Resources exhausted, need help, re: Alexander Berryhill

Question

I’m stuck like Chuck when it comes to this fella. Alexander Berryhill has long been purported to be the progenitor of all of the Berryhills in the United States. My grandmother has a document in her handwriting, probably early 1960s,  that noted a Berryhill Reunion in Pennsylvania in 1931, and gave pretty much the party line that Alexander was Numero Uno: born as Hill in Scotland, married in London, moved to Ulster where he became a grower of berries, hence berry-Hill.

Even before I started online genealogy on Rootsweb, Alexander was already identified as the forefather. He is now on Geni (where his wife has a fantastical genealogy) and Ancestry.

The date and spouse I have on his profile came from said document. I have searched diligently for any documentary source for Alexander, including Family Search which has difficulty recognizing the surname in 1600s sources.

I’m beat! And desperate! At a total dead end! If anyone, ANYONE(!) can provide some assistance here, I’ll be forever in your debt.

Answer 1

Do you know where the Berryhill Reunion of 1931 took place (state/country, etc.)?  I think I  found some info that unfortunately may just further complicate things, but I want to make sure I'm on the right track.

Comments

Whoops! Apparently, I can't read -- you stated Pennsylvania. I wonder if it's possible there could have been some confusion. I found this newspaper article from 1931 for Alexander Berryhill Reunion in Ohio -- Bellbrook is a suburb of Dayton. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/18584274/berryhill_reunion_1931/

The Alexander Berryhill this reunion references is for this Alexander Berryhill on FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10946533/alexander-moffatt-berryhill

This may make this more complicated or mean nothing at all....

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Hi, NJ, and thank you for responding! The reunion was supposedly held in Pennsylvania, US, and apparently there was some some record of the proceedings or a paper presented. I never saw it, and I have no idea where my grandmother would have seen it. I believe that she may have gotten information from distant relatives that lived in Georgia, descendants of a Taylor Berryhill, first husband of Margaret Elizabeth Rea Rodden (my grandmother’s g-grandmother). That’s all I have.

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You're welcome! Just something about finding the name and reunion in the same year in a neighboring state makes my research spidey senses tingle.

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Well! What a find that is! It does complicate things. Alexander was a common name among the Berryhills, and I wonder if maybe there was another one they were taking about. But the story I received that isn’t was his son, John, who immigrated to the Colonies, and that Old Alex died in Ulster. Well, crap! Even if it does complicate things, it may lead to clarity later. I’ll just have to keep digging.

As I recall, one of the items on that document of my grandmother was a list of Pennsylvania Berryhills, some of whom were killed in Indian raids during Colonial times.

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There are several articles on Newspapers.com about the Harrisburg, PA Berryhill's. They back up the info about the raids and THAT Alexander Berryhill was the Burgess of Harrisburg when George Washington visited in 1794 -- both things are mentioned in at least two articles. It's not your Alexander, but possibly a descendant.

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This is one of the articles that references the raids for the PA branch: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/23106077/the_evening_news/

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Well, that confirmed in early piece of the story, the Indian raids. Thank you, NJ. All this is going to stack up and lead to a solution, I’m sure.

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You're welcome! Hope you figure out this puzzle or at least gain some more clarity around it.

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I have this list.

Answer 2

Scotlandspeople have an Alexander Berrihill (i rather than y) born in Alloa in 1669. Might be worth having a look at the image to see if that could be the man you are looking for. Viewing the index is free, but you need to buy credits to see the actual record.

Comments

Well, that’s definitely close to the date I have for his birth. Thanks, Lynda!

I suppose that the only way I could confirm this Alex is to prove his marriage to “Lady” Jane Cartwright, supposedly the daughter of John (or Thomas) Cartwright and “Lady” Jane Reyton, whose names I see frequently in Berryhill genealogies. (Lady in “ “ as I am suspicious of it!)

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Which side of the Atlantic do you expect the marriage to be on?

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Yours. London was the story.

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Nothing obvious showing up. Considering how a London clerk might mangle a Scottish Berryhill pronunciation you might also want to consider Burrell or Birrell.

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Thnaks for trying, Lynda. Variants make things tough, but they are worth pursuing. Appreciate it.

Answer 3

Family reunion was in Bellbrook, Ohio, August 8, 1931. I have a photo copy of the page that speaks on this.

Comments

Bandie, I'd love to see that article!