This is a synopsis of materials which I have been able to find over the years regarding one of my ancestors, William Berry, Sr., my fifth great grandfather, who is believed to have been born in Cecil County, MD or Rowan County, NC between the years of 1729 and 1738. The exact location of his birth has been the source of much speculation by myself, but I believe that he was born in Maryland due to the number of Berry lines and common names originating from that area.
I have always found it fascinating that there were 4 Barry brothers that left Cecil County, Maryland: Richard, Andrew, John, Hugh and William Barry and ended up in Mecklenburg, Spartanburg and it is believed what is now Burke. This Barry/Berry family seems well enough off in Maryland to afford the amount of land that was being by William Berry, Sr. Furthermore, one of the earliest maps shows the word Barry on top of the lands owned by William Berry, Sr. My working theory is that William Berry was from Cecil County, Maryland and born there, but if anyone can shed light or disprove this theory I would greatly appreciate the information.
Genetically, this Berry line relates to a number of individuals in Burke, Hyde and Spartanburg counties, along with individuals in Georgia. The Author has had his DNA tested and it appears that our line comes originally from the Devonshire, England area. I am ID #105. On the page linked above, it shows other genetically matched Berry members. I relate to a Donald Berry whose family is from Swimbridge, in the County of Devon and whose family tree goes back to one Wilhelmus de Berry, born in 1160.
The following is the timeline that I have been able to establish, thus far, of William Berry, Sr.'s life.
1729-1738 He was born between the years of 1729 and 1738, most likely, according to most researchers, in the State of Maryland. He may have also been born, however, in Rowan County, NC. The majority of evidence that this researcher has seen over the last decade shows a high degree of probability, although not strict proof, that he was from Maryland, likely on the border between Maryland and Pennsylvania in Cecil County or nearby. It is believed by the Author that William Berry, Sr. took the Great Wagon Road down to North Carolina in the late 1750s. Ironically, the land where my grandfather Gilmer Connelly Berry was raised on in Icard, North Carolina is one of the ends of that very trail.
I speculate that he was part of the family of 3 brothers that moved to the area, with William staying mostly in Burke County and his other potential brothers moving to Spartanburg County, but there is no proof for that proposition as of yet. I believe that he is related to Richard Barry (Berry) (signed of the Mecklenburg Declaration) and Andrew Barry (Berry), but have no proof save for these two and their brother William Barry (Berry) traveled from Cecil County, Maryland to North Carolina and then to Spartanburg, SC.
1752 - Marriage to Elizabeth Montgomery in Maryland. I have no strict proof for this contention. It has been on the Internet for at least 15 years, but I have yet to be able to track down the marriage certificate. Elizabeth Berry is one of William Berry’s Executors for his Estate (promissory note) dated 15 Mar 1781 and Michael Montgomery is listed on the document as well, leading one to believe that this is the case.
1755 - Birth of son, Joseph Berry, born sometime prior to 1755 and who died after 13 Jan 1831.
1755 - Birth of son, William Berry, Jr., born sometime prior to 1755 and who died before Aug 1824.
1757 - Birth of daughter, Abigail Berry, who later married one David Hunter in 1775.
1758 - Birth of daughter, Ann Berry that married James S. Young on 15 June 1775, with bondsmen William Brandon and John Cooper. Consent from William Berry, Sr., her father, for the marriage was obtained a few days earlier on 12 June 1775. See Brent H. Holcomb, Marriages of Rowan County, N.C. 1753-1868, p.203 (Genealogical Pub. Balt. MD 1981). Ann Berry Young appears to have been a daughter of William Berry, Sr. “an early settler of old Burke, and his wife, Elizabeth who was probably a Montgomery.” Nov. 22, 1994 Letter from Lawrence E. Wood to C.B. Berry, at 1.
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| 1994 Letter Re Ann Berry |
1760 - 1765 - Birth of son, James Malcolm Berry, Sr. in MD between 1761 and 1765. From MD to Rowan Co., NC before 1770.
11 Dec 1763 - Birth of son, Enoch Berry, who served in the Revolutionary War, fought and witnesses his father and brother Ezekiel die at the Battle of King’s Mountain in 1780. Enoch Berry received a pension from the Government for his service and died 3 Oct 1832 in Warren County, TN.
1761 – 1765 - Birth of son, Lott Berry, in Virginia, who died before 30 Mar 1831 in Burke County, NC.
1761 – 1770 - Birth of daughter, Lucy Berry, who died after 26 Apr 1831.
1767 - Based on a map in 1767, the name Barry, which was often confused with Berry in the records, is listed in the same location where Henderson Berry's farm (the Author's great grandfather) existed in the early 1900s. A side by side map is listed, contrasting a map made in 2009 with the one from 1767.
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| 1767 / 2009 Map Contrast |
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| Diagram of Steve Church - Re: Henderson Berry land |
29 Nov 1768 - North Carolina Governor Tryon exempts William Berry from paying taxes.
1770 - William Berry appears on the 1770 List of Taxables, entitled "List of Taxables on ye Upper parts of ye Catawba River". NC Archives, Box CRX244. Quaker Meadows. William Berry is living in that part of Rowan County that becomes part of Burke County, NC in 1777.
1772 - William Berry has a land survey conduct and dated December 1, 1772 (1778?) in Burke County on the Catawba River of 381 acres.
Land Survey for William Berry, Sr. for 381 acres
1774 - Birth of son, John Berry, born prior to 1774 in North Carolina, and who died before July 1798.
14 Jun 1775 – William Berry, Sr., gives his consent for daughter Abigail Berry to marry David Hunter in Rowan County, NC.
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| 1775 Consent of William Berry, Sr. to her marriage to David Hunter |
2 Feb 1778 – 350 acres on the North Side of the Catawba River, beginning at Beaties, below the mouth of the Linville River at Beaties Corner, down the North side for complement. Burke County, NC Land Records, 1778, Vol. I, Abstracted, Compiled and Indexed by Edith Warren Huggins, c. 1977, Carolina Copy Center, page 9, # 96.
4 Feb 1778 - Andrew Blanchard receives a land grant for 320 acres on Pigeon River above where the road cross to the Cherokee Nation, "joining entry by William Berry."
18 Feb 1778 – 300 acres on the Pigeon River, including the mouth of the creek called the lower meadow creek, the second creek below the long gap of Hominy Creek Mountain. Burke County, NC Land Records, 1778, Vol. I, Abstracted, Compiled and Indexed by Edith Warren Huggins, c. 1977, Carolina Copy Center, page 82, #244.
18 Feb 1778 - 400 acres on the West Fork of the Pigeon River, beginning at a white oak marked up river for complement. Burke County, NC Land Records, 1778, Vol. I, Abstracted, Compiled and Indexed by Edith Warren Huggins, c. 1977, Carolina Copy Center, page 82, # 245.
6 June 1778 - NC Land Grant #926, Burke Co., NC - 350 acres to William Berry at the location that he had settled on in 1770. (Found in NC Land Grant Office, book titled "Burke: The History of a North Carolina Country, 1777-1920" by Edward W. Phifer, Jr.). Grant 0084, Item # 431
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| 1778 Land Grant |
1 Sept 1778 - NC Land Grant #819 for 300 acres on the North Side of the Catawba River included the mouth of the Linville River going WIlliam Berry to Baty's Branch, transferred to Thomas Montgomery.
16 Oct 1778 - NC Land Grant # 533, Burke Co., NC - 640 acres to William Berry on both sides of Drowning Creek. The Chain bearers listed on the Plat that accompanies the Plat were John Ervin and Zekiel Berry (likely Ezekiel Berry, a son).
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| Survey of 640 Acres - 1780 |
16 Jan 1779 - Land grant officer Charles McDowell, in No. 926 required a survey of six hundred and forty acres lying on both sides of the Drownding (Drowning) Creek for William Berry, Sr.
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| 1779 Land Survey Order |
25 Feb 1780 - William Berry, Sr. is provided payment for corn provided for revolutionary efforts.
| Corn Payment Voucher |
8 Oct 1780 - William Berry, Sr., died at the Battle of King's Mountain, fighting with the colonial forces against the British.
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| Charles O'Neill Affidavit of Service for Enoch Berry |
15 Mar 1781 - Estate of William Berry: "Elizabeth Berry" is one of the "executors" [sic] of the Estate of William Berry, [promissory note] dated 15 Mar 1781. Promissory Note to Estate of William Berry In the NC Archives. Promissory note from David Vance to William Moore and Elizabeth Berry, executors of William Berry. Burke Co., NC, Miscellaneous Papers, Promissory Notes and Bills of Sale, 1780-1800.
As the note states:
We, or either of us, our Heirs, Executors, Administrators or Assigns do Hereby promise to pay or Cause to be paid to William Moore & Elizabeth Berry Executors of the Estate of William Berry, Deceased or their Certain Attorney, Heirs, Executors, Administrators or Assignees the just and full sum of two-thousand six hundred and sixty six pounds current and lawful money of the State of North Carolina, to be paid twelve months after the Date hereof for value received by them. Witness our hands & seals this 15th of March 1781. Signed John Montgomery and David Vance, attested to by Michael Montgomery.
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| 1781 Promissory Note |
9 Nov 1781 – A Revolutionary War Voucher for William Berry was issued: "This is to certify . . . William Moore, Executor of the Estate of William Berry, deceased, was allowed thirty-two pounds, thirteen shillings for sundry supplies furnished." Dated 9 Nov 1781.
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| 1781 Revolutionary War Voucher |
7 Aug 1787 - Land grant 1015, Adj Entry 1708, recorded 7 Aug 1787 and dated 13 Jan 1779 from Book 65, p389. This entry references two owners, Joseph Patton and Reuben Perkins (believed to be related to the Berry family, on Drowning Creek, both sides. The property is located next to Widow Richey, and witnessed by James Moore and George Houk. The grant references the property being adjacent to the Widow Berry on the South Line of the property. This would have been Elizabeth Berry, the widow of William Berry, Sr.
Apr 1788 - Land Entry record for a Washington McGomery (Montgomery) for 100 a acres on the North Bank of he Catawba River "William Berry's corner" to David Montgomery's line with his line to the mouth of the Linville River.
The line of descent of this writer goes from William Berry, Sr. to Lott Berry to John Berry to William Martin “Billy” Berry to Henderson Berry to Gilmer Connelly Berry to John W. Berry.
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