Chapter 4#
Robert Berry Jr. 1760–before 1850#
Robert Berry Junior was born in Orange County, North Carolina, about 1760 or 1761. He lived in North Carolina until after his parents died. He was listed as a Private in the Revolutionary War (See Fig. 47, Pg. 125) and he listed in the 1790 & 1800 Orange County Census. Robert Berry, Jr., then moved to Person County, NC, and is listed there in the 1810 Census. He was not listed in the 1820 census and listed again in Fayette County, Alabama, in 1830 and 1840 census.
Robert Berry Jr., Robert Berry Sr., and Joshua Berry were the only members of our family to list as heads of household in the 1790 Orange County Census. Robert Berry Jr. and Joshua Berry were Robert Berry senior’s sons. We know that Robert Berry Jr. was married in 1790 because he had a daughter born in 1785. Joshua Berry must have already owned land in 1790 because he and Nancy Ellison Berry were not married until 1792. John Berry listed in 1790 also but we have never been able to determine if he is related to our Robert Berry OC family.
Since Robert Berry Jr. and his wife named their first daughter Catherine Berry and he was so involved in other Waggoner affairs, it makes me wonder if he married a Waggoner instead of a Kempe. Robert Berry Jr. and his wife’s first baby was a little girl who was born in 1785 and named Catherine Berry. There has never been any documentation located proving that Robert Berry Jr married Mary Camp. There were no marriage records kept in Orange County before the late 1700’s. Since his sister Mary Berry’s second husband was James Camp, someone made the assumption that Robert Berry Jr. married James Camp’s sister and I have no idea who. Below is a list of James Camp’s brothers, sisters and their spouses. As you can see there is no Mary Camp listed.
- Thomas Camp b. 1765 NC, m. Susan Wagoner (b.c1766)
- James Camp b. 1758 NC, m. Mary Berry Waggoner
- Annie Naomi Camp b. 1769 Orange Co., NC, d. after 1850 Walton Co., GA m. John Hill
- Starling Camp b. 24 Nov 1771 Rutherford Co., NC, d. 15 Apr 1851 McMinn Co., Tenn; m. Anna Helm 25 Dec 1800
- William “Snipe Bill” Camp b. 1773 Rutherford Co., NC, d. after 1812 Elyton, Jefferson Co., AL; m. Sarah Eliz. Reeves; 2nd m. ? Dun/Dunn
- Abner Camp b. 12 Jul 1775 Rutherford Co. NC, d. 17 Sep 1853 Winder, GA; m. Elizabeth Ragsdale
- Kezziah Camp b. 20 May 1777 Rutherford Co. NC, d. 14 Aug 1835 Greenville Co., SC m. Benjamin Arnold - 5 Feb 1795
- John Camp Jr. b. d. m. Eliza Thomason
- Sara Camp b. d. 21 Oct 1854 m. Thomas Graydon b.c1770 (Many genealogies have this as Grayson)
- Winifred Camp b. d. m. Thomas Kinsman. Records of Nevelle Mann
I think it is very reasonable to believe that Robert Berry Jr. may have married a sister of Mary Berry’s first husband, George Waggoner. One reason this is more logical is because George Waggoner had four unmarried sisters and the Waggoner family had lived in Orange County, North Carolina, just as long as our Berry family.
Judith Waggoner was married on February 4, 1788, and Uley Waggoner married William Stagg on January 22, 1805. If Robert Berry Jr. was married to Judith Waggoner’s sister Mary, it would definitely explain why Robert Berry Junior was Peter Aldridge and Judith Waggoner’s bondsman.
Robert Berry Jr. and his wife named their first daughter Catherine Berry. This leads to the possibility that Robert Berry Junior’s wife was Mary Waggoner and not Mary Camp. In that case, Catherine Berry was named for her grandmother Ketriana Waggoner, wife of Henry Waggoner. (1794 Will Page 113). This becomes more believable because Robert Berry Junior’s sister Mary Berry’s first husband was George Waggoner who died in the summer of 1791 right after the Battle at Guilford Courthouse was fought. Henry Waggoner was also a son of Henry and Ketriana Waggoner.
Robert Berry and his wife named their first son, who was born in 1787, George Berry. For many years it was thought this name was chosen in honor of George Kempe in Princess Anne County, Va. It could just as well be for his Uncle George Waggoner, Mary Berry’s first husband. There are no known marriage records to confirm who Robert Berry Jr. married, but the naming of the Jacob and Catherine Berry Pickle children below does follow a version of the traditional Berry Family naming pattern. This probably means that Catherine Berry’s mother was named Mary and Catherine Berry Pickle was named for her maternal grandmother, Ketriana Waggoner, and Mary Pickle was named for her Maternal Grandmother, Mary Waggoner Berry. Robert Pickle was named for his Maternal Grandfather, Robert Berry Jr.
Jacob and Catherine Berry Pickle’s Children#
- Mary Pickle 1803 Orange County NC
- Robert Pickle 1804 Orange County NC
- Henry Pickle 1807 Orange County NC
- Greenberry Pickle 1812 Orange County NC
- James R. Pickle 1813 Orange County NC
- John Jack Pickle 1816 Georgia
- Jacob Lewis Pickle 1820 Fayette County Alabama
- Nancy Pickle 1825 Fayette County Alabama
- George Pickle 1827 Fayette County Alabama
- Catherine Pickle 1828 Fayette County Alabama
Naming Pattern Study#
- Mary Pickle was named for her grandmother Mary Waggoner
- Robert Pickle was named for his grandfather Robert Berry JR.
- Henry Waggoner for his great Uncle Henry or great-grandfather Henry Waggoner
- Greenberry Pickle ???
- James R. Pickle ???
- John Jack Pickle Named for his Great Uncle John Waggoner
- Jacob Pickle Named for his father Jacob Pickle or Great Uncle Jacob Waggoner
- Nancy Pickle ???
- George Pickle Named for Uncle George Waggoner
- Catherine Pickle Named for her mother
Aldridge Waggoner Cate Farquhar Berry Court N.C. Records#
13 June 1777, George Smith of Caswell County (later became Person County in 1791) sold to John Cate senior of the same County for 105 pounds, 76 acres on Flat River adjoining John Cate’s own line. Witnesses Elizabeth C Berry (wife of Robert Berry OC), Robert Smith, John Cate senior (deed book A, page 43).
On 2 December 1777, James Smith of Caswell County sold to George Smith of same County for 105 pounds 76 acres on Byrd’s Creek adjoining John Cate senior. Witness Richard Holeman and William Armstrong. (Caswell County deed book A page 29).
1786: Robert Berry Jr. was the bondsman for Peter Aldridge & Judith Waggoner 4 Feb., 1786. Robert Berry Junior’s son, George Berry, many years later married Susan Aldridge, Peter Aldridge and Judith Waggoner’s daughter, in 1814. Robert Berry Jr. and his family were living in Person County when the 1810 Census was taken.
1791: November Term 1791 Orange N.C. Court Minutes: Book 4 pg 114. Issd. Administration of the estate of James Waggoner is granted to Catherine Waggoner at the same time she entered into Bond with Robt. Berry Jun. Secy. in the sum of L 50. 1791: November Term 1791 Orange N.C. Court Minutes: Book 4, pg. 115
On the 27th day of February 1807 Robert Berry senior sold William Stagg the track of land containing 200 acres that Robert bought in 1785 from John McCulloch. Orange County Deed Book 39 page 396. William Stagg married Uley Waggoner on January 22, 1805.
Robert Berry Junior purchased 50 acres of land on February 3rd, 1812, from John Minshaw for $70. This property was on Byrd’s Creek, where R. Minshaw (Deceased) had lived. The property was adjacent to Dickens property. This deed was also signed by Elisha Minshaw and witnessed by William Cooke and Robert’s son-in-law, Jacob Pickle. John and Elisha Minshaw were most likely brothers. (Person Co. Book D, Page 331)
On December 31, 1812, Robert Berry Jr. sold a piece of property for $90 to Lawrence V. Hargis & Co. This is the same 50 acres that he had bought from the estate of Richard Minshaw (deceased) 10 months earlier. Thomas Sneed and James Farquhar witnessed this deed. There was a $20 profit made on this land deal, (Book D, Page 421) and it probably was not the land he was living on at the time.
On the 6th of December, 1817, John Aldridge sold 20 and 1/2 acres of land to James Farquhar for the sum of $164. The land was on the east side of Flat River in Person County, NC, and was adjoining land owned by Abraham Moore and William Blalock. The witnesses were John Farquhar and George Berry. (Deed Book E, 54-5). James Farquhar was married to John Aldridge’s sister, Mary (Polly) Aldridge.
Robert Vanhook, Sheriff, to George Berry (due to execution against Wright Nichols, administrator of William Blalock deceased, for $106 and this sum recovered by James Farquhar) for 76.32 acres of Blalock being lot # 3 in division of land of Peter Aldridge, deceased on both sides of Flat River and allotted to Catherine Aldridge and was property of William Blalock when sold 22 October, 1819. Witnessed: Parthenia Vanhook, Mary Vanhook. (Person County Deed Book E Page 196-8) 10 November 1819:
George Berry and Susannah Aldridge Berry, his wife, to John Jackson, for $300, 61.75 acres North side of Flat River part of tract formerly property of Peter Aldridge adjoining Samuel Evans, James Farquhar. Witnessed: Jesse Evans, William McKissack. Susannah Berry examined apart from her husband and freely agreed to conveyance.
(Person County Deed Book E pages 199–200). This was a sale of Susanna A. Berry’s property she inherited from her father, Peter Aldridge, and was completed very shortly before George and Susanna Berry removed to Fayette County, Alabama. Robert Berry Jr. and his family soon were to leave Orange and Person County, North Carolina, forever. The sale of this property was in preparation for the upcoming events that were soon to take place in Robert Berry Junior’s life.
1800 Robert Berry Jr. Orange County Census Listing#
- 2 males under 10 Thompson P. Berry, David Middleton Berry
- 3 males 10 to 15 George Berry age 14, John Berry, Henry G. Berry
- 0 males 16 to 26
- 1 male 26 to 44 Robert Berry Jr. about 39 years old
- 2 females under 10 Susan Berry
- 1 female 10 to 15 Catherine Berry would have been 15 years old.
- 1 female 16 to 25
- 1 female 26 to 44 Robert Berry Junior’s wife
Berry Family in the 1800 Orange County, North Carolina, Census#
Robert Berry Senior and five of his sons are listed in this census. William and Thomas Berry never listed in Orange County again.
Exploring Robert Berry’s Connections to the Waggoner Family#
Elizabeth Waggoner Johns, Uley Waggoner, Susanna Waggoner Smith, Mary Waggoner, Catherine Waggoner, and Judith Waggoner who married Peter Aldridge are sisters. Their brothers were John, Henry, Jacob, and George Waggoner who was Mary Berry’s first husband. Their parents were Henry and Ketriana Waggoner. Peter and Judith Waggoner Aldridge are parents of Susan Aldridge who married George Berry, son of Robert Berry Junior. Stephen Smith was married to Susanna Waggoner. Thomas Camp, brother of Mary Berry’s second husband, John Camp, was married to Susan Waggoner.
Robert Berry Junior’s family and Peter Aldridge’s family were living very close to each other in Person County when the 1810 census was taken (Fig: 46, Pg.123). George and Susan Aldridge Berry were married shortly after George Berry completed his tour of duty in the War of 1812. Their first son, John Berry, was born in North Carolina in 1815.
Catherine Berry married Jacob Pickle in Orange County, North Carolina, on February 20th, 1802. This probably means that Robert Berry Jr. had not moved to Person County before 1802. Robert Berry Jr. and his family may have been living on the land his father sold to William Stagg in 1807. This may be when Robert Berry Junior and his family moved to Person County. It is possible that he moved into the house that was previously owned by his grandfather, John Cate.
Robert Berry Junior’s oldest son, George Berry, married Susan Aldridge, daughter of Peter Aldridge and Judith Waggoner, about 25 years after her parents were married. Both families were living in Person County in 1810 (Fig: 46, Pg.123).
Robert and Elizabeth Cate Berry’s First Two Grandchildren#
James and Mary Berry Camp’s son, John Camp, was born in 1784 and Catherine Berry was born in 1785. These two first cousins were the first grandchildren of Robert and Elizabeth Cate Berry OC.
When Robert Berry Jr. listed in the 1800 Orange County Census, he listed in the 26 to 44 age bracket. Listing in this bracket means that he was born between the years 1756-1774.
Robert Berry Junior and his family moved into Person County sometime between the 1800 and the 1810 Census. The Person County line is only about a half mile north of his father’s Fiddleton Plantation home and Robert Berry Junior’s grandparents John and Margery Cate’s plantation was in Person County. In the 1810 Orange County Census, Jacob age 35 and Catherine Berry Pickle age 25 were living right next to her Uncle David and Aunt Mary Blalock Berry. They listed 3 sons under 10 and one daughter, who was under 10. (See Page 137)
Robert Berry Junior and his family departed from North Carolina and relocated in Fayette County, Alabama. Since we cannot find Robert Berry Junior in any 1820 US Census, I think we can assume the family was in transit to Fayette County, Alabama, and was missed by the census taker.
It might be worth noting here that John and Margery Cate were granted land on the Flat River in Person County around 1755. Robert Berry Jr. and his sister Elizabeth Berry may have been living in their grandparent’s homeplace in 1810. You should also make note the Robert Berry Jr. bought land on Byrds Creek on February 3rd, 1812, and sold it for a quick 20 pound profit in ten months, on December 31, 1812. (See Pages 57 & 119 Byrd’s Creek)
Robert Berry Jr. in 1810 Person Co. Census#
When the 1830 and the 1840 Censuses were taken, Robert Berry Jr. and most of his children were in Fayette County, Alabama.
Catherine Berry married Jacob Pickle on February 20, 1802, in Orange County, North Carolina. This would have made Catherine about 17 years old and Jacob Pickle would have been 26 years old when they married. Catherine and Jacob Pickle were living next door to her Uncle David J. and Aunt Mary Blalock Berry when the 1810 Orange County, North Carolina, Census was taken.
Robert Berry Junior’s father died about 1814, his sister, Elizabeth, and his mother Elizabeth Cate Berry, both died around 1815 or 1816.
Robert Berry Jr. had apparently been making preparations to leave North Carolina as soon as his mother died. His daughter, Catherine Berry Pickle, and her husband had already preceded him to Alabama. It appears that they left North Carolina right after Catherine’s grandfather, Robert Berry, died in 1814.
After studying where Jacob and Catherine Berry Pickle’s children were born, it seems they headed to Fayette County, Alabama, earlier than the rest of the family. John Jack Pickle was born in Georgia in 1816. (Page 137) Jacob and Catherine must have left North Carolina right soon after Catherine’s grandfather, Robert Berry OC, died.
The Federal Government had passed laws that made unclaimed land in Alabama available at very little cost in order to expand the nation to the West. Grants were also being made for service in the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 as well.
This listing for soldiers in the American Revolution verifies that Robert Berry Jr. served in that war. See “A list of Revolutionary Soldiers” (Fig. 47, Pg. 125).
Robert Berry Jr. and his oldest son George were granted land on April 26th, 1824, in Fayette County, Alabama (See Fig. 49, Pg. 127). Robert Jr. would have been about 64 years old at that time. Robert Berry Junior was listed in the 60 to 70 age bracket in the 1830 census and the 70 to 80 bracket in the 1840 census. Unfortunately, Robert Berry Junior died before the 1850 census was taken, because we would have learned his age and the name of his wife. Robert Berry Junior and his wife were both listed between 80 and 90 years old when they died. Robert’s wife was also listed in the 70 to 80 year bracket in the 1840 census. Both Robert and his wife apparently died between 1840 and 1850. Neither of them was listed in the 1850 Fayette County, Alabama, Census. This would have verified that her name was Mary and provided other information about her. The oldest member in our Berry family living in Fayette County, Alabama, in 1850 was Susan Aldridge Berry. She was 58 years old and listed head of household with her son, James Berry, age 15. Susan was George Berry’s wife. She was the daughter of Peter Aldridge and Judith Waggoner. (See Page 119)
Since Robert Berry Jr. had served in the Revolutionary War and his son, George, had served in the War of 1812, Robert and George Berry were able to participate in a Land Lottery run by the U.S. Government and acquired land in Fayette County, Alabama. Robert Berry Jr. and his entire family removed to Fayette County, Alabama. George Berry and his father acquired 640 acres of land there together in 1824. (See Pg. 127). Robert Jr. and George Berry’s land grant is now located in Berry, Alabama. Berry, Alabama, was named for Robert Berry Junior’s son, Thompson P. Berry, 1801-1871.
Children of Robert Berry Jr. and Wife#
- Catherine Berry born 1785 Orange County NC
- George Berry born cir 1787 Orange County NC
- John Berry born cir 1790 Orange County NC
- Henry G. Berry born cir 1788 Orange County NC
- Thompson P Berry born December 18th, 1801. Orange County NC
- David Middleton Berry born April 14th, 1806. Orange County NC
Robert Berry Jr. Revolutionary Record#
I think that John McRee is a typo and was really John McKee. There were no McRee families in Orange County. There were several McKee families in the county.
Robert Berry Jr. listed three daughters in 1810 Person County Census and we have identified two of them.
Muster Rolls of the Soldiers of the War of 1812#
Detached From the Militia of North Carolina
William Martin is probably a grandson of William Martin who came to North Carolina in 1751. (See page 34) George Berry is the grandson of Robert Berry OC, who also came to North Carolina in 1751.
On page 121 you will see Peter Aldridge, Molly Aldridge, and Abraham Aldridge listed on the 1810 Person County Census. There are three families living between the Aldridge families and the two Berry families (Thomas Berry and Robert Berry Jr.). Robert Berry Junior’s son, George Berry, married Susan Aldridge about 1814. Susan is the daughter of Peter and Judith Waggoner Aldridge.
George & Robert Berry Jr. Fayette County, Alabama, Grant#
Map of Key Alabama & Tennessee Counties#
Robert Berry Jr. and his family settled in Fayette County, Alabama. David J. Berry has descendants in Cullman, Alabama, today. Victor Glenn Berry, author of “Wagons South, Wagons West”, lived in Arab, Alabama. Thomas and Sarah Cate Berry Pigg’s descendants live in Wayne County, Tennessee. It is now believed, based on the 1850 Lincoln County, Tennessee, Census, that my William Berry may have homesteaded there. Lincoln County is on the Tennessee-Alabama State line in two counties east of Wayne County. David J. Berry’s family settled just north of Atlanta, Georgia, in the late 1820’s. Atlanta is only 226 miles from Fayette County, Alabama, and 249 miles from Cypress Inn, Tennessee. The town of Berry, Alabama, is 113 miles from Cypress Inn, Tennessee.
List of Some Important Land Grants with Dates#
- Robert Berry Jr. #32 April 20th, 1824.
- Son George Berry #32 & #1 April 20th, 1824 &, September 2nd, 1825.
- Son David Middleton Berry #18, July 2nd, 1860.
- Son Henry Bradford Berry #20, May 25th, 1824 & June 20th, 1825.
- Son-in-Law Jacob Pickle #13 October 20th, 1824.
- Eliza Howell #29 & #30 June 20th, 1825.
- Miles Chappell #35 June 20th, 1824.
Some of the surnames found in Fayette County, Alabama, after 1824 may be related to Robert Berry PAC in Princess Anne County, Virginia, in the early 1700’s.
Pioneers in Virginia, North Carolina, and Alabama#
Jesse and William J. Carraway are probably descendants of John Caraway and Ann Kemp in Princess Anne County, Virginia. They were granted land adjacent to George Berry in 1834 and 1837. The grant was made about 70 years after John Caraway and Ann Kemp were married. John Carraway was Robert Berry Junior’s grandmother Mary Williamson Berry’s half brother. Mary Lovett who married Lancaster Lovett in Princess Ann County, Virginia, was Robert Berry’s grandmother’s half sister.
- David Lovett was granted 80 acres on 6/20/1825. (See Lovett on page 17)
- Jesse Carraway was granted 40 acres on 10/21/1834. (See Caraway on page 17)
- William J. Carraway was granted 40 acres on 3/30/1837. (See Caraway on page 17)
- George Berry was granted 40 acres on 9/20/1839. (Robert Berry Junior’s son)
- John Berry was granted 40 acres on 9/20/1839. (George & Susan Aldridge Berry’s son)
- Thomas Cate was granted 38.87 acres on 11/4/1834. (See Thomas Cate on page 59)
- Peter Martin was granted 160.35 acres on 9/20/1839.
- Henry Robinson was granted 79.68 acres on 5/18/1824.
- James Williamson was granted 321.44 acres on 7/1/1881
NOTE: See: Robinson, Lovett, Carraway, Berry, Martin, Williamson, Kemp, Bowles and others in the 1704 Virginia Rent Rolls. (Page 45)
This is very important information because most all of these surnames can be found on the 1704 Virginia Rent Rolls and are related to Robert Berry’s PAC wife, Mary Williamson Berry.
Peter Martin, who homesteaded in Fayette County, Alabama, and was granted land on September 9th, 1839, may be related to William Martin who brought slaves into North Carolina from Virginia in 1751. (See page 34) The William Martin who served with George Berry in the War of 1812 may also be related.
On page 10 of Nellie Berry’s book, "JAMES E. & ESSIE DAVIS BERRY Ancestors, Descendants & Kinfolks", Thomas Berry’s son, David Berry II, married Elizabeth Shipman, who was born in 1809. Her parents were Jacob Shipman and Rebecca Pigg. We also learn that Elizabeth Shipman’s sister, Rachel Shipman, married Peter Martin in 1827. Sarah Cate Berry married John Pigg in 1815 in Tennessee. (See Fig 88, pg. 194). John Pigg could be Rebecca Pigg’s brother. This would be the same Peter and Rachel Shipman Martin.
Fayette County, Alabama, Berry Family Land#
- George Berry 1825. 2. John Bowles 1859.
- John and James Bowles 1848. 4. William Berry 1837.
- Alfred Berry 1883. 6. William Berry 1839-1858.
- Elizabeth Berry 1885. 8. Robert Pickle 1839.
- David Berry 1860. 10. William S. Berry 1858-1860.
- David Berry 1858. 12. Jacob Pickle 1824.
- Alfred W. Berry 1860. 14. Robert Berry 1891.
- William Clarence Berry 1860. 16. John H. Berry 1860.
- George Rufus Berry 1858. 18. David Middleton Berry 1825.
- William Kizzah 1860. 20. Henry Berry 1825.
- John Howell 1839. 22. George Trawick 1839.
- George Trawick 1839. 24. William J. Caraway 1860.
- John Berry 1839. 26. George Berry 1826.
- Jesse Caraway 1834-1837. 28. William Caraway 1837.
- John Cates 1837. 30. Eliza Howell 1825.
- Eliza Howell 1825. 32. Robert Berry Jr. 1824.
- George Berry 1824. 34. Thompson P. Berry 1858.
- Robert Berry 1858-1859. 36. Miles Chappell 1825.
- Hugh Trawick 1837. 38. James Bowles 1827-1839.
- Nicholas Baker 1839. 40. William Berry 1858.
- William Howell 1860. 42. Alfred W. Berry 1858.
- David Berry 1858. 44. William S. Berry 1858.
With so many of Robert Berry’s descendants living so close to each other, the location of the counties in the map on page 130 is very important for future research.
On the map, page 132, there are numbers that refer to who and where many of our families were granted land in Fayette County, Alabama.
The markup of this map was done by Carolyn (Cookie) Paulson and her husband, Bob, based on information they collected while we were staying in Florence, Alabama, for the 2008 Berry Reunion. The 2008 Robert Berry OC reunion was hosted by Thomas Berry’s descendants who currently live in and around Cypress Inn, Wayne County, Tennessee.
It must have been very hard on Robert Berry Jr. and his wife as they traveled from North Carolina to Alabama. This was a very long trip and they were both about 60 years old. The distance from Hillsborough, North Carolina, to Berry, Alabama, today is 583 miles. If they averaged 10 miles a day, it would take 58 days to get there. Life in a wagon train was very hard on young people, and the elderly who survived must have been very sturdy people. There were 17 members of the Robert Berry Junior family and they probably required three or four wagons to transport their belongings. The older boys probably had their own horses and herded some cattle and hogs as they made this trip. Indications are that other neighbors and relatives from Orange County, North Carolina, were in the same wagon train. This can be supported by the surnames listed in the 1824 and 1825 land grants. The total number of wagons in their wagon train was probably quite large.
As you can see from pages 131, 132, and 133, there were a very large number of Robert Berry Junior’s children, cousins, and grandchildren who acquired land over the next 50 years in Fayette County, Alabama. George and Susanna Aldridge Berry, and their oldest son, John Berry, must have shared the first cabin with George’s father and mother, Robert Berry Jr. and his wife, Mary Waggoner, when they first settled in Alabama. John Berry was only 7 years old when his parents removed to Alabama. Robert Junior’s son, Thompson P. Berry, was about 21 years old.
There were no Camp men awarded grants in Fayette, Alabama. Lewis and George Waggoner were Granted land on September 10th, 1839.
Victor Glenn Berry reported in his book that Thompson P. Berry drove a large herd of cattle from North Carolina to Alabama. This was based on folklore passed down through the family. You can also see from the 1830 Fayette County, Alabama, Census that two dwellings had been built on the Robert Berry Jr. property. This makes sense because Robert Berry Junior and his son George were granted land together. My guess would be that they built Robert Berry Junior’s house first and then George Berry built a house for his family. Robert Berry Junior’s family grew from the 17 who left Orange County around 1820 to 36 in the 1830 Fayette County, Alabama, Census. Census information can reveal a lot about the relationship of those living in a community. Many times close neighbors in these early censuses were related by marriage or blood. In the 1850 Orange County Census, the sisters, brothers, cousins, and in-laws lived side by side as you traveled in either direction from Thomas Person Berry’s listing at Fiddleton.
NOTE: David Berry was living beside his father, Robert Berry Jr., in this 1830 Fayette County, Alabama, Census. John Robinson is living next door to Robert Berry Jr., on the other side. John Robinson was probably William Robinson’s son. William Robinson was a witness on Robert Berry OC 1812 will. (Page 94) Members of the Robinson family seem to have lived near our Berry family, starting with the 1704 Virginia rent rolls list. The families may even have known each other in England. David Berry’s father-in-law, John Box, is also listed on the same page above. Some of the Trawicks who were listed on this page also married into the family. Mary Howell who married John Berry had an older sister named Rhoda Howell who married a Trawick in Alabama. Rhoda Trawick was living with John and Mary Howell Berry in Rusk County, Texas, in 1860.
Robert Berry Jr. in 1840 Fayette County, Alabama, Census#
One of Robert Junior’s younger sons, Thompson P. Berry, was the owner of a cotton gin, a gristmill, a saw-mill, 14 slaves and 6000 acres of land when he died. The town of Berry, Alabama, is named for Thompson P. Berry. In 1974, there were 4 of his great-grandchildren still living in Berry, Alabama. The last surviving granddaughter died Thanksgiving Day, 1973. Mrs. Willard T. Stoddard (Virgie Berry) died at the age of 92.
Carolyn Paulson and I are pictured standing by the Berry, Alabama, city limit sign. Carolyn is a descendant of Robert Berry Jr. and I am a descendant of his brother William.
Notice: The shapes of the two headstones are identical. I think they are the headstones of (Left) Robert Berry Snr. the father, and (Right) Robert Berry Jr. the son.
The headstone above and on the left is the only headstone in the Fiddleton cemetery that has obviously been shaped by hand. Robert’s wife, Elizabeth Cate Berry, survived Robert and had her slaves make this headstone. Every other headstone placed there before 1870 was an unshaped field stone.
Carolyn (Cookie) Paulson, her husband, I, and my wife spent the entire day visiting Berry, Alabama, and Fayette County in September, 2008. We collected a lot of pictures, data, and memories during this day.
George’s wife, Susan Aldridge Berry, was 58 in the 1850 Fayette County, Alabama, Census. She would have been 18 years old when the 1810 Person County, N.C., Census was taken.
You would find her listed in the less than 10 female bracket in Peter Aldridge’s 1800 Person County, NC, Census.
George age 28 and Susan Aldridge Berry age 18 had their first baby in 1815. They named him John Berry. George and Susan probably married around 1814. This was the same year that George’s grandfather, Robert Berry, OC Senior, died. George Berry had just returned home from serving in the War of 1812.
George Berry was listed number 47 in the War of 1812 Person County roster under Captain John Bradshaw. William Martin was listed in the same roster as number 46. (See 126) This would not be the same William Martin who came to Orange County before 1755, but he is likely to be his grandson. (See Pages 51). The fact that these two men were standing beside each other when the muster was taken probably means they knew each other before they entered the service. They could possibly be related somehow. They certainly were not listed alphabetically.
George and Susan Aldridge Berry’s oldest child was a son. John Berry was about 7 years old when the family removed from North Carolina to Fayette County, Alabama.
John Berry acquired a land grant in Fayette County, Alabama in 1839. He married Mary Howell and started his family in Alabama. We think George Berry was killed around 1837 and the family was granted land in Texas. Susanna Berry stayed in Alabama but John and his family arrived in Rusk County, Texas, sometime before 1850. The family has never been found in any 1850 Census. The land that was granted in Texas was probably a result of George’s military service. (SEE NOTE on Page 340).
See Fayette County, AL, Marriage and Probate Records p 263 George Berry Estate
Henry Berry administrator; Susan Berry, widow; Heirs: John Berry, Henry Berry, James Berry, Moses Ray (Husband of Susan Berry), Mary Brasher (wife of James H. Brasher), George Berry’s (minor heir). Sept 1851.
In the 1860 census: James Berry was 15 years old and was born in Texas. This would mean the family had already arrived in Texas by 1845. James was the first descendant of Robert and Elizabeth Cate Berry to be born in Texas.
Robert Berry Junior’s Y DNA Proof — Two Participants#
Robert and Mary Williamson Berry, Princess Anne County, Virginia.
Robert and Elizabeth Cate Berry, Orange County, North Carolina.
Robert Berry Junior and Mary Waggoner Berry, Fayette County, Alabama.
George and Susanna Aldridge Berry, North Carolina, Alabama.
John and Mary Howell Berry, North Carolina, Alabama, Texas.
Alexander Howard and Josephine Priscilla Gregory Berry, Texas
Willie Howell and Sarah May Benham Berry, Texas
Willie Howell Berry Junior and Rachel Elizabeth Wilson, Texas
- Billy Wayne Berry
Robert and Mary Williamson Berry, Princess Anne County, Virginia.
Robert and Elizabeth Cate Berry, Orange County, North Carolina.
Robert Berry Junior and Mary Waggoner Berry, Fayette County, Alabama.
Thompson and Rosanna Gutman Berry, Fayette County, Alabama.
Henry Bradford and Melissa Jane Jefferies Berry, Fayette County, Alabama.
William Thomas and Lois Mims Berry, Fayette County, Alabama.
William Thomas Berry Junior and Mattie Lee Herrin Berry, Ohio.
- David Lee Berry
So many of our Berry’s ancestors left home by 1830 that there were many more of Robert Berry’s OC descendants living in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and Ohio than there were making their homes in Orange County, North Carolina. The economy of the new Nation was poor in 1830 and better opportunities lay to the West. Estates were being left to only one son, cost of land had escalated at home, the Federal Government had passed laws making land almost free in the new territories, and families were removing to the west.
Jacob and Catherine Berry Pickle Family in Alabama then Mississippi#
I combined a picture of Jacob Pickle with one of Catherine Berry Pickle to create this picture.
Children of Jacob & Catherine Berry Pickle#
- Mary Pickle b. 1803 Orange County, North Carolina.
- Robert Pickle b. 1805 Orange County, North Carolina.
- Henry Pickle b. 1807 Orange County, North Carolina.
- Greenberry Pickle b. 1812. Orange County, North Carolina.
- James R. Pickle b. 5 April 1813 Orange County, North Carolina
- John Pickle b. 1816 Fayette County, Alabama
- Jacob Lewis Pickle b. 1820 Fayette County, Alabama.
- Nancy Elizabeth Pickle b. 1825 Fayette County, Alabama.
- Catherine Pickle b. 9 October, 1825, Fayette County, Alabama.
- George Pickle b. 1828 Fayette County, Alabama.
- Susan Pickle b. 1833 Fayette County, Alabama.
Jacob and Catherine Berry Pickle were living next door to Uncle David and Aunt Mary in 1810 but were not in any 1820 census because they had already left Orange County, NC. I have not located them in any 1820 census.
From where and when the children were born, Jacob and Catherine Berry Pickle must have left Orange County, North Carolina, about 1814. This is interesting because that is the year that Robert Berry OC died. After hearing the Will read, Jacob and Catherine departed for Fayette County, Alabama. They were in Alabama before the rest of Robert Berry Junior’s family left North Carolina. Jacob Pickle was granted land in 1824, which is the exact same time that George Berry and his father, Robert Berry Jr., were granted their land.
After the Revolutionary War was over, the Federal Government owned land in the area that would become Alabama. This was land that was previously owned by Great Britain. A lot of early speculators and settlers squatted on huge amounts of unclaimed land.
In 1804 the Federal Government opened up Land Offices to sell this land to the settlers who were already in Alabama. Land prices became very inflated and the government sold their land on credit. When cotton began selling for only 18 cents a pound, the farmers could not pay the government for land they were farming. In 1820 and 1821, the Government passed a new law making 80 acres of land available for $1.25 an acre. Anybody who bought land at this price was required to pay the full amount in cash. Those already in debt to the government were rescued by the Relief Act of 1821, which permitted them to keep part of their land and return the rest to the government or buy it all on the installment plan at reduced rates.
These were the conditions that Jacob and Catherine Pickle found when they first arrived in Fayette County, Alabama. The rest of Robert Berry Junior’s family was soon to follow.
Jacob and his wife, Catherine Berry Pickle, listed in Fayette County, Alabama, in the 1830 Census. The Pickle family removed to Monroe, Mississippi, and was living there when the 1840 census was taken. They and most of their family lived in Mississippi for the rest of their lives.
Berry Families in Fayette County, Alabama, 1840#
- George Berry family size 7. Slaves=9.
- John Berry family size 4. Slaves=1.
- Robert C. Berry family size 4. Slaves=0. Nephew of Robert Jr.
- Robert Berry Jr., family size 2. Slaves=0.
- Thompson P. Berry family size 11. Slaves=14.
- Wm Berry family size 12. Slaves=0.
- William Clarence Berry family size 7. Slaves=0. Nephew of Robert Jr.
- Z.E. Berry family size 4. Slaves=2.
Robert Pickle’s Cabin in Fayette County, Alabama#
In the 1830 Fayette, Alabama, census, Robert Pickle and his wife Sarah Aldridge were between 20 and 30 years old. They had a son and a daughter who was under five years old and one daughter who was between 5 and 10 years old. There were three children under the age of 10 listed in his census. John Berry and James Farquhar were listed on the very same census page. There were two families living between Robert Pickle and John Berry and two families living between John Berry and James Farquhar.
Robert Pickle is the Oldest Son of Jacob and Catherine Berry Pickle#
The group picture was taken at the home of William R. Pickle and Mary Elizabeth Irvin Pickle. The man on the left is Robert Pickle; the lady holding the book is Sarah Aldridge Pickle; the man in center of photo is Thomas Irvin, father of Mary Elizabeth Irvin; the lady next to Thomas is his wife, Sidney Towery; the young man on the right is William R. Pickle, son of Robert and Sarah; the young lady standing is Mary Elizabeth Irvin Pickle, daughter of Thomas and Sidney. The identity of the man holding the banjo is unknown.
Farquhar, Anderson: Original settler living in Fayetteville, 1838.
Farquhar, James: Original settler living in Fayetteville, 1838
Berry, Thompson Constable, 1844
Berry, David: Voting precinct established at his residence, 1844: Justice of the Peace, 1844-1847 & 1862.
Berry, George: Voting precinct established at his mill, 1828: Listed on U.S. census, 1830 & 1840.
William and Hannah Cate Berry’s sons:
Berry, William Clarence, Original settler living in Fayetteville, 1838.
Berry, Robert C Constable, 1849.
From North Carolina to Texas via Alabama#
John Berry was born in Orange County, North Carolina, and was 7 years old when his family went to Fayette County, Alabama. John grew up in Berry, Fayette County, Alabama, and married Mary Howell about 1842. John was 27 years old and Mary was 23. Their first two children were born in Alabama but their third child, James Berry, was born somewhere in Texas in 1847. The family was on the move and was not located in 1850 by a census taker. This is not surprising because there were very few settlers in Texas that early. Mexico controlled Texas until 1836 and Texas was established on December 29th, 1845.
James Berry was the first descendant of Robert and Elizabeth Cate Berry and our Berry family to be born in the State of Texas.
See (Page 144 for a listing of John and Mary Howell Berry’s children in Rusk County, Texas, 1860 census.)
Many more of our family would migrate to the state but most of them came after the Civil War was over.
William Clarence Berry’s entire family came to Lampasas County, Texas, and some Elizabeth Berry Franklin children located in Coleman County. Elizabeth Berry was William C Berry, Robert C Berry, and Thomas Person Berry’s half sister. Hannah Cate Berry was their mother. Elizabeth Berry was born several years after William Berry separated from Hannah Cate Berry.
William Clarence Berry and Elizabeth Berry Franklin died in Texas. Robert C. Berry died in Alabama and Thomas Person Berry died in North Carolina. Hannah Cate Berry died in 1858 in North Carolina. At least one of John and Martha Stepps descendants, William Berry, also migrated to Texas.
David J. and Mary Blalock Berry also have at least one descendant living in Texas today.
Our Trip to Fayette County, Alabama#
On Wednesday, September 17th, 2008, Carolyn Paulson, her husband Bob, my wife Jean Henderson, and I visited Fayette County, Alabama, for a day. On the right is Carolyn (Cookie) Paulson, who is a descendant of Robert Berry Junior and Mary Waggoner. On the left side of the sign is Benjamin Berry Henderson. I am a descendant of William and Hannah Cate Berry. Robert Jr. and William were brothers and sons of Robert OC and Elizabeth Cate Berry.
Spouses of Robert Berry Junior’s Children#
- Catherine Berry married Jacob Pickle in North Carolina
- George Berry married Susanne Aldridge in North Carolina
- John Berry
- Henry Bradford Berry married Melissa Jane Jefferies in Fayette County, Alabama.
- Thompson P. Berry married Rosanna Gutman from South Carolina.
- David Middleton Berry married (1) Didama Box, (2) Frances Henderson (from SC).
All of Robert Jr. and Mary Waggoner Berry’s children were born in Orange County, North Carolina. Thompson Berry’s headstone at Pleasant Hill Methodist Cemetery in Fayette County, Alabama, states clearly that he was born on December 18, 1801, in Orange County, North Carolina.
Census Summary#
- Robert Berry Jr. is listed in the Orange County 1790 and 1800 Census.
- Robert Berry Jr. is listed in the Person County, North Carolina, Census 1810.
- Robert Berry Jr. is listed in the Fayette County, Alabama, 1830 and 1840 Census.
- Catherine Berry & Jacob Pickle are listed in the Orange County 1810 Census.
- Catherine Berry & Jacob Pickle are listed in the Fayette County, Alabama, 1840 Census.
- Catherine Berry & Jacob Pickle are listed in Monroe County, Mississippi, 1850 Census.
- Catherine Berry Pickle is a widow and in the Attala County, Mississippi, 1870 Census.
- George Berry is listed in the 1830 & 1840 Fayette County, Alabama, Census.
- George Berry’s son, John Berry was listed in Fayette County, Alabama, 1840 Census.
- David Middleton Berry is listed in the 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, and 1870 Fayette County, Alabama, Censuses.
Glenn Berry (Wagons South, Wagons West) thought that some of them might be cousins. As it turns out Victor Glenn Berry was correct. Robert C. Berry and William Clarence Berry were the sons of William and Hannah Cate Berry and were born in Orange County, North Carolina. They had one brother who remained in Orange County named Thomas Person Berry, and a half-sister, Elizabeth Berry Franklin, who came to Alabama and then returned to Floyd County, Georgia, to establish their home. The entire Berry listings in Fayette County, Alabama, in 1830:
- David Berry family size 4.
- George Berry family size 8.
- Henry Berry family size 9
- John Berry family size 7. 1 Slave.
- Robert Berry Jr., family size 2. 1 Slave. (inherited Solomon from father?)
- Thompson P. Berry family size 5. 1 Slave
- David Berry family size 7. Slaves=0.
Berrys Living in Fayette Alabama in 1840#
- George Berry family size 7. Slaves=9.
- John Berry family size 4. Slaves=1.
- Robert C. Berry family size 4. Slaves=0. Nephew of Robert Jr.
- Robert Berry Jr., family size 2. Slaves=0.
- Thompson P. Berry family size 11. Slaves=14.
- Wm Berry family size 12. Slaves=0.
- William Clarence Berry family size 7. Slaves=0. Nephew of Robert Jr.
- Z.E. Berry family size 4. Slaves=2.
John and Mary Howell Berry’s Family#
John and Mary Howell Berry had 12 children. Only 4 of their children were born in Fayette County, Alabama. The first child to be born in Texas was James Berry, who was born in 1846. A separate book could be written about this family but I will write about only three of their children and list their 1860 Rusk County, Texas, Census:
- John Berry age 45 Born in NC.
- Mary age 41 Born in Ala.
- Sanford age 17 Born in Ala.
- Thomas age 14 Born in Ala.
- James age 13 Born in Texas
- Amanda age 12 Born in Texas
- Robert age 8 Born in Texas
- A age 7 Born in Texas (Alexander Howard Berry)
- Louisa age 5 Born in Texas
- Eliza age 3 Born in Texas
- Emma age 1 Born in Texas
- Rhoda Trawick age 45 Born in Ala. (Mary Howell’s sister)
- S. Traywick age 10 Born in Ala.
Their oldest daughter, Sarah Berry, was already married to Francis M. McClure by the time the 1860 Rusk County, Texas, Census was taken.
Here is a list of Sarah Berry’s 5 husbands and 4 sons:
- Hiram Howard — Son John William Hiram Howard: 1857–1909
- Francis M. McClure — Son Norman S. McClure: 1860–before 1870
- Robert A. Taylor — Son Thomas Sanford Taylor: 1864–1944; Son James Emory Taylor: 1866–1945
- Henry B. Stonham
- Hinrick Dippold: 1844–July 27th, 1887
The picture of Sarah Berry Dippold’s grave was taken in 2006 at Galveston, Texas. Sarah Berry was the oldest child of John and Mary Howell Berry and was already married when the 1860 Rusk County, TX, Census was taken. She was born in Fayette County, Alabama, on April 20th, 1839. Sarah Berry married Hiram Howard on November 24th, 1853, she married Francis M. McClure on January 5th, 1859, she married Robert A. Taylor on May 18th, 1863,
Continued next Page:
and she married Henry B. Stoneham on August 29, 1868. Sarah Berry married her last husband, Hinrick Dippold, on February 15th, 1880. Sarah had one son by Hiram Howard, one son by Francis M. McClure, and two sons by Robert A. Taylor. Sarah spent the last years of her life in Galveston, Texas, and survived the 1900 Galveston hurricane.
Sarah Berry Dippold was living in Galveston, Texas, when the 1900 hurricane devastated the town. The picture below depicts the horrendous damage suffered by many of the residents. Sarah was living a little further from the Gulf of Mexico and may have escaped some of this destruction. I know Sarah Dippold was living several miles north of the area shown in this picture. I have no information about the damage that Sarah and her family sustained other than my knowledge of the street address where Sarah lived. I spent three months in Houston, Texas, in 2006 and made several trips to Galveston. I took the pictures of Sarah Dippold’s grave and headstone (Fig: 62, Pg 144)
Francis Marion and Fanny Lily Hudspeth Berry
Their Children: Jefferson G. Berry, Mary Frances Berry, Frank W. Berry, Marrion A. Berry, Robert A. Berry, Carrie Melinda Berry, Clarence E. Berry, John E. Berry, Thomas W. Berry, Fannie Lillie Berry, Ira E. Berry, and Alice Estelle Berry.
(Page 64) Philemon Bradford wills to have executors pay all debts and funeral expenses; to daughter Elizabeth Hudspeth.
Francis Marion Berry was born in Rusk County, Texas, on February 23rd, 1861, and died on January 8th, 1943.
Alexander Howard Berry is an older brother to Francis Marion Berry. He was born in Rusk County, Texas, on August 24th, 1854, and died in Amherst, Lamb County, Texas, on February 18th, 1926. Alexander Berry married Josephine Priscilla Gregory on April 17th, 1877. Josephine was born on July 7th, 1858. The picture on the right shows them standing in what looks like a peach orchard. See the story (on Page 277) about this family when they went to Colorado seeking jobs. They were the parents of six children.
Children of Alexander Howard and Priscilla Gregory Berry#
- Mary Etta Berry b. Jan. 15, 1878 d. Oct. 27, 1958
- Willie Howell Berry b. Feb. 22, 1882 d. Nov 7, 1958.
- John Cleveland Berry b. Aug. 6, 1884 d. Oct 11, 1961
- Mack Griffin Berry b. Jan. 6, 1888 d. July 29, 1952
- Rosetta Rosie Berry b. 1892 d. 1895
- Leona Onie Berry b. Nov 19, 1894 d. July 20, 1971