A WORKING CHRONOLOGY OF JOHN TERRY (C1760-1842)

His birthdate - indeed all the siblings birthdates - are educated guesses. They are based on a working assumption that a man had to be 21 years of age to buy land or marry. The truth be told, in early Virginia, as well as other locations under British Common Law, there were exceptions. A youth of sixteen, for example, could be gifted land or permitted to marry (with someone or more standing surety for the cost of the marriage bond - which in some places and periods could be as low as 50 pounds or as high as 1000 pounds). So, the birthdates are approximations.  This has, I believe, been sadly misused of late as some fudge the numbers to support an early first marriage.  In truth, there may not be ANY problems with the birthdates and potential marriage dates - only in our thinking and our presuppositions.

POSSIBLE CHRONOLOGY OF JOHN TERRY   (c1760-1842)

1760-1764..........ca. born to William and Rachel TERRY, residents of Botetourt Co., VA. They married in 1759 and all the children, possible exception of Wm Jr., could fit within a post 1759 birth.

1781....................married Esther BROWN (Botetourt Co., Marriages, Bk 2, pg. 15)

1782.....................a John TERRY listed on the county militia rolls

1783....................a John TERRY sold land in Washington Co., TN (then part of NC)

1785....................son William born in Hawkins Co. region of Tennessee (region known as also Sullivan Co., NC; Hawkins Co., NC; State of Franklin; The Territory South of the Ohio River)

1787.....................a John TERRY still in Virginia Tax lists.

1788.....................son Haden born *

1788.....................son George born*

1790.....................son John Jr. born in Tennessee (some claim Campbell Co. but that may be questionable since it did not exist then; it did encompass Hawkins Co area)

1791.....................son Elijah born*

17--.......................son Daniel born*

17--.......................son Jasper born*

1792........................a John TERRY sells land in Hawkins Co., TN.

1793........................a John TERRY bought land in Hawkins Co., TN.

1798........................daughter Esther born*

1800........................a John TERRY sold land in Hawkins Co., TN.

1800........................a John TERRY sold land in Grainger Co., TN.

1803........................A John TERRY sold land in Anderson Co., TN.; that same year a John TERRY, Anderson Co., TN sold his share of his Botetourt Co., Va. inheritance. He identified his residence as Anderson Co., TN++

1804........................daughter Rachel born++

1807........................son Elias born++

1809........................son Miles born  (Wayne Co, KY?)

1814.......................son Thomas born

1815........................Moved by oxcart or pack mule to Perry Co., Ind.++

1834........................son Miles buys for father 40 acre homestead in Gibson Co., Ind. This may be part of the land WIlliam Terry, older son of John, had purchased as this is the window when he and brother John Jr. moved toward Missouri and then into northwest Arkansas.

1842........................John dies in Perry Co., Ind.++

 *------Chronology from mss by George Terry, Scott Co., TN.

++----Chronology from mss by Lula Terry Elliot, Clayton, NM.

(from unpublished manuscript of Marilyn A. Hudson)

MAPS AND TRAILS: MOVEMENT INTO AND OUT OF THE REGION OF AUGUSTA CO., VIRGINIA (1730-1800)

 These maps are important and illustrate that a) connection with Pennsylvania for marriage, legal concerns, etc. was possible to the Terry group found in the area around Roanoke (the old Augusta, Botetourt, and Montgomery County regions) and b) that geographic location may play a much larger role in who went where. In other words DNA appears to support that the eastern Virginia Terry's arrived in VA early, migrated down from NY and NJ early and similar migratory movements. They appear to be possible cousins or siblings from some early arriving group breaking them into I-01 and I-02 haplogroups - distant enough to be related but not revealing a close relationship in the DNA. c) This map supports a connection of John Terry who married Esther Brown Terry, presumed son of William Terry and wife Rachel Manson, to Terry's in Bucks Co., Pa who share a Haplogroup of I-02. The path illustrates migration down from Pennsylvania was not only possible but actively used by very early migrations and movements into the area.

The Cumberland Gap route out of Va into TN and KY

The early locations of Virginia Counties

Virginia Colonial settlements, 1700-1775. Note the route down from PA.

The major routes down from New England and NY showing the major threads of migration in the time period: eastern route into the deeper coastal South, a more central route into the deep south, and the more southwesterly route...

A map showing the clustering of current returns on DNA tests by Terry descendants. Into the center and west is also a group with a G-02 indicating a totally different group than the distantly (NY?NJ?) related eastern I-01 group and the southwesterly I-02 groups.

This map shows the travel route of George Washington from Philadelphia to the Roanoke area, clearly showing that the route was well known and used at an early date.