HewasbornatFoulby，intheparishofWragby，nearPontefract，Yorkshire，inMarch，1693。Hisfather，HenryHarrison，wascarpenterandjoinertoSirRowlandWinn，owneroftheNostellPrioryestate。Thepresenthousewasbuiltbythebaronetonthesiteoftheancientpriory。HenryHarrisonwasasortofretainerofthefamily，andlongcontinuedintheirService。
Littleisknownoftheboy’seducation。Itwascertainlyofaveryinferiordescription。LikeGeorgeStephenson，Harrisonalwayshadagreatdifficultyinmakinghimselfunderstood，eitherbyspeechorwriting。Indeed，everyboard-schoolboynowreceivesabettereducationthanJohnHarrisondidahundredandeightyyearsago。Buteducationdoesnotaltogethercomebyreadingandwriting。Theboywaspossessedofvigorousnaturalabilities。Hewasespeciallyattractedbyeverymachinethatmoveduponwheels。Theboywas’fathertotheman。’Whensixyearsold，andlyingsickofsmall-pox，agoingwatchwasplaceduponhispillow，whichaffordedhiminfinitedelight。
WhensevenyearsoldhewastakenbyhisfathertoBarrow，nearBarton-on-Humber，whereSirRowlandWinnhadanotherresidenceandestate。HenryHarrisonwasstillactingasthebaronet’scarpenterandjoiner。IncourseoftimeyoungHarrisonjoinedhisfatherintheworkshop，andprovedofgreatusetohim。Hisopportunitiesforacquiringknowledgewerestillveryfew，butheappliedhispowersofobservationandhisworkmanshipuponthethingswhichwerenearesthim。Heworkedinwood，andtowoodhefirstturnedhisattention。
Hewasstillfondofmachinesgoinguponwheels。Hehadenjoyedthesightofthebigwatchgoinguponbrasswheelswhenhewasaboy；but，nowthathewasaworkmaninwood，heproposedtomakeaneight-dayclock，withwheelsofthismaterial。Hemadetheclockin1713，whenhewastwentyyearsold，[4]sothathemusthavemadediligentuseofhisopportunities。Hehadofcoursedifficultiestoencounter，andnothingcanbeaccomplishedwithoutthem；foritisdifficultiesthattrainthehabitsofapplicationandperseverance。Buthesucceededinmakinganeffectiveclock，whichcountedthetimewithregularity。Thisclockisstillinexistence。ItistobeseenattheMuseumofPatents，SouthKensington；andwhenwevisiteditafewmonthsagoitwasgoing，andstillmarkingthemomentsastheypassed。
Itiscontainedinacaseaboutsixfeethigh，withaglassfront，showingapendulumandtwoweights。Overtheclockisthefollowinginscription: