An Odd Coincidence: Minerva A. Terry

 The daughter of John King Terry in Barry County, Missouri (son of Martin, son of William, son of John, son of William) had a daughter, Minerva Ardella Terry (1880-1898), who died tragically at age 17 when she and her brother Granville "Bud" Terry (1877-1898) crashed on a mountain road in a motorcycle he had built himself in 1898 in Barry Co., Mo. 

Searching for other records for the young woman I ran across a marriage record for another Minerva A. Terry , this one in Breathitt County, Kentucky. Looking closer at the record, I was amazed to see her father was a Miles Terry. 

Since there are "miles" of Miles Terry (and other surnames from daughters naming sons) I was intrigued. Since the name can be found going right back to a son of both John and the first William (to date) had Miles who moved into Kentucky.

Then I saw the name of the man that Breathitt County, Kentucky Minerva A. Terry married : surname was Jett.  

In the line of William and Rachel Terry of Botetourt County, Virginia is a son named Miles who married a Hannah Horton, probable daughter of a William in the county circa 1780. She may have had brothers there as well as a Joseph is listed.

This Miles and Hannah had a son, Isaac Terry, and they all moved into Kentucky.  Miles may have lost Hannah and remarried. 

This Isaac Terry may be the one listed in early 1800's land grant for Breathitt County, Kentucky.

Is the name just a coincidence? Did John King Terry have contact with cousins in Kentucky? Was Minerva A Terry or Minerva Ardella Terry just a happenstance selection based on "hot baby names of the 1870's"?

I think it might deserve a little research....especially those seeking to untangle the Terry, Jett, Horton trees.

P.S.

To further confuse things: 

A Madison, Arkansas grave is for a Minerva Rebecca Jett Grigg/ Minerva Rebecca Jett Grigg, 1846, Arkansas, USA; DEATH 12 May 1926 (aged 79–80); Madison County, Arkansas, US  A  Minerva Rebecca Jett Grigg (1846-1926) - Find A Grave Memorial

A Breathitt, Kentucky grave for a Minerva A. Terry Jett adds another coincidence due to the name of her husband, Granville Jett.  21 Nov 1878, Breathitt County, Kentucky, USA;  DEATH 19 Oct 1944 (aged 65), Breathitt County, Kentucky, USA  Minerva Ann Terry Jett (1878-1944) - Find A Grave Memorial  (The photo on this entry reveals a very familiar Terry face to my way of seeing things).

The Will of William Terry Jr. 1824 - UPDATED

It is believed that this man is the son of William Terry and Rachel Terry of Botetourt Co., Va. In 1771 they assigned 100 acres to him on Black Run  identifying him as "son."

" 826 Book 4 page 203, Feb court- William Terry will;

His wife, Patience Terry will enjoy all property until her death, then To Isaac Terry, son of Miles Terry, $100 in property to be paid after his wife's death. 

[Note:  The Miles Terry with son Isaac would be the brother of this William, Miles married Hannah Horton).

The land where he lives will go to nieces, Patience and Elizabeth Cooper, daughter of Washington Cooper from whom he bought the land.

[Washington Cooper was a brother of his wife Patience Cooper. Her lineage and connection as wife of Wm Terry is attested to in her father's will]

All negroes at wife's deth be set at liberty which they are to have, two choice horses and gears and waggon and 2 plows and furniture sufficient to ceep house, one acre apiece and two best wheels.& provisions sufficient to take them to a free state and ten dollars apiece for all that is groon. To be taken out of my wife's estate at her deth. At my deth, the plantation where Frank lives to be sold to highest bidder and the money to my wife.

[Who "Frank" is remains unclear; however the treatment of the "negroes" is out of the ordinary and goes a long way to supporting a connection to the Jasper Terry and Mary Hart Terry who came from strong Quaker stock in Pennsylvania; a strong theory suggests William Terry Sr. was a cousin or other relative of that group]

30 Dec. 1824.

From Montgomery County, Va. Will Books / will proven Feb 1826 indicating his death date range.

His wife, Patience Cooper, also left a will according to information in the work Over the Mountain Men by Worrell (pg.54). The will probated Feb 1847, Floyd Co., Virginia (which had area carved from old, previous Montgomery Co., just as that county had been carved from Botetourt and Botetourt from Augusta and Augusta from the massive lump Orange Co., Va that covered a vast portion of mid and western Va.). In her will,  is named Isaac Terry, Elizabeth, Mary and James Cole, James Craig, and Patience (wife of Lewis Day). These constitute the same Isaac Terry, Elizabeth and Patience Cooper of William's earlier will.