Chapter XI#

…Look Away Dixie Land… (1850-1860)#

The Federal Census of Fayette County Alabama 1850 reveals that there are eleven (11) of the BERRY surname as Head of Household. They are given below:

OCR note: The age given for Miles Berry (top row) is scanned as “To” and could not be reconstructed as a number with confidence; left as scanned. The birthplace abbreviation for the younger Berry couples (Henry/Mary, John H./Eliza, George/Polly) was scanned as “AU” throughout and is rendered here as “ALA” (Alabama), matching the birthplaces of the same family’s Alabama-born children in the household table below; please confirm against the hard copy.

The decade of the 1850’s got off to a good start at the pioneer settlement of William C. Berry. On March 18, 1851, Sarah E., the oldest grandchild of Wm. C. Berry, was born to his eldest son George R. & Catherine “Katie”, in Fayette County. (XXIV) Shortly thereafter, on April 29, 1851, Martha Minerva was born to Wm. C. & Massa Ann Berry. (XXIV) Two years later on August 18, 1853, William Smith “Black Bill” Berry was born, being the youngest son of Wm. C. Berry. (XXIV) The last child born to Wm. C. & Massa Ann during the 1850’s, who lived, was Amanda Narcissa Berry, born April 26, 1855. (XXIV)

It is suspected that two or three children may have been born between 1855-1862, when their last known child was born. (XXIV)

Pioneer families usually had a very large number of children. The household of Wm. C. Berry was no exception. This is how his household looked in 1850:

Wm. C. Berry was listed as a resident of Berry Beat #4 and his real estate value $200. Seven (7) children are still at home. The eldest son, George R. Berry, was already married and moved out. It is believed that the oldest daughter, Elizabeth Jane Berry, married Albert G. Whitson about 1855. Thomas P.P. Berry, the eldest son of George R. & “Katie”, was born May 30, 1853. (XXIV) John D.D. Berry was born in 1857? & James Henry Hall Berry was born to George R. & “Katie” in 1859? in Fayette County Alabama. (XI)

Land Grants issued to BERRY’S from 1850-1859 included the following:

• Berry, Alfred W. — 1856
• Berry, David — 1857
• Berry, Francis M. — 1858
• Berry, George R. — 1854
• Berry, John H. — 1858
• Berry, John N. — 1854
• Berry, Robert — 1854
• Berry, Slivester — 1854
• Berry, Thompson — 1854
• Berry, William — 1853
• Berry, William C. — 1855
• Berry, William S. — 1855 (XV; p.172)

“Texas Fever” was still taking its toll on Fayette County Alabama in 1852. The following account of a wagon train leaving Fayette County and heading for Texas, is of special importance to William C. Berry’s family. Two of his sons were brothers-in-law to Anderson Farquhar, a very prominent pioneer farmer of Fayette County and the originator of this wagon train. George R. Berry married Catherine Farquhar; and Henry T. Berry married Elizabeth Farquhar. Both were sisters to Anderson Farquhar. This wagon train probably influenced these & other BERRY’S to go to Texas in 1867: (XXVI; p.27)

Steaming down the Mississippi River in 1852 was part of an exciting journey for a group of Fayette County people. They were bound for Texas.

Neither privation nor hardship nor fear of death itself could deter those who would join the Westward Movement…

Texas lands, awaiting settlement, appeared inviting to the Anderson Farquhar family. Already, untold numbers of Southern families, including Alabamians, had treckled to Texas. Settlers were leaving Fayette County. Some joined wagon trains made up at Tuscaloosa. “Texas Fever” was in the air. Stories of the fertile soil and agricultural possibilities reached the ears of the Farquhar family. They had to go.

…the Farquhars were living two or three miles East of the Sipsey River. Of their 5&0 acres of land, 200…was cultivated. The farm, well-stocked with cattle & horses; hogs & sheep; produced 600 bushels of corn & 800 lbs. of rice in 1850. Anderson Farquhar was one of the most prosperous farmers of the county.

In 1836 he entered land from the government, and in December, 1837…he bought twelve lbs. of nails…he was either building his Fayette County home or enlarging it.

…Anderson Farquhar was born July 29, 1809 in North Carolina. On December ____, 1828, he married Levina Kirkland. She was born June 10, 1810, in Tennessee…

The Farquhars had a large family of children, thirteen (13) in all, all born in Alabama…The youngest, a boy, William Anderson…was about a year old when the family left for Texas. In the group were several families including the McCoys; daughter Harriet married Hugh McCoy; and the Traweek family. Sarah Traweek, wife of Bailey Traweek, was a sister to Anderson Farquhar…

…After they reached the Mississippi River, they went by water to New Orleans…From New Orleans they steamed out into the Gulf of Mexico and on to Matagorda Bay,…about 150 miles below Galveston, Texas.

After the party landed…misfortune overtook them. They had only traveled a short distance when they were delayed in crossing the Colorado River because of high water. During the time of this encampment, sickness broke out and two of the Farquhar daughters died. Nancy E. Farquhar, age 18, died March 14, 1852. On April 6, 1852, Permilia Jane Farquhar, age 17, died. They were both buried near Matagorda Bay. Descendants say the deaths were caused by Cholera, which they, themselves, called “fever”…

As soon as possible the party pressed onward, going up the Colorado River by boat, thence by ox-drawn wagons until they reached Fayetteville, in Fayette County (Texas)…

The wagons rolled to a stop there in the late Spring of 1852 and homes were built where the settlers lived for the next two years. While at this place, still another misfortune was suffered by the Farquhar family. John K. Farquhar, 23, their oldest son, died…

Graves marked every trail these pioneers took. The first little grave…in Alabama was that of two-year old Daniel Alexander Farquhar, who died in 1849.

These pioneers decided to make yet another move and laid plans to go to Burnet County…The men went to select permanent homesteads in the northern part of the county…In 1854, they began the long wearisome journey. They crossed the barren stretches of Texas in ox-drawn wagons, suffering from exposure and beset by untold hardships. The only other human beings seen were Indians, nor was there a house from Old Round Rock to their location…

When they reached their destination, homes were built and Anderson & Levina Farquhar spent most of the remaining years of their lives here. Their home, built of Cedar logs, cut and hewn by hand, stood as a monument to their courage & fortitude until 1923, when it was burned.

Some of the children settled near the parents while others drifted away…

When the Civil War broke out, four Farquhar sons served in the Confederate Army…Before it was over, Anderson Farquhar himself, 51, served in the Army…

The Farquhars were an industrious family. For his home in Texas, Anderson made bedsteads and built for his wife a loom on which she wove cloth. One of the family treasures today is a coverlet made by Levina Farquhar, 124 years ago. It is described as utterly exquisite and in excellent condition. It is precision designed in a shade of burgundy with beige. The wool used was from Farquhar sheep mixed with cotton thread.

Many descendants live in Texas today. Anderson & Levina Farquhar are both buried in Cauble Cemetery in Burnet County. Both died in 1892…It was people like the Farquhars who made Texas and who made America. (XXV; pp.14-15)

OCR note: In the account above, the Farquhar farm acreage is scanned as “5&0 acres” (the middle digit is unreadable — 540/560/580) and “had treckled to Texas” is a garbled word (likely “trekked” or “trickled”). Both are left as scanned rather than guessed and should be checked against the hard copy.

“Exodus From Alabama”-according to the Sentinel, published at Salem, Alabama, “during a period of four months, from October last to February, the state of Alabama lost by emigration on an average 500 persons a day or a total of 75,000 and the property out of the state is estimated $78,670,000”.

The Alamo Star, August 5, 1854, in San Antonio, Texas printed: Fayette County Alabama lost quite a number of families to Guadalupe County, Texas during the 1850’s. Among those…were five children of Abel & Rebecca White…

Margaret White…agreed to bring her family to Texas a little more than a year after father died…because the boys wanted to come so badly. She hurriedly made plans to join Fred White in Tuscaloosa for the overland trip. The old slave was sold to his wife’s owner. Five of the finest horses were selected. Butter & eggs were placed in the flour barrel. Two ox wagons were made ready and packed…almost at the start the oxen became frightened and ran up the hillside, overturning the wagon. This was the only mishap of the trip. But we were afraid of being robbed, because Uncle Fred talked to anyone we met about the good price he got for cattle and how much money he was carrying…Other White family members joined us…

There were five ox wagons, one buggy and nine horses in the wagon train. All wagons were White’s but one. Someone related to the Bakers joined in along the way…

Some of the children rode in the buggy or in an ox wagon. The young folks walked most of the way, hurrahing much of the time about their new home.

Some of the older boys had been to Texas. They said that beans grew on everything…grass, bushes, trees, vines along the Sabine River…Sure enough, when we reached the Sabine there were beans everywhere we looked, but only on the many, many rattleweeds. There had been little fresh food on the trip so everyone was happy to find ripe grapes, not beans shortly after crossing the Sabine.

The small children were the only ones to suffer much. All had diarrhea. Tom Wimberley’s children died of “Putrid Sore Throat” and were buried at different towns along the road.

This White Wagon Train arrived at John White’s home in Highsmith Community, November 14, 1855. Some of their Fayette County Alabama friends & relatives had proceeded them. Others did not arrive until late in the 1850’s… (XXV; p.157)

The account of this wagon train entitled Wagons Westward “Texas or Bust” was told by Sarah Jane White Wiley, a fifteen year-old member of the White Wagon Train. It is a sample of what the BERRYS endured as they went to Texas.