Generation 3 Joshua Berry Sr.

Book Chapter: Read the full story in Chapter 6: Joshua Berry from Our Berrys in Frontier America

The Story of Joshua Berry Sr.#

Joshua Berry was born about 1766 in Orange County, North Carolina, and was one of the ten children of Robert and Elizabeth Cate Berry. He married Nancy Ellison on January 20, 1792 and lived his entire life in Orange County, where he died on October 8, 1838.

Joshua and Nancy had nine children. Unlike several of his siblings who left North Carolina for Georgia, Alabama, or Tennessee, Joshua remained in Orange County. His son Joshua Berry Jr. was the one who eventually moved, first to Ohio, then Indiana, and finally Iowa.

Joshua was listed in the 1790 Orange County census along with his father Robert Berry and brother Robert Berry Jr.

Children of Joshua Berry and Nancy Ellison

Joshua and Nancy had nine children, all born in Orange County, North Carolina.

1. 1. Robert Berry
   Born c. 1792, Orange County, NC
   Further details about Robert's life are still being researched.
2. 2. Dicey Berry
   Born 1798, Orange County, NC
   Further details are still being researched.
3. 3. James Berry
   Born 1799, Orange County, NC
   Further details are still being researched.
4. 4. Joshua Berry Jr.
   Born April 15, 1801, Orange County, NC — Died May 29, 1879, Benton County, Iowa
   Married Anna Thorpe c. 1819. Joshua Jr. migrated west, to Gallia County, Ohio (1830), Boone County, Indiana (1840s), and finally Benton County, Iowa (1854). He and Anna had 10 children, all born in Ohio. Joshua is buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Canton Township, Benton County, Iowa.
5. 5. Diellilah Berry
   Born c. 1802, Orange County, NC
   Further details are still being researched.
6. 6. Lewis Berry — DNA Donor Line
   Born c. 1805, Orange County, NC — Died 1858, Orange County, NC
   Lewis Berry died in 1858. His mother Nancy Ellison Berry may have also died around this time, as she did not appear in the 1860 Census. Lewis's son Ira Berry is a well-documented descendant.
7. 7. Nancy Berry
   Born 1810, Orange County, NC — Died March 1883
   Further details are still being researched.
8. 8. Charlotte Berry
   Born 1813, Orange County, NC — Died before 1883
   Further details are still being researched.
9. 9. Eli Berry
   Born October 10, 1821, Orange County, NC — Died August 15, 1900
   Further details are still being researched.

Census Records

• 1790 — Joshua Berry listed in Orange County, North Carolina (along with father Robert Berry and brother Robert Berry Jr.)
• 1800 — Joshua Berry listed in Orange County, North Carolina
• 1810 — Joshua Berry listed in Orange County, North Carolina
• 1820 — Joshua Berry listed in Orange County, North Carolina
• 1830 — Joshua Berry listed in Orange County, North Carolina
• 1838 — Joshua Berry Sr. died October 8, 1838, in Orange County, North Carolina

Key Documents

Joshua and Nancy Ellison's Marriage Bond

Robert Berry's February 24, 1811 deed to his son Joshua Berry

1828 Deed of Trust on the land Robert Berry sold to Joshua in 1811

Newspaper account of Joshua Berry's murder, October 8, 1838

Notable Descendants

• Joshua Berry Jr. — Migrated from North Carolina to Ohio, Indiana, and Iowa. Ten children, all born in Ohio.
• Ira Berry — Son of Lewis Berry (Gen 4), grandson of Joshua Sr. Well-documented descendant in Orange County, North Carolina.