ELMWOOD PLANTATION. An image that, I believe, first cropped up in Lula Terry Elliot's book on the descendants of William Terry, . She includes a letter from the library in Roanoke in her work.
According to many researchers this house was the home of the Terry's in what is now Roanoke, VA. It served as the recreation offices of the city in 1944 and later the main library but was demolished in 1964 as the and the libraries grew ( public library). The area is known as Elmwood Park.
The last Terry to reside there on South Jefferson Street was the town's first millionaire, Peyton L. Terry. According to one source, Peyton acquired "Elmwood" in 1868 after the Civil War. This seems to be where the history of the house, from the library, begins its journey. If the name "Elmwood" referred to a plantation (lands as well buildings) it is unclear when that name was first applied. Additional evidence has to be found to answer the question as to when it became "Elmwood." It appears, at first glance, as if the structure could date to the post civil war era and thus the name may have arisen then as it was occupied by the millionaire Peyton Terry.
I tend to believe that the name and the house probably came much later than the 1700's and the life of William and Rachel Terry and their eight children: William, Jasper, Miles, John, Mercy, Susannah, Rachel and Jemima.
In the late 1700's there is evidence that this "eastern" group of Terry's were migrating into the areas of Botetourt and Montgomery Co., Va. After the death of William Terry in 1792 and his wife in 1803 - the heirs largely sold their 1/8 shares and many left to head to Kentucky, Tennessee, Indian, and Illinois (and beyond).
Other sources indicate he was the son of a Stephen Terry and there had been a "Elmwood" in Pittsylvania Co.. Continuing research will clarify the connection as valid or just a really good story.
Peyton Leftwich Terry of the Pittsylvania Co. Va area, was the descendent of Steven (1805-), son of William (1777-1815), son of Stephen (1750-1802), son of Zachariah (1725-1767 and all in the same Pittsylvania Co., Va area) who may have been the son of a James Terry (dates and location unknown). His wife, Mary Terry, wrote a book, "Big Lick Homefront: 1861-1865" written in 1898. A group whose descendants appear to reflect Haplogroup I-01.
Descendants of John Terry, recognized through court documents as the son of William and Rachel Terry, have DNA that reflects I-02. This means the two group are related - far back on the tree - and not a closer relationship.
Although connection to this home is still possible due to many unanswered family history questions. from the information about the last Terry resident (who may or may not have named it), it would appear that there is no clear connection to the Peyton L. Terry of Elmwood and the line of this page.
The TERRY line of this page goes back to William (b. PA?) and Rachel Manson Terry (early pioneer and Rev. War Soldier in Botetourt Co., VA and the Big Lick/Black Creek area). He owned land there at least as early as the mid-1700's. His son John Terry (wife Esther Brown) who settled in Perry County, Indiana and was also a Rev. War soldier, to William and Barbara Ennis Terry, Martin and Mary Ann Reed Terry, John King Terry and Mary Ann Riddle Terry, and Wesley Sartin Terry and Edna Maggie Boyd Terry.
The family tended to be very prolific and to be westward bound - with many lines being the first settlers in numerous locations, from Kentucky to Texas and beyond.
No comments:
Post a Comment