WILLIAM AND SARAH BERRY

The following bio was taken from page 111 of the book entitled "Rusk County History" compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission.

Transcribed by Shirley Koym

Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Rusk County TX Coordinator

William Berry, born about 1800 in Georgia, died about 1867 near Overton or Washington-on-the-Brazos. I have good reasons to believe that it was Overton. He married Sarah Rowe March 8, 1832 in Monroe, Louisiana. She was the daughter of George Rowe and Sarah Ratliff of Ouachita Parish. I have the Rowe family back to 1754 in Strasburg, Germany and the Ratliffs back to the 1780’s.

Sarah Rose, born in 1812, died February 1850 in Claiborne Parish, near Homer. She and her husband had five children. Elizabeth died shortly after Sarah and was probably an infant. Jane E., born in 1838 or 1839, in Ouachita Parish, married Charles M. Whitehead January 20, 1859. She came to Rusk County in 1869. The couple are buried in the Neely Cemetery. The 1880 census lists the Whitehead children as: Fanny, Gus, Josephine, John, Mark, Robert Lee, Austin, and Clifton. Austin and his wife had the following children: Addie, Corene, Barton, Eudi, Audie, Vera and Ozella. Sarah A., born October 12, 1841 in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana married June 28, 1866 Henry Evans, Claiborne Parish. He was a mechanic. Sarah died January 29, 1924. There are no dates on Henry. Both he and Sarah are buried in the Evans plot in Henderson City Cemetery. They had Viola, who first married James Nunn, and second, James Monroe Gibson. She is buried in the Millville Cemetery. Luther Henry, born October 3, 1870 in Troup, married Lula Clark. Benjamin F., born October, 1872, and died (?). Thomas Berry, born December 6, 1874 at Rocky Mount or Troup, married Carrie Sorgee. Bulah married Jesse Williams. John G. Berry, born January 17, 1843, in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, on July 17, 1869 married Eliza J. Murry, daughter of William J. and Martha Murry. Their children were: Ida, Germar, J. Elmer, Chester, Benny, Fawn, Sterling, and Abey P. A. John died December 24, 1910 in Laneville. Mary Oliver, born December 27, 1844, married William M. West on March 12, 1865, at Bright Star, Arkansas. They had Willie, born June 27, 1866, in Smith County and is buried beside Mr. York. He died September 5, 1875. William M. died January 1, 1866 and is buried in Black Jack Cemetery. Tommy Holdeman is buried by him. No grave markers other than large trees.

Mary married her second husband, William York of Rusk County, March 12, 1871. He was a corporal in the Civil War and was also a mail carrier. I was told he was wounded in the leg in the war. He is buried in Heath or Moore private cemetery located below Good Springs and just past Mr. Guy’s Store, on the right about fifty feet. Willie West is buried beside him. There are no markers. Mr. York died April 25, 1875. The York’s daughter Eugenia, married Floyd Graham. Their children were: Oliver, Minnie Bell, Mary Louise, Charlie, and Floyd T. who died at the age of two years. John Wesley married Edna Naul. Their children were: William, Eugene, Thurman, John Jesse, Annie Louise, Leon and Della. Mary’s third marriage was to Thomas Jefferson Holdeman (See Holdeman family).

On February 18, 1851, William Berry married in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, Mrs. Mary Maloy Short, who had a daughter Viney Short. Mary Short was born in Ireland. Mary and William had four children: Alice, Louise, Margaret and Eugenia.

William Berry sold many slaves and much land in 1863 and 1864. Before he and his family left for Texas he locked his Confederate money in a trunk. He had one thousand dollars in gold and a trunk full of Confederate money. He thought he could keep his slaves and buy land cheap in Texas. They went by way of Miller County, Arkansas. When crossing the canebrake along the Sabine River, most of his cattle were lost. It’s likely they arrived in Ravana, Arkansas in 1865, since Mary married Mr. West, in March 1965. When Confederate money was no longer good, Mr. Berry had one of his slaves that stayed with him pull the old trunk out from under the bed and burned all of the Confederate money.

The Berry family stayed with Alexander Stuckey, Sr. about a year and started for Austin by way of Rusk County to stay awhile with his children there. He left Aunt Viney behind to marry Alexander Stuckey, Jr. Aunt Viney married about March of April, 1866. The Stuckeys owned a store in Ravana, and some of their descendants still live there.

After William Berry’s death, Mary Maloy Berry and the few slaves trekked on to Austin, arriving there in 1868. She is buried in Austin in the cemetery where her daughter and family are buried. A granddaughter still lives there.

Submitted by Helen G. Holdeman Pearson