Memorials › Betsy Smeathers Berry

Betsy Smeathers Berry

1791 – 1818

Birth1791
Death1818
FaGhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/140240173

Bio

INFORMATION NOT VARIFIED BY CURRENT MANAGER OF THIS MEMORIAL Betsy was first daughter of William Smeathers and only wife Mary Winters from Tennessee. Her death is not really known for sure but somewhere around 1818 probably Indiana as that is where her last son Joseph was born. She was so young and left John with 3 young sons who raised to the call to be a good father and do well for his children. Besty mrd John Berry 1811 KY b abt 1786 VA d 1866 Williamson Co TX [he md 2x more, Gracie Treat Indiana, Hannah Devore TX] Betsy 3 sons with John Berry 1John Bate Berry 1813 KY 2Andrew Jackson Berry 1816 IN 3Joseph Berry 1818 IN [some/most confuse Joseph being born as first son but it is not possible as the Berry family married and lived Ohio Co KY and did not move to Indiana until 1815, when her last two sons were born Indiana, which also is confirmed not just by data written on them but AJ gravestone itself shows him born Indiana as do census.] Betsy SMEATHERS married John BERRY about the year 1811 KY. John BERRY served with Capt William SMEATHERS in the War of 1812 as did Wm's oldest son John Bate Smeathers Sr. In 2 letters written by Mary Jane Smeathers FOSTER to her cousin John Smeathers Jr. (originals in personal files) in the year 1910 she speaks of her "Uncle John BERRY". Betsy died after three sons were born 2 in IN, 1 in KY: John Bate BERRY, Andrew Jackson BERRY and Joseph BERRY. John BERRY came to Texas after his second marriage to Grace TREAT. He was to marry one more time to Hannah DeVORE and had a total of 18 children w/3 wives. John BERRY is the great grandfather of the much honored Audie MURPHY by his 3rd wife Hannah. Betsy and John's 3 sons fought with Texas many times in her freedom from Mexico. William SMEATHERS remembers the two BERRY grandsons in his will but Joseph is not mentioned perhaps due to him already well established in the blacksmith trade with some land, he also included in his will the 3 boys father, John Berry. 1813 First child of Betsy Smeathers and John Berry is born May 8 Ohio co KY-John Bate Berry – verified by his gravestone in TX. 1815 - John Berry and Betsy Smeathers Berry moved with a big group from Tn headed to Monroe Co In with a stay over in Lawrence Co Ill at the Christian Settlement until the Indiana lands opened. Betsy prob died 1818 Indiana & maybe buried at the Centerville Cemetery which was the ole Pioneer cemetery, as John, then left with 3 small sons, married 2nd Gracie Treat July 1819 Bloomington Indiana. [Wm Smeathers stated on Tx census he was fr Indiana when he arrived around 1821 2nd time] Mary Jane Smeathers [Foster], Archibald Jacob daughter, states in her 1910 letter to her Uncle John Sr, "John Berry brought John Smeathers to TX 5yrs bef my father came & crossed the Sabine Rvr w/Austin's Colony." We know John Berry went to TX in 1826 so obviously did Wm's son John Sr. Mary Jane also states "My father [Archibald Jacob] came to TX when I was 5 yrs old." MJ was born Sept 11 1825 Ind. This puts her father in TX abt 1830. So by 1830 we have Wm, his sons John Sr, Archibald & son in law John Berry in TX. 1816- 2nd son Betsy Smeathers & John Berry, Andrew Jackson Berry born May 16 1816 Monroe co Indiana verified by his TX gravestone and his widow’s pension. 1818-3rd son Betsy Smeathers & John Berry, Joseph Berry born probably Indiana about this time is prob when Betsy dies. 1820 Monroe Co Ind living next to John Smeathers Berry, John Males up to 10 3 John Bate, Andrew Jackson, Joseph Males 18-26 1 Archibald Jacob, 2nd son Wm Smeathers Males 26-45 1 John Berry Females 16-26 1 Gracie Treat 2nd wife Fast forward to Texas 1830-1833 - John Berry[m dau Betsy Smeathers], who came to Tx as a Robertson Colonists with Archibald Smeathers[s/o Winters/Smeathers] is located in Burleson County. He was in Bastrop Co where he rec'd a town lot in 1831 until 1836. Settled on Berry Creek 1847. Archibald Smothers rec'd land in Lavaca county Mar 27 1835. Archibald Jacob Smeathers dau Mary Jane Foster in a 1910 letter says her father came to Tx when she was 5 yrs old [she being born 1825] so he [Archibald] came abt 1830-31. She says John Berry came with John Smeathers sr abt 5 yrs bef her father=1825-26. She says her grandfather Wm Smeathers came 15 yrs bef Austin colony=1810. She says she came in 1853 and her father in Burleson Co se of Caldwell, where John Berry was living on Berry Creek. Berry Creek is 3mi east of Caldwell. So we have no trace of Archibald or Wm during this 3 yrs period, poss they were around John Berry in Liberty. 1880 Census Precinct 1 Mason, Tex lst born son of John/Betsy John Bate BERRY Self M M W 67 KY [son/o John Berry]Farmer Fa:KY Mo:KY Nancy Elizabeth BERRY Wife F M W 35 TX [Frazier-Gentry-widow of Wm Gentry when John Bate marr her] Occ: Keeps House Fa: TN Mo: TN John William GENTRY Step Son M W 17 TX [Nancy Frazier Gentry's lst husb son] Occ: Works Farm Fa: TX Mo: TX William CLARK Nephew M W 14 TX Occ:Works Farm Fa:TX Mo:TX Betsy and John 3 sons Andrew Jackson Berry, John Bate Berry, Joseph Berry they distinguished themselves in Tx Rev. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Marker Files,Tx Hist Comm Austin Tx & Ame Rev (San Antonio: U of Tx Institute of Tx Cultures 1975 1John Bate Berry b May 8 1813 KY [md a widow Nancy Frazier Gentry w/son, had no children together] d Dec 20 1891 bur Grit Cem Mason TX "John Bate Berry Hist Marker (1813 - 1891) Forefathers resisting America's foes on many frontiers inspired John Bate Berry, who came to Tx fr Ky 1826 fought (1835-36)in Tx War for Indep and 1842 Mier Exped to stop Mexican raids on Rep of Texas. Captured, imprisoned freed 1844 scouted for the American army 1846 during Mex War. Married, lived in this locality, and fought to make frontiers safe for settlement. (1977)" It is marker number 11268 and found by searching for "Berry" on the website: http://atlas.thc.state.tx.us Survey - Person or Concern bearing the land certificate at time survey filed. JOHN B BERRY J. BERRY 194 1299 [our John Bate Berry] ** When the news of the death of young William Gentry fell like a pall over the Gentry householdit was felt by the widow, Nancy Frazier Gentry and her small son, John. William Gentry, and two years later a courtship developed between John Bate Berry who had made a brilliant record in the Texas war for independence, lived on the main Llano some six miles below the mouth of Gentry Creek by the Gentry widow. They rode horse-back to Fredericksburg, obtained a license, were married and returned horseback on their honeymoon trip through the Indian county to their home in Kimble, where they lived in peace and quiet. Berry was a devout member of the Church of Christ. He was buried in the Grit Cemetery in Mason County, His wife died in 1928 at the age of eighty-three and was buried beside him. Description: Fought at the Battle of San Jacinto 1977 the TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION had metal memorial put on the grave of JOHN BATE BERRY (1811 - 1891)#16267305 2Andrew Jackson Berry May 16 1816 Indiana [only son to have children] Jack Pope desc wrote the Berry 900 pg book on John Berry and his 3 wives. Jack Berry married lst Rhoda Jane Hughes (1824-1866) July 29 1839; nine children. He married 2nd Mary Catherine Sloan Sep 3 1872; eight children. 1936 Mary Catherine was honored at the Texas Centennial celebration in Dallas as the last surviving widow of a San Jacinto veteran. AJ Berry died July 31 1899 in Baird when his team of mules, frightened by a train, ran away and he was thrown from his wagon. He is buried in the Ross Cemetery at Baird, where the state of Texas placed a marker for him as a veteran of San Jacinto. He enlisted as a private in the Mina Volunteers Feb 28 1836 and fought at San Jacinto as a member of Co C First Regiment, commanded by Capt. Jesse Billingsley. After the victory he extended his service until June. He fought in the battle of Plum Creek Aug 12 1840 under the command of Col Edward Burleson. 1843 he enlisted in Capt. Jack (John C.) Hays's Texas Rangers and 1846 served at Goliad under Lt John T Price. Berry moved his family in 1847 to the future Williamson Co where the family was gathering on the Berry league Berry Creek and the San Gabriel River. He served as a member of the first grand jury after that county was organized. He enlisted as a private in the Confederate Army and later served as captain in Archie Hart's company, Twenty-seventh Brigade. He joined the Texas Vets Assoc when it was organized at Houston 1873. He left Williamson County and was ranching in Lampasas County 1876, moved 1881 to a ranch he purchased south of Baird Callahan Co where he spent the rest of his life. 3Joseph 'Joe' Berry b 1818 Ind d Dec 26 1842 Mier Expedition MX During Texas' struggle for independence from Mexico, the Berry family, except for John and the three eldest sons, John Bate and Andrew Jackson, and Joseph took refuge at Fort Parker to avoid the armies of Santa Anna. This was called the "Runaway Scrape". Both John "Bate" and Andrew Jackson "Jack" Berry were with General Sam Houston at the Battle of San Jacinto April 21 1836. All three of the older boys, Bate, Jack and Joe became Texas Rangers with Seth Billinsley, John G McGeehee, William H Hill and John L Lynch. All three fought in the Indian battle at Plum Creek August 12 1840. Bate and Joe were members of the ill-fated Mier Expedition to Mexico. Joe was the first to die December 26 1842. He was bayoneted by a Mexican soldier. Bate was taken prisoner with the rest of the army. He escaped at Salado with the others but was recaptured. He was a prisoner in Perote Prison east of Mexico City, Mexico until September 16, 1844, almost 21 months after his brother was killed. Betsy would been so proud of her sons. Sad she did not live to know them better or her many grandchildren but loss of her son Joseph would made her very sad for sure. We are not sure but its possible she died with birth or complications thereof with her last son in Indiana. Folks have looked extensively for any sign of her grave in that area for some time without any success. Since her dad William Smeathers included the Berry father and Bate and Jack in his will we have felt sure this was in allot of honour to his daughter he lost so soon and was extremely proud of their endeavours as Joseph was still living and well established when he died 1837 so he was spared that fate of Joseph's death.

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