John Berry, Frontiersman

(1786-1866) A native of Kentucky and veteran of the War of 1812, John Berry moved in 1816 to Indiana. In 1827 he brought his family to the Atascosito District of Texas. Mexico awarded him lots in Liberty and Mina (Bastrop) when those towns were founded. Berry's oldest sons, Joseph (1811-1842), John Bate (1813-1891), and Andrew Jackson (1816-1899), served in the Republic of Texas Army. All three were Texas Rangers before and after the War for Independence (1836) and in the Battle of Plum Creek (1840). Joseph was the first casualty in the Mier Expedition (1842), and John Bate was in Perote Prison for a year. A Williamson County pioneer, John Berry settled three miles northeast of Georgetown in 1846. He built a blacksmith and gun shop and a spring-driven grist mill near Berry Creek. Berry had 18 children by his three wives: Betsy Smeathers (d. 1818), daughter of pioneer Texan William Smeathers (Smothers); Gracie Treat (d. 1830); and Hannah Devore (1812-1904). Five sons and three sons-in-law served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War (1861-1865). Berry died at age 80 and was buried near his home. His descendants include a great-grandson, Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier in American history. (1978)

John Berry, Frontiersman is a historical marker in Georgetown, Williamson County, dedicated in 1978. It is one of 241 historical markers documented in Williamson County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 448 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.6834, -97.6389 near Georgetown. The nearest cataloged historic site is Berry (cemetery), about 0.2 miles away. Others within a short drive include Pennington Family Cemetery, Georgetown Memorial, and Weir Family Cemetery.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507013877. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.