William Berry[1]
The immigrant ancestor of many of the Berry family in Northern New England was William Berry [1]*1*. He was born about 1613 in England. At the age of 18, in 1631, he immigrated to Portsmouth, New Hampshire.*2* He lived in Sandy Beach and Rye, New Hampshire for a few years before moving to Strawberry Bank and Newberry, Maine by 1635. *3* He died before 28 June 1654. He married Jane [1], whose maiden name may have been Hermes. *4* She was born in about 1619. Jane survived William, *5* and in about 1657 married Nathaniel Drake (1612 - about 1691). *6*
The children of William [1] and Jane [1] Berry were:
Joseph Berry [2]
Joseph [2] Berry was born around 1639, probably in Maine. He apparently married late in life, since his children were born when he was in his 50's. Whether he may have had another, earlier wife and children is not known. He married Rachel [2], who may have been the daughter of Philip Lewis [1]. *11* Joseph [2] lived in Sagamore Creek and Greenland, Maine, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He died before 1717. *12*
The children of Joseph [2] and Rachel [2] Berry were:
Joseph Berry, II [3]
Somewhat less is known about this Berry ancestor. He and his wife, Mary [3] _____ lived in Scarboro, Maine. He was a soldier at Fort William and Mary in 1708. *15*
Joseph [3] and Mary [3] Berry had seven children, of which I have information on only three *16*:
Elisha Berry [4] Elisha [4] also, presumably, lived in Scarboro, Maine, since all of his children seem to have been born and/or baptised there. He married, in 1728, Mary [4] _____. He may have been married a second time on 23 Feb. 1744, to a Unes (Eunice) Getchell [4]. *19*
The children of Elisha [4] and Mary [4] Berry *20* were:
The children of Elisha [4] and Eunice Getchell [4] Berry *32* were:
Westbrook Berry [5]
Westbrook Berry [5] was born on 16 Dec. 1734, in Scarboro, Maine. He was baptised a short while later, on 12 Jan. 1735. On 23 Jan. 1755 he married Jane Freeman [5], whose ancestry is not yet known. They were married in the Second Congregational Church of Scarboro, Maine. *36* The fact that Jane Berry [5] married John Crocker in about 1768 *37* suggests that Westbrook [5] died earlier. This is confused by one report, which fixes the birth of their last child at 1791, a most difficult feat. It is probable that this birth date is, in fact, that child's marriage date.
The children of Westbrook [5] and Jane [5] Berry were:
Jonathan Berry [6]
Jonathan Berry [6] was born in 1754, in Scarboro, Maine. He was a soldier in the United States Revolution, as a private under Capt. Stephen Smith, Col. Benjamin Foster's Massachusetts regiment. *42* Presumably before their first child was born, ca. 1782, he married Hannah Knight [6]. *43* She was probably fairly young at the time, because they went on to have fifteen children, the last three in 1802, and 1811 (twins). *44* He died in 1838. *45*
Jonathan [6] and Hannah [6] had the following children:
Sarah (Sally) Berry [6]
Sarah Berry [6] was born in Machias, Maine. On 5 Dec. 1776 she married Joseph Getchell, III [6] The Getchell family, likewise, traces its history through Maine to its Colonial New England arrival. *48* She died on 31 Oct. 1842, in Machias. Joseph Getchell, III [6] was born on 8 May 1757 in Scarboro, Maine. He served as a seaman in the Revolution, and was taken captive by the British. He was returned to the U.S. forces in a prisoner exchange on 8 Oct. 1778. He died in March of 1837 in Machias or Marshfield, Maine.
Joseph [6] and Sarah (Sally) [6] Getchell had these children:
Rebecca Berry [7] and John Getchell [7]
John Getchell [7] and Rebecca Berry [7] were first cousins - his mother and her father were siblings. John [7] was born in 1785 in Machias, Maine and died in 1875 in Marshfield, Maine. Rebecca [7] was born on 28 Jan. 1791 and died in 1822, probably following the birth of their last child. They married in 1807. Following Rebecca's death, John [7] married Jane Hadley [7]. They had two children, Rebecca [8] and Susan [8]. After 1826 (following Jane's death), John married Remember Ellis [7], the daughter of Samuel Ellis [6] and Mary Nye [6]. They had no children.
The children of John Getchell [7] and Rebecca Berry [7] were:
To John Getchell [7] and Jane Hadley [7] were born two girls:
The Minnesota Getchells
This story would not be complete if I did not follow through and show how this family relates to me. My wife, Sara (Gabel) Hood is the 13th generation from William Berry [1].
Briefly, Joseph G. Getchell [8] and Mary Smith (?) Lingley [8] had three children, among whom was Daniel Weatherby [9] (b. 31 May 1844, Machias, Maine, d. 26 Nov. 1916, Seattle, Washington). He married Mary Lavery [9] (b. 3 May 1843/45, County Queens or Cork, Ireland, d. 5 Feb. 1926, Seattle, Washington). They had 12 children, among whom was Peter Benjamin [10] (b. 14 Feb. 1871, Minneapolis, Minn., d. 26 Sep. 1894), who married on 25 July 1849, Ida Jane Wolsfield [10] (b. 9 Mar. 1873 in Hammond, Wisconsin, to Jerry Wolsfield [9] and Catherine Ann Rush [9], d. 3 Dec. 1963 in Hopkins, Minnesota). He served in the Minnesota Regiment in the Civil War. They had three children, among whom was Francis Benjamin [11] (b. 19 Aug. 1899, Superior, Wisconsin, d. 20 Feb. 1974, Minneapolis, Minnesota), who married on 5 Nov. 1924, Allace Miriam Cowen [11] (b. 26 Nov. 1898, Ely, Minnesota, d. 1996, Duluth, Minnesota; daughter of Franklin Law Cowen [10] and Susan Mildred Bagley [10]). They had three children, one of whom was my wife's mother, Catherine Allace [12] (b. ____, Duluth, Minnesota, still living in Huntsville, Texas), who married on 10 Jan. 1953, William Robison Gabel (b. _____, Beloit, Kansas, still living in Huntsville, Texas). They had five children after twins who died at birth, the eldest of whom is Sara Gretchen [13] (b. _______, Topeka, Kansas) who married me on May 15, 1976 in Lubbock, Texas.
*1* See, S. Noyes, C.T. Libby, and W.G. Davis, Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire, 89-90 (Baltimore, 1988) (hereafter "Noyes"). The listing for BERRY, WILLIAM is as follows:
"WILLIAM was at Strawberry Bank bef. 1636; in 1645 his land adj. Turpin and Cummings; of Str. Bk. 10 July 1648, he sold to Anthony Ellins. Land at Sandy Beach was gr. him 31 Jan. 1648, and 40 a. more in 1652, over which his ch. and grch. scattered, undiv. until 1719. Selectman 1646, const. for lower part of Str. Bk. 1650, gr.j. 1650. Lists 41, 321, 323, 324, 330a. Adm. gr. 28 June 1654 to wid. Jane, who dep. in 1686, ag. 67, that she and her husb. liv. here bef. Mr. (Francis) Williams came. She m. 2d Nathaniel Drake (5). Ch: John, b. 1637. Joseph. Elizabeth, m. ab. 1652 John Locke. Mary, m. John Foss (1). James. Rachel, m. John Marden. William. Most of the grdaus. are unkn. Sarah, who m. Samuel Dowse (2) 1 Mar. 1688-9, was evid. one, likelier (7) [Here prob. referring to the 7th entry under the Berry listing, JOHN, b. 1637.]"
Noyes lists other Berry progenitors, living in the same general area, whose children and grandchildren marry some of the same families as William's. These include Ambrose Berry of Saco (later Biddeford) and Cape Porpus, Gyles Berry of York and New Hampshire, James of Boston, John of Greenland, Joseph of Piscataqua and Boston, Thomas (killed in an Indian fight in Falmouth), and another William (b. ca. 1663).
*2* According to Savage, he was "one of the prop. sent by Mason,
for his planta.". James Savage, A Genealogical Dictionary of
the First Settlers of New England, Vol. 1, pg. 171 (Baltimore
repr. 1977) (hereinafter "Savage").
*3* Savage states that he "had rem. to Newbury [in 1635], there
he was adm. freem. 18 May 1642 ..." Savage, supra.
*4* Suggested by query in Vol. 6, Second Boat, No.3 (Nov. 1985)
by Mary Jane Sanborn, Box 676, Balboa, CA 92661:
"Need all data on Jane (Hermes?) who m. William Berry (1613 - c. 1654) of Sandy Beach / Rye, NH & 2nd wife, poss. Susannah. Also want all data on Rachel, wife of son Joseph Berry (c. 1639 - c. 1717), Sagamore Creek & Greenland.
(Hereafter, "Sanborn Query".)
*5* This, of course, is contradictory with the Sanborn Query,
which would have William Berry remarrying a Susannah _____.
Since divorce was probably out of the question, it is possible
that this Jane Berry was a sibling of William, not his wife.
That is contrary to the Noyes information. I leave this
contradiction unresolved for now.
*6* Suggested by a query in Vol. II, Second Boat, No. 3 (Nov.
1981) by Edgar Batchelder, 41 Kensington, Pleasant Ridge, MI
48069:
"Need info on Nathaniel [2] Drake, b. c 1612 Eng.; d. aft. Apr. 1691; m. Jane (?) Berry, wid. of William [1] Berry c. 1657."
This is supported by Savage, who stated that William's "wid. Jane, m. Nathaniel Drake." Savage, supra.
*7* Noyes, supra, which lists their children as
"John, b. 14 Jan. 1659 (1660?). William, b. 1663.
Hannah, m. 1699 Daniel Allen (2)."
*8* Additional information on the Foss family comes from a query
to Vol. III, Second Boat, No. 1 (May 1982), by Edgar Batchelder,
41 Kensington, Pleasant Ridge, MI 48069:
"Need parents, m. data for John [1] Foss, b. c 1636, Eng.; d. 13 Sep. 1710, Rye, NH; m. Mary [2] Berry, b. c. 1640, NH, dau of William & Jane Berry; d. aft. 1666, Rye, NH. They m. c 1657.
Mr. Batchelder is no longer actively seeking information on this family, but may still have valuable data.
*9* Noyes, supra. Their children are listed as
George, "b. 1674, of Newc. 1702, m. in Hampt. 1 Jan. 1702
Deliverance Haley (Andrew) of Kittery, he then of Sandy Beach;
settled in Kit. 5 ch.", James, "b. 1676, of Greenland, m.
4 July 1700 Eleanor Jenness, dau. of Francis; both liv. 1762.
Lists 315b, 326a, 338acd. 7 ch.", Samuel, m. Abigail
(Webster) Marden, wid. of James; she d. 19 June 1750 in 75th yr.
4 ch.", Ebenezer, "mar. 1st, 17 Sep. 1714 Keziah Knowles,
2d, 14 Nov. 1727 Mary Kingman, widow. Ch: 6+5.", Rachel,
"m. 1st Richard Goss of Rye, 2d Job Chapman (6); d. 19 Feb. 1798,
ag. 97".
*10* Noyes, supra. Eight children are listed there:
"Elizabeth, b. 15 Oct. 1686, m. 24 July 1705 Christopher Palmer. Nathaniel, b. 13 Feb. 1688-9, mar. Esther Wallis. Stephen, b. 18 Jan. 1690-1, m. 4 Jan. 1716 Anna Philbrook (Thomas). 6 ch. William, b. 18 Nov. 1693, d. 8 Oct. 1786, m. 21 Dec. 1721 Sarah Lane (William of Hampton); she d. 3 Jan. 1776. 2 ch. Jeremiah, b. 8 Mar. 1695-6, k. by fall from tree, 8 May 1719. Frederica, b. 15 Jan. 1697-8, m. 1st Samuel Huggins, 2d Philip Babb jr. (1). Abigail, b. 15 Mar. 1699-1700. Jane, b. 26 Jan. 1701-2."
*11* Suggested by a query in Vol. 6, Second Boat, No. 1 (May
1985), by Robin R. Alexander, 2301 Doral Drive, Austin, TX
78746:
"Need proof that the Rachel who m. Joseph Berry (d. bef. 1717) of Portsmouth, NH was dau of Phillip Lewis of Portsmouth. Proof in land recs. several generations later?"
*12* Noyes, supra.
*13* Noyes has him taxed at Greenland in 1698, moving to
Mansfield, Connecticut in about 1717.
*14* Could he have been related to Philip Lewis [1], the
(possible) father of Rachel Berry [2]?
*15* Noyes, supra.
*16* The records of contemporaries in Scarboro and elsewhere
suggest that some of the other children may have been: Hannah
(m. William Mitchell 31 May 1744), Sarah (m. Benjamin Carll 14
June 1744), John (m. Abigail Moody 21 Nov. 1753), John (m. Relief
____ ante 1742) (1 The Maine Historical and Genealogical
Recorder, pp. 85, 86, 168), and Nathaniel (m. Mary Mitchell 18
Jan. 1755) (III The Maine Historical and Genealogical Recorder,
pg. 169, entitled "Intentions of Marriage in Georgetown, Maine,
1743-1762" by Rev. H.O. Thayer.)
*17* Noyes, supra, refers to him as "Capt. Joseph, adult
in 1733, liv. 1783". He may have married Lydia _____, and had
the following children: John (b. 7 Apr. 1732), Elizabeth (b. 29
Sep. 1730), Nathaniel (b. 9 June 1734), Samuel (b. Aug 1736),
Lydia (b. 25 June 1738). See Scarborough Town Records Article,
infra, pp. 121, 217.
*18* Noyes, supra, adds "(grst. at Newmeadows.)
*19* 4 The Main Historical and Genealogical Recorder, pg. 29,
entitled "Second Congregational Church [Scarborough, Maine] -
Marriages" (hereafter, "Second Congregational Church
Records").
*20* These records drawn from S.M. Watson (Ed.), The Maine
Historical and Genealogical Recorder, Vol. 1, No. 1 (1884)
(Baltimore repr. 1973), in the article entitled, "Records of the
First Congregational Church in Scarborough, Maine", communicated
to Wm. M. Sargent, Esq. (hereafter, "Sargent Article").
*21* 5 The Maine Historical and Genealogical Recorder, pg. 120,
entitled "Scarborough Town Records", copied from original by S.M.
Watson (hereafter, "Scarboro Town Records Article").
*22* Sargant Article, pg. 113.
*23* Sargant Article, pg. 114.
*24* Sargant Article, pg. 115.
*25* Sargant Article, pg. 116.
*26* Scarborough Town Records Article, supra, pg. 215.
*27* Sargant Article, pg. 119. He may have married Sarah Libby,
of Machias, ME, on 30 Sep. 1768. Second Congregational Church
Records, supra, pg. 34.
*28* Scarborough Town Records Article, supra, pg. 215.
*29* Sargant Article, pg. 164.
*30* Second Congregational Church Records, supra, pg.
32.
*31* Sargant Article, pg. 166. Note that it is not possible
that this Mary Berry was the wife of Joseph Getchell, II
[5], and the mother of Joseph Getchell, III [6],
below, making the latter a cousin to Sarah (Sally) Berry
[6], his wife. This is because Mary Berry [5],
wife of Joseph Getchell, II [5] was previously married to
Israel Mitchell. She had three children of that first marriage,
William (b. 27 Oct. 1735), Mary (b. 19 Aug. 1737), and Margret
(b. 2 May 1745).
*32* These records drawn from S.M. Watson (Ed.), The Maine
Historical and Genealogical Recorder, Vol. 1, No. 1 (1884)
(Baltimore repr. 1973), in the article entitled, "Records of the
First Congregational Church in Scarborough, Maine", communicated
to Wm. M. Sargent, Esq. (hereafter, "Sargent Article").
*33* Scarborough Town Records Article, supra, pg. 215.
*34* Id.
*35* Id.
*36* Second Congregational Church Records, supra, pg.
30.
*37* Suggested by a query in Vol. 1, The Dinghy, No. 4 (Aug.
1988) by Norma Reynolds, 9 O'Brien Ave., Machias, Maine
04654:
"CROCKER, Mary, w/o of John of Lunenberg, MA [Now Fitchburg]. Among planters Glanville, Nova Scotia 1760. She d. there early 1760's. He and son James settled in Machias, ME where he m. Jane FREEMAN BERRY, widow of Westbrook BERRY 1768."
Other accounts place the marriage in Bristol, Massachusetts.
*38* She may have been related to Hannah Knight [6], wife
of Jonathan Berry [6].
*39* He moved to New Brunswick, Canada. Drisko, History of
Machias, Maine, pg. 377.
*40* He may be the Benjamin Berry (1762-1860), served as private
in 1780 in Capt. Joshua Foss' company, Col. Thomas Bartlett's
Massachusetts regiment, born in Rye, NH, and died in Embden, ME,
placed on the pension roll 1832. D.A.R. Lineage Book, Vol. 97,
pp. 81-82 (Mrs. Lottie Berry Hapworth, No. 96259). By one
account, he married Mary Rice, and had Benjamin, Jane, Polly,
Lydia, Hannah, Stephen, William, Elihu, Aaron, and Lucy. Drisko,
History of Machias, Maine, pg. 377.
*41* Perhaps related to John Crocker, second husband of Jane
Freeman Berry [5]. They had John, Betsey, Otis, Sally,
Polly, Olive, Catharine, Mariner, Caleb, Hannah, George, and
Ulmer. Drisko, History of Machias, Maine, pg. 377.
*42* D.A.R. Lineage Book, Vol. 110, pg. 251 (Mrs. Lelia Smith
Crawford, No. 109808).
*43* Her lineage is presently unknown. However, there were
several births to a William and Hannah Knights, of New
Marblehead (Windham), including Abigail (b. 5 Dec. 1744), Samuel
and Hannah (b. 13 May, 1744), and a record of the death of Hannah
Knight, the mother, on 2 March 1745/46, aged 36 years. 3 The
Maine Historical and Genealogical Recorder, pp. 284, 287 (1973
repr.), entitled "Records of New Marblehead (Windham, 1743-99"
copied from the original by S.M. Watson.
*44* Although it is possible that Hannah [6] had all
fifteen children over a span of 38 years (say, between age 17 and
55) the gap of nine years between 1802 and 1811 suggests that she
may have died and Jonathan [6] may have remarried in the
interim.
*45* D.A.R. Lineage Book, Vol. 110, pg. 251, supra.
*46* They had Jane, Charles, Harriet, Stephen, Thomas,
Archibald, Nancy, and Caleb. Drisko, History of Machias, Maine,
pg. 377.
*47* The spelling of this name is difficult to read; it looks
somewhat like "Jones".
*48* Joseph [6] was the son of Joseph Getchell, II
[5] (ca. 1726-1822) and Mary Berry Mitchell [5].
She was probably related to these Berrys, having been born in
Scarboro, Maine; her first husband, Israel Mitchell (m. in
Scarboro 24 Dec. 1730, moved to New Meadows & drowned there 1749;
son of William (son of Christopher and Sarah ____) and Elizabeth
Tinney). Noyes, supra, 483-485. He died in 1749, before
her second marriage on 17 July 1750 to Joseph Getchell, II
[5]. Joseph [5] was the son of Joseph
Getchell/Gatchell [4] (1692 - ?) and Eunice Hatch
[4] (1703/04 - bef. 1753, dau. of Samuel Hatch [3]
and Lydia [3] _____). See my Hatch
Pages for more information on this branch. Joseph [4]
was the son of Samuel Gatchell, II [3] (1658/59 - 1710, of
Salisbury, Mass.) and Elizabeth Jones [3] (1662 - 1735, of
Amesbury, Mass., dau. of Robert Jones [2]). Samuel
[3] was the son of Samuel Gatchell [2] (1615 -
1697), the immigrant from West Monkton, Somersetshire, England to
Massachusetts in about 1636, and Dorcas Wooden [2] (? -
1685).
*49* Probably not the Polly Berry [7], above, because of
their probable ages and the fact that she married Thomas Hanscomb
in 1805.
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