Berry family.

This collection is mainly about the Berry Family and its travels to America from Great Britain. The tale of the Berry family starts with Thomas Berry (1750-1830) and Elizabeth Adams (1770-1930). Their son, John (1798-1867), and his wife, Catherine Mercy Hooper (1794-1865), immigrated to Elizabethtown, New Jersey in 1835, it took them 42 days to travel from Sussex, England to New Jersey. John worked as a tanner upon arrival to America. They traveled back to England in 1847 but returned to America the next year. They moved around the country first to Richmond, Virginia and finally ending up in what would become Detroit, Michigan. They were against the abolitionist 'Yankees' that surrounded them in Detroit. John and Catherine had two sons that are known, John and Joseph. These two men started the Berry Brothers Paint and Varnish Company in 1860 out of Detroit. One of their daughters lived in Louisiana and married a man who eventually became an officer in the Confederate Army. The family lived through the Civil War and consisted of both Southern and Northern sympathizers as well as apathetic family members still living in England, such as Thomas Berry. Because there are many names the following will can be used to clarify the names of the family members in this collection. Thomas Berry (1750-1830) and Elizabeth Adams (1770-1830) had 5 children, 2 of which are known: John Jr. (1798-1867) and Thomas (1801-1866). John and his wife Catherine Mercy Hooper (1794-1865) are the two main characters in this collection. These are the two people that came to America in 1835. Thomas Berry stayed in England. Catherine was the daughter of Cleeve Hooper and Mary Woodward who are not very significant in this collection (Catherine and her parents wrote a few letters to each other which can be found in the collection). The other significant figure in this collection is Cleeve Hooper (1816-1910) who is the nephew of John and Catherine. Also mentioned is George Hooper (1786-1862) who is Catherine's brother.

From the description of Berry family papers, 1813-1913, (bulk 1813-1867). (New Jersey Historical Society Library). WorldCat record id: 57314691