Sarah (Cate) Pigg (1781 - 1875)

Born 22 Dec 1781 in Orange, North Carolina, United States

Wife of Thomas Berry — married 11 Aug 1800 in Orange, North Carolina, United States

Wife of John Pigg — married 11 Dec 1815 in Williamson, Tennessee, United States

Descendants

Died 7 Mar 1875 at age 93 in Cypress Inn, Wayne, Tennessee, United States

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Biography

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..^[1] Sarah and Hannah's father died very soon after Sarah and Thomas were married. The estate sale was held in 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 expedition 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 Rutherford's plantation 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.

Sarah remarried on December 11 1815 in Williamson County Tennessee. ^[2] 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.^[3]

She passed away about 1875. She is buried at the Benjamin W. Holt Cemetery, Wayne County, Tennessee.^[4]

Research Notes

Tombstone states that Sarah had been a "consistant member of the Methodist Church for 50 years."

Sources

1. ↑ "North Carolina, County Marriages, 1762-1979 ," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q285-B492 : 9 March 2021), Thomas Berry and Sarah Cate, 11 Aug 1800; citing Orange, North Carolina, United States, p. , North Carolina State Archives Division of Archives and History; FHL microfilm 418,148.
2. ↑ "Tennessee, County Marriages, 1790-1950," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKHQ-4H6F : 10 March 2021), John Pigg and Sally Berry, 11 Dec 1815; citing Williamson, Tennessee, United States, Marriage, p. , Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville and county clerk offices from various counties; FHL microfilm 1,008,502.
3. ↑ http://berrytree.org/saracate/
4. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9398074/sarah-pigg: accessed 25 January 2023), memorial page for Sarah “Sally” Cate Pigg (22 Nov 1781–7 Mar 1875), Find a Grave Memorial ID 9398074, citing Holt Cemetery, Wayne County, Tennessee, USA; Maintained by 47117651 (contributor 47117651).

• "United States Census, 1840," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHYM-SH3 : 2 January 2023), Sarah Pigg, Wayne, Tennessee, United States; citing p. 100, NARA microfilm publication , (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll ; FHL microfilm . 1 f 60-70, 2 f 15-20. Son Henry next door: 1 m 20-30, 1 f 20-30, 1 m <5. Son, David Berry on other side: 1 m 30-40, 1 f 30-40, 1 m 10-15, 1 f 10-15, 3 m 5-10, 2 m <5, 1 f <5.
• "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MC6S-5QF : 23 December 2020), Sarah Pigg, Wayne, Tennessee, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
• "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8TY-27X : 18 February 2021), Sarah Pigg in entry for J M Hays, 1860. Wayne Co, Tenn.
• "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MD8Z-LVL : 29 May 2021), Sarah Pigg in entry for J M Hays, 1870. Wayne Co., Tenn.

Acknowledgments

• Thanks to Kenneth Sowden for starting this profile.