The Newberry Family
     The Newberry Family - Connecticut

Newberry Family in Connecticut

Our John Newberry I,  and family traveled from Connecticut  in the 1740's to Duchess County, New York
with the Burt family. The Burt family plays along the edges of the Newberry family history from the 1740's
forward. They are mentioned in a family journal written one hundred years after this migration took place.
It mentions two people in it as Aunt and Uncle Burt. There is no other information explaining the relationship
in the family record. Eddy Newberry married Ruth Burt in the 1760's and moved back to Duchess Co.
Ruth Burt was also the grand daughter of Elder James Benedict who was the father of Jemima Benedict who
married John Newberry in Warwick, N.Y. John was the son of John and Zerviah Burch  Newberry who were
the early settlers in Duchess Co. 

In 1818 Phoebe and James Burt  are witnesses to a will in Warwick, N.Y. for John Newberry II,.  In Warwick,
James Burt is a very prominent citizen and became a Senator. Are these people those who were referred to as
Aunt and Uncle Burt?  We have not yet figured out how they are related - if in fact they are at all.

I have wondered if the Burch name became Burt at some point?  Is this possibly how the family has become
related to the Burt family in the family journal?  John Newberry was married to Zurviah Burch, and as you will
see in the following information, the Burch family lived near the Newberry family in Duchess Co.

The researcher is hard pressed to find a lot of information on this Newberry family. Both families migrated to the
area at the same time, yet the Burt social standing seems to have been more prominent than the Newberry's.

Another piece of earlier information that has come to light regarding the Burts, was that in 1701 James Burt
(ancestor of above James) gave a young Indian woman refuge from her unkind master (John Smith of Taunton),
and went to English court to secure her legal removal from the previous master's household.1 This took place in
New England. This James Burt is likely a progenitor to the one mentioned above.

When the Newberry's moved to N.Y. their close neighbor was Jonathan Burch who was also related. 
Transcriptions  appear below courtesy of Putnam County Historical Society, N.Y.

Land of John Newberry in Duchess Co/Putnam Co. N.Y. 
Information acquired from the Putnam County Historical Society – Reg White - historian

December 20th 1780  L2000 Continental

All that Certain tract or parcel of land Situate lying and being in Fredricksburgh
Precinct now in the possession of John Newbury and is Distinguished in a map or field
book these of made by Benjamin Morgan Among other Farms by farm number thirty-
nine Beginning at a Stake the North East Corner of Utters and Benjamins farms,
thence turning South eighty-three Degrees West, Eighteen Chains and Thirty five links
to A Stake and heap of Stones, then North Sixty three Degrees West Twenty four chains
and forty links to two Chestnut Trees Marked, then North Twenty Three Chains to a
Stake and heap of stones, then North Eighty Eight degrees forty five Minutes East forty
eight Chains to a Stake on a Mountain, then South Fourteen Degrees West Thirty four
Chains, to the place of beginning Containing One Hundred and twenty five acres More
or less.

May 1st 1781 L45 . Certificate

All that Certain tract of land Situate in Fredricksburgh Precinct Dutchess County,
whereon John Newberry lives, beginning at a Heap of Stones in the south line of the
Farm, Which is the Southeast Corner of Comfort Ludington’s for or Wood Lott, then
turns North ten degrees East thirty seven chains to a White Oak Rush Marked.  Standing
in the East line of Comfort Ludington’s land, then South Eighty Seven Degrees East
Nineteen chains and Seventy-five links to Jonathan Burches land, then South bounding
on the Said Burches land and John Newberry land Thirty-eight chains to a large Chestnut
tree, which is the southeast Corner of John Newberry’s land the North Eighty-seven
Degrees West, Nineteen Chains to the first  Bounds containing Sixty Acres – More or less.

Why did they migrate?
Another question about the Newberry family that needs solving is their motivation for migrating to N.Y.  If
they were Native American there is one reason that may float.  Christianization was reaching a fevered pace in
colonial New England.  Because of the Englishman's need of order they felt that if they could convert the Indians,
then they could more easily spread across the land and acquire more acreage.  Because of the problems they
encountered with mortality from the white man's diseases the Indians began to accept Christianity, believing
that if their tribal elders couldn't save their race, then perhaps the English could.

The English trained Indian people in the ministry.  A Mohegan man named Sansom Occum, took up the collar.
Beginning in the 1740's he advised the native races to move to Duchess Co. N.Y. feeling that they could more
easily survive on the frontier with other Christian Indians in 'praying towns'. There were several praying towns
run by different religious organizations. Stockbridge in Massachusetts  was one of the more famous ones. 
Also the Moravians had many of these towns one of the first was in Duchess County and was called Shekemeko.

Occum was trained by Reverend Wheelock's school which eventually became  Dartmouth College. He encouraged
this up until the Revolution, and then again after the fighting had ceased.  The Oneida offered refuge for many of the
people in Massachusetts and Connecticut. A new 'praying town' was established in Oneida territory, and was called
New Stockbridge. Many of those people fought in the French and Indian Wars and the Revolution.  Oneida territory
was a long way from Duchess County.  So in moving earlier in the century as Occum suggested, the people who
abided found a much different  situation in Southeastern N.Y. than those of the people who moved to Oneida
Territory.

Tribes prevalent to Dutchess County, N.Y. were the Mahicans, and a related tribe called the Wappingers - all related
to the Mohegans in Connecticut, who in turn were related to the grandfather tribe - Lenni Lenape or commonly called
the Delaware Indians. Contrary to James Fenimore Cooper's, story, the 'Mohicans' did not become extinct.  The
Mahican tribe, as it is alternately spelled - is alive and well.


John Newberry and Zurviah Burch
Through out this web site the children marked with this symbol
are the the direct descendants from one family to the next.

John Newberry was born August 16, 1710  Groton, New London, Connecticut. 
Died - Franklin, Duchess Co. (area now Putnam Co.) N.Y. April 19, 1809
Married November 26, 1739 – Stonington, Connecticut.  Shown in the 1790
N.Y. census as 'Moberry'.
Zurviah Burch was born June 4, 1713
Stonington, New London, Connecticut.
Died - unknown

Their children are as follows:

1. Jonathan Newberry b. Sept. 3, 1740, Jonathan Newberry’s son Nathaniel Newberry
was a pioneer in Michigan. 



Nathaniel Newberry

2. Joseph Newberry  b. 1741
3. Eddy Newberry b. 1743 married Ruth Burt a childhood friend.  The Burt's traveled
with the Newberry's from Groton.  Eddy went with his brother John to settle in Warwick,
Orange County, N.Y. 

4. John Newberry b. 1746,  married Jemima Benedict daughter of the first Baptist
minister of Warwick who established the Old School Baptist Church. Benedict was
keenly familiar with Joseph Brant who warned him of the impending infamous massacre
(Wyoming Massacre) at Wyoming, PA. Because of Brant's warning Benedict took flight
with his family.

John Newberry was thought to be a trader of some sort, but detailed information is difficult
to find. During the Revolution it is said that John Newberry and family were neutral activists
or Tory's which could indicate some affiliation with tribal elders. During the Revolution, the
Newberry's helped to string the huge chain across the channel of the Hudson river. See
page on Revolution for more information.

5. Elizabeth Newberry   b. Sept. 13, 1749 m. Nov. 30, 1771 to Benjamin Lowe
Danube, Tryon, N.Y. 
6. Zurviah Newberry   b. 1751
7. Joshua Newberry   b. 1753
8. Mercy Newberry  b. 1755
9. Zilphia Newberry  b. 1757

The above information was graciously provided by Sherman Boivin, of Santa Rosa, CA.

Native names in our family         On to New York

Other Topics and Destinations:

Newberry Researcher's Corner - BRICK WALLS  This page is dedicated to the continuing research of the family and the
 researchers who continue with me to sift through the ancient records of the New England and New York.

All pages
Stage 1
/Connecticut / New York / More Newberry's in New York Samuel Smith / Smith Farm / Revolution /
Old School Baptists
/Native people in New England / Stage 2 / Ohio / Missouri / Illinois & Iowa / Nauvoo /
Flight to SW Iowa
/ The Half Breed Tract / Cutlerite membership / dissidence in NauvooDeath of James Newberry /
Wives and Family
/ Children who Went west /Stage 3 /Exodus to Utah / Utah Morrisites / Hannah's Children /
Hannah's Necklace
/ genealogy table / Addenda /Newberry Brick WallsWhispers - beginning the search /
Bibliography
/ Family Album / Jonathan Newberry Bible /

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