James Berry I (1690 - aft. 1756)

Born 1690 in Ireland

Descendants

Died after 1756 after age 66 in Augusta County, Virginia

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Dale Berry [send private message]

Summary

^[1]

Before Ireland, the DNA Evidence and the Connection with the I-BY184065 Haplogroup ("Augusta/Washington Co.") Berry Family in the USA Viking Ancestors Probability per Dr. Patrick Berry, August 21, 2023

Until recently, I thought that our Irish Berry family was most likely to have been Anglo-Irish, and to have been associated with the Cromwellian settlement of Ireland by English Protestant soldiers and Merchants. (see http://downsurvey.tchpc.tcd.ie/history.html).

However, no documentary or genetic evidence has been found to support this. In fact, recent SNP (Big-Y) testing now indicates that our Berry family is probably descended from a Viking founder who arrived in Ireland between about 800-1100 C.E.

During this period Viking ports and settlements were established at Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Cork and Limerick. I- BY184065 with a tMRCA of 1650 CE has been established as the "signature" SNP of our Irish Berry family. It and all four of its current child SNPs have Berry ancestors and no other surnames. The SNP above it, (I-FGC69702) has a tMRCA of about 250 CE, a thousand years before surnames existed (and before the Vikings left Scandinavia). Its descendant lineages include reported European origins such as England, France and Poland (in addition to our I-BY184065 Irish lineage).

I have recently been discussing our Big-Y results with Robin Spencer (who is a genetic genealogist and author of http://scaledinnovation.com/gg/gg.html?nm=welcome ). On the basis of his advice regarding interpretation of our results and also FTDNA’s newly “Discover” tool, I now believe that the genetic (SNP) evidence shows that our Irish Berry family is descended from a Viking founder who arrived in Ireland between about 800-1100 C.E. Hence our inability to find genetic or primary documentary evidence for a Scots-Irish or English ancestor. In other words, we are even more Irish than I had previously thought! I-BY184065 with a tMRCA of 1650 CE has now been established as the "signature" SNP of our Irish Berry family. It and all four of its four current child SNPs have Berry ancestors only and there are no other surnames. The SNP above it, (I-FGC69702) has a tMRCA of about 250 CE, a thousand years before surnames existed (and before the Vikings left Scandinavia). Its descendant lineages include reported European origins such as England, France and Poland (in addition to our I-BY184065 Irish lineage).

If you look at https://discover.familytreedna.com/y-dna/I-FGC69702/tree you will see that all the non-Irish reported origins (England, Scotland , Poland, Norway etc.) branch off before I-BY184065. The only exception to this is one reported England origin under I-BY184065 which reflects Ryan Berry's hypothesis that his eka came from Eyam, Derbyshire.(I am hoping that Ryan is going to reconsider this).

The Viking Age There are numerous DNA hits in Sweden, Norway, Normandy, Germany, Ireland, Scotland and England. These hits indicate that our Viking, Norman and English ancestor are probable.

Studies of genetic diversity provide some indication of the origin and expansion of the Viking population. Haplogroup I-M253 (defined by specific genetic markers on the Y-chromosome) mutation occurs with the greatest frequency among Scandinavian males: 35 percent in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, and peaking at 40 percent within western Finland. Haplogroup I-M253 arose from haplogroup I-M170, which appears ancient in Europe. The haplogroup was previously thought to have originated 15,000 years ago in Iberia, but as of 2010 it was estimated to have originated between 4,000 – 5,000 years ago, in Chalcolithic Europe.

The group displays a very clear frequency gradient, with a peak of approximately 40 percent among the populations of western Finland and more than 50 percent in the province of Satakunta, and around 38 percent in Sweden as a whole, with a peak of 52 percent in Västra Götaland County in central Sweden.

I-M253 is found at its highest density in Northern Europe and other countries that experienced extensive migration from Northern Europe, either in the Migration Period, the Viking period or modern times. It is found in all places invaded by the ancient Germanic peoples and the Vikings.

The period from the earliest recorded raids in the 790’s until the Norman conquest of England in 1066 is commonly known as the Viking Age of Scandinavian history. Vikings used the Norwegian Sea and Baltic Sea for sea routes to the south. The Normans were descended from Vikings who were given feudal overlordship of areas in northern France—the Duchy of Normandy—in the 10th century. In that respect, descendants of the Vikings continued to have an influence in northern Europe. Likewise, King Harold Godwinson, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, had Danish ancestors. Two Vikings even ascended to the throne of England, with Forkbeard claiming the English throne in 1013–1014 and his son Cnut the Great becoming king of England 1016–1035.

James Berry's^[2][3][4][5] birthdate has been given as anywhere between 1673 and 1717, with 1690 being the most usual.^[6] His place of birth is also uncertain: both Northern Ireland^[7] and Scotland^[8] are possible,

The Berry Clan is a sect of Scotland’s McIntosh clan. Ethnically, the Berry family is Scotch-Irish in ancestry, which connotes a combination of Irish and Scottish backgrounds. This family probably came to America as part of the movement of approximately a quarter of a million Ulster Scots to the American colonies from 1717 until the beginning of the American revolution in 1776 due to religious persecution famine, and political and economic reasons. While the location of this Scotch-Irish Berry family cannot be traced with certainty prior to their appearance in Augusta County, Virginia, they seem to have been part of a flood of northern European immigrants, predominantly German and Scotch-Irish, that traveled down the Great Wagon Road to the valley of Virginia and beyond from Pennsylvania. The Scotch-Irish were almost entirely Presbyterian in religion, and for the most part, consisted of middle class farmers and tradesman who had left Scotland and northern Ireland in response to economic, religious and political pressure from the English. Most arrived in the American colonies by sea in the Philadelphia area, and moved westward to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, which at the time constituted much of the piedmont area between the Pennsylvania continuation of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shuylkill River. The promise of inexpensive land drew them into the Shenandoah Valley and beyond down the Great Warrior Path, eventually known as the Great Wagon Road, that lay in the basin between the rugged highlands of the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains.

"James Berry(~1690 - ~1756) is one of the two oldest traceable people in this lineage bearing the Berry surname, the other being John Berry, who is here interpreted as being the brother of James Berry. ( John had the following children: James, William, Charles, Francis, Mary, and Rebecca.)

Due to the repetitive use of the given name, James, in this family group, this individual is referred to as the elder James Berry in this report. While there seems to be a small body of unverifiable data that speculates on certain aspects of his life, there is very little information from primary or secondary sources documenting this man, and the few sources available merely record the last several years of his life. From the available information it appears that James Berry was probably born in northern Ireland or Scotland, and may have been married twice. Unsurprisingly, this data is quite incomplete and contradictory, expressing disagreement on his age, who he married, the identity of his children, where and when he emigrated to the American colonies, and when he died. Some sources claim that he had moved to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, coming through Philadelphia before 1718, while other references don't place him in the American colonies until about 1740 when he settled in Westmoreland County, Virginia. What is known with certainty is that by late 1749 or early 1750 he had moved to Augusta County, Virginia. " 28 Feb 1750 - Augusta County Will Book 1, page 319 At a court continued and held for Augusta County James Berry being on his motion appointed guard to John, James & Wm Berry orphans of James Berry decd. with Wm. Martin & George Berry his securities in open court This their bond which is ordered to be recorded. 29 Aug 1751 - Augusta County Order Book 3, page 187 On the motion of James Berry Guardian to John Berry orphan of James Berry decd to bring forth that John Jones in whose custody this orphan now is abuses him, I'm therefore Ordered that the said Jones deliver him up to the said James Berry, his Guardian. George Berry petitions that his father, James Berry, be relieved from levy--granted.^[9]

Like most men of his day, James was a farmer. His wife may have been the daughter of John Davis (~1675/~1690+) and Elizabeth. Many researchers believe that she was Elizabeth Davis, but this has not yet been proven. Jim Jackson, Carol Vass, et al, write, "When it comes to the identity of James Berry's spouse(s), there is a greater level of agreement, although the data is still not entirely clear. The names of  two women, Elizabeth Davis and Anne Elizabeth Enfield, are repeatedly mentioned in the various sources, so it seems quite likely that James Berry was married twice. Three sources record the name of his wife as being Elizabeth Davis.7,93,95  One source notes that he was married twice (to Elizabeth Davis and Elizabeth Enfield) with the latter being listed as the second wife,96 while another researcher came to the conclusion that Elizabeth Davis was the second wife.101  The Augusta County, Virginia court records (which are the only primary source documents), verify that Elizabeth was the spouse of James Berry, although there is no mention of her maiden name.21  At this point, no determination can be absolutely made concerning the order of marriage (if indeed there is more than one wife), nor of any maiden names."^[10]

He had two known children, George and Thomas Berry.

Note: While there is solid documentation from primary sources for this assignment of George Berry, the assignment of Thomas Berry is based only upon secondary sources. In fact, the few available secondary sources defining the parentage of Thomas Berry unanimously note that he was the son of James Berry. Most families of this era were quite large, so it is entirely possible that there are a number of additional children. Unfortunately, there is no currently available documentation for any of them."^[11]

He moved to Augusta County, Virginia by 1750.

Note: ("Although nothing certain is known of [James's] whereabouts between 1690 and 1750, it may be possible to ascertain some limited idea of his movements through the known data of his children and grandchildren, as well as from a study of some associated Scotch Irish families that settled in the vicinity.")^[12][13]

On 27 November 1750 he bought (from Robert Campbell) 149 acres "crossing the Middle Branch to Shannadoe" and " situated joining the Glebe land in Beverly Mannor" in Augusta County, Virginia.^[14]. On 19 August 1755, several months before he died, he sold it (149 acres "joining the Glebe land in Beverly Manor") to George Berry.^[15]

By the mid 1750s James appears to have been in declining health. (On 21 May 1754, "George Berry [sought] on behalf of his father, James Berry, to relieve James Berry of tax because of his great age and poverty. "^[16]

James’ son, Thomas, died in Washington County, Virginia. He had the following children: James, Barbara, Thomas, William, Mary, Elizabeth, George, Susannah, Rebecca, John, Francis, and Esther. James had a son named James Junior. James Junior had Charles, James, William, Finis, Elizabeth, and Young.

James died intestate some time in 1756 in Augusta County.^{[17][18][19][20][21]}

Notes

• Paternal relationship is confirmed through Y-chromosome DNA testing. Jim Berry and William Berry match on 67 out of 67 markers thereby confirming their direct paternal lines back to their MRCA Unk Berry.
• DNA Confirmation:
  • Berry Y-DNA Ancestry
  • Berry DNA Ancestry
  • langoiler

• Source: S136 Media: Website Abbreviation: INET - FAMILYWEBSITE - BERRY Genealogy website 20070806 - (Vass et al) Title: Genealogy of the Berry and Associated Families of Augusta, Rockbridge, and Washington Counties of Virginia Author: Jackson, Jim, and Carol Vass, Marie Loughlin, and Donna Fischer Publication: Rootsweb, an ancestry.com community
  Last Revised: 2/22/2009
  
  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~berry/ Date: 02 Sep 2012 Note:
• Repository: R17 Name: RootsWeb.ancestry.com Address: RootsWeb.ancestry.com Name: RootsWeb.ancestry.com URL: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/

• Source: S138 Media: Website Abbreviation: INET - FAMILYWEBSITE - BERRY -Jim- Family of Augusta/Wahington-20071108 Title: Berry Family of Augusta/Wahington Author: Berry, James L. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~langolier/Augusta_Washington/wc_toc.html
  Created 15 Feb 2000 by Reunion, from Leister Productions, Inc. Date: 08 Nov 2007

• Source: S153 Media: Electronic Abbreviation: Berry Family GenForum #235 Title: Thomas Berry b1718IR>us1740's m a BUCHANAN and a WARD Author: Loughlin, Marie Publication: #235 4/19/1998 15:20:48 Repository: #R22 Call Number: 234 of 3176
• Repository: R22

• Source: S158 Abbreviation: 4wikitree Title: P_McC_McCHESNEY_Susan_Berry Ancestors Author: Hickin, Patricia Prickett, compiler Publication: Winchester, VA 20121016 Date: 16 Oct 2012
• Source: S36 Abbreviation: EMAIL ATTACHMENT - VASS - McChesney comments 20120909 Title: Email attachment. Date: 12 Sep 2012.

• Source: S93 Media: Electronic Abbreviation: Berry Family Genforum, #7394 Title: Berry Questions/Washington Co., VA Author: Vass, Carol Publication: #7394 8/25/2002 Date: 20060528 Note: Caol Vass says Elizabeth's (wife of original James Berry) surname is said to be Davis but there is no [extant] documentation to prove it. pph 20060528

• Jim Jackson, Carol Vass, Marie Loughlin, Donna Fischer, "A. James Berry {A.}," Genealogy of the Berry and Associated Families of Augusta, Rockbridge, and Washington Counties of Virginia URL: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~berry/. Accessed 5 June 2017 by Patricia Prickett Hickin.

• Source: S220 Title: James Henderson Berry

• Source: S285 Title: Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.; Repository: #R18 NOTEThis information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created.
• Repository: R18 Name: Ancestry.com Address: http://www.Ancestry.com E-Mail Address: Phone Number:

• Source: S78 Author: Jim Jackson, Carol Vass, Marie Loughlin Title: Genealogy of the Berry and Associated Families.

Acknowledgments

• Carolyn (Duff) Boze created James Berry I. on 24 May 2012.

• WikiTree profile Berry-2693 created through the import of McChesney_Susan Berry m Abram McConnell.ged on Oct 16, 2012 by Patricia Hickin.

• Berry-4783 was created by Kenneth Kent through the import of kenneth direct_2014-01-09.ged on Feb 5, 2014.

http://sites.rootsweb.com/~langolier/Augusta_Washington/ps23/ps23_045.html

Sources

1. ↑ https://sites.google.com/site/irishberrygenealogy/before-ireland
2. ↑ Source: #S220
3. ↑ Source: #S136 Note: 2
4. ↑ Source: #S78
5. ↑ Source: #S285 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Margarett Smythe
6. ↑ Source: #S78
7. ↑ Source: #S136 Note: 2
8. ↑ Source: #S136
9. ↑ Downloaded from Jim Berry's "Augusta/Washington County Berrys" WorldConnect site. Not documented in Augusta Co., VA intil 1753. Will, Inventory & Appraisment Settlement of Estate.
10. ↑ Jim Jackson, Carol Vass, Marie Loughlin, Donna Fischer, "A. James Berry {A.}," Genealogy of the Berry and Associated Families of Augusta, Rockbridge, and Washington Counties of Virginia URL: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~berry/newupload/pages/A.htm. Accessed 5 June 2017 by Patricia Prickett Hickin.
11. ↑ Source: #S136 Page: A. James Berry {A.} citing Descendants of James Berry, ttp ://www.claynet.com; Chalkley, Chronicles; Family History Data in the files of Marie Loughlin, Marie Loughlin, 259 5 - 190th St, Luck, WI 54853,
12. ↑ Source: #S136
13. ↑ Source: #S136 Page: A. James Berry {A.}
14. ↑ Source: #S136 Page: A. James Berry {A.} citing Augusta County, Virginia Deed Bo ok 3, page 64
15. ↑ Source: #S136 Page: citing Augusta County, Virginia Deed Book 7, page 1919. Quality or Certainty of Data: 4
16. ↑ Source: #S136 Page: citing Augusta County, Virginia Order Book 4, page 252
17. ↑ Source: #S93 Page: http://genforum.genealogy.com/berry/messages/7394.html
18. ↑ Source: #S136 "While there is no direct verification from primary or secondary sources, based on the content of several Augusta County court entries, James Berry is here considered to have passed away in Augusta County, Virginia not long after the spring of 1756.)"
19. ↑ Source: #S153 Page: This woild be present-day Washington Co., VA
20. ↑ Source: #S136 Page: James Berry, thought to be the father of Thomas Berry, citing Chalkley, Chronicles, and Deed Books 7 &11, Augusta Cou nty, Virginia, Staunton, Virginia
21. ↑ Source: #S136 Page: James Berry, thought to be the father of Thomas Berry, Sr. , citing Chalkley, Chronicles, and Deed Book 11, August a County, Virginia, Staunton, Virginia