Generation 4 George Berry
- Born
- c. 1787, Orange County, North Carolina
- Died
- Before 1850
- Married
- Susanna Aldridge (married c. 1814; died between 1850 and March 1855, Fayette County, Alabama)
- Parents
- Robert Berry Jr. and Mary Waggoner Berry
George Berry was born c. 1787 in Orange County North Carolina. George was killed in Texas before 1850. George had served in the North Carolina Militia in the war of 1812. He enlisted as a private in Capt. John Bradshaw’s Company in the North Carolina Militia. 1814 Muster: 4th Regiment, 7th Company. He was discharged as a private and his service made him eligible for land grants in Fayette County Alabama. George Berry’s service in Texas also made his heirs eligible for more land grants in Texas.
Research Notes (July 2026)#
Birth year. This page formerly gave “c. 1790.” Chapter 4 of Our Berrys in Frontier America gives 1787, stated twice, and that figure is followed here. Neither year is documented. The only primary constraint is the 1800 Orange County census, which placed George in the 10-to-15 age bracket (census day 4 August 1800), meaning he was born somewhere between about August 1784 and August 1790. That bracket accommodates both 1787 and 1790, and the census recorded brackets, not ages. The 1830 and 1840 Fayette County censuses do not discriminate either, since both candidate years fall in the same bracket in each. 1787 is preferred because it is the figure in the book, and because his sister Catherine was born in 1785, which makes George the first son two years behind her. It remains an inference, not a sourced date.
Place of death. The family account holds that George was killed in Texas before 1850. The Fayette County probate minutes of 1852 and 1855, however, describe him as “late of said county deceased,” making Fayette County, Alabama his legal residence at death, and his estate was administered there. These are not necessarily in conflict, a man may die away from home, but the tension is unresolved. Letters of administration on his estate, not yet located, should settle it. The death place has therefore been left off the vital facts above pending that record.
George Berry married Susanna Aldridge about 1814.
Robert Berry Jr. was the bondsman for Peter Aldridge and Judith Waggoner February 4th 1786. They were the parents of Susanna Aldridge.
Susanna Aldridge was born 1792 (1850 census). Susanna also inherited some property from her father in 1814. (see the estate record below)
Susanna Aldridge Berry died between the 1850 census and 12 March 1855. She was enumerated as head of household in Fayette County, Alabama in 1850, aged 58, with her youngest son James. By 12 March 1855 the Probate Court describes her as “late of said County deceased,” with her son-in-law James H. Brasher serving as administrator and filing for a final settlement of the proceeds of her real estate. She held land in her own right, consistent with the property she inherited from her father Peter Aldridge. See the 1855 record below.
Estate Record of Peter Aldridge naming George and Susanna Berry#
Susanna Aldridge Berry’s parents were Peter & Judith Waggoner Aldridge.
Estate Sale of James Farquhar in Person County#
Aldridge to Farquhar Land Sale in Person County, NC.#
George Berry’s Record of Service in the War of 1812#
SOURCE: SOLDIERS of the WAR OF 1812 Person County N.C. pages 105 & 106
Fayette County, Alabama Probate Records
Estate of George Berry, Final Settlement, September Term 1851#
The Probate Court of Fayette County, Alabama decreed six equal distributive shares of $1,087.94, totalling $6,527.64. Henry Berry served as administrator, and was further ordered to pay the Judge of Probate ten dollars in balance of fees. Attested by Jno. C. Moore, Judge of Probate.
| Heir | Named in the record as | Payment receipted |
|---|---|---|
| John Berry | “one of the heirs of said Estate” | 24 February 1855 |
| Henry Berry | “one of the heirs”; as administrator, “authorized to retain in his own hands” | retained |
| George Berry | “one of the minor heirs” | 7 April 1852, by James Ray, Guardian |
| James Berry | “one of the heirs” | 23 June 1852, by James H. Brasher, Guardian |
| Moses Ray | “the husband of Susan, one of the heirs” | 4 January 1853, signed with his mark |
| James H. Brasher | “the husband of Mary, one of the heirs” | 23 June 1852 |
Every heir was paid between April 1852 and January 1853, except John Berry, who was living in Rusk County, Texas. His share did not reach him until 24 February 1855, nearly three years after his brothers and sisters.
Two clauses in the decree are worth noting. George and James, both minors, were to be paid “or his legal representative.” And Moses Ray could not write his name; he signed the receipt with his mark, attested by the judge.
Source: “Fayette, Alabama, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C95W-471K-7?view=fullText : accessed 13 July 2026), image 16 of 735; Alabama. Probate Court (Fayette County). Image Group Number: 007651696. Entry: “George Berry’s Estate, in final settlement continued,” Minutes of Probate Court, September Term 1851, pp. 2-3.
Note on this citation. Benjamin Berry Henderson Sr. transcribed this record by hand at the Fayette County courthouse and cited it in his research as “Fayette County Ala Probate Records p 263,” without a repository reference. The record has now been located in a digitized image, and his transcription of the heirs is confirmed in every particular, six for six. His page number does not match this volume’s pagination and may refer to a final record book or to a published abstract; that remains unreconciled.
Guardian’s Account for James Berry, 9 September 1852#
“Come this day James H Brasher, Guardian for James Berry, one of the minor heirs of the Estate of George Berry late of said county deceased, and makes return of his account against said James Berry for the years 1850 & 1851…”
The account was examined, approved, and ordered filed and recorded. Because Brasher was already accounting as guardian for 1850, the estate was in administration by that year at the latest, which supports a death before 1850.
Source: “Fayette, Alabama, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C95W-471Z-M?view=fullText : accessed 13 July 2026), image 64 of 735; Alabama. Probate Court (Fayette County). Image Group Number: 007651696. Entry: “George Berry’s Estate,” Minutes of Probate Court, September Term 1852, p. 98, 9 September 1852.
Final Settlements, 12 March 1855#
Two entries, side by side, both filed on 12 March 1855.
George Berry’s Estate. James H. Brasher filed his account current and vouchers for a final settlement of his guardianship over James Berry.
Susan Berry’s Estate. James H. Brasher, now Administrator of the Estate of Susan Berry late of said County deceased, filed for a final settlement of the proceeds of her real estate. This is the record that establishes Susanna Aldridge Berry’s death.
Both matters were set for 6 April 1855, both were ordered advertised in the Fayette Banner, and Elliott B. Jones was appointed guardian ad litem.
Source: “Fayette, Alabama, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C95W-47B7-C?view=fullText : accessed 13 July 2026), image 271 of 735; Alabama. Probate Court (Fayette County). Image Group Number: 007651696. Entries: “George Berry’s Estate” and “Susan Berry’s Estate,” Minutes of Probate Court, March Term 1855, 12 March 1855. (The page number in the top corner of this image is illegible in the scan; cited by image.)
The Guardianship Closed, 23 April 1855#
On 23 April 1855, James H. Brasher made final settlement of his guardianship over the youngest son, James Berry.
| Brasher chargeable with | $1,669.15 |
| Less credits allowed | $172.15 |
| Balance in his hands for the ward | $1,497.00 |
James’s inheritance from his father had been $1,087.94 in June 1852. By April 1855 the fund had grown to $1,669.15, an increase of $581.21 in under three years. That is more than legal interest alone would produce, so Brasher was receiving something else on the boy’s behalf. Rents, hires, we do not yet know.
And the guardian ad litem earned his appointment. Elliott B. Jones, put there by the court to protect a nineteen-year-old’s interest against his own brother-in-law, read the account and challenged one item:
“the said Elliott B Jones, Guardian as aforesaid, objected to the allowance of voucher No. 1 for thirty dollars, which objection was sustained by the court, and the allowance of said voucher rejected”
Had that voucher passed, James would have received $1,467.00. Because it was rejected, he received $1,497.00. Jones’s objection was worth exactly thirty dollars to him.
James turned 21 on 3 August 1856, so the guardianship closed fifteen months early. He married Mary Elizabeth McClure in Rusk County, Texas that same year, in the county where his eldest brother John was living. A boy settling his accounts and leaving for Texas is a plausible reading of it, but it is not proven.
Source: “Fayette, Alabama, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C95W-47YR-B?view=fullText : accessed 13 July 2026), image 296 of 735; Alabama. Probate Court (Fayette County). Image Group Number: 007651696. Entries: “Susan Berry’s Estate, in final settlement continued” and “George Berry’s Estate, in final settlement with his Ward,” Minutes of Probate Court, April Term 1855, pp. 560-561, 23 April 1855.
What Each Child Finally Received#
From their father, $1,087.94 each. From their mother, $11.27 each. $1,099.21 apiece, from two estates settled four years apart.
| Heir | From George, 1851 | Receipted | From Susanna, 1855 |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Berry | $1,087.94 | 24 Feb 1855, from Texas | $11.27 |
| Henry Berry | $1,087.94 | retained; he was administrator | $11.27 |
| George W. Berry | $1,087.94 | 7 Apr 1852, by James Ray, guardian | $11.27 |
| James Berry | $1,087.94 | 23 Jun 1852, by J. H. Brasher, guardian | $11.27 |
| Susan Berry Ray | $1,087.94 | 4 Jan 1853, by Moses Ray, his mark | $11.27, paid to her |
| Mary Berry Brasher | $1,087.94 | 23 Jun 1852, by J. H. Brasher | $11.27, retained by him |
George’s estate distributed $6,527.64. Susanna’s distributed $67.62.
Children of George and Susanna Aldridge Berry
- 1. John Berryb. 1815, Orange County, NC — d. May 1862, Rusk County, TX
- 2. Henry C. Berryb. c. 1820 — d. Unknown
- 3. Susan Berryb. c. 1825 — d. after 1880, Gregg, TX
- 4. Mary Ann Berryb. c. 1830 — d. Unknown
- 5. George W. Berryb. after September 1830 — d. UnknownNamed as a minor heir in the September 1851 estate settlement, so born after September 1830. His guardian was James Ray, who receipted his share on 7 April 1852.
- 6. James Berryb. August 3, 1835 — d. February 24, 1877
- James H. and Mary Ann Berry Brasher were in Rusk County Texas in 1856
- George W. and Mary Ellen Dobbins Berry went to Rusk County Texas
- James Berry married Mary Elizabeth McClure in Rusk County Texas in 1855.
- John Berry’s oldest daughter married Frances M. McClure a relative of Mary McClure.
Records In Person County N.C.:#
BOOK 6 Capt Hargis’ Co. Book E Page 54-5. Book E Page 186. Book E Pages 196-8, 199, 200.
Census Information
George Berry listed in Fayette County Alabama
- George Berry was listed in the Fayette County 1830 Census.
- George Berry was listed in the Fayette County 1840 Census.
- Susannah Berry was listed in the Fayette County 1850 Census, aged 58, head of household, with her son James, aged 15. George was already dead. Susannah herself was dead by March 1855.
George Berry was born in Orange County North Carolina. The family holds that he was killed in Texas; the Fayette County probate court called him “late of said county deceased.” See the research note above.
November 20, 2007. Probate records, research notes, and corrections added 13 July 2026.