-Daniel Harper was born on 21 February 1809 at Belfast, Antrim County, Ireland. He married Mary Knowles about 1845, the daughter of John Knowles and unknown wife.  Daniel and Mary had a daughter named Helen born in 1846 and a son Hugh born 1847, both in Belfast Ireland. The Potato Famine started in 1845 and ran through 1852. The population of Ireland was about 8,000,000 before the famine. During the famine approximately 2,000,000 left Ireland, mostly for North America. In addition 1,000,000 died durng the famine. Daniel and Mary Knowles, and her parents emigrated to Connecticut, USA in about 1849 or 1850, where their son Samuel Knowles Harper was born at Strawberry Hills, Connecticut on 11 February 1851. They moved to Lanark, Ontario where Daniel and Mary are buried, as well as her parents. There are two John Knowles in Lanark in the 1861 census, one married to Rose Crawford (they were both born in Upper Canada), as well as a Johm Knowles and I believe his son James both born in Ireland and listed immediateoly below Daniel Harper and his family. The second John Knowles is I believe Daniel’s father-in-law.