Davidson and Farrier Family Histories

This is a site for us to upload family histories and pictures of our Davidson and Farrier family ancestors. I have not written most of the histories, although I have put together the timelines. The histories have been gathered from various sources, so I can't vouch for the accuracy of their information.

If you recognize any of these people and have information to add or correct, please post a comment, including your email address if you wish, so we can be in touch. I would love to connect with other descendants of these family members.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

History of the Cherry Family

[Note:  I do not know who compiled this history.  It has been in our family for many, many years.  I have not done personal research on this line and do not know more about it.  I am a descendant of Ebenezer Griffin Cherry, whose picture appears below.]

1407 Thomas De Cherrie of Picardy and Normandy France were Lords of Bearivel, Linquere and Villencourt.

1. Thomas De Cherrie at the time of the Huguenot persecution in 1407 got permission from the King of France to pass into Normandy to arrange some family affairs, from there they escaped into England where he owned property in Plympton and north Hamilton and never returned.

2. Jean his son was a young boy at that time, in 1412 Jean DeCherrie lived in England and married there.

3. His son John who lived at Maidenhead in Bray England, dropped the De from his name and spelled it Cherie.

Only the oldest son of a family were listed as they inherited the property the rest had to go out and make their own way, so it was hard sometimes to find the children's record. John's son Richard.

4. Richard son of John, wife's name was Mary they lived at Cassington England he had a son Thomas.

5. Thomas Cherry married Elizabeth and lived at north Rilworth Co Leicester England, they had a son Thomas.

6. Thomas had a son John born in 1525.

7. John married Agnes they had a son named John born in 1548 who married Agnes Pratt.

8. John Cherry born in 1548 who married Agnes Pratt had a son, Thomas born in 1571 he married Margaret Watkins.

9. Thomas Cherry born in 1571 who married Margaret Watkins, also had a son named Thomas born in 1597, who married Ellen Pownee.

10. Thomas Cherry who married Ellen Pownee, had six sons and one daughter they lived together 35 years and were buried together in one grave 20 Sept 1657.

11. Thomas their son born 1629 went to Scotland and married a Scottish woman and moved to Ireland about 1650 settled in Antrim County, they had two sons named John and William, most of the records were lost in the war only the Hearth money rolls of Antrim County were left.

12. Record of John living at Belfast Barony and having 1 hearth and William as living at Nazareen Barony Lisburn Parish and having 1 hearth. Each hearth was taxed so most people built one fireplace in center of their house.

At this time there is a break in the Cherry family line, we do not know which of these two sons was the father of Edward, who married Alice and came to America in 1737 with three sons, Aaron, William and Thomas. William had no children. Aaron is believed to have been killed in an Indian raid. Thomas born in 1717 at Antrim Co Ireland, married Rachel Emlem 1743 think the daughter of Luke Emlem.

13. Edward Cherry who married Alice and came to American in 1737 with three sons, Aaron, William and Thomas.

14. Thomas married Rachel Emlem believed to be the daughter of Luke Emlem. They had a son Aaron which is our grandfather he married Mary Johnson, when his father made his will he gave him the home with the custody of his mother as long as she lived. His father Thomas Cherry was killed by the Indians.

15. Aaron Cherry our Grandfather who married Mary Johnson, fought in the Revolution he served from 1775 to 1783 and later was killed in the Indian war in Kentucky 1790.  [There is some information that suggests that Aaron Cherry was not killed in the Indian war, but lived to be 110 years old and was buried in Texas on the Cherry family land. And a governor of Texas, Price Daniel, declared Sept. 22, 1957 to be Aaron Cherry Day in honor of his being a revolutionary war hero.  There is a picture at Find a Grave.com that supports this thesis.  You can see it here.]

16. His son John is our Great Grandfather he married Rebecca Anthony they lived on a place owned by William Cherry a cousin, son of Captain William Cherry.

Captain William Cherry was granted 3000 acres for his service in the army his children and brother lived on his land.

William Cherry Jr. died leaving his wife Mary Gibson and two small daughters, Mary and Sarah Ellen. Mary married Edward Johnson. After the of William his wife married again and grandmother Rebecca Anthony Cherry raised her children.

They called our grandfather Ebenezer Griffin Cherry their brother. Mary named her children after grandmothers family, from information given by a granddaughter of Mary Cherry Johnson said her grandmothers brother Ebenezer Cherry had joined the Mormons and gone west. This gave us our connecting link we were looking for.

Our Cherry family went through much persecution in the early days. They built Fort Cherry as a protection from the Indians. Many were killed by the Indians. Later the family moved into Kentucky and was there for a while but the Indians stole their horses and cattle and everything they could get a hold of until they were obliged to come back to Ohio again. They then petitioned the Governor of Ohio for small tracts of land they could settle on and pay for, saying many of us have been great suffers of the late Indian War, some not having a horse left to till the ground--have been much disappointed in letting land in Kentucky and we humbly request that congress may take it into serious consideration, whether it would not be just to give us that are actual settlers the preference of purchasing the land where we are now settled, and request that the land be sold in smaller quantities than full sections, as it appears there is a number of fractions on the Miami and Whitewater River, we do further request that where it appears that there is sufficient in a fraction for a small plantation that it may be sold, so as to suit men of lower circumstances and your petitioners will ever be in duty bound to pray.
Ebenezer Griffin Cherry

17. Ebenezer Griffin Cherry son of John Cherry and Rebecca Anthony was born 24 September 1814 at Hillsborough Highland Co Ohio, he died 27 Feb 1887 at Lewiston Utah and was buried in the Lewiston Cemetery.

He married first Susannah Evertson they had twelve children, John - Mary Rebecca - Edward R - Nancy Ann - Aaron Benjamin - Griffin - William Aaron - Daniel Henry - Francis Marion - Susannah - Hyrum S - and Wilford.

They joined the church grandfather Ebenezer being baptized 1 March 1846 and grandmother the 6 April 1846 they came west. They received their endowments 1 Sept 1852 and was sealed 9 April 1853. She died and was buried in Bountiful Utah, about 1862 Grandfather married 2nd Mary Amanda Shumway they were the parents of 11 children, they are both buried in Lewiston Utah. She had been married before and had children by her first husband.

Grandpa Ebenezer and his second wife moved up around Lewiston Utah and lived and died there. He was the father of 23 children, his descendents are scattered all over Utah, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and California, and many other places in United States as well as foreign lands in the Service of their country.

18. Aaron Benjamin Cherry son of Ebenezer was born 5 July 1843 in Adams Co Ill. He married Phebe Ann Leavitt, daughter of George Leavitt and Jeanette Brinkerhoff 15 of Aug 1868 in the endowment house in Salt Lake City Utah, they were the parents of 15 children. They buried three children in Lewiston Utah and two in Rexburg all of their children were born in Lewiston except the oldest which was born in West Point Nevada. They moved to Salem Idaho and lived a number of years one died in 1902 and the other in 1904 leaving small children. They are both buried in the Rexburg Cemetery.

42 comments:

Anonymous said...

I couldn't find an email address to contact you with so I've decided to leave a comment. :-)

I am descended from Thomas Cherry (through his son, John.) who died in Ireland. As far as I can see, this Thomas would be our last/most recent (however you want to say it :) ) common ancestor. My information says I'm descended from John's son (which says he was born in England, although I dont know how true that is), Johannes, who married a Mary Browne, supposedly. It also says that his (x-however many)great-grandfather, THomas De Cheri was born anywhere from 1309-1352 and that his son Jean was also born in France, anywhere from 1349-1378.

I'm really glad I came upon your site; I love discovering new relatives, no matter how distantly related. :)

If you want to reply, feel free to send me an email. My email is supernova8610@yahoo.com

Terra said...

I am also a descendant of Aaron Benjamin Cherry. I'm so glad I found your site and information. In my research many people say that Aaron Cherry Sr. (that fought in the revolutionary war) did not die in 1790, but lived to be 110 years old and was buried in Texas on the Cherry family land. And a governor of Texas, Price Daniel, declared Sept. 22 1957 to be Aaron Cherry Day in honor of him being a revolutionary war hero. There seems to be some controversy surrounding him. What do you make of this? Thanks so much for posting your research.

Kathy said...

Terra: I just did some poking around the web and found several people talking about "Aaron Cherry Day." Interesting. Have you seen this on FindaGrave?

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=12947679

It shows a gravestone for an Aaron Cherry with dates of 1746 - 1856. Maybe... Maybe... :-)

PS I did not do the research for this posting. I inherited it and just put it up. I cannot vouch for the accuracy of any of it.

Kathy said...

PPS I am descended through Ebenezer Griffin Cherry's son Charles Stephen Cherry. His daughter, Velma Cherry, is my grandmother.

Terra said...

This is so confusing. I did see that gravestone marker. It seems as though Thomas and Rachel had two sons named Aaron. There are different birth and death dates for each and different wives and children. They each appear on many family trees with the same parents and siblings, but of course never together. Do you think it's possible? New Family Search has them as the same person.

Kathy said...

Terra: This level of family history work is over my head. :-) It does seem odd that there are so many birth and death dates linked to one person in New Family Search. I suspect there is more than one person here, but I confess I don't know how to unravel it. If you get it sorted out, I'd love to hear what you learn.

Ellen said...

Hi! I am a descendant of an Aaron Cherry from the Carolinas. I believe his father was Thomas Robert Cherry, but ancestry gets so fuzzy. This is not the Aaron Cherry who is buried in Indiana.
My Aaron Cherry had a son, Lewis Knight Cherry.
It does appear there are two Aaron Cherry's who lived around the same time. Any help would be much appreciated.

Ellen said...

Hello! I am a descendant of Aaron Cherry who lived in North Carolina in the 1700s. He had a son Lewis Knight Cherry who is my g-g-g-grandfather. As far as I can tell, this Aaron is the son of Thomas Robert Cherry. I do not believe he is the same Aaron who fought in the revolutionary war and is buried in Indiana. Any help would be greatly appreciated sorting out who/where Aaron is.

Kathy said...

Hi, Ellen:
I have never researched the Cherry family myself. This history is something that was created before my time and passed on to me. I don't even know who wrote it. Perhaps one of the previous commenters will have some information for you. Good luck!

Terra said...

Kathy, As far as I can tell your information here is correct. There is a lot of mix-up about Aaron Cherry. But I believe that the other Aaron Cherry (who Aaron Cherry Day was named for) was born in 1778 (not sure where 1746 came from) and is the son of John Cherry (son of Thomas and Rachel) and Ann Moody. Family Search has both Aaron Cherry's combined and I'm not sure how to separate them. Any ideas?

Terra said...

Ellen, I found this family tree which might be helpful to you: http://www.wikitree.com/genealogy/Cherry-Family-Tree-283. If it is correct and as far as I can tell our trees would intersect at #12 on this blog. We're not sure if we came from John or William, but it looks as though your family line comes in there with John Sr. on the Wiki Tree. I'm not 100% sure on that, but it might be helpful.

Unknown said...

Re: "1. Thomas De Cherrie at the time of the Huguenot persecution in 1407"

Just a note...persecution of Huguenots did not begin in France until after the rise of Martin Luther and the Reformation movement (posted his 95 theses to the church door in 1517). Additionally John Calvin was only born in 1509 and his teachings later on in his life lead to the conflict with the Catholics and the subsequent persecutions in the 16th and 17th centuries...point being that the reason for De Cherrie leaving France would not have been persecution of the Huguenots.

Michael E. Cherry

Kathy said...

Thank you, Michael. As I say at the top, I did not write this, nor have I researched any of it. It would be interesting for someone with more historical knowledge than I have to find out the truth. Thanks, again!

Unknown said...

There was mention of looking for the parents of Edward Cherry in your blog. I have my Cherry Tree traced using Ancestry.com. Can't prove any of it past my great grandfather but it does seem nearly identical to the one you've posted until it comes to Edward Cherry. In fact there are two, one only lived for a year 1643-44.
EDWARD CHERRY:
Born: 1632 Maidenhead, Berkshire, England
Died: ? Ireland
Father: Thomas Cherry, 1596-1657
Mother: Ellen Pownee, 1598-1657
Siblings: John, 1619-1699; Ann 1621-?; Richard, 1623-1665; Elizabeth Faithful (?), 1625-1654; William, 1626-1705; Thomas, 1629-1701; Henry, 1631-1680;d George, 1635-1684.
Of course I'm not able to prove any of this but I hope I've added some useful information to the cause.

Unknown said...

I am a decendant also. I have the papers infront of my face! All they way back to thomas de cherry in 1350. This is crazy! My name is brianna cherry we live in michigan

Unknown said...

I am a decendant also. I have the papers infront of my face! All they way back to thomas de cherry in 1350. This is crazy! My name is brianna cherry we live in michigan

Kathy said...

Hi, Brianna! Always nice to meet a distant cousin. So, you have this history in your family paper as well? That is indeed crazy! and wonderful. Best wishes to you and yours.

Unknown said...

I am also a descendant of the Cherrys. My people descend from Honour Cherry m. Joaquin Fernandez de Rumayor. I can find a ton of info about the Cherrys but all I find on Joaquin de Rumayor was that he was born in Spain. Another place says an Indian village in Spain which I'm guessing was New Spain. But another post from someone says he possibly applied for citizenship to Mexico in 1790. So confusing. Wish I could step back in time and ask these folks some questions. If anyone has photos, stories or any other information, my email in sfems615@gmail.com . I have been to the enormous area of land in Texas where the Cherry/de Rumayor family settled. It was an awesome feeling.

Tex-Irish Gal said...

The Reformation followed Martin Luther and is generally acknowledged to have been from 1517-1648. The term "Huguenot" did not appear in France until the 16th century do it would be impossible for Thomas DeCherie to have fled Huguenot persecution in 1407. My Great- Grandmother was Florence Gertrude Cherry Phillips (1867-1951) and I'm working my way backward through the American colonies to England and beyond.

Claire miles said...

This is very interesting my great grandfather was hamilton cherry magee lisburn 1879 and my mum was named cherry as a family all we knew was that cherry was a family name

Unknown said...

My name is William Cherry, I'm currently working on tracing the family tree back to Scotland but am hung up. I lost record of anyone past my great grandfather William Jack Cherry born in the late 1800s, father of Grover Jackson Cherry. When my grandfather was a young boy, Willie was died and his wife remarried cutting ties with the Cherry side of the family. Willie's wife was Laura Livingston if that helps. Any information would be helpful.

Kathy said...

Will Cherry: I found this record on FindaGrave.com. I don't know if it has more information than you already have.

https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=100290417

Nice to find a distant cousin! Best wishes with your research!

smkyqtzxtl said...

Jonathan Cherry
Children: Elizabeth
Birth: 1791 Darvel, Ayrshire, Scotland
Death: Scotland

Will this help Will Cherry as to where to look in Scotland? Perhaps his family were siblings with this one?
This is my line

KatEast said...

I have a James Stewart Cherry, born 1852 in Maybole, Ayrshire in my tree. He migrated with his parents, Jonas and Elizabeth (nee Reillie) Cherry to Tasmania in 1857. I was born in Tasmania. Very keen to find some more links and extend my tree beyond Jonas!

KatEast said...

I have a James Stewart Cherry born 1852 Maybole, Ayrshire, son of Jonas Cherry and Elizabeth Reillie. Migrated to Tasmania in 1857 - this is where I was born. Is there a connection here??

KatEast said...

I have a James Stewart Cherry, born 1852 in Maybole, Ayrshire in my tree. He migrated with his parents, Jonas and Elizabeth (nee Reillie) Cherry to Tasmania in 1857. I was born in Tasmania. Very keen to find some more links and extend my tree beyond Jonas!

Unknown said...

My grandmother was Marjorie cherry, I traced back to a Thomas De Cherrie died in 1412. I am a direct cherry.

HowardCherry said...

Hello, I am Howard Cherry born to Juliette Cherry grandson of Clyde Powell Cherry Great Grandson of Clyde Leon Cherry, I am looking for more family who can help me out with my family tree to piece together, My grandfather Clyde Powell was born Oct 9th 1929 if that helps. My email is howardcherry1andonly@gmail.com

HowardCherry said...

Looks like I am a direct Descendent of 1407 Thomas Cherry, my Adopted sister help me trace it back to Thomas Cherry of Normandy France

Kathy said...

Howard, that's great! Nice to meet another distant cousin.

Megan said...

Curious if anyone can shed some light on the Cherry’s having African American dna? Im showing it in my own personal dna and would appreciate any info surrounding this.

Megan said...

I’m trying to figure out where African dna came to play with the Cherry’s. It’s showing in my own dna and was curious if anyone had more info on this.

Megan said...

Curious if anyone can shed some light on the Cherry’s having African American dna? Im showing it in my own personal dna and would appreciate any info surrounding this.

Megan said...

Curious if anyone can shed some light on the Cherry’s having African American dna? Im showing it in my own personal dna and would appreciate any info surrounding this.

Kathy said...

Megan, I'm afraid I don't have any information on that. I have heard of Cherrys with African American dna, but don't know if our line ties into any of them.

PJ said...

Hey, Cousins!

Does anyone here (or you, dear Kathy) have photos/scans of the original document that this information came from? That would be wonderfully helpful.

Kathy said...

Hi, PJ!
What I have posted here is a transcription from an old typed sheet that my mother had. Where she got it, I honestly don't know. As I said at the top, I don't know who compiled it, what sources they used, or how accurate any of the information is. I've posted it just in the hopes that it can be a jumping off point for people better able to do real research. (Maybe you?) :-) Best wishes!

PJ said...

Well, thanks for posting it for all of us distant cousins :)

PJ said...

Hello, everyone.

I've got plenty of cherries in my family history. I just traced back far enough to find this source attached to many of the cherries: "Roots of the Cherry Tree”, by Marjorie Loomis Cherry. This link will show you some of the family history sites where it's available: https://www.worldcat.org/title/roots-of-the-cherry-tree/oclc/7025276

Dylan Cherry said...

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/92077481/drayton-oscar-cherry

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/44452483/robert-cherry

these are my forefathers

currently trying to piece together the tree that gets me from South Carolina to Maindenhead England with Thomas Cherry iii:1626-1701

feel free to reach out to me dylancherry77@gmail.com if need be!

Kathy said...

Hi, Cousin Dylan! As my disclaimer states, I can't vouch for the accuracy of any of this material, but it may prove a starting point for someone with more research skills than I have. Wishing you all the best!

Kathy said...

Hi, Cousin JoyJoy! :-) Thanks for the reference. Happy new year!