The following information was assembled from numerous sources and cannot be used directly as proof of Qualifying Service or Lineage.
It is considered a research aid and is intended to assist in locating sources that can be used as proof.
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Author: Robert Clyde Eager
Jabez Berry was born at Harwich, Massachusetts, February 1, 1720. He married Rebecca Gray, August 23, 1744. She was a resident of Harwich, and a descendant of the earliest Cape Cod families. Shortly afterward, they moved to the Fredericksburg Precinct, Dutchess County, New York.
Berry settled on a farm about a mile north of Lake Mahopac near the present-day town of Carmel. He and his wife, Rebecca, raised a family of six children. Other families from Cape Cod made the same move to Fredericksburg about the same time.
Standing at five feet, eleven inches in height, Berry was a strong and robust man who was known for his strength and endurance. Boxing was popular at the time, and Berry was renowned for his skill. While his strength was legendary, he was also known as a person of great character who never initiated a fight nor used his physical stature to domineer over the weak. The History of Putnam County summarized his character this way:
Jabez Berry possessed a well-balanced mind, which kept him from being disconcerted in any emergency. Possessing an amiable and cheerful disposition, he secured the esteem and approbation of all who knew him, while his integrity and uprightness of purpose secured him from the tongue of the slanderer. He advocated the cause of his country with a stout heart and a strong arm and enjoyed the proud satisfaction of seeing all of his sons follow his paternal and patriotic example.
During the Revolution, Berry served as a private in Colonel Henry Ludenton’s Dutchess County Militia. That unit’s role was primarily to respond to local alarms. When called up, members would serve for several days marching to nearby towns like Fishkill or Peekskill, and “…protect against midnight depredations of the cow-boys, skinners, and Tories.”
Berry had four sons, and they all served during the war. Jabez Jr. and Samuel were also privates in the Dutchess County Militia. His son, John, was a lieutenant in that unit. Another son, Asahel, was an ensign who worked for recruitment in the Fifth New York Regiment.
Berry was enumerated at Fredericksontown, Dutchess County, New York in the 1790 U. S. Census. His son, Jabez Berry Jr., was recorded in another household on the same page.
What happened after 1790 has been lost to history. The authors of the History of Putnam County, written in 1849, did not record where or when he died. Assumptions of his wife, Rebecca, having died in 1760 are incorrect and likely due to a cemetery record for a Rebecca Grey who died that year. In life, Jabez Berry was major figure in his community and made a strong impression on all who knew him. After he died, recollections of the details of his passing slipped away, and the remaining details of his life are not known.
References:
1. Blake, William J.: History of Putnam County, New York, Pg. 277-280.
2. Roberts, James A.: New York in the Revolution, Pg. 149-150.
3. 1790 U.S. Census. Fredericksontown, Dutchess County, New York. Series: M637, Roll: 6, Pg.: 22. Image: 155. Family History Library Film: 0568146.
4. NARA: Series M246. Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783. Muster Rolls. Fifth New York Regiment, 1777-1780. Folder: 63. NARA Catalog ID: 602384. Asashel Berry.
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