1762 - Born to William and Rachel Manson Terry, Jan 30, Botetourt Co., Va, All birthdays of this group are estimates based on a common feature of British Common Law that a man had to be 21 to inherit or marry. Evidence, however, in North America and Virginia indicate that there were exceptions. Note, that this line of Terry's show several generations where twin births occurred making another possibility as to why some might have a common or too close a birthdate. It should be considered.
1763-1787 - The American Revolution began with some preliminary events that will build to the more focused events familiar to nearly every school child, 1776 to the Paris Treaty of 1783 that ended the War of Independence. Even young men of sixteen joined local militias to prepare to defend their communities if called upon. Many younger than that received training in arms, hunting, combat from experienced elders in the family of the region. It is believed that Miles and his brother John Terry were in Captain Neeley's Company, 13th District. Neeley was a long time resident of the region around Botetourt Co., Virginia area.
1782 - Marries Hannah Horton. Mar. 1782 Botetourt, Virginia Death aft. 1810 Floyd, Kentucky? spouse Hannah Horton. Sources: Marriages of Botetourt Co., Virginia#1126446 Book 2 Pg. 18 Family History Library, SLC, Utah. Children of Hannah Horten and Miles (Sr.) Terry are: +Rachel Terry, b. 178?, d. date unknown. Isaac Terry, b. 1783, d. date unknown. Miles Terry Jr., b. 1784, d. date; Annie; Susannah; Leonard; Thomas; Hannah?
1786 - March 1786 • Botetourt Co., Virginia, A Miles Terry fined for breaching the peace (20 pound fine), resolved by dismissing him on his own recognizance. (Source Annals of Southwest Virginia, pg. 408-409, 416). 1786 • Botetourt Co., Virginia, USA
1793, Feb 12, page 8; Miles Terry versus Terrys) Ord [ Note - other records have an 1801 date for part of these records] On motion of Miles Terry by his attorney it is ordered that, Rachel Terry, widow & relict of William Terry deceased, Gasper Terry (thought to be a spelling for Jasper) & William Terry (Jr. of Montgomery County) and Thomas Brown & Susanna (Terry) his wife (of this county) be summoned, to appear at April court next to show cause (if any they can) why the noncupative will of said William Terry decead'd shall not be admitted to record. Notes: The deceased is dead by the date of this action (12 Feb 1793) and leaves a wife, Rachel. The children/heirs are believed to be Jasper Terry (his name appears in records of the time as Jesper and Gaspar as well as Jasper; two different lines in the area have the same name unless DNA proves they are the same lines), William Terry Jr. (wife Patience Cooper), and sister Susanna Terry Brown. A noncupative will was one spoken before witnesses (such a man saying he wished so and so to inherit this or that on his death or do such and such).
Most histories and records support the idea that this Miles, son of William and Rachel Terry, migrated into Kentucky with several relatives and friends. Likely they settled in Floyd Co., Kentucky. His brother John will name a son Miles Terry (and Miles will purchase land in Perry and Gibson Co., Indiana for himself and on behalf of his father from about 1835 upwards),
Based on records of the era, it is believed that this group would have left Botetourt County and head on a southwesterly heading to reach the area of the Holston and Cumberland Gap trails in about 1783. It was probably done in a series of stops and starts. Settling and moving on using established routes. Some may have gone ahead and returned with tales to lure others to better lands.
The majority of these Terry were gone from Botetourt and Montgomery Co., Va by 1810. The trigger was no doubt the death of their father William Terry in about 1792 (a legal record identifies his wife as a widow and since those documents are often dealt with as soon as possible, a death of 1792 seems realistic. He was probably buried on family lands or in a private cemetery now lost to floods, overgrowth and development. His wife probably died about 1803 when the land begins to appear in legal records as each of his eight children deals with their 1/8th inheritance of his estate. From those records the identity of his eight children can be implied: William, Miles, Jasper, John, Mercy, Susannah, Rachel, Jemima, No birth records so their dates are estimated based on an assumption of legal age to buy land or marry as twenty-one years of age. There are, however, some exceptions and so, for example, a young man might be transferred land (as in the case of William Jr in 1771) at an earlier age and he could have been 16 years at the time. So, others need not be born as earlier as some suppose weakening the case for a first marriage for their father William.
The exceptions to the exodus were the family of Susannah Terry Brown and her husband Thomas along with her heirs (Henry Jr, Heziah or Keziah, Mary, and another daughter); the family of William Terry Jr and wife Patience Cooper Terry in Montgomery Co., (he leaves money to the son of Miles Terry, Isaac Terry, in his will of 1825), and POSSIBLY one of the Jasper Terry groups (assigning them to a family tree and determining who left will be a matter for DNA. As one line of Jasper Terry-Mary Morrison has been tested to reveal a Haplogroup of G-02 which is different from results found in descendants of Willliam and Rachel Terry through son John Terry) represented by a) Jasper and Ruth (seen in 1783 and 1804 legal land papers) and b) Jasper and Mary Morrison Terry (with son Josiah and Mary Lloyd and grandsons Jasper Morrison Terry and Aaron Burr Terry). Other family members such as Mercy and Jonathan Harrison migrated into Claiborne Co., Ky, Jemina had died shortly after her 1896 marriage. Rachel and John Martin are believed to have moved into Hawkins Co., Tennessee with family members and may be why John Terry headed that way as he migrated.
These were common courses used to reach the wilderness of the land south of the Ohio River. The established trails of the day would then move the group to a northwestern direction on a common trail leading to the area of Louisville. This tracks with suspected or claimed places for weddings and births in Kentucky for the wider group of Terry's on this trip. Plotting that general course, following those established trails would eventually lead one to the southern edge of Indiana where John Terry would settle in what would be known as Anderson or Perry. His son William move on across Indiana to Gibson County before heading into Missouri and Arkansas in about 1834.
Other lines of this group also named their sons Miles so the legacy moved into Arkansas and into Missouri with their families. His brother John Terry with wife Esther Brown Terry, possibly John and Rachel Terry Martin, and others, moved into southeast Tennessee (Hawkins County area) about 1783 (as John's first child Josiah may have been born in Botetourt, but second son William would always state it was the area of where Hawkins and Sullivan Counties rested (they switched and merged under several names for a time). Then they moved into Kentucky and it is there that it is believed Miles settled with Hannah Horton Terry.
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