Early Colonial Roads Made Connections

 The idea that people might have traveled long distances in colonial periods is often scoffed at and people state deep wilderness, harsh environments, and dangerous threats to squash the idea. Yet, it that always true? Was the isolation of deep country settlements as complete as some imagine? True, there were no super highways, no glossy toll roads, but there were well marked pathways that took people from point A to point B and eventually to the cities of the Northeast (New York and Philadelphia).

So when a presumed marriage of a William Terry to a Rachel Manson in 1759 in Christ Church at Philadelphia occurs many say they would never have made such a journey to marry. There are several assumptions related to that statement. One is the unproven assumption that Rachel Manson was born in Botetourt County, Virginia (or the earlier Augusta county). The name Manson seems to be absent in all early records in Kegley, Chalkley and several other standard early works.  Yet, there is a mention of a James Manson who was in both Delaware and Philadelphia circa 1760.  He is mentioned in a Quaker record of 1762 and since the name is so seldom found (assuming the spelling is correct as recorded in the Christ Church records) a Manson family might have been living in the area of Philadelphia when a William Terry traveled there to  (visit distant relatives, conduct legal or banking matters, acquire supplies or equipment, etc.). The social circles of the day and the social restrictions under which people operated usually meant that future spouses were found in the area of relatives, business acquaintances and religious groups.

Any young man looking to get ahead would have wanted to look his best, make good introductions and be seen as a man of prospects.  In Philadelphia the now historic Christ Church was (from their website): "Christ Church, the birthplace of the American Episcopal Church, was founded in 1695 as a condition of William Penn’s Charter. Known as “The Nation’s Church,” it hosted members of the Continental Congress during the American Revolution and Presidents George Washington and John Adams in the first decade of the newly established Republic. Among early members were Benjamin and Deborah Franklin, Betsy Ross, John Penn (William Penn’s grandson), and signers of the Constitution and of the Declaration of Independence, including Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, and Francis Hopkinson.

Dating to 1744," note about the time a William and Jasper Terry are showing up in Botetourt Co. area of then Augusta Co.,Va, "the current building has been cited as “our finest Early American church” and one of the finest Georgian structures in America. Its steeple (1754), financed by a lottery organized by Benjamin Franklin, is the work of Robert Smith, one of America’s earliest architects. For 56 years, the steeple made Christ Church the tallest structure in North America." (Christ Church » History (christchurchphila.org).

Although the apparent DNA of the William Terry of Augusta (Botetourt) County in Virginia shows strong links to the vast Quaker Terry groups of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, not all of those stayed in that faith. Quaker records are rife with people being removed due to breaches of church custom (failure to dress plain, marrying outside the group and without their approval, strong language, drinking, fighting, etc.). Indeed, in the Virginia regions of William Terry there was a strong Presbyterian presence and early church. His descendants, having moved into Kentucky and Tennessee became Methodist.