The Terry Family Letters: Crucial History

 On another of my pages, on Wednesday, October 30, 2019, I posted an entry titled "JED DARREL TERRY: A LEAF DROPS FROM THE FAMILY TREE" when I learned of the passing of this cousin and fellow researcher. (See http://www.lawrencecountyrecord.com/content/jed-darrel-terry and at https://www.bennettwormington.com/obituary/jed-terry). 

"Jed Darrel Terry, 86, of Purdy and Springfield, passed away March 8, 2019, at Oak Pointe of Monett.  He was born Oct. 18, 1932, in Purdy to Homer Terry and Mellie Burg Terry. In 1958, in Bellflower, Calif., he was married to Norma Judith Lewis; she survives.

Terry grew up and received his education in Purdy, graduating in 1949. He attended California State University in Long Beach, Calif., graduating in 1959. He then graduated from American Graduate School of International Management in Glendale, Ariz. While in California he worked at the Union Pacific Railroad in Los Angeles. He served in the Air Force during the Korean War from 1952-1956.

He spent most of his career with Citibank/Citicorp in New York, Brazil and Chicago. While in Chicago he was named Who’s Who in the Midwest, was a director of Citicorp Savings and served on the presidents council of the Museum of Science and Industry.

His passion was family history and he wrote books on the Terry and Burg families. He was a member of the National Genealogical Society, Ozarks Genealogical Society and Barry County Genealogical and Historical Society. He also was secretary of Arnhart Cemetery Association. He enjoyed playing tennis and golf and was invited to play in the PGA golf tournament pro-am at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, Calif. He loved his farm and enjoyed making and riding trails on his ATV’s.

Surviving are: son, David Terry, of Ridgedale; daughter, Diane (Kevin) Bayly of Laurel, Md.; eight grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Preceding him in death were: his parents; sisters, Lucile, Louise, Maxine; brothers, Charles, Famous, Eugene, Fulton, Ward, Ed; and one granddaughter.

Services were held at Bennett-Wormington Funeral Home March 16, 2019. Burial with military honors was at Arnhart Cemetery in Purdy. Arrangements were entrusted to the care of the Bennett-Wormington Funeral Home in Monett."

His two volume set, The Terry Family Letters include not just family trees researched and supported by evidence current to the publishing (1995-1996), but also copies of documents, original letters (some dating to the late 1840's) by family members to family members,  and photographs. These comprise historical and family tree information.

His historical books on the Terry family are vastly important works. They contain the photocopy images of original letters dating to the middle of the 1800's between Terry family members (and their Reed spouses) in Red River County, Texas and Arkansas and Barry County, Missouri. These are all annotated, have accompanying family group sheets and contain family information as well as social and historical details related to the time and setting of the writers of the letters.

They can be found in several university and family history library collections. Search for them using WorldCat to locate copies near to you.  See elsewhere this blog an index to letters. 

Significant for my line of William Terry and Barbara Ennis was a letter that referred to people in Anderson (both Anderson Co. TN and Anderson, Perry Co., Indiana applied to the residences of John Terry father of William, a mention of a brother Josiah in Tennessee and when a check was made only one fit the bill and was a son of John Terry). In addition, as other lines were connected their information fleshed out the lines with greater surety. 

William Terry (1785 to 1869): Tennessee to Missouri, A Brief Outline

 The following outline was created by  family historian Harriet Terry (of Pratt, Kansas) and the information for this list (and others) was sent to this blog's writer in about 1986-1990. She had been in communication with Dennis Ray Terry of Wellington, Kansas, son of Roy Dennis Terry. Her information, copies of her handwritten copies of letters, etc. were shared with this writer (sister to Dennis).  Harriet Terry, in conjunction with other family researchers of descendants in Texas, Missouri, Arkansas and elsewhere transcribed rar

e, handwritten letters sent by William to his sons, letters they sent to him, and letters exchanged among other family members. These were preserved by Red River County, Texas family members who, in turn, handed them over to a state archives at one of the universities. Another descendant, Jed D. Terry, worked with a broad assortment of families to bring together in two volumes copies of most of the letters, annotations, photographs, documents, etc. The Terry Family Letters volumes can be accessed in several major research centers in Missouri, Texas, Arkansas and elsewhere. The following is her outline and my notes in brackets.

"Outline of William Terry's life put together from the letters.

1. Born Hawkins County, Tennessee [other records show sometimes Sullivan Co., Tennessee; but the area was in flux at the time of his birth and research indicates people citing birth in such locations often use several of the names later affixed to the areas]

2.Moved to Gibson County, Indiana "as a young man" [His eldest son is listed on census as being born in Kentucky; it is believed William married  Barbara Ennis about 1806 in Kentucky; bulk of his children born in Gibson County]

3.Moved to Madison County, Arkansas in April 1832 [land records indicate his brother John Jr also left about that time; his sons Martin and John will marry in the same general location in the 1830's as well]

4. Moved to Washington County, Arkansas in November 1854 (10 or 12 miles west of Fayetteville, Arkansas)

5. Spent the winter with son Martin Terry in Little Springs, Madison County, Arkansas (1855-56)

6. Made a trip to see his cousins - "The Martin's of the old stock" who lived "out on Sugar Creek on a place called Pea Ridge (Benton County, Arkansas) on  June-July 1857.  [He makes mention in a letter, also, of hearing about his brother Josiah in Tennessee and from his wife's brother John Ennis in Indiana. It is believed that William, son of John Terry born c 1760 in Botetourt Co., Virginia, would have had an aunt named Rachel Terry who married a John Martin and he or his children may have followed John into Hawkins Co., Tennessee. This, then, would be "the Martin's of the old stock."

7. Moved to Barry County, Missouri in 1858. [Where they were during the war years is unclear; from other letters we know Martin Terry and his family were uprooted and they spent several years trying to stay ahead of one army or another, loosing two children to typhus from fouled water created in the troop and ammunition soiled land and waterways.]

8. Lived with Harp and Ennis families (daughter's Nancy and Matilda's families) in Barry and Greene Counties, Missouri, 1867

9. Lived mostly with son Martin Terry in Barry County, Missouri - July1867 - April 1868.

10. Went back to Greene County, Missouri (daughter Nancy Harp or Matilda Ennis) in early 1869 where he died 15 May.

11. Buried in Green County, Missouri on farm owned by one of his son-in-laws."

"William was rather outspoken in his letters. When he didn't like something, she said so! " Harriet Terry, circa 1985.

Profiles and timelines for each of his children will be added in upcoming entries.