THE EIGHT CHILDREN OF WILLIAM AND RACHEL TERRY : BOTETOURT CO., VIRGINIA

 Various legal records in Botetourt and Montgomery County Virginia, family records, and other sources support the idea that William Terry had eight (8) children. In numerous records they are identified as a child of William Terry.

William Terry (b circa 1724 - Fall 1792). He married, most probably, Rachel Manson 3 February 1759 in Philadelphia at Christ Church. (Note, no other marries of a William and Rachel have been found despite years of searching) Church records identify William's wife's name as Rachel in Botetourt Co.

Since ALL birthdates are estimates based on an assumption of British Common Law requiring land and marriage to be undertaken by a man of 21 years, some have played fast and loose with assigning birthdates, often to support a theory of a first wife or something similar.  That need not be the case, however, when it is understood that there were exemptions to the 21 year requirement when involving gifts of land, parental permissions could allow a younger marriage, and marriage itself could be rather - fluid - in the frontier area with a local church or minister marrying without necessarily involving a civic entity and having said marriage recorded and fees paid to the state.  In addition, some cultures recognized a "social contract" and many early records of clergy traveling the wilds include marrying couples with babes in arms. One Quaker record found from the 1700's involved a couple who married in a non-Quaker church in March and, because it was not recognized as a marriage by the Quakers, they remarried in Quaker form in May. They had two legal marriage dates: one civil and one religious and both valid.

The "problem" of children then born before a 1759 marriage may not involve a "first" wife at all merely our perception of custom. It use of the estimate is helpful but should not be held to with firm conviction.

William and Rachel, therefore, had the following children:

• William Terry Jr., born circa 1755-1758, Augusta County, Virginia; md Patience Cooper, d. c1825 Montgomery Co.,Va. He was granted 100 acres in 1771 by his parents, "William and wife Rachel" along Black Run, a branch of the Roanoke (the area of William's 1755 land patent). He petitioned for the right to open an ordinary in his home in Montgomery Co., in about 1793. An ordinary was a pub/inn/resturant or a combination of the same. In his will he apparently had no children, but left funds to "Isaac Terry, son of Miles Terry" (thus supporting a familial relationship) and two nieces, daughters of his wife's brother, and former owner of some land William had acquired, Washington Cooper.
• John Terry, born circa 1760, married Esther Brown, 2 February 1781, Botetourt County, Virginia (Book 2, page 15). He left Virginia late 1700's and moved into Anderson Co. Tennessee and spent time in Wayne Co., KY before moving into Perry Co., Indiana. He had 14 children (see his entry elsewhere on this blog). A recent trend is to insert "Burris" as a middle name but there is no evidence of this presented or any evidence found, added to the recent addition of this fact, it must be held suspect until solid evidence comes along. [Note three descendants of this man have been identified with Haplogroup I-02; this will be helpful in providing additional evidence as to parentage of this line). He is identified as a son of William Terry and having a 1/8 share to his estate in court records.
• Miles Terry, born circa 1763, married Hannah Horton, possible daughter of a William or Joseph Horton in Botetourt Co. at the time of her marriage 30 January 1782 (Book2, page 18). About the time of his father's death in late 1792, Miles was advised by a lawyer to press his siblings to make statements as to a spoke last will; apparently, his father may have spoken aloud how he wanted his estate divided and now there was a need to address just how the estate would be divided. 
• Susannah Terry, born circa 1765, married Thomas Brown, brother to Esther Brown who married her brother John. They married 21 January 1783 in Botetourt Co., Va (Book 2, pg. 20). Later in a "bargain of indenture" (1818) it was stated that Susannah was the daughter of William Terry, one of his eight children, and located her inheritance as encompassing land William rec'd by patent in Sept of 1755. Her children signing it were named as Henry Brown, Keziah Brown Hannan, Mary Brown Thompson, and Esther Brown Blain, along with the female's spouses.  
• Mercy Terry, born circa 1766, married Jonathan Harrison, her relationship and marriage are affirmed through land sales identifying her as one of the eight children and through who the land was sold to and locations. They were identified as being in Claiborne Co., KY. There is no evidence this woman was named Mildred and may indeed have been confused with a Mildred among the eastern Terry groups (something that happens a great deal!)
• Jasper Terry presents a bit of a challenge, the shares of his deceased sister Jemina Terry Boucher went to him and he sold them. There is often some confusion as to who this man is since there are at least three Jasper Terry males in Botetourt County and Montgomery Co., Va. One Jasper Terry is mentioned in land records as "Jasper Terry and his wife Ruth" (1793,1804). Some trees say this is the man who married #1 Ruth LNU and # 2 Margaret Snidow and left a will in 1819 in Montgomery County, Va. The will, however, appears to name Margaret as the heir along with three daughters and several males presumed to be sons: Karon-Happuck Terry Rose, Keziah Terry Graham, Jemina Terry Deweese, Silas Terry (who md a Caty Rutrough, Elijah Terry (a Mar Wright or Right), Jonathan Terry (an Elizabeth), William Terry (who from records married an Elizabeth). The dating of the legal papers would imply that Ruth Terry died between 1804 and 1819 when Jasper died, having remarried a woman named Margaret. There are, apparently, no records of any marriages of a Jasper Terry to a Ruth ? or a Jasper Terry to a Margaret Snidow (she is only named as Margaret Terry in the will but her daughter from a previous marriage is labeled as Susannah Snidow; since no dating information had been found this may be the married name of the daughter since many Snidow families were in the area). A first marriage is possible, but maybe not as depicted. More likely, is that these are two DIFFERENT groups. One may be the son of Jasper Terry who md Mary Morrison, a brother to Josiah Terry who married Mary Lloyd. That is a possibility IF descendants of Silas, Elijah, Jonathan, or William  exhibit the Haplogroup of G-02, as descendants of Jasper-Mary Morrison Terry, Josiah-Mary Lloyd Terry, Jasper Morrison Terry and Aaron Burr Terry have (see DNA articles this blog). If they, instead demonstrate an I-02 they fall into the line of descendants of John Terry, son of William and Rachel Terry, and show a marked link to Terry's in Bucks Co., Pa. If they fall into the I-01 category the are connected to a large body of Terry's along the coastal and eastern areas into NC, SC and elsewhere. Since post-revolution some of that "eastern band" of the Terry's drifted into Botetourt County areas. Some even purchased lands once owned by William Terry. These "distant cousins" then muddy the waters of local research into the name. (A note on the names of his daughters in the will: names come from the Bible and refer to the blessings given to Job after his trials, and the inference in the will is that these were his blessings as well. Their marriage dates rule out them being the daughters of Margaret, so all children would then, if they are the same men, would be the children of that "first" wife. Also, simply adding "Ruth" to a known Mary or Margaret name simply does not work without supporting evidence.)
• Rachel Terry, born circa 1766, married John Martin (again relationship supported by local court records, additionally there is a John Martin on the tax roll of Hawkins Co., TN where John Terry lingered and his wife birth two or three children. Families of that name who came from Hawkins County, additionally, will move to Pea Ridge, Arkansas and be mentioned in a letter written by John Terry's son William. He will note they were the "old stock of Martin's." 
• Jemima Terry, born circa 1769, Botetourt County, VA, married Ezekiel Boucher, June 30, 1796, in Montgomery Co., VA (Book A, page 64) Father William Terry gave consent. She apparently died before the following summer as Ezekiel marries again at that time. Her 1/8 share went to her husband who sold it to Jasper Terry who sold it in turn to someone else.