By John Berry
The following is a letter from 1987 from noted genealogist William D. Bennett to my late uncle, Connelly Burgin Berry in 1987. My uncle had sought to dig deeper into the Berry genealogical roots in Burke and Lincoln counties. There have been a fair amount of new discoveries since this time about the Berry line, but I thought that it would be nice to share the text of the letter with others looking into this Berry line. There is a significant amount of helpful information.
However, one note that I would make is that it seems pretty convincing, based on records I have seen, along with the continued ownership of the same lands to assume that John Berry (1790 - 1871) was the son of Lott (Lot) Berry, and the brother of Archibald Berry. Both Lott and Archibald are believed to be the sons of William Berry, Sr. (1738 - 1780). The letter from April 1987 follows:
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Rt. 1, Box 232
Wendell, NC 27591
11 April 1987
Mr. C. B. Berry
P. O. Box 1479
North Myrttle Beach, SC 29598
Dear Mr. Berry:
I have recently had a chance to do some research on your Berry family. As I told you, in my previous letter, it is my policy to start with a known ancestor and work backwards and not try to leap-frog back to a possible antecedant.
Before I begin on the Berrys I might mention that in doing other research I found where Nicholas Fry (it does not say either Jr. or Sr.) was tried in 1779 by the Salisbury District Superior Court for Treason. He was found not guilty.
Because it seems likely that the Barbara Berry, wife of John Berry, of the 1850 Census was formerly Barbara Fry, I made a quick check of the Lincoln County wills and loose estates papers. I found nothing on Nicholas Fry, Jr. I was searching for further proof that John's wife was his daughter. I found nothing of value on the Berry family. There is a will of a Robert Berry written 7 May 1835 and probated in July 1835. It lists his wife, Nancy, and sons Robert Franklin and Edwin M. Berry. It also lists a daughter, Susannah, and her daughter, Minnou Loudka. There had apparenrtly been another son, William G. Berry, who predeceased his father. The will of William G. Berry was written 3 July 1834 and lists his wife, Frances, brothers, Robert and Edwin M., and niece, Manervva Lodusky. These are found among the loose original wills. In the loose estates papers is a file for John Berry. The papers in this file are apparently for two different John Berrys. There is a return of John Hudson, Administrator of John Berry dated October 1811. There is an administrators' bond for Hugh Berry (signed Barry) as administrator of John Berry dated 21 July 1818. There is also the record of the sale of the estate of a John Berry by William Berry, Executor. I have not checked the will book for this will.
Seeing nothing of value concerning your Berrys I went to the Burke County records. There are a number of deeds of interest concerning your family. Listed below are the Burke County deeds of interest.
B:1, 6 June 1865, Ezekiel Berry & Margaret, his wife, to Pinkney Berry, 60 1/2 acres for $50, on both sides
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of Cony or Middle Fork of Drowning Creek, on the south side of the Island Ford Road, Joins John Berry and Hertzog.
B:38, 14 November 1860, Silas Berry, for $100, on Ezekiel Berry's old tract William and Pinkney Berry. Ezekiel and Margaret Berry to waters of Jumping Run, joins and D. A. Cook, witnesses,
B:57, 6 June 1865, Ezekiel and Margaret Berry to John Berry, Jr., 60 1/2 acres for $50, on both sides of Conoy or Middle Fork of Drowning Creek, on Island Ford Road.
B:116, 9 March 1858, Lawson acres for $210, on both sides John Berry's old tract and Philip
Warlick, Berry to John Bailey, 70 of Drowning Creek, joins Wesley Wilson, witness,
B:135, 4 February 1843, John Berry to Philip Warlick, 100 acres for $200, on waters of Drowning Creek, witnesses, Lawson Berry and Joel Chester.
E:8, 7 November 1851, Ezekiel Berry to William and Jonathon Page, 50 acres for $50, Joins Ezekiel berry's old tract, witnesses Elijah Berry(?) and William Bailey, proved by Elijah Page.
E:12, 1 September 1848, Ezekiel Berry to William Icard, 100 acres for $200, on south side of "Catawby" on a branch called Jumping Run, part of a tract granted to Robert Ballew (Blew) 16 November 1790, adjoins land on Jumping Run Gulley Branch and both sides of Hoover Knob Road, witnesses, E. S. Page and Abraham Wilson, acknowledged 26 August 1856.
Your John Berry appears on page 144 of the 1830 Burke County census and both John and Ezekiel appear on page 3663 of the 1840 Burke County census.
Tax records give a little more information on the Berry family. There were two groups of Berrys by the 1830s. Charlotte Berry (widow) and Archibald Berry lived in what was called "Tower District." I am not sure of its location. This would be the family of the John Berry who died in 1798 and Lott Berry who died about 1832. Charlotte could have been Lott's widow. The other group of Berrys lived between Drowning Creek and Jumping Run. This is just east of the present town of Valdese. I have enclosed copies of the 1838 tax list showing John Berry charged with 100 acres and no polls, Ezekiel Berry charged with 100 acres and one poll, and a Nicholas Berry charged with 300 acres on the South Fork of the Catawba and one slave. I have also enclosed a copy
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of the report of Peter Ballew showing that John Berry failed to list his 100 acres and one poll in 1834. I have also enclosed a copy of the 1830 tax list showing John Berry owned no taxable land. The last tax list is for this same district and showing Joseph Berry with 210 acres and no polls as the only Berry listed for taxes in that district. This last tax list is dated 1817 and
is then called Capt. peter Ballew's District. The following are the 1816 and 1815 tax lists for this district.
Capt. Peter Ballew's District - 1816
Jesse Berry, 200 acres on Drowning Creek,
Hynim Berry, 120 acres on Drowning Creek,
Joseph Berry, 110 acres on South Drowning polls.
Capt. Campbell's District
Jesse Berry, 200 acres on Drowning Creek, 1 white poll
Hyram Berry, 120 acres on Drowning Creek, 1 white poll
Joseph Berry, 110 acres on Drowning Creek, no polls.
Not finding John Berry in any of the surviving tax lists prior to 1830, I went back to Lincoln County to check the tax lists there. Lincoln County tax lists are much more meagre than those of Burke County. The 1821 tax lists of Lincoln County seem to be fairly complete. I found the following Berrys listed in 1821.
Capt. Levi Ward's District
William Barry (nothing listed after his name)
Robert Barry (nothing listed after his name)
Richard Barry, 224 acres, 3 black polls.
Capt. Samuel Cox's District
John Berry, 450 acres, 2 black polls
William Berry, no land, 1 white poll
Thomas Berry, 249 acres, 1 white poll
Andrew Berry, 200 acres, 3 blck polls.
Capt. Green's District
John Barry, no land, 1 white poll
Capt. Rufus Reed's District
Mathias Berry, Sr., no land, 1 white poll
Mathias Berry, Jr., no land, 1 white poll
John Berry (nothing listed after his name).
If your John Berry was in Lincoln County at this time it is
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possible he was the John Berry in either Green's or Reed's district. But the question is, "Was he in Lincoln County?" There were a number of grants for land on Drowning Creek to Berrys other than William Berry. The earliest entry date I find is a grant to Joseph Berry for land entered 25 December 1778 by Robert Adams and assigned to Joseph Berry 6 Oct 1784. Much of Joseph Berry's land was on the Pounding Mill Branch of Drowning Creek. There is a survey for land entered by John Berry 28 April 1797 with John Berry as a chain carrier when surveyed in 1797. The grant was probably not completed because of his death. Listed below are surveys with chain carriers named Berry for this
period. They are listed with the name of the grantee, date of
entry, chain carrier, and date of survey.
Joseph Berry 23 Oct 1797 William Berry 23 Oct 1797
Joseph Berry 23 Oct 1797 No Berrys 8 Apr 1798
Joseph Berry 3 Mar 1795 William Berry 23 Oct 1797
Joseph Berry 3 Mar 1795 William Berry 23 Oct 1797
James Berry 30 Aug 1786 John and Joseph Berry 17 Dec 1786
James Berry 28 Jan 1793 Joseph Berry 8 Nov 1794
Jesse Berry 29 Oct 1799 Joseph & Jesse Berry 7 May 1800
Joseph Berry 29 Oct 1799 Jessee Berry 7 May 1800
In addition to the Burke County Berry Estates Papers listed in your letter can be found a record for an Enoch Berry who died in 1841. At the sale of personal property in 1842, the only Berry purchaser was the widow, Amanda Elvira Berry. There is also a file for Lawson Berry. S. A. Page was the administrator, bond dated 22 July 1861, Ezekiel Berry and Anthony Page securities.
With what Larry Wood had to say in his letter about the earlier Ezekiel Berry, I am surprised I have not found him in any of the records I have searched so far. I am sorry I have not been able, so far, to provide you with an answer to your question. It is very possible that your John Berry was not descended from William Berry. This is especially so since there were several other Berrys in the same immediate area at the time William Berry was there. All of the deeds I cited were re-recorded after 1865. It is possible that later other of the early deeds were recorded which may throw some light on John Berry.
A search of their probate of deeds in the court minutes from 1830 to 1834 may show how John Berry acquired his land. What is the connection with Enoch Berry. Francis Glass was the administrator of the estate and in 1850 John Berry's house was the fourth house from Francis Glass. I have not checked the deeds of Lincoln County to see if there is anything concerning your John Berry. It is also possible that if John Berry lived in Lincoln County at anytime there might be something in the Catawba County records.
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If you would like for me to do further research, please let me know.
Sincerely yours,
_____________________
William D. Bennett, C.G.
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