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From Salem, Mo. Newspaper August, 1895. "Uncle Jack Berry's 100th Birthday". More than 1,000 people attended the 100th birthday celebration in honor of Uncle Jack Berry. Music was furnished by the Salem Brass Band. Jack Berry was born in Port William, Ky. and from there moved to Shelbyville, Ky with his parents when 5 years of age. From here he moved with his parents to Corrydan, Indiana in 1815. In 1816 he went West with a neighbor, Mr. Melton. He spent 5 years in Illinois where in 1817 he married Miss Eliza Melton. They came to Missouri and lived on the Gasconade River in then Crawford County. The county site was at James Harrison's on Little Piney. They lived there until 1832, the year of the Black Hawk War; then to Southwest Missouri, 70 miles west of Springfield near Oliver's Prairie, then to mouth of Beaver Creek in Phelps County that fall. They were flooded there, then they went to Miller County near Tuscumbia and from there 9 miles southwest of Salem, Mo. to what is now known as the Lynch farm.They bought a cabin for $10.00, had about 50 cattle, cut wild grass for feed mostly in the valley on which the Carney farms are now located. He let a son, William, have the Lynch place and he got first 80 acres of land of his present farm from the old Jackson Land Grant Office on 30 Aug. 1847. At this time only 3 settlers had made government land entries before him in Texas Township of Dent County. Thomas J. Higginbotham 1836, Ransom Craddock 1839, and Cornaro C. Lane 1847. Jack Berry was the father of 21 children, 17 living. He had 11 by his first wife and 7 by his second. Of the first set 11 are living. A son David Berry died after he was grown with brain fever. Frances M. Berry was killed at Battle of Pleasant Hill in Louisiana during the Civil war in the Confederate Army. Silas scalded to death in infancy by falling into a kettle of boiling water. Of the last set, 6 are living, the youngest is 18. One girl died in infancy. His second wife was Mrs Lucinda York formerly Lucinda Creesy who he married in 1866. He has five generations. Among his sons are John H. James, A.E. and E.E. |
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