Sarah Cate Berry Pigg daughter of William and Elizabeth Messersmith Cate, (Widow of Thomas Berry, son of Robert and Elizabeth Cate Berry.)
ANCESTORS
Generation 1 William Cate and Elizabeth Messersmith Cate
SARAH CATE was the daughter of William and Elizabeth Messersmith Cate and was born in North Carolina on December 27 1782. Nothing is known about Sara’s early life except that she had two brothers and two sisters. The Brothers were John Cate and Benjamin Cate and her two sisters were Charity and Hannah Cate. On August the 12 1789 her older sister Hannah Cate married William Berry who was the son of Robert and Elizabeth Cate Berry. One year later on August the 11th, 1800 Sarah married William Berry’s brother Thomas Berry. Sarah and Hannah’s father died very soon after Sarah and Thomas were married. The estate sale was held in 1803.
William Cate inventory Sale 1803
Thomas and Sarah had two children. David was one and Eleanor was two years old at the time of their grandfathers sale. In 1806 Thomas sold his property in preparation for the upcoming expidition to search for new land in the west. There may have been several young men who were leaving Orange County North Carolina in the hope of finding some free government land in Georgia or Tennessee. Sarah, David and Eleanor moved in with Hannah and her three children sometime between 1806 and 1810. We know that William was with the party because Hannah Berry listed as head of house hold in 1810. She was the very first listing after her father in law Robert Berry in 1810 Orange County NC Census. In 1787 Robert bought Patrick Rutherfords plantaton from his three sons after their father died. This is the house that Hannah and Sarah Berry were most likely living in in 1810. William, James and Thomas Rutherford signed the deed to Robert on March 2, 1787. I mention this here because the Rutherford boys may have been in the party searching for land also. Things did not go well in their excursion because when Robert Berry wrote his will in 1812 Thomas Berry was dead.
The CABIN in the picture on the right was the home of Eleanor Berry Reed. this cabin has been restored. This picture was taken in 2005 and the CABIN is located where it has stood for almost 200 years. Near Cypress Inn Tennessee. This site is just a short distance from the Natchez Trace, a famous old indian trail.
Sarah remaried on December 11 1815in Williamson County Tennessee.Sarah and John Pigg had children after they were married, she also had 
David and Eleanor to raise. There is a folklore story by the descendants who live in Tennessee today. The story states that Thomas was killed by the Indians while searching for land.
After Sarah’s second husband died she opened up an Inn just off of the Natchez Trace This is where Cypress Inn got it’s name.
Sarah Cate Berry Pigg grave in Wayne County Tennessee
IN 2008 distant cousins gathered in Wayne County Tennessee for a Thomas and Sarah Cate Berry Pigg reunion.Cousins came from California, Alabama, North Carolina Maryland and local Cousins from Wayne County Tennessee. The local host supplied all of the food and a pig-picking an a newly built pavilion that was constructed for this reunion. A wonderful time was had by all. The picture on the right is a Monument for Sarah Cate who was born in Orange County, North Carolina, and spent many years of her life in a frontier community of cypress Inn. The old headstone behind the new one was plowed up in the field where it now stands.
Updated 1/31/2015
CENSUS INFORMATION and NEIGHBORS&
Thomas Berry and Sarah Cate Berry listed in the 1800, Orange County, Census as husband and wife.
Sarah Cate Berry and her sister Hannah Cate Berry were living together with their 6 children in the 1810 Orange County,North Carolina Census
CENSUS INFORMATION
ORANGE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA CENSUS IN 1800
William Berry 1800 Orange NC Census
ORANGE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA CENSUS 1810.
Hannah Cate Berry’s 1810 Census
NO CENSUS FOUND IN 1820.
JOHN PIGG IS FOUND IN WAYNE COUNTY TENNESSEE IN 1830.
John and Sarah Berry Pigg 1830 Wayne County Tennessee
SARAH PIGG IS FOUND IN WAYNE COUNTY TENNESSEE IN 1840.
 Sarah Pigg 1840 Wayne County Tennessee
SARAH PIGG IS FOUND IN WAYNE COUNTY TENNESSEE IN 1850.
Sarah Pigg 1850 Census
Wayne County Tennessee
SARAH PIGG IS FOUND IN WAYNE COUNTY TENNESSEE IN 1860.
Sarah Cate Pigg 1860Wayne County Tennessee
SARAH PIGG IS FOUND IN WAYNE COUNTY TENNESSEE IN 1870Sarah Cate Pigg 1870
Wayne County Tennessee
