Genealogy Resources#

A curated guide for researchers tracing the Robert and Elizabeth Cate Berry family line, and for general genealogical research in North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee.

Essential Online Databases#

Resource	Description
FamilySearch.org	Free access to billions of records; strong NC/VA colonial holdings
Ancestry.com	Census records, vital records, trees (subscription)
FindMyPast	Strong British Isles records — useful for PAC-era origins research
Fold3	Military records; Revolutionary War, Civil War pension files
HeritageQuest Online	Free via many public libraries — US Census and genealogy books
WikiTree	Collaborative, source-cited family tree; Berry family profiles exist
FamilyTreeDNA	Y-DNA and mtDNA testing — Berry Y-DNA project active here
23andMe	Autosomal DNA; cousin matching
GEDmatch	Cross-platform DNA comparison tool

North Carolina Specific#

Resource	Description
NC State Archives	Land grants, court minutes, wills, deed books
NC Digital Collections	Digitized state records
NC GenWeb	County-level genealogical resources
Orange County NC Records	Direct link to Orange County court minutes, tax lists
Granville District Records	Critical for Berry land grants, 1748–1763
NC Marriage Bonds	Orange County marriage bonds on FamilySearch

Virginia (Princess Anne County Origins)#

Resource	Description
Library of Virginia	PAC deed books, wills, vestry records
VA GenWeb — Princess Anne County	Community-maintained resources
Lynnhaven Parish Vestry Book	Search FamilySearch — documents Samuel Hollowell & Robert Berry

DNA Research for the Berry Line#

Our Y-DNA project documents living male descendants of Robert Berry. If you are a male Berry (or believe you may descend through a male Berry line), consider testing.

Testing company: FamilyTreeDNA
Project: Orange County NC Berrys — search for it in FTDNA’s project directory
Coordinator: Contact us via the Contact page
Current status: 14 confirmed participants; matches documented across 6 of the 8 sons of Robert & Elizabeth Cate Berry
See the DNA pages for full results and methodology

Research Methodology & Standards#

Martha’s Note: This site follows the standards of the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) and the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS). All conclusions should be:

Reasonably exhaustive search — consult all relevant record types
Complete and accurate citations — document every source
Analysis and correlation — compare conflicting evidence carefully
Resolution of conflicts — address contradictions explicitly
Soundly reasoned conclusion — write it out

Citations on this site follow Mills, Elizabeth Shown. Evidence Explained. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2007.

How to Contribute#

We actively seek corrections, additions, and new research. If you are a Berry descendant or researcher:

Email us via the Contact page
Include your documentation — census images, deed copies, vital records
State your relationship to the Berry line (generation and descent path)
Indicate your privacy preference regarding sharing your contact information with other researchers

We especially need:

Information on the William Berry line after he left Orange County
Any descendants of Isaac Berry (Gen 3)
Thomas Berry (Gen 3) family information beyond North Carolina
Photographs of Berry gravestones in Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, and Georgia

Abbreviations Used on This Site#

Abbreviation	Meaning
OC	Orange County, North Carolina
PAC	Princess Anne County, Virginia
NC	North Carolina
Gen	Generation (numbered from Robert Berry PAC = Gen 1)
b.	Born
d.	Died
m.	Married
cir / ca.	Circa (approximately)
abt	About
SCC	Security Chain Certificate (land survey term)
YDNA	Y-chromosome DNA (patrilineal)
mtDNA	Mitochondrial DNA (matrilineal)
DAR	Daughters of the American Revolution
SAR	Sons of the American Revolution