Mr Edward Mathew Harris was born at 4 Sussex Street in Winchester, Hampshire, England on 19 May 1895.

He was the son of an English father, Thomas ‘Tom’ Harris (1860-1938), a domestic coachman, and an Irish mother, Ann Carroll (1863-1911).

His mother was from Dublin and his father from Overton, Hampshire and they had married in Winchester in 1885. The young couple settled in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim, Ireland where the first three of their seven children were born, before returning to England and settling in Winchester. 

Edward’s siblings were: Patrick (b. 1 February 1886), Thomas Joseph (b. 1 March 1887), Frederick (b. 12 July 1889), Mary Agnes (b. 1 July 1893), James (b. 31 July 1898) and Winifred Annie (b. 11 June 1901, later Mrs Sidney Harold Dobbs).

Edward first appears on the 1901 census and at that time he and his family were living at 13 Greenhill Avenue, Winchester and his father was described as a grocer's carman. The family were at the same address at the time of the 1911 census, with Edward's father then described as a night watchman and Edward himself as a pageboy who had reportedly worked on the railways upon leaving school, and later serving on the maiden voyage of the Olympic. Also present at the address at this time was the fiancé of his sister Mary, Michael Rogers, a young man from Dublin who was described as a ship's steward. Edward's mother later died in November 1911.

When he signed-on to the Titanic on 4 April 1912, Harris gave his address as 13 Greenhill Avenue, Winchester. His previous ship had been the Olympic and as an assistant pantry steward he received monthly wages of £3, 15s. Also serving on the Titanic with him was Michael Rogers.

Both Edward Harris and Michael Rogers died in the sinking and their bodies, if recovered, were never identified.
Edward’s family largely remained in the Winchester area; his last surviving sibling, his youngest sister Winifred, died in Dorset in 1994.