"If It Is My Family's Desire to Move to the Western Country...."

"If it is my family's desire to move to the western country...." With these words found in his Will of 1820, John A. Berryhill of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina expressed a sentiment that had occupied the minds of generations before him: there may be a better way of life awaiting further down the road. It always was in their thoughts.

This wanderlust was not unique to the Berryhills. Another family, which will play the major role in this discussion, the Holts of Amelia County, Virginia, had a similar fancy. And again, the search for new territory was not limited to these families. The development of the United States is lined with similar families and their quest for a better way of life, new lands to farm, and new opportunities for rearing a family. Some succeeded. Some did not. They were of a mixed lot. Some were from tainted pasts. Others represented the very best of mankind. Regardless of how they started, there was always the opportunity to do better, if the desire were present.

There was a common bond that developed among the many immigrants and pioneers. As one traces the movement of a particular family, it can be observed that many neighboring families moved together from one location to another. As examples, the Berryhills probably moved from Scotland to Northern Ireland, to Pennsylvania, to North Carolina with the Allison family and the Porter family. They often intermarried. And they died and were buried together. The Holts had neighbors in Amelia County whose descendants later could be found in Christmasville, Tennessee: the Featherstons, the Wingos, the Travis, the Fosters, as examples.

What drove this endlessly westward movement? There are many answers but the overriding one is opportunity. Opportunity to acquire land that was not worn out from years of reckless agricultural practices. Opportunity for younger sons to have land of their own. Opportunity to be their own persons, away from a family that might be over-extended and barely existing from one season to the next. Opportunity to do as others were doing.

The new nation was growing and our two families were part of it. As we are today, our ancestors were spectators of and minor participants in the events of time that swirled about them. By their individual actions, they may not have radically affected their daily lives, but they were part of a greater movement that did offer better ways of life, create new places to live, cause new ideas to flourish, and offer a chance to escape the past ravages of war and repression for a fresh start.

The Holts and most family members included in this discussion never have been mentioned in history books. They never had riches. They never achieved worldly fame. Rather, they farmed, worked at a trade, or provided some service to the community. They nurtured large families, advocated the advantages of advanced education but rarely received such, and lived a life of moderation and respect for others rooted in a firm and demanding religion. For the most part they were, in turn, respected by those who lived among them: nothing dissimilar to the millions of persons who shared in the populating of what we now call the United States of America.

The two families most discussed here settled, a few years apart, in the tiny area where Carroll County, Tennessee abuts the Weakley County line. It was the third district of Carroll County and the sixteenth district of Weakley County. The communities were called Christmasville and New Hope. Their lands straddled the county lines and records of their existence are found in both county archives. The James G. Holt family was the first to come to western Tennessee in 1847. Stephen Jefferson Berryhill arrived with his family in 1870. These two persons were my gg-grandfathers. Both were charter members and leaders of two churches found in the community: Pilgrim's Rest and New Hope.

Both purchased fairly large amounts of land and set about to make a living. Upon deaths of the original settlers, the lands were divided and later re-divided for the benefit of heirs. As a result, by the early Twentieth Century, little remained of the initial tracts: just enough to manage an existence. Yet, descendants of James and Jeff remained in the community. Not until World Wars I and II did they venture beyond, as did so many others who had seen the outside world unfortunately as a result of war.

Today, little remains of the families. To my knowledge, not much has been written about them. Some family members, the late Gary Lewis in particular, have collected genealogical data but have never attempted, or lived long enough, to put it together in print for future generations. Some photographs, family tools, and memorabilia remain. And the public records and graveyards can tell a more recent story but to really understand their existence, one needs to go back to their earliest arrivals in the New World.

For the past six years, I have attempted to trace my parents' families as far back as I can go and remain factual. I have concentrated on direct lines of descent. Many genealogists attempt to include as many names as possible, including all the cousins and in-laws. This is commendable but I chose to follow a more direct line, concentrating on grandfathers/mothers for as many generations as possible. As such I have achieved an historical picture without spending years upon years of research. To other members of the families who might be interested in their particular lines, I hope you will engage in a similar study.
 

To begin the journey to the western country, we start in England. In a span of three hundred years, more or less, we will see the constant movement westward until at last J. G. Holt settles in West Tennessee. Other members of the extended families can be found in all parts of the United States. I am sure many are still moving west, so to speak. This particular study, while beginning in the United Kingdom, ends in Christmasville.

As a child, reared in McKenzie, I knew that certain persons were considered to be kinfolk. I really didn't know how, or care for that matter. Someone has said that you need to be at least fifty years of age before you become interested in genealogy. I think I fit that description. I knew a few cousins and my paternal grandparents. I knew their brothers and sisters but I knew little beyond that. Unfortunately, my maternal grandparents had died before I was born.

As a person interested and trained in history, after learning about others for so long, I suddenly wanted to know where I came from. After six years, my journey is complete enough: I know. I hope what I found does not offend anyone but what I describe is documented. More records need to be found. Many do not exist anymore, if they ever did. I have more work to do but for now I will present what I have found. Hopefully, in future years other branches of my total family will be described as I here do with the Holts and Berryhills.

The research has revealed some interesting twists but nothing really unique to other families. I can only say that the story needed to be told in the event that someone in a future generation just might be interested. While not now, my two grandsons, Brandon Patrick and John Shelton Robinson might be those who would be interested. I wish they could have known my grandfather, Will Holt. He was a good man.

Don G. Holt
Nashville, Tennessee
April, 2005

The Family Tree



William Jefferson Holt~~~~~~ Ocie Stafford
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Richard Thomas Holt~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ida Jane Isabella Berryhill
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James G. Holt~~~~~~~~~Mary Elizabeth Wingo |
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Garland Wingo ~~~~~Elizabeth Blankenship
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James Wingo John Blankenship
James Wingo Ralph Blankenship
John Wingo Ralph Blankenship
Thomas Wing


James Holt~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Asenath Morris
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Zachariah Morris
Isaac Morris


Richard Holt~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Mary Farley
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James Farley, Jr.
James Farley, Sr.
John B. Farley, Jr.
John B. Farley, Sr.
Thomas Farley


Richard Holt~~~~~~~~~ Mary


Plunkett H. Holt~~~~~~~Elizabeth


Richard Holt~~~~~~~~~ Margaret


Robert Holt~~~~~~~~~~Dorothy Heywood


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Stephen Jefferson Berryhill ~~~~~~~~~~ Jane Elizabeth Porter
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James Alexander Porter
John Porter



Samuel A. Berryhill ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Margaret Alexander
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John A. Berryhill~~~~Elizabeth Allison |

Archibald Allison |
William Allison
Archibald Allison
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Samuel Berryhill ~~~ Hannah
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John Berryhill ~~~~~Mary Bigness

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Alexander Berryhill ~~ Jane Cartwright

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Stephen Winslow Alexander ~~~Isabella Shelby
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| Evan Shelby~~~~~~~Susannah Polk Alexander
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| | Benjamin Alexander~~ Susanna Polk
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| Moses Shelby | |
| Evan Shelby Andrew Alexander William Polk
| Samuel Alexander William Polk
| James Alexander Robert Polk
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James Alexander
Danial Alexander
Moses Alexander
James Alexander, weaver
James Alexander


About the Author

Don Graves Holt, a native of McKenzie, Tennessee is a retired educator and state government official. He has held positions in education ranging from high school teacher to college professor, and holds a doctorate degree in education. He served in Governor Ned R. McWherter's cabinet for eight years as Commissioner of Personnel.
Don lives in Nashville with his wife Shirley, a retired school administrator, and enjoys gardening and traveling. They are members of First Presbyterian Church and have a daughter, son-in-law, and two grandsons. He is the son of the late Graves J. and Lucille Cantrell Holt.