of ROBERT BERRY in ORANGE COUNTY NC

ROBERT BERRY Was born in Princess Ann County Virginia. His father died in 1730 when he was very young and his mother died in 1746 when he was about 17 years old. At 17 years old he had the courts indenture him to a family Member, Samuel Hollowell to learn the carpenter trade. In 1751 Robert and his cousin Matthew Mathias decided to remove to Orange County North Carolina to stake out land as planters. Fortunately Robert had some money from the estate that his father left him. Robert located some unclaimed land just south of property owned by Thomas Bradford in Granville County. Robert built a small cabin in the north east corner of this unclaimed property. He and Mathew may have lived there for a time. After completing the cabin Robert Berry (OC) walked into the Granville Land Grant Office on the sixth day of February 1752 and made entry for a Grant. This was the first step to becoming the proud owner of a large tract of land in Granville County. This was about as far into the wilderness as western man had settled at that time. Later in 1752 the government in Edenton decided to take part of Granville County along with parts of Johnston and Bladen to form a new county of Orange. Since Robert placed his entry in Granville County and the warrant was issued there both documents were found in the Granville County files. The Survey and Granville Land Grant documents were found many years ago in the Orange County NC files. The entry and warrant documents were not found until July 2007 in the Granville County files.
Both Robert Berry and Mathew Mathias were listed and on the Orange County 1755 tax list and on the same page. You will also see Henry (Gold) Gould one of Robert Berry's survey chain carriers listed two households away from Mathew Mathias.

Richard Gibbs was sued by Robert Berry and he was also listed on the same 1755 tax psge as Robert Berry.

Sometime after that Robert Berry (OC) married Elizabeth Cate (daughter of John and Margery Cate) and soon afterwards their first child Mary Berry was born. Mary Berry was born around 1759.

VIEW 1752 ENTRY DOCUMENT

ROTATE 1752 ENTRY DOCUMENT

VIEW WARRANT

I suppose that when the new county seat was formed in Orange County nobody thought about moving Robert's Entry and Warrant to the Orange County Land Office. The survey was not done until December the 3rd 1753 almost two years after the Warrant was issued.

VIEW SURVEY

William Churton signed the survey and the Chain Carriers were Henry Gold and Thomas Cate. Thomas was the youngest brother of Elizabeth Cate, the future bride of young Robert Berry. Nobody knows exactly when Robert and Elizabeth were married but from the ages of their children one can presume it was around 1759.The Granville Grant was issued on May 12, 1757 in Orange County N.C.

MORE LAND INFORMATUION

VIEW THE GRANVILLE LAND GRANT

Both the land grant and the survey were found in Orange County Records about ten years ago. Remains of a foundation of a cabin was located on Fiddleton property about two years ago and the Chimney which is all that is left of the plantation Home was found in February 2007. GPS location of the chimney:

Latitude: N 36.22373 N 36 degrees 13' 25.4"

Longitude: W 79.01882 W 79degrees 01' 7.8"

The location of the Plantation House,which was built in 1766, was about 200 yards from the southern boundary on the Original Grant property and about 200 yards East of Lick Creek.

Robert Berry was always very active in the local affairs. In 1756 and 1757 he was involved in a court case against Richard Gibb which I think he won. He served on a grand Jury in March 1759. He may have been in the battle of Alamance in May of 1771. He was almost certainly in the battle of Guilford Courthouse in April 1881. Mary's husband George Waggoner was mortally wounded in that battle.

Robert Berry wrote his will on April 16, 1812 Will Book D page 408.