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.