Chapter III#
Ships Ahoy (Immigration to America)#
…Every American is either an immigrant or has descended from immigrants, except possibly the American Indians. The story of American immigration is the story…of an estimated seventy (70) million people of different backgrounds & nationalities. It is the story of their hopes, their fears, their aspirations: it is the story of America itself…
The first immigrants were the English, who were to lead all other countries in immigration until the first half of the Nineteenth Century, when Irish and German immigrants began to arrive in large numbers. Early English immigrants consisted, basically, of two different groups who settled in two different places: the Puritans in Massachusetts; and the Cavaliers in Virginia.
The following are several reasons why immigrants came to America:
Tradition holds that the early colonists were religious refugees from a dictatorial and unyielding monarchy which refused to acknowledge their basic religious rights.
The economy of Europe & England was experiencing a kind of disruptive development. New wealth, mostly from silver & gold from Spanish colonies in the New World, was causing …inflation.
The Industrial Revolution led directly to great unemployment, particularly among rural laborers.
The government policy of Mercantilism encouraged colonization as a means of developing & extending the economic base of the country. Mercantilism = a group of merchants receive authority from the King to organise, finance, and conduct various colonising efforts.
A flood of immigrants came to Virginia as a direct result of the English Civil War.
Many prisoners came because they were forced to—vagrants, paupers, thieves, even prisoners of war— were deported to America, where they would be out of the way of decent folk and could do no harm except to each other.
The profit motive brought many. There are always those who see the tremendous economic potential in a new land.
The desire to be with friends who were going.
An adventuresome spirit. (III; pp.11-18)
The surname BERRY has been in America almost from the days of the Pilgrims. John Berry immigrated to Virginia in or prior to 1626. (III; p.29) This date is the earliest BERRY discovered in America so far. An example of one of the BERRY surname who braved all the dangers of a …laborious trip is given below:
6 June, 1635: Theis under written names are to be transported to Virginia. Imbarqued in the Thomas & John: Richard Lombard, Mr. being examined by the Minister de Gravesend, concerning their conformitie to the order & discipline of the Church of England and took oath of allegeance (this was required of all persons who immigrated from England)…Richard Berry…age 23… (XIV; p.84)
Despite all the dissimilarities in their backgrounds and reasons for coming, all immigrants had one experience in common: a long, dangerous, and extremely unpleasant voyage across the Atlantic. The following article entitled “An Atlantic Voyage in the Seventeenth Century”, gives an absorbing account of the journey:
The vessels which were in use in the Seventeenth Century were small…there were few over two hundred tons…the greater number…were from one hundred & fifty to two hundred & fifty tons…
They were broad in the bow, the forecastle and the poop were raised high above the main deck, the mainmast was placed in the middle of the ship, the foremast as near the bow as possible and the mizzen where the builder thought fit…in no one of the log-books is there any mention of a sail above the topsail, although, of course, they speak of making & taking in the sails as well as sending down topmast & yards. They were slow sailers and although instances occur of as much as eight miles an hour being made, it was when there was a fair wind and plenty of it, and with a smooth sea, but at no time was that rate kept up for twenty-four hours. When the wind was ahead, but slow progress was made, for no ship could sail “close to the wind”, and often four or five miles was all there was to show for a whole day, and there were even times when they were further from their destination at the end of twenty-four hours than they were at the beginning…The Bristow arrived in New York on 8th. March, 1701, having left London on the 22nd. of October, and her Master writes “a more terrible passage has hardly been known by man. I have been on this coast near twelve weeks within forty or fifty leagues by all estimation”. He had become separated from the fleet…and found on her arrival several vessels which left London with her, but which had been in port eight or nine weeks.
When a passenger started from London, he could not say within many weeks, how long he was to be on board the ship which was to take him to Maryland or Virginia, for, they were from forty-seven to one-hundred thirty-eight days from London to the Capes…the same vessel varied from forty-seven days to one-hundred and two days in coming from London…
A ship would be three or four weeks from London before she took her departure from the Lizard, detained in the Downs or some port by head winds or storms, and it must have been an inspiring sight, after a storm, to see the numerous vessels getting under way from the Downs; for there would be hundreds of vessels starting out for all parts of the world, the vessels bound for the Chesapeake Bay often numbering forty or fifty…
When the fleet was clear of land, they steered for the Azores…then they steered for Cape Henry, and deviated as little as possible from a straight course, for the latitude they could find every day at noon, by means of their quadrants, but their longitude they could only estimate by calculating the distance run and the course steered, making allowances for currents, leeway or a heavy sea knocking them off their course…
Although a large fleet of fifty or sixty vessels might leave England, they soon became more or less scattered, although there were some vessels always in sight of each other, and frequently in calm weather there were visits between the officers and passengers of the different vessels who dined or spent whole days…
It may be supposed that the great uncertainty as to the duration of the voyage would have caused some trouble in providing sufficient food & water for so many persons, but the food was composed principally of bread or ship-bisquit, salt meat, peas and cheese, all which would keep well for many months, and therefore it was only the space required for enough food and water that gave any trouble…
In a contract made with the owners of the ship Nassau, of five-hundred tons, to carry one-hundred & fifty or more passengers to Virginia, the following stipulations were made in regard to food. The passengers to have the same allowance of food as the sailors, that is to say: “they were to have their allowance of bread, butter & cheese weekly, and the rest of the provisions were to be distributed daily: each passenger, over six years of age, was to have seven pounds of bread every week, each mess of eight to have two pieces of pork (each piece to be two pounds) with pease five days in the week, and on the other two days four pounds of beef with pease each day, or four pounds of beef with a pudding, with pease for the two days, and in case the kettle could not be boiled each passenger was to have one pound of cheese every day. Children under six years of age to have such allowance in flour, oatmeal, fruit, sugar and butter as the overseers of them shall judge fit.
The ordinary price of a passage to Maryland or Virginia was six pounds, but for this large party (191) the price was five pounds, for each person over twelve years of age, and half price for children under that age. (III; pp.18-20)
As mentioned earlier, nearly all immigrants to America fell into two classes. The Puritans settled in Massachusetts and the Cavaliers settled in Virginia. Since all known relatives or family members of William C. Berry, came from Carolina, it is assumed that his ancestors who immigrated from England or Scotland, landed in Virginia or Carolina. The following is a list of all known BERRY immigrants who landed in Virginia or Carolina prior to 1800. The one who is the ancestor of William C. Berry is probably contained in this list:
- Andrew Berry…immigrated to Virginia around 1656
- Daniell Berry…immigrated to Virginia around 1653
- Edward Berry…immigrated to Virginia between 1654-1663
- Eppy Berry…immigrated to Virginia around 1654
- Francis Berry…immigrated to Virginia @1643
- Henry Berry…immigrated to Virginia @1650
- Henry Berry…immigrated to Virginia @1655
- James Berry…died 1657; immigrated to Virginia @1631; moved to Calvert County Maryland in 1652
- James Berry…emigrated from Lancashire, England, to Savannah, Georgia on board the ship Marlborough August 1774, age 31; linen weaver
- John Berry…immigrated to Virginia in or prior to 1626
- John Beery…immigrated to Virginia @1642
- Mathew Berry…immigrated to Virginia @1650
- Matthias Berry…transported from Newgate Prison to Virginia on board the ship Forward Galley on 21 April, 1739; indentured servant
- Michael Berry…immigrated to Virginia @1636
- Richard Berry…emigrated from Aberdare, Wales, to Virginia 1654-1663
- Richard Berry…immigrated to Virginia 1663-1679
- Robert Berry…immigrated to Virginia @1641
- Thomas Berry…emigrated from Alton, Hampshire, to Carolina in December, 1718, age 17; indentured servant
- William Berry…immigrated to Virginia 1663-1679 (III; pp.28-31)
By the time of the first Census in America in 1790, over 1,200 BERRY’S had settled in this country. The average BERRY household had 5.7 members and the name occurred most frequently in Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland & Virginia. Official United States records taken in 1964 indicate that BERRY is the 169th. most frequently occurring name in the nation. Today, there are approximately 125,000 adult Americans with the surname BERRY. (III; p.4)
Up until 1812, anyone could enter the United States. From all over the world people came-sometimes in ones and twos, but more often in family groups. People of every nationality, race, and faith they were, most of them seeking a better life. Upright & courageous, they were usually educated, skillful at using tools, eager to become American citizens…They were similar in culture, beliefs, and even in language…so most of them experienced little difficulty in mixing in and becoming a part of American society. Sometimes people spoke of them as “those foreigners who are taking good jobs away from Americans”. Sometimes there were clashes because of religion, but for the most part these immigrants were accepted. (XIII; p.443) The mixed attitudes of America are expressed toward all immigrants in these words inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty:
“Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” (The New Colossus, by Emma Lazarus)
It is not known as fact, but it is suspected by this writer, that the one BERRY ancestor who came across the Atlantic was Thomas Berry, whose name is given on page #9. Thomas is a family name appearing in each generation of descendants of William C. Berry.