William Berry

William Berry, son of Robert and Elizabeth Cate Berry

Ancestors:

• Grandparents – Robert and Mary Williamson Berry
• Parents – Robert and Elizabeth Cate Berry

Spouses Ancestors:

William and Elizabeth (Messersmidth) Smith Cate

William and Elizabeth Smith Cate’s Children:

1. John Cate
2. Benjamin Cate
3. Hannah Cate Born 1770 in Orange County, North Carolina, married William Berry 12 Aug. 1799, died from the flu in Orange County North Carolina in 1858
4. Charity Cate
5. Sarah Cate Born 27 Dec. 1781, married Thomas Berry 11 Aug. 1800 Died 07 Mar. 1875 in Wayne County Tennessee

Marriage:

William Berry married Hannah Cate  1799

Hannah Cate’s parents were John Cate & Margery Lawrence

NEW Y DNA INFORMATION MATCHING 66 markers out of 67 on new page

William Berry was probably born about 1775 and was one of the younger of eight boys in the Robert and Elizabeth Cate Berry’s family. In 1780 Patrick Rutherford was granted a North Carolina Land Grant for 247 acres. This Property was south of Robert Berry’s 1757 Land Grant. William Berry was about 5 years old then and would have known all three of Patrick Rutherford’s sons. Patrick Rutherford died in 1887 and his three sons, William Rutherford, James Rutherford, and Thomas Rutherford, sold their fathers property to Robert Berry on the 2nd of March 1787. William was about 12 years old at the time. I mention this because later in the 1830 Blount County, Alabama Census, there was a William Berry living two farms away from Thomas Rutherford. The two men were approximately the same age. I have since located William Berry in the 1850 Lincoln County, Tennessee, who is the right age and was born in North Carolina. Not much more is currently known about what happened to William after 1807. We do know that Hannah Cate had a son born on June 1st 1808 which would indicate that William Berry was still in Orange County in September or October 1807.

In the 1800 Orange County Census William and Hannah listed one son under 10 years old. It is not known what happened to this son. He most likely died. William and Hannah had three sons who lived. William Clarence Berry was born in 1803 named for his father, Robert C. Berry was born in 1805 and was named for his grandfather. Their third son Thomas Person Berry was born in 1808 and was named for Thomas who was William’s older brother or Thomas  Person might have been for a very popular, General Thomas Person, who lived in the area. I do not know if Hannah named their third son after the General because she knew him or if she was somehow  related to the General. It may only be hero worship. This was frequently done in those early days. We do know that there may be two possibilities for William to be missing in the 1810 census. Several of the men in the community may have gone to Tennessee or Georgia to claim some land that was being vacated by the Indians and granted to settlers by the United States Government. It is commonly believed by descendants that Indians killed Thomas Berry, William’s brother while searching for land. William and Thomas married sisters. We do know by his father’s will that Thomas was deceased by 1812.

Hanna Cate Berry’s 1810 Orange County Census on the right

Hannah and William had three sons, William Clarence, Robert C., & Thomas Person Berry. Thomas & Sarah Cate Berry had one son, David ll Berry. these are the four boys under ten. Thomas and Sarah had one daughter,Eleanor Berry and this was the 1 female under 10 in the census. The 2 females under 25-454 were Hannah Cate Berry and Sarah Cate Berry. Hannah Cate Berry had another child Elizabeth Berry born in 1812 by a John Berry that has not been identified, which would not have been in this census.

We now know that  Hannah Cate Berry and her sister Sarah Cate Berry were living together with their 4 sons and Sarah’s daughter Eleanor in 1810. The Children were all under 10 years old and the two women were listed in the 26 to 45 bracket. Hannah Cate Berry was living next door to her father in Law, Robert Berry OC,  in the 1810 Orange County, North Carolina Census. All of the people listed in Hannah Berry’s 1810 census  are listed below.

• Hannah Cate Berry was born in Orange County NC about 1770 and died in the winter of 1858 in Orange County NC.
• William Clarence Berry was born on October 17th 1803 Orange Co. NC and died on September 8th 1878 in Burnett County, Texas.
• Robert C Berry was born on April 14th 1805 in Orange County, NC and died 1888 in Fayette County, Alabama.
• Thomas Person Berry was born on June 1st 1808 in Orange Co. NC and died on April 30th 1874 in Orange County NC.
• Sarah Cate Berry was born on December 27th 1781 in  Orange County, NC, and died on March 7th 1875 in Wayne County Tennessee. Sarah Cate Berry married John Pigg in Tennessee  on December 11th 1815.
• David ll Berry was born in 1802 in Orange County, NC and died in 1882 in Wayne County, Tennessee.
• Eleanor Berry was born in 1801 in Orange County, NC and died 1880 Wayne County Tennessee

What happened to William Berry  remains unknown but I did locate a William Berry living in Lincoln County, Tennessee in the 1850 Census.
William Berry was the right age and he was born in North Carolina. William Berry was also listed in the 1860 census but he died shortly after the census was taken.There are two counties between Wayne County where Sarah Cate Berry lived and Lincoln County, Tennessee. Lincoln is East of Wayne County and both counties are on the Alabama line. No descendants have been located at this time. William’s son, Benjamin H. Berry was also born in North Carolina If you know  any of William Berry’s descendants Please contact me.

Thomas Berry’s descendants who live in Wayne County today have a folklore story that says Thomas Berry was killed by Indians while searching for land.

We know by Robert Berry’s 1812 will that William was not deceased. I think William and Thomas went to Tennessee looking for land to homestead. Thomas Berry sold land in Orange County, NC, on October 4th 1806. This deed was recorded in the 1807 February term of the, Orange County, NC Court. William Berry had a son born on June 1st 1808. This places both  brothers in Orange County, NC, around 1807. I think both of their wives were living in the old John Rutherford Plantation house in 1810 which was bought by Robert Berry in 1787 ( Orange County Deed Book 4, Page 518 ).
Thomas Berry may have come back to Orange County, NC after staking out land in Tennessee. He and his family likely returned to Wayne County, Tennessee,  He may have been killed after returning to Tennessee with his family. We know by the marriage document on the left that Sarah Cate Berry was married in Tennessee in 1815. It is currently unknown if William Berry ever returned to his home in Orange County, North Carolina. The last evidence that places William Berry in Orange County was the birth of his youngest son Thomas Person Berry on June 1st 1808. Thomas Person Berry identified William and Hannah Cate Berry as his parents in his marriage licence to Lucy Brown August 21st 1871. This document was the first proof I found linking Thomas Person Berry to his parents.

Children:

William Clarence Berry  b. October 17 1802 d. September 8th 1878 m. See Detail

Robert C Berry  b. Apr. 14, 1805 d. 1888 m. 1839 Sarah Chappen

Thomas Person Berry b. June 1, 1808 d. April 30th 1884 m. See Detail

Elizabeth Berry Was born in 1812 to Hannah Cate Berry and John Berry and  she is a half Sister to Hannah Cate Berry’s three sons.

Children Detail:

William Clarence Berry	1st Marriage	Sally Bowles
Born: 17 Oct 1803 Orange Co. N.C Died: 08 Sep 1878 Burnett Co. TX Sally Bowles father: William Bowles Unknown wifeW.C Berry & Sally Bowles Berry had three children	20 Nov 1826 Orange Co. NC	Born: 1798 NC Orange Co. N.C Died: 1833 Orange Co. N.C
William Clarence Berry	2nd Marriage	Massa Ann Thompkins
Born: 17 Oct 1803   9 children from this marriage Orange Co. N.C Died: 08 Sep 1878 Burnett Co. TX Spouses Parents: Unknown Father & Mother was Indian	Ala. Unknown	Born: Jan 1819 Missouri Died: Jan 14 1903 Burnett Co. TX
Robert C Berry	Married	Sarah Chappell
Born: 14 Apr 1805 Orange County NC Died: 1888 Fayette Co. AL Spouses Parents: Miles and Pricilla Parker Chappell	About 1839 Fayette Co. Ala. 6 Children	Born: 1815 Tennessee Died: Unknown Fayette Co. AL
Thomas Person Berry	1st Marriage	Sarah Lunsford
orn: 01 Jun 1808 Orange County NC Died: 30 Apr 1884 Orange County NC Spouses Parents: William D. and Edy Brinkley Cozart Lunsford	Sept. 28, 1831 NC 4 Children	Born: 25 Jul 1811 Person Co. NC Died: 27 Dec 1870 Orange County NC
Thomas Person Berry	2nd Marriage	Lucy Brown
orn: 01 Jun 1808 Orange County NC Died: 30 Apr 1884 Orange County NC Spouses Parents: Alfred and Martha Brown	August 24 1871 5 children	Born: 12 Jan 1847 NC Orange County NC Died: 08 Jan 1881 Orange County NC
Thomas Person Berry	3rd Marriage	Elizabeth Peed Bowles
Born: 01 Jun 1808 Orange County NC Died: 30 Apr 1884 Orange County NC Spouses Parents: Unknown	6 Dec. 1883 NC Orange County NC 0 children	Born: 1833 Orange County NC Died: Unknown Orange County NC

 

Places Lived:

Hannah Cate Berry’s 1810 Orange County NC Census.

Hannah Cate Berry’s Life After William Berry Left, Blount County Alabama

Census Information and Neighbors:

“ William Berry was found in Blount County Alabama in 1830 ”

Census Information:

Orange County North Carolina in 1800

N0 census found for William Berry in  1810.

N0 census found for William Berry in 1820.

William in Blount County Alabama Census in 1830.

No Census found for William Berry in 1840.

Attention! We are currently  trying to locate a male descendant from William Berry found in the 1850 in Lincoln County, Tennessee, to take take a Y-DNA test. Please contact me for more information.

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Last updated Jan. 27, 2014