George Washington Flowers Memorial Collection ESTABLISHED BY THE FAMILY OF COLONEL FLOWERS S !®'^7T®^CWre W'FsMv^iV sill x">< vv CTiMfEjifm fu: / ^NLjykjr i y^-~ r pffivnlyS^^ fl /* The Perry Family Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2018 with funding from Duke University Libraries https://archive.org/details/perryfamilyofher01winb_0 ■J. W. Perky, Norfolk, Va. fF THE Perry Family •) OF HERTFORD COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA BY EX-JUDGE BENJ. B. WINBORNE MURFREESBORO, N. C. Author of An Historical Sketch of Political Economy The Colonial and State History of Hertford Co., N.C. The Winborne Family The Vaughan Family It: Raleigh Edwards & Broughton Printing Co. 1909 2Bebtcation I dedicate this little book to my friend J. W. Perry, of Norfolk, Va. BENJ. B. WINBORNE. Sntrobuctum Every one should reverence his or her fam¬ ily history. I know ‘‘the age in which we live is one of restless energy, eager rush to satisfy the needs of daily life, or to grasp its passing pleasures, and scant time is spared for studying the annals of the past. “But they who do not think it worth their while sometimes to give a thought to those to whom they owe their very being,” are like him who, Shakespeare says, has no music in his soul. The motions of their spirit are dull as night, and their affections dark as Erebus, as was once said by a great writer. We should never forget from whom we sprang; only cowards do that. We learn from Burk’s History of Virginia that William, George and John Perry landed in Virginia about 1620. William took up 100 acres of land on the south side of James River near the present city of Richmond. George patented 100 acres of land below Southampton Hundred, and John had 100 acres on James River about fourteen miles 10 INTRODUCTION. below Hog Island. Whether these forerun¬ ners of the Perry family survived the In¬ dian massacre, and became the ancestors of many of the numerous American Perrys is unknown. They were certainly not the an¬ cestors of all the American families of Perrys, as others by that family name emi¬ grated to this country in later years from the old country. The Perrys are of Scotch- Irish descent. Dr. Lyon G. Tyler, in Vol. 16, pages 222-3 of William and Mary Quarterly, writes that among the settlers at “Pace’s Pains” at the time of the massacre in 1622 were Richard Pace, Isabella, his wife, Francis Chapman and Lieut. William Perry. Pace died soon after the massacre, and his widow, Isabella, married Lieut. William Perry. In 1629 John Smyth and Lieut. Wm. Perry were the Representatives from “Pace’s Pains,” on James River, in the Legislature. Later, Dr. Tyler writes, the Perrys are found at Burk- land, on the James River. Benj. B. Winborne. January, 1908. Contents: PAGE Benjamin Perry. 27 Capt. Abner Perry. 51 Capt. Abner J. Perry. 53 Captain Perry’s children. 52 Ezekiel Perry . 49 First Perrys in Virginia. 9 Freeman Perry, Esq. 34 Introduction. 9 Israel Perry . 24 Jacob Perry . 47 Joseph Perry . 44 Joseph J. Perry. 36 Josiah Perry. 31 Josiah Perry’s grandchildren..... 35 Lieut. Jesse A. Perry. 54 Lieut. Joseph William Perry. 59 Perrys in other States. 62 Phillip Perry, Sr. 19 Samuel Perry. 60 Sir Micajah Perry. 13 Stephen B. Weeks. 26 Susan Ann Perry. 57 Will of Micajah Perry. 16 CHAPTER I &ir Jiltcajaf) iPerrp During the last half of the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century we find Mic-ajah Perry, a man of great wealth, and his son Richard engaged in the commission business in the city of London, England, under the firm name of Perry & Son. Thomas Lane, a contemporary of Micajah Perry in the 17th century, was also engaged in the commission business in the same city. Many of the colonists in Tidewater Virginia con¬ signed their tobacco and other produce for market to these commission merchants in London. It appears in the inventory of the estate of Col. Jos. Bridger, of Isle of Wight County, Va., that in 1G86 Colonel Bridger had sent several bills of exchange to Micajah Perry & Son to be placed to his credit. In the will of Capt. James Day, of Isle of Wight County, Va., dated August 10, 1700, and probated January 9, 1701, Captain Day 14 TEE PERRY FAMILY. directed tliat certain property owned by him in London be sold by his friends, Micajah Perry, Thomas Lane and Richard Perry. Micajah Perry had several brothers, sis¬ ters and other relatives in Virginia. Peter, Joseph, Henry and Benjamin Perry were contemporaries in Tidewater Virginia in the latter part of the 17th century. So were Phillip Perry’s family, of whom we shall write. Peter Perry settled in York County, Va., and was a brother of Micajah Perry. Joseph, Henry and Benjamin Perry belonged to Phillip Perry’s family, and from these fam¬ ilies sprung the Perry families of North Carolina. A sister of Peter and Micajah Perry married a Mr. Lowe, and they reared a son, Micajah Lowe, and three daughters, Susannah, Johanna and Mary. The names of Susannah and Mary have been family names in the Perry families for many generations since. Micajah Lowe and his wife, Sarah, lived in Charles City County, Va., and left issue. THE PERRY FAMILY. 15 William Edwards, who served in the House of Burgesses from Surry County, Va., in 1707, first married the daughter of Col. Benj. Harrison, and after her death he married the daughter of Micajah Lowe, and left several children by this marriage. Mi¬ cajah Lowe in his will, probated in 1703, refers to his uncle, Micajah Perry, of Lon¬ don, and appoints him one of his executors. Micajah Perry was, during the 17th cen¬ tury, the most conspicuous merchant in the Old Country in supplying the planters and colonists in Virginia and North Carolina with goods of all kinds in exchange for their tobacco and other products. He was the banker and commission merchant for these people. He was often left the executor of those leaving large estates. The new set¬ tlers had unbounded confidence in his abil¬ ity and honesty of character. He was often a visitor in these colonies and was well known to these people. He was often sent to these colonies as the duly commissioned agent of the Crown to advise and negotiate with the colonists. 16 THE PERRY FAMILY. Among the largest contributors to the original endowment of William and Mary College in Virginia were Micajah Perry, Thomas Lane and Richard Perry, each giv¬ ing £50 for that purpose. Micajah Perry served as alderman of the city of London in the latter part of the 17th. century and later as Lord Mayor of London during the reign of William and Mary. He died in 1721, and his mercantile business was continued by his grandson, Micajah Perry, and Phillip Perry. Will of Micajah Perry. London, December 22, 1720. This I leave as a scheme of my last will and Testament tho’ intend to do it in a more ample forme but if any way diverted by any accident, Do declare this to be my last Will and Testa¬ ment written by my own hand (that is to say). I give to Christ’s hospital one hun¬ dred pounds, I give to the workhouse one hundred pounds, I give to Mary and Susana Lowe each fifty pounds. I give Sister Eliza¬ beth Evans twenty pounds p. Annum during THE PERRY FAMILY. 17 her natural life. I give to my two Grand¬ daughters (sic) Mary and Elizabeth fifteen hundred pounds between them out of the money due to me from the cash in trade to be paid as their father (in same manner as) what he hath left them by his will. I give to my said granddaughters further my lease of Eaton in Bedfordshire that I hold of Trinity College in Cambridge with all the profits from the time of my death I say my grand daughters Mary and Elizabeth. I give my grandson Micajah Perry my third part of Chester’s Key to his him and his heirs forever. I give and bequeath to my two grandsons Micajah and Phillip Perry all the rest of my money due to me and half part in trade and all my interest in Shipping and Debts due in trade and in any place wherever the just debts being first paid. I give to my grandson Phillip all my household goods of what kind whatsoever and do desire to be buried in Bishope Church in the Middle Isle near the step into the Chancell, where my dear wife lies. This is all at present that I shall mention till I 2 18 THE PERRY FAMILY. may have an opportunity to do and settle in form, and do appoint my daughter Sarah Perry with her two sons Micajah and Phillip Perry my executors. Witness my hand the day and year 1 above written. Micajah Perry. Signed, sealed, published and declared to be the last Will and Testament of Micajah Perry in the presence of us this 27th Sep¬ tember 1721. John Warr. James Johnston Jonathan Walker Proved Oct. 3 1721 by executrix Sarah Perry, widow. [Parish of St. Catherine Cree, London. Probate Act Book, Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Register “Buckingham” folio 185.] TEE PERRY FAMILY. 19 CHAPTER II iPfnUtp $err|>, g>r. During the second quarter of the 17th century Phillip Perry, Sr., came to America from old England and settled within the boundaries of Isle of Wight County, Va. This county was one of the eight original shires of Virginia, as the counties were then called, and embraced the territory of South¬ ampton County, Va., up to 1748, and bor¬ dered on the North Carolina line. Phillip Perry represented some of the most sterling and worthy families of the Old Country who grew tired and weary with the tyranny, oppression and cruel wars of England, to gratify the bloody ambitions of dishonorable schemers to gain power that they might revel in disgrace and crime. He became a large landowner and a prom¬ inent and respected citizen of Isle of Wight County. He served with honor his county and province in several important official 20 THE PERRY FAMILY. positions. He was the uncle of the old Lon¬ don merchant, Micajah Perry. Phillip was a. cherished family name, as shown by the persistency of the family in retaining it through generations. Among the old records of Isle of Wight County, Va., we find the will of Phillip Perry, dated November 20, 1667, and pro¬ bated October 9, 1669. He gives his age as “70 years or thereabouts,” and mentions his wife, Grace, and sons Phillip and John, under age. In July, 1686, Thos. Green, of Isle of Wight County, consigns his tobacco to Micajah Perry and Thomas Lane, Lon¬ don, for sale. In 1693 John Perry, of the same county, son of Phillip Perry, deceased, conveyed a tract of land in that county to Col. Joseph Bridger, lying in Whitemarsh. Capt. John Perry, of Westmoreland County, Va., was a prominent man in his section prior to 1661. Whether he was the brother of Phillip Perry can not be ascer¬ tained, nor can we trace the relationship, if any, between them. Phillip Perry, Sr., had other sons than Phillip and John. James TEE PERRY FAMILY. 21 Perry, Jacob Perry and Joseph Perry were also bis sons. After the 17tli century many of the well- to-do families of Virginia left the colony and moved to the more attractive lands and homes in the old Albemarle section of North Carolina. Among those who were attracted by the rich soil, beautiful homes, delightful climate and good government were several of the members of the Perrys of southwest¬ ern Virginia, as it will now appear. In the old records in Edenton, N. C., we find a grant of land from Jeremiah Perry and wife, Jane, to Christian Blount, dated October 8, 1694. Francis and Jeremiah Perry are familiar names in the Virginia and North Carolina families. Capt. Henry Perry, of Northamp¬ ton County, Va., was closely connected with Capt. Francis Pott’s family, and Captain Perry and wife are mentioned in the will of Captain Pott, which is dated in October, 1658. The Francis Perry, the Jeremiah Perry and the John Perry to whom the Earl 22 TEE PERRY FAMILY. of Granville granted lands in Franklin County, N. C., about the middle of tbe 18tli century, were from Chowan and Perquimans counties, N. C. The Perrys of Virginia were also connected by marriage with the leading Virginia family of Kennons, who intermar¬ ried with the Bullocks of Granville County, N. C. They were also connected by mar¬ riage with the old Broadnax family of the Old Dominion. In 1707 Daniel Pugh, of Nansemond, con¬ veyed a tract of land to Samuel Smith lying on Middle Swamp, adjoining the lands of John Perry and others. Several of the Perrys owned land on this swamp. In 1719 James Perry and wife, Patience, of Nanse¬ mond County, conveyed land on Middle Swamp, that runs out of Bennett’s Creek in Chown County, N. C., to his brother, John Perry, of Nansemond County, Va., and Jacob Perry is one of the witnesses to the deed. In 1715 Francis West, of Nanse¬ mond County, in his will speaks of Judith and Thomas Perry. Judith Perry married Abram Hill, of Nansemond County, Va., and they moved to North Carolina. On TEE PERRY FAMILY. 23 July 26, 1740, they conveyed to John Perry, of Bertie, 100 acres of land, and in 1756 they conveyed to Josiah Granberry a tract of land in Bertie (now Hertford) on Me- lierrin Swamp, which was purchased from John Perry, of Bertie County. In 1728 Benjamin Perry conveyed to Thomas Lane, the old London merchant, 140 acres of land lying on Chowan River and Deep Run. Susannah Perry, his sister, is a witness to the deed. Thomas Speight, of Nansemond, in 1700 conveyed land in North Carolina to John Perry. I have been un¬ able to locate this land, but it was in the Albemarle section. In 1734, 1735 and 1736 we find William Perry signing as witness to deeds for lands in Chowan and Bertie counties. Several of the children of Phillip Perry, Sr., of Isle of Wight County, Va., and several of his brothers moved to Perquimans County. His grandson, Phillip, died in Perquimans in 1751, leaving a will in which he speaks of his son Jesse, and Phillip, brothers John and Joseph and Jacob Perry, son of his brother Joseph. In 1759 Joseph and Ben- 24 THE PERRY FAMILY. jamin Perry witnessed the will of Joseph Riddick, of Perquimans. In 1749 Jacob Perry, Sr., Israel Perry and Jacob Perry, Jr., witnessed the will of Isaac Wilson in Perquimans, Avho married the daughter of Jacob, brother to Israel, Phillip and Benjamin Perry. 3ferael $terrp Israel Perry, son of John Perry and wife, Mary, and grandson of Phillip Perry, Sr., died in 1779, leaving a will. His sons were Josiah, Israel, John, Cader, Jacob, Jesse, and daughters, Millicent, Ruth, Rachel, Ann and Priscilla. He had other children. He appointed his brother Phillip Perry and Thomas Twine his executors, and Jacob and Benjamin Perry are witnesses to the will. Ruth Perry married Micajah Hill, of Perquimans County, May 12, 1763. Rachel married Richard Skinner December 11, 1770. Priscilla married Thomas Twine. Jacob Perry, the brother of Israel and Phillip, died about 1777. His will is dated March 4, 1775, and probated in October, 1777. His children mentioned are Jacob, Israel, THE PERRY FAMILY. 25 Reuben, Dempsey and John, and daughters, Priscilla, wife of Dempsey Welch, Ann, wife of Caleb Winslow, and grandson, Isaac Wilson, son of Isaac Wilson, Sr., and daugh¬ ter Hepzibah, wife of Hardy Stallings. Jacob Perry, Sr., the son of the Benjamin Perry and wife, Susan, who made the con¬ veyance of land in 1728, was brother of Ben¬ jamin Perry II, and died in 1790. He men¬ tions in his will his wife, Mary, sons, Miles, Leah, Lawrence and Benjamin Perry, and daughters, Hepsebeth and Sally Mariah Bunch, Mary Perry and granddaughter, Priscilla Perry, daughter of Leah Perry. His brother Benjamin is one of the wit¬ nesses to his will. Jacob’s daughter, Mary, died unmarried in 1797, and she speaks in her will of her mother, Mary, cousins Mary and Hannah Bunch, and cousin John Perry, the son of Israel, cousin Jacob Boyce and brother, Lawrence Perry. Jesse Perry, son of Israel Perry, married December 12, 1777, Miss Elizabeth Lindner. 26 THE PERRY FAMILY. g>tepf)en OTeefesi Sallie Perry, daughter of Jacob Perry, Sr., married about the year 1790, shortly after the death of her father, Lemuel Weeks. There were six children by this marriage—John, James, Hugh, Polly, who married Cornelius Paper, a daughter who married a Benton, and Nancy. James and Hugh died young and without issue. Lemuel Weeks died in the year 1803, leav¬ ing his wife, Sally, and son, John, and sev¬ eral grandchildren surviving him. The widow died in 1826 at the home of her son, John Weeks, on Little River in Pasquotank County, N. C. Lemuel Weeks was the son of Thomas Weeks (who died in 1808) and wife, of Per¬ quimans County, N. C. John Weeks, the son of Lemuel Weeks and wife, Sally, was the grandfather of Stephen B. Weeks, the distinguished writer and historian of North Carolina. TEE PERRY FAMILY. 27 CHAPTER III Penjamtn iPerrp There were three Benjamin Perrys among the older members in Perquimans. . Benja¬ min Perry I died March 11, 1788. His wife was named Susan, and they had several chil¬ dren, among them were Benjamin II, who died January 10, 1784, and his wife, Han¬ nah, died November, 1791. Benjamin Perry III represented Perquimans County in the House of Commons in 1790. The first Ben¬ jamin had a son named Ezekiel, who moved to Hertford County prior to the Revolution¬ ary War and settled in the St. John’s sec¬ tion. Joseph Perry, of Perquimans, died in 1801, and Jesse died in the same year. Jesse left the following children: Mary, Eliza¬ beth, Millicent, Rachel, who married a Nicholson, Benjamin, John and Josiah; Margaret, Christian, Martha, Sally, Asen- ith, William and Robert. 28 THE PERRY FAMILY. Jesse was a son of Phillip Perry, Sr., and uncle of Josiah Perry who moved to Bertie County the latter part of the 18th century and settled near the Powellsville section. Robert Perry, the son of Jesse, repre¬ sented Perquimans County in the House of Commons in 1817, 1818, 1819 and again in 1826 and 1827, and Josiah, his brother, rep¬ resented the county in 1834. Jesse Perry married Miss Elizabeth Lind¬ ner December 12, 1777. Phillip, the son of Jacob Perry, died in 1809, leaving sons, Isaac, Seth, Daniel, John; daughters, Millicent, Chloe Riddick, Christian White and Elizabeth Saunders. Thomas Perry died in 1814, and speaks of his mother, Millicent, and brother, James. Jacob Perry died in 1814, leaving his wife, Sarah, and brother, John, surviving. Benjamin Perry III married Millicent Riddick, of Perquimans, December 13, 1785, and they had the following children: Mary, born October 26, 1786; Thomas, born Janu- THE PERRY FAMILY. 29 ary 27 , 1789; James, born August T3, 1792; Joseph, born December 20, 1796; Christian, born December 20, 1798. William Hollowell married Mary Perry July 6, 1778. She was probably a daughter of Israel Perry, Sr. The latter had several daughters and sons whose names are not on the old memoranda before me. Reuben Perry married Elizabeth Pearson January 18, 1780. Amos Perry married his cousin, Eliza¬ beth Perry, February 10, 1783. Thomas Stanton married, also, a Miss Elizabeth Perry August 28, 1784. Israel Perry, Jr., married Miriam Hollo¬ well April 4, 1785. Seth Perry married Mary Riddick Decem¬ ber 29, 1785. Susannah Perry married Moses Howard June 2, 1790. Leverne Garriss married Sarah Perry De¬ cember 27, 1791. She was the daughter of Jacob Perry, Sr. Jacob Perry married Ruth Chappell Au- 30 THE PERRY FAMILY. gust 18, 1791, and Reuben Perry, his brother, married Dorcas Chappell January 11, 1791. William Perry, heretofore mentioned, married Ferebe White April 21, 1791. The Perrys of Tidewater Virginia not only sent representatives of their families to northeastern North Carolina, but some of them moved to other parts of Virginia and North Carolina. Franklin County, N. C., and that section of the State became the home of several of them. I have been care¬ ful in giving the names of the heads of the several families and the children to show that the North Carolina Perrys are of the same families that settled in Tidewater Vir¬ ginia in the 17th century. I shall now proceed to give a sketch of Ezekiel Perry’s family, of Hertford County, and of Josiah Perry’s family, who settled in Bertie County near the Hertford County line in the latter part of the 17th century. THE PERRY FAMILY. 31 CHAPTER IV 3fosiiaf) iPerrp Josiah Perry, son of Israel Perry, Sr., and his wife, Priscilla, was born in Per¬ quimans County, N. C., November 19, 1741. After reaching mature manhood he, in 1761, married Miss Elizabeth Twine, daughter of John Twine and wife, Pleasant, of his native county. Josiah Perry was a strong and vigorous man, with a strong and clear mind, and was energetic in his habits. During his manhood he was consulted by his neigh¬ bors and friends in their business matters and took the place of a lawyer in writing their contracts, deeds and wills, and in ad¬ vising generally in their business. The late Maj. Jno. W. Moore stated to the writer that Josiah Perry was a licensed attorney and practiced in the courts of the Albemarle section, and resided in Pasquotank County, N. C., before moving to Bertie County. In the U. S. Census of 1790 there does appear the name of “Josiah Perry, Esq.,” in Pas- 32 THE PERRY FAMILY. quotank County. He accumulated a con¬ siderable estate. Before moving to Bertie he owned large landed estates in Pasquo¬ tank, Perquimans and Edgecombe counties, N. C. After the death of his first wife, Eliz¬ abeth, he married Miss Amillicent Freeman, daughter of John Freeman and wife, Sarah, of Bertie County, and several years there¬ after bought lands in the Powellsville sec¬ tion in Bertie County, and settled on his lands adjoining the lands of Timothy Wal¬ ton. He also purchased from John Win- borne the Liberty Hill Fishery on the Chowan River, which he devised in his will to his wife for life, and then to his son, Free¬ man, and daughter, Amillicent. He was also a large slaveowner. He died in 1821, leav¬ ing a will of record in Bertie County. It is a long and interesting document. He de¬ vised lands, slaves and other property to each of his children. Josiah Perry’s children by his first mar¬ riage were: Sarah, William, Christian, John, Mary, Josiah, Elizabeth and Ber- sheba. THE PERRY FAMILY. 33 Sarah married a Stephens. Christian married a son of Timothy Walton, of Ber¬ tie County. Mary married Samuel Jenkins, son of John Jenkins, of Bertie County, and brother of Winborne Jenkins, of that county, and uncle of Capt. Irvin Jenkins, of the War of 1812, December 15, 1788. They left a son, Jos. J. Jenkins. Bersheba married Jesse Garrett. Elizabeth married an Odom, and they left one child, Sally Odom. Josiah Perry’s children by his second marriage to Miss Freeman were: James, Celia, Freeman, Nancy, Penelope, Frusanna and Amillicent. James Perry married, June 7,1809, Sarah Parker, of Bertie County, and died Decem¬ ber 1, 1811, leaving one child, Jeremiah Perry. Celia married Miles Rayner, a cousin of Amos Rayner, the father of Hon. Kenneth Rayner. Josiah Perry had brothers Jacob and John living in Hertford and Bertie counties. 3 34 THE PERRY FAMILY. Jfreeman jperrp, €jS(j. Freeman Perry married Miss Pattie Simons, sister of John Simons, who married his sister, Amillicent. Freeman Perry was a man of affairs, and possessed a good estate in Bertie County. His children were James S. Perry, Joseph J. Perry, Wm. N. Perry, Joshua S. Perry. Nancy Perry married William Balfour, of Edgecombe County, N. C. Balfour was one of the Representatives of Edgecombe County in the House of Commons of the State in 1809 and 1811. They left one child, Josiah Balfour. Penelope Perry married Isaac Sessoms, of Edgecombe County, and they left one son, Sanitor Sessoms. Isaac Sessoms was one of the Representatives from Edgecombe County in the House of Commons in 1778, and Senator in 1782 and 1784. Frusanna Perry married Joseph Mercer, of Edgecombe County, and they had one son, Joseph J. Mercer. Amillicent Perry married John Simons, of Bertie County. John Simons was the THE PERRY FAMILY. 35 son of Joshua Simons, of Pasquotank County, by his first marriage. The children of this marriage were Lavinia, Elizabeth, Nancy, John and Edward P. Simons. Josiah Perry’s second wife, Amillicent Freeman, was the niece of Joshua Freeman. Her father’s will is dated in 1793 and was probated at November term, 1793, of Bertie Court. John Winborne was guardian of William, James and Joseph J. Perry, orphans of Freeman Perry. John Freeman left surviving him his widow, Sarah, and sons Charles, Hardy, Jeremiah and John; daughters, Rachel Out¬ law, Leah Lurry, Amillicent Perry, wife of Josiah Perry, Christian Norfleet, Delilah Ward and Elizabeth Freeman. One of the older Perrys evidently married in the John Winborne family. HTosiaf) Jerry’S (Hranbcfctlbren We will mention them according to age, taking first the oldest: James S. Perry lived in Hertford County, and often held official position in the county. '36 TEE PERRY FAMILY. He married Susannah Penelope Jenkins, daughter of Benjamin Jenkins, Jr., and sister to Winborne Jenkins III. They left no issue. His widow died at the home of the writer in the year 1901, and is buried in the churchyard of Mt. Tabor church, in Hertford County, N. C. She was the great half-aunt to the writer’s wife. It would take the author of the book “Metaxnorpha” to figure out the relationship. She was a splendid and ideal woman. The writer is told that Mrs. Penny Perry was the half- sister and half-aunt of the author’s wife’s mother. Her mother, while a widow, mar¬ ried my wife’s mother’s father, a widower. Both had children by former marriages. SToseplj 3 - $errj> Joseph J. Perry was born December 25, 1817, and married Mary E. Sessoms, the daughter of William Wynns Sessoms II. The latter was a direct descendant of Elenor Sessoms, who married the daughter of Capt. Geo. Wynns and sister of Col. Benj. Wynns, who was famous as a soldier in the War of 1776-82. TEE PERRY FAMILY. 37 ' Miss Sessoms was a beautiful womau with a bright and cheerful disposition. She was born November 25, 1825, and died April 25, 1879. For a number of years prior to her death she was a great sufferer from rheuma¬ tism, and had to move about in an invalid’s chair. Notwithstanding her misfortunes and sufferings she was at all times cheerful, fond of talking and interesting. Her hus¬ band, Joseph J. Perry, was a successful planter and ranked high as a man where he was known. Their children were Joseph William Perry, Henry T. Perry, Laura E. Perry, Martha S. Perry and Ernest Perry. William N. Perry lived in Hertford County, and was in 1830 appointed by the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions of the county a constable, a position considered at that time one of honor and distinction. In 1845 we find him a, justice of the peace and a member of said court. Joshua S. Perry died August 6, 1825, while very young. Lavinia Simons, daughter of John Simons 38 TEE PERRY FAMILY. and liis wife, Amillicent, was born in 1816, and married J. Benbury Sharp, of Hertford County. She died in 1872, leaving several children surviving her. Elizabeth, sister of Lavinia, was born February 8, 1819. She married Jacob Sharp, of Hertford County, and died in 1881, leaving surviving her several children. Their sister, Nancy, was born in 1821, and married John Winborne, and died in 1866. Edward P. Simons, son of John and wife, Amillicent, was born in 1827, and married a Miss Wilson. He died in 1890. John Simons, brother of Edward P., was born in 1824, and married a Miss Sessoms. He died in 1866. THE PERRY FAMILY. 39 CHAPTER V Uteut. TOliUtam 3Perrp Lieut. Joseph William Perry, great-grand¬ son of Josiah Perry, grandson of Freeman Perry and son of Joseph J. Perry and wife, Mary E. Perry, nee Sessoms, was born in Bertie County March 3, 1845. He lived with his parents on their plantation, which was the ancestral home of the Perrys, until about 1861, when he entered the Academy, a school of high rank at Harrellsville, in Hertford County, N. C., and prosecuted his studies until in 1863, when he arrived at the age of 18 years. He then entered the Con¬ federate army as a private in Capt. Langley Tayloe’s Company; and his company was camped at Bethlehem, in Hertford County, and later moved to Camp Gatling near Murfreesboro. While at the latter camp the 68th North Carolina Regiment was or¬ ganized, with James W. Hinton, of Pasquo¬ tank, as Colonel; Edward C. Yellowly, of 40 THE PERRY FAMILY. Pitt County, Lieutenant-Colonel, and young Perry was made Sergeant. He served in that capacity in the 68th Regiment until February, 1864, when he was ordered by Colonel Hinton to report to Col. James M. Wynn as Adjutant of Wynn’s Battalion of Cavalry. He then did service in the army of Northern Virginia until the close of the war. He was a brave and true soldier. He inherited much of the energy, business tact and skill, Irish courage and frankness, great benevolence and nobility of heart and soul that so strongly characterized his great¬ grandfather and his early ancestors who first landed on American soil. After the closing of hostilities between the States he returned to his home and remained on his father’s plantation until the war clouds par¬ tially passed over, some money could be realized and the doors of the schools were again opened to the Southern young men. In 1867 he entered a business college in New York State and graduated there with distinction. He then returned to North THE PERRY FAMILY. 41 Carolina and settled in Winton, N. C., where he was employed as clerk for Jordan & Overby, who were engaged in the mer¬ cantile and sawmill business. In April, 1872, he was married to Miss Mary H. Jer- nigan, daughter of L. R. Jernigan and wife, Nancy, of Hertford County, N. C. In 1870 he was appointed by the Judge of the Dis¬ trict Clerk of the Superior Court of Hert¬ ford County to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of his wife’s uncle. He resigned this position January 2, 1872, and entered the mercantile and sawmill business with Jno. G. Overby at Winton. He remained in this business until 1877, when he moved to Norfolk, Va., and joined Col. Wm. D. McGloughan in the cotton commission busi¬ ness May 1, 1877, under the firm name of McGloughan & Perry. He has since con¬ tinued in the commission business, and he is to-day the head of one of the largest com¬ mission houses in Norfolk. He has directed his attention to other enterprises with great success, and has been for some years vice- 42 THE PERRY FAMILY. president of the Citizens Bank of his city. He is one of the wealthiest and best known men of the city. He is a true and loyal friend to deserving young men, but despises sham and trickery. He and his wife and two daughters, Maude and Mary, are still living- in Norfolk. In Clark’s Regimental History of the North Carolina troops in the Con¬ federate Army it is said of this J. W. Perry, ‘‘No braver or better officer was in our army than Adjutant J. W. Perry.” Vol. IV, page 368. What Micajah Perry was to the people of Virginia and North Carolina in the 17th and 18th centuries, J. W. Perry, of Norfolk, Va., has been to them in the 19th and 20th centuries. Henry T. Perry, brother of Jos. W. Perry, was born May 18, 1847. After reaching ma¬ turity he moved to Indiana, married there, and has reared quite an interesting family. Their sister, Laura E., was born June 20, 1849, and married J. Washington Mitchell, of Bertie County. They are still living and have issue. THE PERRY FAMILY. 43 Their sister, Martha S. Perry, was born July 17, 1851, and married Daniel Van Pelt Sessoms, of Hertford County. They are also living and have several children, one of , whom is Mrs. J. W. Weaver, of Rich Square. The youngest child of Jos. J. Perry and wife, Mary E., is Ernest Perry, born Sep¬ tember 5, 1867. He has never married and is engaged with his brother, J. W. Perry in the commission business in Norfolk. Joseph J. Perry’s wife, Mary E., having died in 1879, he on December 10, 1879, mar¬ ried Miss Emma D. Lewis, and had one daughter, Josie, born May 10,1882, and died May 1, 1905. Jos. J. Perry died May 9, 1882, leaving his widow, Emma D., surviving. 44 TEE PERRY FAMILY. CHAPTER VI STosiept ^errj» Josepli Perry, of Perquimans County, N. C., moved to Hertford County about 1765. He was a brother of Josiah Perry. The writer has seen a deed from Wm. W. Stephens, of Hertford County, to Joseph Perry, of Perquimans County, for a tract in the Harrellsville section for 200 acres of land, adjoining the lands of Lazarus Thomas, dated June 20, 1765, and witnessed by Benjamin Perry, Phillip Perry and Joel Hollo well, Jr. This land was a part of the patent of Adam Baring, dated April 19', 1719. The deed was proven before Benja¬ min Wynns, Clerk, at the October term, 1765, of the Superior Court of Hertford County. The old Colonial Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions was sometimes re¬ ferred to as the “Superior Court,” as dis¬ tinguished from the old court of Oyer and Terminer and the Court of Equity. Benja- THE PERRY FAMILY. 45 min Wynns, Jr., son of John Wynns, was at the time Public Register (now Register of Deeds). Joseph Perry’s wife was named Agatha. He died 1826, and John Winborne was ad¬ ministrator of his estate. His children were Preston, Mary, Patrick, Joseph, Elizabeth and John D. Perry. Their mother, Agatha, was their guardian. William S. Slaughter was guardian of Mary Jane and William Perry, orphans of John D. Perry, son of Joseph Perry and nephew of Preston. Preston Perry, son of Joseph Perry and wife, Agatha, was Sheriff of the county in 1844. In 1850 he married Frances Simons, daughter of Joseph J. Simons, and moved to Texas, where they now have descendants. His brother, Patrick Perry, who was Public Register in Hertford County in 1843 to 1845, had preceded his brother Preston in seeking a fortune in the distant State of Texas. He settled in Galveston in that State. 46 THE PERRY FAMILY. In 1839 William Perry filed in Hertford County liis account as guardian of Fruzy and Abner Perry, children of William Perry, Sr. William Perry, Jr., died prior to 1844, and in 1844 Watson succeeded him as guardian of Abner Perry. Albert B. Adkins, of Hertford County, married Martha J. Perry, daughter of John Perry, of Bertie County. John Perry had two sons killed in the Confederate army, so did his brother William Perry, of the same county. John and William, as well as Mar¬ tin Van B. Perry, of Littleton, N. C., were related to Joseph Perry’s family. J. S. Perry, the successful real estate speculator of Roanoke, Ya., is the son of Joseph D. Perry and wife, Nancy Sawyer, of Pasquotank Co., N. C., and the grandson of Frederick Perry, of that county. THE PERRY FAMILY. 47 STacot) $)errp Jacob Perry, another of the Perquimans County family of Perrys, moved to Hertford County and settled in the Harrellsville sec¬ tion. He married Amillicent Sowell, of Bertie County. They had a son by the name of Phillip Turner Perry. After the death of his Sowell wife he married Miss Fruzie Holloman, of Bertie County. Phillip Turner Perry was born in 1823, and married Miss Belinda Deanes, of Chowan County, and died June 22, 1871, leaving surviving him a daughter, Mary E., who is the wife of John S. Winborne, of Hertford County, and a son, Phillip T. Perry, a citizen of Windsor, N. C. Phillip T. Perry, Sr., lived at the old homestead of John Winborne, near Cole- rain. John Winborne and Elisha Winborne, the writer’s grandfather, were cousins. Simion Perry, who appears on the Census list of 1790, of Hertford County, son of Ezekiel Perry and wife, Sarah, married Martha Ann Bains, daughter of William 48 THE PERRY FAMILY. Bains and wife, Winnefed, of Bertie County. They reared two daughters, Jane Perry and Martha E. Perry, and three sons, Alexander, Augustus and John Perry. John Perry, son of Simion, married Celia McGloughan. They had two children, Wil¬ liam J. Perry and Susan Perry. John Perry was murdered about 1824. Young W. J. Perry grew up to he quite a useful and highly respected citizen of his county. He served in the capacity of a magistrate for a number of years, a position of honor and distinction in those days. He served his county for a number of years as Public Register. He married Martha Frances Askew, and they reared the following chil¬ dren: John A., George, Thomas, Joseph D., Susan and William Augustus Perry. W. J. Perry died in 1862, leaving his wife and children surviving him. He appointed John O. Askew as his executor to settle his estate. THE PERRY FAMILY. 49 CHAPTER VII &?efetel $errp Ezekiel Perry was born in Perquimans County, N. C., and was the son of Benjamin Perry I and wife, Susan Perry, nee Walton. Susan Perry was the daughter of Thomas Walton, Sr., of Chowan County, who died in 1751. Ezekiel Perry had several broth¬ ers and sisters. After reaching his majority he married Sarah Eason, daughter of Abner Eason, Sr., and wife, Rachel Eason, nee Docton. Mrs. Eason was the daughter of Jacob Docton and wife, Sarah, of Per¬ quimans. Abner Eason, Sr., died in 1792. Ezekiel and his wife, Sarah, moved to Hert¬ ford County before the Revolutionary War, and settled near old St. John’s Chapel. They had several children—Abner, Abram, Docton, Susannah, Simion and others. Doc¬ ton and Abram Perry lived in Bertie, while Abner, Susannah and Simion lived in Hert¬ ford County. Abner Perry enlisted in the 4 50 THE PERRY FAMILY. Continental army for three years, was pro¬ moted to a captaincy, and was wounded in the hip at the battle of Guilford Court¬ house, from which he never entirely recov¬ ered. Andrew Simons, of Pasquotank County, died in 1752, leaving surviving him his wife, Mary, and sons, John, Joshua, William and Thomas Simons. Joshua Simons married Sallie Jordan, daughter of the first Pleasant Jordan, who represented Hertford County in the State Senate in 1780. Miss Jordan was born No¬ vember 24, 1773. Simons died, leaving sur¬ viving him his wife, Sally, and son, John, by a former marriage, and Joseph J. Simons, by his marriage with Miss Jordan. TEE PERRY FAMILY. 51 CHAPTER VIII Capt. &tmer $errp In 1783 Capt. Abner Perry married Peggy Burns, of Bertie County, and they bad the following children: Patsey, born October 2, 1784. Sallie, born April 2, 1787. Rebecca, born June 25, 1791. Andrew T., born August 6, 1793. John B., born December 6, 1796. Jennett, born April 22, 1800. Abner, born July 26, 1803. Capt. Abner Perry’s wife, Peggy, died about 1805, and in 1808 he married the widow of Joshua Simons, nee Sally Jordan. By this marriage he had one son, Abner J. Perry, born October 11, 1809. Capt. Abner Perry died in 1810, leaving surviving him his widow, Sally. In 1812 his widow, Sally Perry, married Maurice Moore, of Bertie, and they had one child, Elizabeth. Maurice Moore died, and she 52 TEE PERRY FAMILY. married in 1816 Moses Moore. They had no issue. Moses died, and she, on March 19, 1820, married Elisha E. Horton, of Bertie. There was no issue by this marriage. Mr. Horton was son of Hugh Horton, a brother of Neeham Horton, the father of the late J. J. Horton, of Hertford County. Neeham Horton married Elizabeth Jor¬ dan, a sister of Sally. Mrs. Sallie Horton died a widow in 1847. Widows know how to win and capture. Fielding wrote: “Widows are a study you will never be proficient in.” Pope in his discourse on the wife of Bath, says: “For since fifteen in triumph I have led Four captive husbands from church to bed.” Captain l&rrp’S CljUbren Patsey Perry married wealthy John Dick¬ inson, of Northampton County, N. C., in 1806, and died in 1834, leaving surviving her several children. Sallie married James Ruffin. He lived but a short time, and she married James THE PERRY FAMILY. 53 Moore, and they moved to Madison County, Alabama. Rebecca married Marmaduke Howard. He died, and she married James Bush in 1816, and they moved to Alabama and were the parents of Judge Bush, of Marianna, Florida. Andrew I. married Matilda Jones, and moved south. John B. died July 28, 1823, unmarried. Jennette married Joseph Deanes, and they moved to Alabama. Abner, Jr., died young. Capt. Abner Perry died in 1810. Capt. Sfaner 31 . $errp Abner J. Perry married, February 12, 1829, Marena Howard. She lived but a short time, and died without leaving issue. He next married, January 6, 1831, Julia A. Powell. She died without issue, and he married June 8, 1845, her sister, Martha J. Powell. Abner J. Perry served his county (Hert¬ ford) as justice of the peace in the good old 54 TEE PERRY FAMILY. days when it was an honor to be a justice of the peace. He also served as Sheriff for four years, succeeding his kinsman, Preston Perry, in 1844. He died October 11, 1866, leaving surviving him three sons: John D. Perry, born June 12, 1843, and married February 8, 1869; Helen Johnston, daugh¬ ter of Dr. Samuel Johnston, of Edenton, N. C., and moved to Wilcox County, Ala., in 1871; Abner J. Perry, Jr., born August 7, 1853, and died December 2, 1877, without issue. Uteut. 3fe &Se &. $errp Jesse A. Perry, born February 18, 1838, and married February 18, 1862, Mary D. Fowle, sister of the late Governor Daniel G. Fowle, of North Carolina. Jesse A. Perry served in the Confederate army as First Lieutenant in Capt. Thomas H. Sharp’s company from Hertford County. Jesse A. Perry’s children are as follows: Julia P., born May 15, 1864, and married Frank Brinkley, of Pitt County, N. C. James F., born August 30, 1866, and mar¬ ried November 19, 1890, Lucy Freeman. THE PERRY FAMILY. 55 Sadie T., born April 28, 1868, and mar¬ ried R. C. Josej January 31, 1906, of Scot¬ land Neck, N. C. Mary F. Perry, born February 12, 1870, married December 2, 1891, Dr. C. C. Chris¬ tian, of Virginia. John D. Perry, born November 13, 1871, and married Julia Dunn in April, 1903. Helen C. Perry, born August 1, 1873, and married Rev. J. K. Henderson on June 4, 1907. Jesse A. Perry moved from Hertford County in 1876 to Scotland Neck, in Hali¬ fax County, N. C., and was mayor of that town from 1891 to 1900. His wife died in 1901, and he now resides with his daughter, Julia, in Greenville, Pitt County, N. C. Abner J. Perry’s second and third wives were daughters of Jesse Powell, the son of Lewis Powell and wife, Helen Powell, nee Gotten, the daughter of Arthur Cotten. Jesse Powell was born December 5, 1772, and on October 27, 1798, married Charity Harrell, of Hertford County, and moved to 56 THE PERRY FAMILY. Halifax County, and reared a large family, and died at the ripe old age of 88 years. Jesse Powell had two brothers of the whole blood, Decader and Lewis Powell, and two brothers of the half-blood, Perry C. Tyler and Richard Tyler. The mother of the two Tylers was the widow of Lewis Powell, Sr. Abner J. Perry and Joseph J. Perry fre¬ quently visited each other and called each other cousin, so I am informed by Jesse A. Perry, a son of Abner J. Perry. The two families were evidently from the same Isle of Wight family of Perrys. Thomas A. Buxton, who was born in Nor¬ folk, Ya., married a Miss Perry, of North¬ ampton County, N. C., about 1835 or 1840, and they had several children, among them being Hon. J. A. Buxton, of Newport News, Va. Mrs. Buxton, had a brother, John Perry, who moved with his family to Ten¬ nessee about 1845. His sister, Charlotte, married Thomas Lanier, and her second sis¬ ter married John Holmes. The latter, with his family, also moved to Tennessee. THE PERRY FAMILY. 57 CHAPTER IX £s>usan &mt $errp Susan Ann Perry, of Hertford County, first married, about 1809, Charles Jenkins, half-brother of Winborne Jenkins IV. Charles Jenkins died about 1816, leaving his widow surviving him with three children, viz: Mary Ann, Charles and Wm. Perry Jenkins. She lived at the home place of the late Wm. P. Jenkins in St. John’s Township, in Hertford County, and the old ex-Sheriff and legislator of Hertford County, Thomas Deanes, lived near Murfreesboro, where T. M. Forbes, Jr., now resides. The old Sheriff was a widower with two children. About 1820 the widow Jenkins and widower Thomas Deanes became united in the holy bonds of matrimony. Sheriff Deanes’s first wife was a Miss Ward, and the issue of that marriage were Mike Ward Deanes and Sal- lie Deanes. Sheriff Deanes by his second marriage (to the widow Jenkins) reared 58 THE PERRY FAMILY. three children: Judith, who married the late William Boone, of Northampton County. Their son, Thomas Deanes Boone, is the present Clerk of the Superior Court of Hert¬ ford. Their second daughter, Ann Eliza, mar¬ ried the late John E. Maget, of Northamp¬ ton County, and they are the parents of Ida, the widow of the late W. T. Brown, of Hert¬ ford County, and the wife of Cecil W. Har¬ rell, of Woodland, N. C. Their youngest daughter, Susan, married Rev. Reuben Jones, of Virginia. Their daughter Jessie married S. P. Win- borne, of Hertford County. Mike Ward Deanes married Mary Ann Jenkins, the daughter of his father’s second wife by her first marriage. They reared two daughters and one son, Charles Thomas Deanes, now of Aulander, N. C. One of the daughters was the wife of the late Henry C. Edwards, of Northampton County, and the other was the first wife of the late Andrew Jackson Harrell, of the same county. TEE PERRY FAMILY. 59 Sallie, the sister of Mike W. Deanes, be¬ came the wife of Thomas Barnes, who lived at the W. T. Brown place near Murfrees¬ boro. They were the parents of the late Judge Wm. Deanes Barnes, of Florida. They moved to Marianna, Fla., about 1854. Charles Jenkins, the eldest son of Susan Ann Jenkins, lived and died near Wood¬ land, N. C. Wm. P. Jenkins lived during his whole life at his father’s old home in Hertford County. His first wife was Martha Ann Goodson, of Northampton County. They had thirteen children, but reared only four: Mary F. Baby, Dr. Pres¬ ton C. Jenkins, of Roxobel, N. C.; Wm. W. Jenkins, late of Hertford County, and J. P. Jenkins, who died in the Confederate army. It is a difficult question to decide who were the parents of Susan Ann Perry. In 1830 she appears on the Census list of Hert¬ ford County as widow Susannah Deanes, and owning thirty-five slaves. Maj. Jno. W. Moore was positive in his statement that she was the daughter of Capt. Abner Perry, but I do not find her name among the list 60 THE PERRY FAMILY. of liis children. Jesse A. Perry, Dr. P. C. Jenkins and Charles Thomas Deanes are under the impression (but have no definite information) that she was of Josiah Perry’s family. Susannah and Susan Ann are fre¬ quent names in Benjamin Perry’s family. I have failed to find the name in Josiah Perry’s family. If she is not the daughter of Captain Abner she must be his sister or niece. It is more likely she was the daugh¬ ter of John W. Perry. Captain Perry had several brothers and sisters. Samuel $krrp Among the older Perrys we have found in Chowan County, N. C., is Samuel Perry, who died in that county in 1760, leaving his wife, Susannah, and children—Samuel, Amos, Mordecai, Ann, Leah and Grace. Amos, son of Samuel Perry, married Feb¬ ruary 10, 1783, his cousin, Elizabeth Perry, of Perquimans County. He died in 1804, leaving his wife, one son, Amos, and two daughters, Treasy Perry and Sarah Hurdle. Samuel Perry, Jr., died in 1842, leaving surviving him his wife, Christian, son, Wil- THE PERRY FAMILY. 61 lis, and daughters, Millie and Feriby By¬ rum, of Chowan County. Hester Perry, a widow, died in 1850, leav¬ ing three sons and two daughters: Starkey, John and William. Her daughter Charlotte married August 28, 1845, Cullen A. Halsey, of her native county, and the other daugh¬ ter, Winnifred, married May 4, 1839, Miles Ashley, of Chowan. There are descendants of these families still living in Chowan and adjoining counties. The following Perrys lived in Hertford County as heads of families at the following- periods, as appears from the U. S. Census: 1790. Ezekiel Perry, Capt. Ahner Perry, Simeon Perry, William Perry, James Perry, Celia Perry, Elisha Perry, William Perry. 1800. Elisha Perry, Seth Perry, Abner Perry, James Perry. 1810. Jacob Perry, Joseph Perry, Sally Perry, John Perry. 62 THE PERRY FAMILY. 1820. Joseph Perry, John W. Perry. 1830. William N. Perry, Abner J. Perry, James Perry, Agatha Perry. In Bertie In 1790. Etheldred Perry, John Perry, Isaac Perry, James Perry, Joshua Perry, George Perry, Thomas Perry, Doc-ton Perry. Conclusion Several of the Perrys moved to the more Southern States. There were a great num¬ ber of Perrys in Bertie, Gates, Perquimans and Chowan during the above periods. Hen¬ ning, in his early history of Virginia, men¬ tions a number of the early Perrys in Vir¬ ginia, and those wishing to trace the family further might find it profitable to consult his works; also Perry’s Historical Selec¬ tions of Virginia. William Hayner Perry, of Greenville, S. C., was born in Greenville, S. C., June 9, 1837. He was a lawyer, soldier in the Con- THE PERRY FAMILY. 63 federate army, member of the State Conven¬ tion of South Carolina in 1865, member of Legislature of South Carolina in 1865-6, Solicitor of the Eighth District 1868-72, member of State Senate from Greenville County 1880-84, member of Congress in 49th and 50th Congress as a Democrat. Ben. Frank Perry, Pendleton District, S. C., was born May 20, 1805. He was a law¬ yer and author, State Senator in 1835, Gov¬ ernor after the war; elected U. S. Senator in 1870, but not allowed to take his seat. In 1872 elected to U. S. House of Represent¬ atives, but refused his seat; author of “Reminiscence of Public Men.” He died in 1886 near Greenville, S. C. Madison S. Perry was Governor of Florida in 1857-1864. These persons were evidently descendants of our North Caro¬ lina families. Matthew Galbraith Perry was a native of New Jersey; born in 1794 and died in 1858. He was a commodore in the U. S. Navy, and distinguished himself as an offi¬ cer in several important naval conflicts. 64 THE PERRY FAMILY. His brother, Oliver Hazard Perry, was also a distinguished naval hero in America. In the great naval conflict between the English and United States navy on Lake Erie he displayed great ability and captured the whole English squadron, and was immortal¬ ized in his message, “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” General Matthew Calbraid Butler, a dis¬ tinguished officer in the Confederate army and a United States Senator from South Carolina from 1877 to 1895, was the son of Jane T. Perry, daughter of Captain Perry, U. S. N., and sister of Commodore Perry, and of the hero of Lake Erie. r