John Berrien (1760 - 1815)

Born 23 Aug 1760 in Rocky Hill, Somerset, New Jersey

Ancestors

Husband of Margaret (Macpherson) Berrien — married 1780 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Husband of Williamina Sara Eliza (Moore) Berrien — married 1 May 1788 in Savannah, Chatham, Georgia, United States

Descendants

Died 6 Nov 1815 at age 55 in Savannah, Chatham, Georgia, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Bill Schroeder [send private message]

Biography

Bde Major John Berrien served with 1st Georgia Regiment (1775), Continental Army during the American Revolution.

John Berrien is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A009556.

John Berrien, Jr. was born in 1760, in Somerset county, New Jersey, a son of John Berrien, Sr. and Margaret Eaton. His father was a judge of the Supreme Court in New Jersey. Judge Berrien made his last will and testament in April of 1775. He died that same month on the 20th.

War of the Revolution

War came to the colonies and to New Jersey that same month of the death of John's father. News came to New Jersey of the fighting between Patriots and British Regulars at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts.

John was only age 15 when the war began. He moved to Georgia after his father's death to live with his LeConte cousins in Liberty County.

His father died before the American Revolutionary War, but has his own DAR Ancestor #A009557, as does his mother DAR Ancestor A009558, who provided quarters for General George Washington in 1783. ^[1]

Military

On January 30, 1776, the young 16 year old John joined the Continental Army, receiving his commission as a 2nd lieutenant in the Georgia Continental Brigade, under General Lachlan McIntosh, for whom Berrien served as aide-de-camp from 1776 to 1778.^[2] Berrien remained with McIntosh, and served under him in 1777 as a brigade major of the North Carolina troops at Washington's headquarters at Valley Forge. ^[3]Berrien's last battle was the Battle of Monmouth, where he was severely wounded. He was wounded in the head on 28 June 1778 at Monmouth. John, Jr. served as an officer, during the Revolution, in both Georgia and North Carolina. He entered service as a Second Lieutenant, and was promoted to First Lieutenant in the First Georgia Regiment. John was made a Brevet Captain and then Brevet Major, when he served as Aide to Camp, in the service of General McIntosh. ^[4] Note: Brevet ranks are temporary ranks for the duration of that position.

John Berrien, Jr. is honored for his military service by the Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, as Ancestor #A009556.^[5] DAR records indicate that he made his home in Burke county, Georgia, but died November 7, 1815, in Savannah, Chatham county, Georgia. //

Life after the Revolutionary War

After his retirement from the war, Berrien engaged in privateering expeditions. This profession introduced him to Captain John Macpherson (1725-1792), a Scottish born privateer who amassed a fortune in the French and Indian Wars. Macpherson lavished his fortune on his home in Philadelphia, Mount Pleasant, considered one of the finest Georgian houses in the colonies.

Berrien fell in love with the captain's daughter Margaret Macpherson (1763-1785) and married her in 1780 in Philadelphia. After their marriage, Berrien and his new wife moved to Rockingham, where their son John Macpherson Berrien was born in 1781. In 1783, Berrien returned to Georgia with his wife and his infant son. Margaret died in McIntosh County, Georgia in 1785.^[6]

After returning to Georgia in 1783, Berrien served as justice of the peace and captain of the militia in Liberty County. He also acquired plantations through land lotteries from former Tory owners in Liberty and Franklin Counties. In 1786, the Georgia legislature appointed him Collector of Customs of the Port of Savannah; however, he lost re-election to this post in 1788.

After the death of his first wife in 1785, Berrien remarried. His second wife, Williamina Moore (1771-1838), came from an old Philadelphia family. In 1791, Berrien constructed his house on Broughton Street. While in Savannah, he served once again as Collector of Customs for the Port of Savannah, as well as alderman from 1791 to 1795.

Berrien was a member of Christ Church in Savannah and an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati, serving as a president of the Georgia Society.

The Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Georgia was organized in Savannah, Georgia on August 13, 1783 by officers of the Georgia Continental Line, whose descendants constitute the present membership. The Society’s mission is to promote knowledge of the American Revolution and to foster fellowship among its members.^[7]

Major John Berrien was the President of the Georgia Society from 1795 until his death in 1815. John was also a member of Solomon's Lodge, the masonic lodge founded in 1733 by James Oglethorpe. It is likely that the ballroom of the Berrien House hosted both groups.

Jefferson County was created 20 February 1796 from Burke and Warren Counties. The county seat was Louisville. In 1797, Berrien sold the Savannah house and became State Treasurer in the new state capital at Louisville.

John made his last will and testament on 26 October of 1811 in Jefferson County. In his will he named his wife along with his sons and daughters. He named his wife as Executrix during her widowhood. He named his sons John Macpherson, Thomas Moore, and Richard Mcallister as his executors. He gave special memorial to his sons.

His eagle to his son John, His framed diploma to his son Thomas, his unframed diploma to his son Richard, and his sword to his son James. These memorials the eagle and the diplomas were from The Society of the Cincinnati of Georgia. The diplomas were signed by George Washington. ^[8]

War came to America and to Georgia in June of 1812.

War of 1812

On 1 Jan 1812 President Madison gave a speech before Congress addressing grievances against Great Britain. The Congress declared war on 18 June. The new counties of Putnam and Jones were the western border of Georgia with the frontier of the Creek Nation. The greatest threat to Georgians during the war came from the hostile Creek Indians allied with and supplied by the British. On August 30, 1813, a strong force of Creeks attacked and destroyed Fort Mims, an American post on the Alabama River, north of Mobile.

Major General John Floyd became the Commander of the Georgia Militia. In September of 1813, Floyd assembled 3,600 Georgia troops at Fort Hawkins. Fort Hawkins was a Federal Fort established in 1806 on the Ocmulgee River south of Putnam and Jones Counties along the boundary with the Creek Nation. This was the future location of Macon, Georgia. Floyd established a fort on the Alabama side of the Chattahoochee River in what would later become Russell County, Alabama. This was Fort Mitchell. Floyd marched his troops into Creek territory. his army, bolstered by a friendly Indian contingent, fell upon the hostile Creeks at the Creek town of Autosse on November 29, 1813. In a desperately fought action, Floyd's men forced the Creeks to retreat after a bayonet charge. This allowed Floyd to destroy Autosse and a second town nearby. Lacking proper supplies, Floyd returned to Fort Mitchell. Later on 27 January of 1814 thirteen hundred Creek warriors mounted a surprise attack against the encamped army on the banks of Calabee Creek. The assault was blunted by the Georgians' use of artillery and superior fire. The hostile Creeks were defeated by Andrew Jackson's forces in March of 1814 at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in what is present day Tallapoosa County, Alabama. During the war the next area of concern for Georgians was a British invasion of the coast. On 24 December a treaty was made in Ghent, Belgium. The American and British forces in the south were not aware of this. Although the peace agreement was signed on December 24, word did not reach the British forces assailing the Gulf coast in time to halt a major attack.

On January 8, 1815, the British marched against New Orleans, hoping that by capturing the city they could separate Louisiana from the rest of the United States. 7,500 British soldiers under Sir Edward Pakenham were unable to penetrate the American defenses, and Jackson’s 4,500 troops, many of them expert marksmen from Kentucky and Tennessee, decimated the British lines. In half an hour, the British had retreated, General Pakenham was dead, and nearly 2,000 of his men were killed, wounded, or missing. the Americans suffered only eight killed and 13 wounded.

On January 10, 1815, British forces under the command of Admiral Sir George Cockburn landed on Cumberland Island, Georgia and later occupied St. Marys. General Floyd prepared his Georgians to defend the coast. News of the treaty came in Feb and the British withdrew.

John's son John Macpherson Berrien was a graduate of Princeton and a lawyer in Jefferson County, Louisville. During the War of 1812, he served as Captain of a volunteer company in the Georgia Hussars.

After the War of 1812

Major Burrien lived on his plantation named Oakland in Jefferson County. Major Burrien was wounded in the head during the Revolutionary War at the Battle of Monmouth. From a letter written by a grandchild the following is excerpted. Grandfather was on his way north to have the bullet removed, but it caused his death when he had proceeded only as far as Savannah on, his way. John Berrien died on November 6, 1815 in Savannah and now lies in Savannah's Colonial Cemetery, just a few short blocks from the Berrien House.^[9]

John's will was proved in court on 8 January 1816.

Family

He was twice married. His first wife was Margaret Macpherson and his second wife was Williamina Sarah Eliza Moore.

1. John Macpherson b. 1781
2. Sarah Lowndes b. 1789
3. Thomas Moore b. 1793
4. Richard Mcallister b. 1795
5. Ruth Lowndes b. 1798
6. Julia Marie b. 1801
7. James Weems Moore b. 1807

Application for membership in the Society of the DAR have been made by the descendants of his sons, Richard Mcallister Berrien, who married Elizabeth Bolling Delony; John Macpherson Berrien, who married Elizabeth Anciaux; and James Weems Moore Berrien, who married Catharine Jane Noble; and of his daughters Julia Marie Berrien, who married John Whitehead; Ruth Lowndes Berrien, who married James Whitehead; and Sarah Berrien, who married John Aloysisus Casey. ^[5]

John Berrien, Jr. is buried in the Colonial Park Cemetery, in Savannah, Chatham county, Georgia. There is additional biographical information on his Find A Grave memorial, as well as a photograph of his biographical marker at the gravesite. ^[10]

Researcher's Notes

From The Gulf States Historical Magazine, Volume 2, digitized here: http://books.google.com/books?id=ziYUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA64&lpg=PA64&dq=major+john+berrien+wounded&source=bl&ots=d0hlc4rxPb&sig=V6pRaUZROz03cbn1eMs4QFBrptI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=seBRUbTCHIrC9gS3l4DIBw&ved=0CD8Q6AEwAw%23v=onepage&q=major%20john%20berrien%20wounded&f=fal#v=snippet&q=major%20john%20berrien%20wounded&f=false

January of 1776 finds John Berrien aged 15 commissioned by John Hancock, President of Congress as 2nd Lt in Georgia's first Battalion of the Continental Army. He rose to the rank of Brigade Major and history tells us that he served with distinction on the staff of General Lachlan McIntosh at Germantown, Valley Forge and elsewhere. He was wounded in the head by a ball from a British musket at the Battle of Monmouth (on June 28, 1778 in Monmouth County, New Jersey.)

Mary Berrien Whitmore to William Berrien Burroughs "The Burroughs Family" pgs. 448 & 449 [Extract of letter] ^[11]

"Grandfather removed from Savannah to Louisville, afterwards he removed to his plantation near Louisville, and which was his home at the time of his death. The place was named 'Oakland' and was a beautiful home where hospitality reigned. Cousin Val. told me that she often spent her summers there and that it was not unusual to awake in the morning and find the family augmented by two or three carriage loads of kin who had arrived some time during the night. This open house was kept up after the Major's death. You know perhaps that Major Berrien was wounded in the head during the war----and was on his way north to have the bullet removed, but it caused his death when he had proceeded only as far as Savannah on, his way. He was a devoted husband - my grandmother he always addressed as ' Willy my love'. I am pleased to say that this beautiful trait has been inherited by all of his descendants, as far as I know. I have often heard my father quote to his little boys this truth, 'he who lays his hand upon a woman save in the manner of kindness is a wretch whom it were base flattery to call a coward."

Sources

1. ↑ NJ ARCH, REV WAR DAMAGE CLAIMS, 1776-1782, SOMERSET CO, P 162; NARA, M247, PAPERS OF CONT CONGRESS 1775-1789, ROLL #60, ITEM #46, P 123; PENNSYLVANIA PACKET & GEN ADVERTISER, 23 OCT 1783, VOL 13, P 4
2. ↑ http://berrienhouse.org/history.asp?subcatID=8
3. ↑ "United States Rosters of Revolutionary War Soldiers and Sailors, 1775-1783," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL3C-CNHC : 1 March 2021), John Berrien, 30 Sep 1783; citing Military Service, Georgia, United States, Citing various published state rosters, United States; FHL microfilm 103140774.>
4. ↑ HEITMAN, HIST REG OF OFFICERS OF THE CONT ARMY DURING THE WAR OF THE REV, 1775-1783, PP 100-101
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed 20 Jan 2022), "Record of John Berrien Jr", Ancestor # A009556.
6. ↑ http://berrienhouse.org/history.asp?subcatID=8
7. ↑ https://gasocietyofthecincinnati.org/
8. ↑ https://gasocietyofthecincinnati.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Cincinnati_Diplomas.pdf
9. ↑ http://berrienhouse.org/history.asp?subcatID=8
10. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8384995/john-berrien
11. ↑ http://www.glynngen.com/history/people/burroughs/page1.htm

• Savannah, Georgia Vital Records, 1803-1966
• Georgia Tax Index, 1789-1799 Author: Jeffery, Alice *http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=52170607&pid=197
• Men of Mark in Georgia, Volume I (Northen, Georgia, 1907), pages 12-14

Acknowledgments

• Thank you to Bill Schroeder for creating WikiTree profile Berrien-29 through the import of wiki2.ged on Nov 24, 2013