
1887-1951
Fifth Generation
Benjamin A. Harris
Funeral Director
1929-1993
Sixth Generation
B. Elton J. Harris
Funeral Director
1956-
In 2008, Kendra M. Harris, the youngest daughter of B. Elton J. Harris, received her Mortuary Science degree from SUNY Canton. She received her New York State Funeral Directing License in 2009. In 2010, Kendra graduated with her Bachelor's Degree in Funeral Services Administration from SUNY Canton and in August 2016, she graduated from the NYS Funeral Directors Association Leadership Academy. She is the seventh generation of the Harris Family to be dedicated to the funeral profession.
Seventh Generation
Kendra M. Harris
Funeral Director
1987-
