John Berry

John Berry, pioneer colonist, gunsmith, and blacksmith, was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He fought in the War of 1812. He moved from Christian Settlement, Illinois, to Blue Spring, Indiana, in 1816. Berry had three sons by his first wife, Betsy (Smothers), daughter of William Smothers, whom he married about 1810 and who died in Indiana; three daughters by Gracie Treat, whom he married on July 13, 1819; and twelve children by Hannah Devore, whom he married in Liberty, Texas, on May 8, 1831. In late 1826 he moved his family to the Atascosito District on the lower Trinity River in Texas. Mexico awarded him a lot in Liberty when it organized the municipality in May 1831. As a gunsmith, blacksmith, knifesmith, and furniture builder Berry qualified for the lot as an artisan. Sometime before 1834 he moved to Mina, later called Bastrop, where Mexico awarded him two town lots and a twelve-acre farm lot as an artisan. David Crockett, traveling on the Old San Antonio Road toward the Alamo, stopped at Mina while Berry repaired Crockett's famous rifle, Old Betsey. Berry's three sons by his first wife were Joseph, John Bate, and Andrew Jackson Berry. All three sons were Texas Rangers before and after the Texas Revolution, all served in the Army of the Republic of Texas, and all fought in the battle of Plum Creek. Berry, his wife Hannah, and their small children took refuge at Fort Parker during the revolution, and upon returning to Bastrop found their home burned to the ground. In 1840 the family moved to the settlement that later became Caldwell in Burleson County, where they lived for the next ten years. The Texas Congress named Caldwell as the county seat in 1840, but the county was not organized until 1846. The Berry family was living there at the time. Berry applied to be a Robertson colonist on November 6, 1835, but did not settle on his league of land, located about three miles northeast of Georgetown, until the winter of 1846. He built a spring-driven gristmill, later called Gann's Mill, on Berry Creek. In 1848 he served as a commissioner, named by the Texas legislature, to organize Williamson County. For the fourth time, he was living in a Texas county seat when the county was organized. Berry was a member of the Church of Christ; his third wife, Hannah, was a faithful Baptist. Their home at Berry Creek was regularly used for Baptist services. Berry died on December 24, 1866, and is buried in a small family cemetery on the Berry league. His grave is marked by a plaque placed by the Daughters of the War of 1812. Five of Berry's sons and three of his sons-in-law served in the Confederate Army. His most distinguished direct descendant was his great-grandson Audie Murphy. On the grounds of the Williamson County Courthouse, the buhrstone from the Berry Mill is preserved beneath a state historical marker placed for Berry, whose descendants meet annually to commemorate the Berry family's service to Texas.

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Information gathered from rootsweb re: DNA and from findagrave:

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=norvanlj&...

Dear Kathleen:

I'm happy to try to explain the DNA tests on the descendan t of John Berry [d. 1866 Williamson Co, TX and m. 1] Betsy Smeathers/ Smothers; 2] Gracie Treat; 2] Hannah Devore. I'll call this man 'Texas ' John Berry as a way to distinguish him from many John Berry's running aro und.

First, some background. You need to know that I am a resea rcher of the very large extended BERRY family which can first be documen ted in Augusta Co, VA in 1745. I usually refer to them as the Augusta/Rockbridge/Washington Co, VA BERRYs because those a re the three counties they clustered in between 1745 & about 1770. It is a huge nes t of BERRYs and many reseachers have made the mistake of just focusing on o ne branch and attributing ALL records to their one branch. You can't com prehend the Augusta BERRYs without taking into account ALL of them.

Jack Pope was the editor of the book "John Berry & His Chi ldren"-- an excellent book about 'Texas' John Berry. Pope's book prese nted at least TWO plausible sets of research attempting to identif y the parents of 'Texas' John Berry.

One 'theory' was that 'Texas' John Berry was the youngest s on of John Berry & Hannah Unknown who died in 1790 in Lincoln Co, KY . This 'theory' further postulates that the John who died in 179 0 was one of the Augusta Berrys and I absolutely agree with that contention . [I disagree with the research that he was one of the 'orphans', but tha t is immaterial for right now.] The point is that the John Berr y who died in 1790 does belong to the Augusta BERRYs. It can be proven that t he John who died in 1790 had a son named John, but it can now be well d ocumented through traditional genealogical research that that son Joh n was NOT the 'Texas' John Berry. I would be happy to share the document ation with you, but this confusion has been made moot by the DNA resul ts -- more on that below.

The second 'theory' presented in the Pope book was that 'Te xas' John Berry was the son of William Berry who died in 1819 in Spen cer Co, Indiana. I am on shakier ground here, but it was an equall y plausible theory and in some ways a more documented set of research. The Po pe book also deals a little bit with the premise that William Berry, d . 1819, was a descendant of the King George Co, VA Berry's. I am fairl y certain that it can now be absolutely proven that William [d. 1819] doe s come from that BERRY line -- sometimes called the Henry Berry of Ol d Rappacanhock, VA line -- or sometimes called the Berry Plains BERRYs.

Okay, now to DNA. There are three present day descendant s of the Augusta BERRYs who have taken the DNA tests. All of these m en are well-documented with primary source documentation as descen dants of three different branches of the Augusta BERRYs. Their DNA resul ts match each other 25/25 and so it can be said that anyone who can document th eir ancestry back to the Augusta BERRYs knows that all of the Augusta BE RRYs are all descended from a common ancestor.

Jesse T. Berry, a well documented descendant of 'Texas' Joh n Berry & his 3rd wife, Hannah DeVore, has also participated in the D NA tests. His DNA does NOT match the Augusta BERRYs. Based on traditiona l good genealogy research subsequent to the Pope book, it has bee n clear for some time that 'Texas' John Berry was NOT a son of the John Berr y who died in 1790 in Lincoln Co, KY, but the possibility could NOT be ru led out that he was a grandson, and thus, still somehow related to the A ugusta BERRYs. Because Jesse T. Berry's DNA test results do NOT m atch the now established Augusta BERRYs, we can now say that the Pope bo ok's 'theory' that "Texas' John Berry belonged to the Augusta BERRYs ha s now been proven to be incorrect, both through traditional genealog y research and now with the new science of DNA.

The good news is that a descendant of the King George Co, V A BERRYs (Dennis Berry) has just taken the DNA tests and his DNA mat ches Jesse T. Berry's DNA 12/12. This means that the 2nd 'theory' in th e Jack Pope book is almost certainly correct. I believe there has to b e a lot more traditional research to lock in 'Texas' John Berry as a des cendant -- more like dotting all the i's and crossing the t's than sta rting from scratch. I am not an expert on the King George BERRY line , so feel uncomfortable trying to explicate all of their ins/outs . I would strongly suggest that you contact Zen [ZenCity@aol.com]. She is als o a descendant of 'Texas' John Berry through the 2nd wife, Grac ie Treat. Zen has a wealth of information and good research on 'Texas' John Ber ry and the William Berry who died 1819 in Spencer Co, IN and knows th e complexities of the King George, VA BERRYs.

I hope this overly long email is clear. Bottom line: DN A testing has proven that 'Texas' John Berry was NOT a descendant of th e Augusta Co, VA BERRYs. DNA testing has proven that 'Texas' John Berr y was a descendant of the King George, VA [Henry of Old Rappanock ] BERRYs. I'd be more than happy to try to answer any questions and provid e documentation on any and all of the Augusta BERRYs puzzles, but I don't t hink you need to deal with the Augusta BERRYs any more. I think yo u need to change course and acquire the documentation for the Henry of Rappa honock BERRY line. While 'Texas' John Berry was not my direct ancestor , I know that his puzzles have been the subject of massive research for y ears and years. It is thrilling to me to have this new genealogy 't ool' bring some direction to finally placing 'Texas' John Berry in the righ t context.

Let me know if you have any more questions,

Carol

Data from Land Records for: John Berry First Arrived in Texas: 1826; 14 Jun1838 Class of Grant : 3 Amount of Land: 640 acres Date Conditional Certificat e Issued: 26Dec1839 Conditional Certificate Issued in: Sa n Augustine County Date Unconditional Certificate Issued: 28 Sep1841 Uncondit ional Certificate Issued in: San Augustine County Comments:

Just found this on the Library of VA website. Thought it mi ght help clarify it for someone like it did me. Etta

A land patent is a land transaction during the Colonial per iod from the Crown to an individual.

A land grant is a land transaction from the Commonwealth t o an individual.

A deed is a land transaction between individuals or privat e parties.

John served in War of 1812 at Rockport, Indiana Territory 3 0 October 1812. He was discharged at Shakertown, Indiana . John also served in the Indiana Mounted Malitia unde r Capt. William Smeathers, the father of his first wife Be tsy.

John became a miller and operated the Hamilton Grist Mill o n Indian Creek. The mill was built and operated by one of h is relatives husbands.

When John wanted to migrate to Texas he had to have recomme ndations from friends and family vouching for his characte r in order to obtain land grants from the Mexican governmen t. 25 friends and relatives signed a document stating Joh n was "honest, sober, moral, industrious." He left for Texa s with the Tarkington family arriving in Atascosito (Libert y) in the 1826-7. In Liberty of what is now Cos and Mila m Streets, John built a blacksmith shop.

Eventually John received another land grant in Bastrop, tw o town lots and a 12 acre farm when the Mina municipality w as organized. Here he opened another Blacksmith shop. In Mi na, Davy Crockett visited while John repaired Ol' Betsy bef ore Crockett left for the Alamo. Crocket held Mary and Ema nuel on his lap while John fixed the gun. John was als o a good friend of James "Jim" Bowie of Bowie knife fame. A ccording to Hannah Berry, Jim's brother was the one who ac tually invented the knife.

During Texas' struggle for independence from Mexico, the Be rry family, except for John and the three eldest sons, Jos eph, John Bate and Andrew Jackson, took refuge at Fort Park er to avoid the armies of Santa Anna. This was called the " Runaway Scrape". Both John "Bate" and Andrew Jackson "Jack " Berry were with General Sam Houston at the Battle of Sa n Jacinto on April 21, 1836. All three of the older boys , Joe, Bate and Jack became Texas Rangers with Seth Billins ley, John G. McGeehee, William H. Hill and John L. Lynch . All three fought in the Indian battle at Plum Creek on A ugust 12, 1840.

Joe and Bate were members of the ill-fated Mier Expeditio n to Mexico. Joe was the first to die on December 26, 1842 . He was bayoneted by a Mexican soldier. Bate was taken pri soner with the rest of the army. He escaped at Salado wit h the others but was recaptured. He was a prisoner in Pero te Prison east of Mexico City, Mexico until September 16, 1 844, almost 21 months after his brother was killed.

Five of John's sons served in the Confederate Army during t he Civil War: Bate and Jack, sons of Betsy. Emanuel, John J r. and Joe (named after his brother), sons of Hannah. Also , three of John's sons-in-law served in the Civil War, Joh n Compton, James Rumsey and Samuel Jackson.

In 1840 the family moved to Burleson County, Texas where th e town of Caldwell would be established. John received his league and labor of land August 29, 1845 . It was located in Indian Territory, Milam County, late r Williamson County, about three miles north of Georgetown . The stream that runs nearby is called Berry's Creek.

On this land John built a blacksmith shop, forge and grist mill. On Berry's Mill John erected a dam which behind, th e mill pond formed, where Indians and settlers brought cor n to be ground. Several cabins where built to house the ex tended families. An orchard and pecan trees were grown alo ng with farm crops, corn and wheat, and a large family gard en.

John wrote, "They come from far and wide to see my mill spr ing; to see the great fountain of water boiling up out of t he earth, pure and cold. This land is the best farming lan d I have ever seen. The country is pleasant and healthful . There is some fever here in wet years, but not fatal lik e in most places."

The burrstone from the mill is now preserved on the courtho use lawn in Georgetown. In 1967 the Daughters of the War o f 1812 presided at the ceremony in which a marker was place d on the stone commemorating John Berry.

John was also a member of the first grand jury on the count y seat. The Berry home was also the center of worship for m any years. Hannah Berry made her home available to the Bapt ist Church for over 14 years until the congregation could b uild a church building.

Admiral William L. Mann said these words about John Berry.

"To appraise the man, John Berry, is not difficult. He hel d no high office; he held no captaincy; the harper does no t sing of his valor; history does not give him many pages ; yet he left his mark upon the land he loved. He gave hi s name to a living stream that later generations shall cont inue to enjoy. He loved and was loved by his family and kin smen. He raised his sons in his likeness, taught them to st and and fight for what they believed to be right, and wit h Christian fortitude accepted the loss of two of his son s in battle. He walked unafraid before all mankind, and wa s respected and honored by all who new him. He had the cour age, the daring and the will to set out upon an unknown tra ct to a new frontier, there to share in the founding of a n ew state, and for his reward, lived to see the Lone Star o f Texas rise to its zenith, finally become a white star, an d take its rightful place on a field of blue. The evidenc e has been submitted. The mark is there, and history is it s proof that John Berry "paso por aqui." Mann, pp. 11 & 12 The John Berry Family of Berry's Creek, T exas Pioneers, privately printed family history. ___________________________________________________________ _______________ __

Nancy Hanks married Thomas Lincoln in 1806, and they were t he parents of Abraham, the president; Abraham had an olde r sister. Nancy died when he was young and Thomas remarried . Nancy's guardian, who signed the marriage bond with Thoma s, was Richard Berry. --Merlin Berry

KY on June 25, 1806. This record of marriage is on the sam e page as that of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks. Thomas Li ncoln was the father of President Abraham Lincoln. Nancy Ha nks (Abe's mother) lived in the household of Richard BERRY . I believe she was a cousin or niece of Richard Berry's w ife, Rachel SHIPLEY. The Berry family and the Lincoln famil y were close neighbors. Was John BERRY a brother or son o r uncle of Richard BERRY.

This is the story. Lincoln and a Berry had a General stor e to gether in New Salem ILL. The Berry partner drank the s tore into ruin and died, at a early age. At the reading o f the will there are a lot of Berrys there, they signed som ething. So Abe Lincoln being broke had to go into politics . (in a box i have copys of this) Thanks Scott M. Berry a n Illinois Berry

One of the Authors: Zarel Cratic Spears is the husband of M ary Harriet Berry d/o Rev. John McCutcheon Berry s/o Jame s and Elizabeth McCutcheon Berry s/o Thomas and ? Buchana n Berry.

The Book itself is about William Franklin Berry (1811-1835 ) and Abraham Lincoln and their little general store in Ne w Salem, Ill. Ann Rutledge's sister Jane Officer Rutledg e married James Enfield Berry, William's 1st cousin.

This quote is the start of 2nd Chapter about Rev John M. Be rry and the family history.

Chapter 2

Father and Son

Rev. John M'Cutcheon Berry was known to man, woman and c hild throughout the Sangamo country, for he traveled ever y road and path of it in his evangelical work. From the ti me when the broad iron tires of his covered wagon first cut their imprints across the prair ie, he devoted himself to the service of the Lord as comple tely as any man could without entirely neglecting his own f arm and the appetites of his children. The Berry family in Virginia had not been of the gentr y class, but they were farmers and herdsmen in their own ri ght. John was descended from Berrys who had settled in Wes tmoreland County, on the south bank of the Potomac, early i n the 18th century. He was born on March 22, 1788,(Washing ton Co., VA) and as a lad of fourteen migrated in the compa ny of his family from Virginia to Warren County, Kentucky . In 1808 he married Frances Williams, the daughter of neighbors ; and in the same year he became a candidate for the minist ry. In 1821 he moved his family to White County, Indiana . In the Spring of 1822 he toured central Illinois, prospe cting for a likely place to settle and, with a farmer's wis dom, chose the rich soil of Sangamon County. Selecting a site three and one-half miles southwest of t he future town of New Salem, he entered 160 acres of Govern ment land on the north bank of Rock Creek, a small stream w hich emptied into the Sangamon a few miles farther down. A fter making a deal with D. S. Taylor, a builder already set tled there, to erect a log house on the newly-aquired land , he returned to Indiana to fetch his family. Loading a prairie schooner with his household goods, hi s tools, and a family of eight which included his mother-in -law, John Berry set out from Monticello, Indiana, for th e long trek to the new home-site. With approaching autum n tinting the green of the forests which skirted the prairi e streams, he urged his horses forward. Day after day th e heavy wagon pushed further into the unknown West; now thr ough long stretches of dank woodland, and then out across w ide savannahs, belly-deep in withering grass. Beside the w agon trudged the eldest of the children, William Franklin B erry, now eleven years of age. In herding loose stock, i n making camp, and in the infinite chores incidental to mig ration, he did the services of a grown man, as a right han d to his father and mother. For hearts less stout, the disappointment which awaited t he travelers would have been a crushing blow. The vision t hat had revived their spirits for each day's ordeal existe d only in their imaginations. There was no cabin in the clearing. Taylor had been sick durin g most of the summer and otherwise too busy with his own af fairs to build it. But the traditional kindliness of count y-fold proved equal to the emergency. With the mighty zea l of common endeavor, the neighbors joined in building a ca bin for the newcomers, felling the trees, hewing and fittin g the logs in the pioneer manner. A new hope and confidence, a new assurance of security a nd permanence pervaded every home in the settlement, that a utumn of 1822, for a spiritual leader had arrived, a man t o command the respect that was readily accorded him. He wa s not just another immigrant seeking cheap land. True, h e was there to establish material home, but this purpose wa s secondary to his spiritual mission. He was carrying th e torch into a region as yet uncharted by the missionarie s of his creed, and he lost no time in spreading the ligh t of his doctrine. On November 24, 1822, even before his c abin was completed, he organized the Rock Creek Cumberlan d Presbyterian Church." unquote.

I refer to the tidbit of Thomas Berry's children were born , according to this source, also, in Westmoreland Co. VA no t in Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania. Have a good day Marie

From: Nora Probasco To: BERRY-L@rootsweb.com Correction on the Berry/Lincoln story. Nancy Hanks lived wi th Francis Berry & his wife, Elizabeth. Richard Jr. may hav e signed as her guardian, but she was living with this fami ly and married in their house.

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Cookie cookie.paulson@juno.com Berry Admin

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~langolier/BerryDNA/ dna_home.html

If you click on link above, our participant is #21 he did NOT match to anyone in the project, including the Li ncoln co Berry's! Now we need to find a King Geo Berry desc......I think that s where he hails from, my opinion. -Berry Plain Berry's of King Geo Co Va-Enoch Berry son/o>W m Berry> to>Henry Berry & Sarah>son of Henry Berry & Sara h Harper>son of Henry Berry & Ann Saunders>son of Wm Berr y & Jane Locke Hermins>son of Johan Berry b 1584 Henry immigrated in 1600's http://www.rootsweb.com/~hcpd/norman/BERRY

It was this part of the Berry family that ended up in KY an d IND, exactly where our John Berry and supposed brother Wi lliam Berry were. And John's siblings md into the Grass fam ily of Daniel Grass md Jane Smeathers, so it just all seem s too coincidental to not have validity, all the little tidbits we find including these. For example heres a few for yr notebook- 1 -written abt 1840 Pub 1866 Owensboro Monitor Newspaper Ky : ...."Smothers purchased a dozen cows and calves and forme d a partnership with a man in the neighbourhood who furnish ed an equal number. But Smothers as usual paid no attentio n to his interests and the partner probably got the proceed s of the investment, unless JOHN BERRY, the other son in la w of Smothers, asserted his rights. 2-The name of John Berry still perpetuated Ohio Co Ky by "B erry's Pond", which lies between Yelvington Ky and Ohio Rvr . John Berry lived bet slough and the river on place RECENT LY sold by Mr. Sharp of Spencer Co In. 3-John Berry emigrated to Texas abt 18yrs after Wm Smeather s went there. John Berry was ALIVE AND WELL 1840 residing b et Brassos Rvr Tx and "String Prairies." [where Wm Smeather s lived] 4-March 11, 1808, William Berry bought land on the river be low Grass and lived on his houseboat with is family unti l a cabin in the woods could be constructed. Wm Berry b 175 0 md Clara Feagan [s] Daniel Grass later became the first County Agent and Willia m Berry became a Judge of the Northwest Territory***

5-JOHN AND BETSY WENT WITH THE BIG GROUP FROM TENNESSEE I N 1815. their destination was Monroe Co In where govt lan d was to be made available shortly at a very small price an d with good title. While waiting for the In territory to b e opened to settlers, they lived for almost a yr just acros s the river fr Vincennes In what is now Lawrence Co Ill. Th eir village was known as the 'Christian Settlement' but off icially it was Centerville. There is a well cared for pione er cemetery at that location with a number of stones stil l intact but no grave marker has been found for Betsy Smeat hers Berry. 6-"In Nelson Co Ky Wm Berry surveyed roads with his bro Eno ch Berry. He served in Co militia and did Jury duty. 3 of t he Berry children md in Nelson Co with their father servin g as bondsman. Dau Eliz 'Betsy' md Tho Spencer 1794; dau Mary Ann 'Polly ' [widow/o Cantwell] md her cousin Berry Cantwell 1802;so n Enoch 1804 md Christine Dick. Wm furnished 50# sterling/s erving as bondsman for marr of James Allen to Elizabeth Bos well 1797. Allen being a nephew of Berry." Sources

1. 1 paragraph-Cavaliers & Pioneers, Nell Marion Nugent p 196
2. 2-"" -ibid p 341
3. 3-""-Essex CPIMTU BPPL 1695-99 p 21 [1694] [This Wm and Enoch Berry supposed bro's to our John Berry-f ather is Enoch Berry and wife might be a Mary Dial per Pa m Brown pabrown@prodigy.net and Jean Larsen normagen@aol.com 7-1785 Severns Valley Settlement Tax List A List of the tit hables on Coxes Creek and Simpsons Creek (David Cox - on al l the waters of Cox's Creek, Simpson Creek easterly to th e County line northerly of Chaplins' Fork."

Total Tithables = 128 Enoch Berry 1 8-1785 Tithables in Severns Valley & Hardin's Settlement (T homas Helm -"on all the waters of Green River west and sout hwest of Nolin, including Hardin's settlement." Total liste d 99) John Berry 1 William Berry John Berry 2 9-1786 David Cox - from where the County Road crosses Sal t River on the North side of said road including all the wa ters of Cox Creek. Enoch Berry 1 10-1787 Joshua Ferguson Capt. Cox Company Joshua Ferfuson L ist of Thitables 1787 Probably in area present Eastern Nelson Co Enoch Berry William Berry 2 [brothers] Father being Enoch Berry, son/o Henry Berry of Berry Plai n Berrys. 11-Wm Berry's friend DANIEL GRASS 1805 made scouting trip t o Indiana Terr on behalf of WM HYNES, wealthy land speculat or. Prob influenced Wm Berry's move to IN Terr. Supposedl y it was the HYNES family that took in Daniel Grass when hi s father was killed by Indians around 1782 and mother an d 2 sisters were taken, although mother and 1 sister were r eturned abt 5 yrs later, they appeared to have vanished. Th is reported by a Grass desc, Laura Mercy Wright in a DAR pa per she presented in 1920 in Indiana.

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Zen did a nice analysis of the results I thought I'd share. ..she has such a gift of story telling.

K. Waterhouse Anthony, New Mexico ZenCity@aol.com
Berry DNA Web Site: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~langolier/BerryDNA/ dna_home.html

Fr: Charles Berry-John Berry's ancestors-Berry Plain folk s Web site mentions Berry Plains: http://www.strato.net/~we digs/page2.html

Berry Email List Serve Subscription Site: http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/surname/b/berry.html

Peace, Zen

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John Berry has been proven through DNA testing to come from ole Henry Berry1 of Dogue VA d 1677Old Rappahannock Co Va called the 'Berry Plain Berry's', his wife is unknown. Henry Berry had at least 4 kids: HenryII; William; John; Richard. Henry BerryII died 1697 Richmond Co Va and left at least one child HenryIII. Henry BerryIII died 1749 King George Co Va and had 10 kids in his will: Joel; HenryIV; Benjamin; William; George; Enoch; Ann; Mary; Elizabeth; Sarah. William, son of Henry BerryI, died 1721 King George Co Va married Margaret Doughty. William named 4 kids in his will: Joseph married Catherine Simcock; Enoch married Dulcebella Bunberry; Margaret Berry Rogers; Elizabeth Berry Strother. Descendants of this line found Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas, Louisiana, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

John's parents were William Berry 1750-1819, Clarissa Feagen 1754 who ended up Indiana and became friends with the Smeathers family. Henry Berry1 1626-1677 Henry Berry2 1652-1697 Henry Berry3 1694-1749 Enoch Berry 1725-1818 William Berry 1750-1819 +Clarissa Feagen John Berry 1786-1866 John Berry Jr 1836-1921 Jesse Noble Berry 1887-1957 Aubrey Thomas Berry 1914-1991 JT Berry (ID #21)** verified ** 1945-our proxy

John Berry, pioneer colonist, gunsmith, and blacksmith, was born in Louisville, Ky. He fought in the War of 1812. He moved from Christian Settlement, Ill., to Blue Spring, Ind., in 1816. Berry had three sons by his first wife, Betsy Smeathers, daughter of Capt William Smeathers, whom he married about 1810 and she died in Illinois; John had 3 daughters by 2nd wife Gracie Treat, married July 13 1819 Ill; and 12 children by 3rd wife Hannah Devore, married Liberty Texas May 8, 1831. 1826 he moved his family to the Atascosito District on the lower Trinity River Texas. Mexico awarded him a lot in Liberty when it organized the municipality May 1831. As a gunsmith, blacksmith, knifesmith, and furniture builder Berry qualified for the lot as an artisan. BY 1834 he moved to Mina, later called Bastrop, where Mexico awarded him 2 town lots and a 12acre farm lot as an artisan. David Crockett, traveling on the Old San Antonio Road toward the Alamo, stopped at Mina while Berry repaired Crockett's famous rifle, Old Betsey. Berry's three sons by his first wife Betsy were John Bate, Andrew Jackson, and Joseph Berry. All three were Texas Rangers before and after the Texas Revolution, served in the Army of the Republic of Texas, and fought in the battle of Plum Creek. Berry, his 3rd wife Hannah, and their small children took refuge at Ft Parker during the revolution, and upon returning to Bastrop found their home burned to the ground. 1840 the family moved to the settlement later became Caldwell in Burleson County, where they lived for the next 10 years. The Texas Congress named Caldwell as the county seat in 1840, but the county was not organized until 1846. The Berry family was living there at the time. Berry applied to be a Robertson colonist Nov 6 1835 but did not settle on his league of land, located about 3 miles northeast of Georgetown, until the winter of 1846. He built a spring-driven gristmill, later called Gann's Mill, on Berry Creek. 1848 he served as a commissioner, named by the Texas legislature, to organize Williamson County. For the fourth time, he was living in a Texas county seat when the county was organized. Berry was a member of the Church of Christ; his third wife, Hannah, was a faithful Baptist. Their home at Berry Creek was regularly used for Baptist services.

John was a friend to the Native Americans living the area and took in a young boy child whom he later raised and buried near him. John rode a big white horse and the NA thought of him as a Great Warrior. LC Magby #53121665

Five of Berry's sons and three of his sons-in-law served in the Confederate Army. His most distinguished direct descendant was his great-grandson Audie Murphy, descendent of his 2nd son John Bate Berry by his lst wife Betsy Smeathers. On the grounds of the Williamson County Courthouse, the buhrstone from the Berry Mill is preserved beneath a state historical marker placed for Berry, whose descendants meet annually to commemorate the Berry family's service to Texas.

John Berry died sadly Dec 24 1866 and buried in a small family cemetery on the Berry Farm. His grave is marked by a plaque placed by the Daughters of the War of 1812.

Family links:

Spouses:

 Hannah Devore Berry (1812 - 1904)*

 Betsy Smeathers Berry (1791 - 1818)*

Children:

 John Bate Berry (1813 - 1891)*

 Andrew Jackson Berry (1816 - 1899)*

 Joseph Berry (1818 - 1842)*

 Elizabeth Berry Bradberry (1820 - 1859)*

 Hannah Berry Hughes (1823 - 1863)*

 Margaret Berry Chadwick (1825 - 1866)*

 Polly Mary Berry Compton (1832 - 1902)*

 John Berry (1836 - 1921)*

 Jane Berry Rumsey (1839 - 1883)*

 Catherine Ann Berry Jackson (1842 - 1929)*

 Patrick Henry Berry (1855 - 1860)*

 Virginia Devore Berry Murphy (1855 - 1906)*

 George Washington Berry (1857 - ____)*

*Calculated relationship

Burial: Berry Springs Cemetery Georgetown Williamson County Texas, USA

Edit Virtual Cemetery info [?]

Maintained by: Find A Grave Originally Created by: A.E. Collins Record added: Oct 21, 2006 Find A Grave Memorial# 16267287 http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=berry&GSfn=jo...