Life History

Notes

• Birth dates are a problem in sources I have seen.  Family genealogies report Joseph born in 1714, but his father Benjamin in 1704 and his mother Elizabeth (commonly called Irby from popular lore, but probably Dickerson) as born in 1708.  Benjamin and Elizabeth married in 1724, and Joseph was the fourth child born.  it may be that two lines are combined here.
  
  Data Collections by Edmund West, available through Ancestry.com, report his birth year as 1717, though earlier collections I saw had 1714.  Also one set of data reports that Joseph and Judith married in 1835, but their son Thomas is reported as born in 1732.  In Joseph's will,  the order of the children seems to be the order of birth, and Thomas is second, David being the first.
  
  But if Joseph was born in 1717, in 1832, he would have been only 15 years old.  His wife Judith is reported as born in 1705, which would make her 27 in 1732 or 30 in 1735.  It does not seem likely a 25-year-old woman would have been married to a 15-year-old boy.  And 1705 is a year before the reported birth of Joseph's mother Elizabeth Dickerson (Irby in some sources due to a later handwritten addition to the will of Joseph's father Benjamin, where a section was torn).  So there are conflicts to be worked out.
  
  Family Data Collection - Individual Records
  Joseph Terry
  Spouse Judith Crawford
  Parents Benjamin Terry, Elizabeth Irby [Dickerson]
  Birth 1717 Halifax Co, VA
  Death 1785 Pittsylvania Co, VA
  
  Birth records in the Edmund West collection report the birth year of Joseph Terry as 1714, with a different birth place in New Kent County, instead of Halifax County.  The birth county is suspicious here, since all other information about Benjamin and Elizabeth is associated with Halifax County.
  
  Family Data Collection - Births
  Joseph Terry
  Father Benjamin M Terry
  Mother Elizabeth Irby
  Birth 1714 New Kent County, VA USA
  
  Another reliable family source that has lots of details reports that Joseph, son of Benjamin Terry and Elizabeth Dickerson was born in 1735.  Perhaps this is a different Terry line with similar names.  Or perhaps my original family source was wrong and Benjamin is not the name of the father of Joseph who was born 1714 and who married Judith Crawford.
  
  Numerous genealogies of various lineages have birth years from these confused data collections happily reporting Joseph born when his mother was as young as 8 years old (Elizabeth born 1708, Joseph born 1714).  One even has his mother born 6 years after him!  I want to resolve this, so keep looking for clues.
  
  From will of Benjamin M Terry
  
  -----------------------------------
  Item, I give------to my son Joseph Terry one negro man named Tommey and one negro girl named Jenney and one rifle gun.
  
  ... I do appoint my wife Eliz Terry, my son Nath Terry, and my son Benj Terry Exectors
  B. M. Terry
  ...
  At a Court held for Pittsylvania County the 26th day of September 1771.
  --  Transcribed by Julia Clark, http://genforum.genealogy.com/terry/messages/7273.html
  ---------------------------------------
  
  Joseph's own will gives us the configuration of his family with Judith Crawford.
  
  --------------------
  Will of Joseph Terry, Pittsylvania Co, VA, Deed and Will Book II, p. 148:
  Written Dec. 4, 1785, Proven Dec. 19, 1785.
  
  In the name of God, Amen, I, Joseph Terry of Pittsylvania Co Va.
  
  First: To my son, David Terry, one Negro woman named Kate and her increase, which he has been possessed with for some time and one Negro woman named Sarah and her issues hereafter, to him and hid heirs.
  
  Second: I lend to my son, Thomas Terry, one Negro Peter and one Negro Lucy and her issue, also one mulatto boy Harry during his life and his wife's natural life and after their deaths to be equally divided among their children and their heirs.
  
  Third: I lend to my son, Joseph Terry, one Negro named ___ which has been in his possession, likewise on Negro boy named Jack and a Negro girl named Grace and her increases during his life and his wife's natural life and then to be equally divided between their children and their heirs forever.
  
  Forth: I give to my daughter, Anna Barksdale, one Negro woman named Ziller and one mulatto girl named Anna to her and her heirs forever, and also one mulatto woman Sarah Martin for the term 6 yrs. and then she is to go free, but if she should have children, they shall remain and belong to the said Anna Barksdale and her heirs forever.
  
  Fifth: I lend to my daughter, Lucy Williams, one Negro boy named Abram during her natural life and then after her death to her younger son, Dr. Crawford Williams and his heirs forever.
  
  Sixth: I give to my daughter, Elizabeth Oliver, 20 Shillings.
  
  Seventh: I give to my son, Champness Terry, dec'd heirs, 20 Shillings.
  
  Eighth: I give to my grandson, Thomas Terry, son of David Terry, one Negro girl named Phillis to him and to his heirs forever.
  
  I give 230 acres on branches of Jeremiah's Fork and one Negro boy named George to be sold and the rest of my worldly goods after my just debts be paid, to be equally divided among my three sons: David Terry, Thomas Terry, Joseph Terry, and my two daughters Lucy Wiliams, Anna Barksdale.
  
  Executer: Beverly Barksdale, Thomas Terry, David Terry.
  
  Signed: Joseph Terry Sr.
  Witnesses: Charles Terry, Samuel Sloan, John Terry
  
  --  Hatchers of Henrico Co, VA http://hatcherfamilyassn.com/getperson.php?personID=I9831&tree=WmTheIm
  --------------------
  
  Note the order of children in the will.  This commonly follows order of birth.  Note here that Joseph is the fourth child.  Birth dates in the Edmund West collection from various early sources (1714 and 1717) are too early.  If Benjamin M Terry and Elizabeth Dickerson married in 1724, we would expect their first child to be born in 1725.  This is the birth date commonly given for Nathaniel, the first child listed in the will.  Some sources report Joseph born in 1735, others in 1740.
  
  This Joseph, son of Benjamin and Elizabeth, is always reported as marrying Judith Crawford.  But the birth year of Judith is commonly reported as 1705, only one year after the birth of Joseph's mother Elizabeth!  It seems to me there were different Joseph Terrys that are confused in all this.  Also there are reports of a Benjamin Terry in New Kent County, which is the birth place reported for the Joseph Terry who was son of Benjamin Terry and Elizabeth Dickerson and who married Judith Crawford.
  
  So I think the original Edmund West data collections everyone references from Ancestry.com, got records confused.  The birth of James, Benjamin's father is reported commonly as 1666 (though at least one genealogy reports it as 1676).  Thus there is plenty of head room for an earlier date of birth for Benjamin, and for Elizabeth Dickerson, to account for the period of time between Joseph Terry (b abt 1717) and his grandfather James (b abt 1666) if the birth of Benjamin and Elizabeth are earlier.  But I have found no other reliable source for a birth date for Ben and Elizabeth.  I can't rely on the Edmund West collection.
  
  This source reports the family members as follows:
  
  Wife Judith Crawford,   d. Bef 1786
  Children:
  1. Thomas Terry, Sr,   b. Abt 1735, Pittsylvania Co, VA ,   d. Aft 1789, Bedford Co, VA
  2. Joseph Terry, Jr,   b. Abt 1740,   d. Aft 1820, Greenville Co, SC
  3. Lucy Terry,   b. Bef 1750,   d. Yes, date unknown
  4. Champness Terry,   b. Bef 1764,   d. Bef 1786
  5. Anna Terry,   b. Bef 1765,   d. Yes, date unknown
  6. Elizabeth Terry,   b. Bef 1765,   d. Yes, date unknown
  7. David Terry,   b. Bef 1765,   d. Yes, date unknown
  --  Hatchers of Henrico Co, VA http://hatcherfamilyassn.com/getperson.php?personID=I9831&tree=WmTheIm
  
  --------------------------
  Terry Genealogy & History
  
  Terry has the distinction of having over a hundred spelling variations, including Tarry, Theuret, Theike, Thiele, Thierry, Thoreau, Tieck, Tietze, Tilke, Tillich, and Torry. Derived from the middle English given-name "Thierri," which was derived from Old Norman given-name "Theodoric," Terry means powerful.
  
  Alternatively, in Old French, "thierri" is a potter. The Terry/Thierry form is generally English; Terry family history traces back to a feudal manor in Kent, where the Thierry family was granted lands by the Earl of Pembroke in the 1130s or 1140s.  Simultaneously in Ireland, Terri branches settled in Cork and Torrie/Torry branches in Waterford.  American Terry family history dates from 1630 in New England.
  --  Archives, https://www.archives.com/genealogy/family-history-terry.html
  --------------------------
  

Sources

• 1. RootsWeb Trees
• 2. Family Data Collection - Individual Records
• 3. Will of Joseph Terry, Pittsylvania County, Virginia
  • Deed and Will Book II, p. 148
• 4. Will of Benjamin Terry Sr, Pittsylvania County, Virginia, 26 September 1771
  • Name: Transcribed by Julia Clark; Location: http://genforum.genealogy.com/terry/messages/7273.html;
• 5. Jacque Watkins, email correspondence to Orville Boyd Jenkins, September 2008
  • citing Don Johnston, husband of a descendant
• 6. Ancestry Trees
  • Hale Family, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/12691510/person/-193621525?ssrc=&ftm=1
• 7. Terry Family History and Genealogy
• 8. Ancestry Trees
  • Terry Family Tree, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/2886704/person/-1805404569