One of the fundamental elements in any family's evolution is the
influence of religion in crafting their traditions, values, and daily
life. Like vines, the religious and secular histories are often
intertwined. Any attempt to understand the one divorced from the other
is often a sure guarantee valuable insights will be lost. Understanding a
family's religious history is to understand many of theirmotivations
and subsequent actions with far greater clarity.
Evidence from several private records reveal Terry lines that indicate
religion was taken seriously. Some joined the Disciples of Christ,
Baptist, and other groups, yet there are intriguing clues that seem to
suggest some of these early Terry's had a connection to early American
Methodism. Not surprising for a group that at one time could claim a
church in every county, yet the details are fascinating and illuminate
migration and family stories.
William Terry, resident of Boteourt Co. married
Rachel Manson on 3 Feb. 1759 in
Christ Church in
Philadelphia. It was part of the Church of England and, after the
Revolution, the group from which the Angelican Church emerged.
The spread of Methodism in America parallels the trek of the early
pioneers such as Daniel Boone (who cleared the trail into then largely
unknown Kentucky in the late 1700's). The early Methodist preachers were
not far behind such pioneers. Even before the formal organization of
the "American Methodist Church" or the "Methodist Episcopal Church"
(1784), there existed an early circuit (a regular route traveled by one
minister in order to preach, baptize, and marry) known as the "Holstein
Circuit" (Norwood). It covered the area of NE Tennessee, and SW Virginia
through which John Terry, son of William, and his wife Esther Brown
Terry migrated circa 1790. Other circuits would form, interestingly
enough, in Botetourt Co.,Va, in Kentucky, and southern Indiana. All
locations into which John Terry and kin were known to have moved.
The "father" of American Methodism, Frances Asbury (1745-1816) traveled
some of those same areas of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina,
and Tennessee on his own circuit journeys of the late 1700's and early
1800's. His journal records that in 1786 he stopped at "Terry's" on the
border of Fairfield and Chester Co. Cited, re notes, as "Tar Yard" on
some old maps. In 1807 he stopped at "Terry's" in the upper part of
Greenville Co., near Marietta. The notes indicate this should not be
confused with the Terry at Fork Shoals 20 miles below Greenville in NC.
An 1833 letter reporting on ministerial activities noted "...my first
efforts were in Botetourt, Holston, and New River Circuits 40 years ago
[1793]...I kept up with [information?] Viz. Nathaniel Tery 4 miles
distant in the bent of James River. (Clark, Journal and Letters of
Francis Asbury, vol 1.;pg. 446,507,374-75,574).
Many of the early Tery letters reveal people of great faith, living as
best they could by their moral convictions and standards. They bear
witness of the faith to their relatives, relations, and from their
deathbeds. An interest in the church and religious matters was evidenced
early as revealed by an 1848 letter of William Terry (1785-1869, son of
John), to his son John Terry in Red River Co., Texas:"...our preacher
is not onto circuits again and that brother Standford is presiding elder
in place of brother Harrol and that brother Harrol is stationed at
Little Rock." According to the North Arkansas Conference, United
Methodist Church, Commission on Archives and History, the 13th session
of the conference was held in 1848. The event recorded that a John
Hormel served the Little Rock Station. A Russell M. Morgan served the
Huntsville Church in the Fayetteville district in 1848, and Thomas
Stanford was Presiding Elder of the Fayetteville District.
Another interesting thing to note relates to names. William's son Martin
is thought by some to have also bear the name Francis; this could
relate to the "Swamp Fox" of Revolutionary fame or to the early
Methodist leader. There is evidence of naming for both in several lines.
A strong point of support may be he named one of his sons Lorenz (or
Lorenzo) Dow Terry (1845-1894). Lorenz Dow was a fiery, evangelical
preacher and one-time Methodist who crisscrossed the early circuit
locales of Tennessee and Kentucky in the early years of the nineteenth
century. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that at some point
the paths of Terry's and Dow actually intersected.
Certain letters of Martin Terry from the 1850s-1870s reveal a man of
strong moral convictions. He comments about the need for prohibition in
the Ozarks to curtail the victimization produced in order to create a
market for liquer. The problem was the quality of the product sold was
often literally deadly and many families were ruined by the death or
addictions which resulted. He also had strong political views but that
is for another study.
Martin and his brother John married sisters;Mary Ann and Lucinda Reed
were children of Joseph Reed, and a transcript of an oral history
project interview with a descendent of this same Reed states he was a
Methodist minister. Reed went to Red River, Texas in 1839 and with him
was Joh
n Terry,
whose biography includes mention of a long membership in the Methodist
Episcopal South Church. [see "Fine Points of History" interview with
Juanita Stiles Cornwell of Clarksville (1980) in East Texas University
Archives pg.10,104.;Biographical Souvinir of the State of Texas
(1880),pg.817,794-5].
Joseph Reed is an interesting study in himself. He is probably a nephew
or cousin of a Rev. Joseph Reed/Reid who accompanied the noted Rev.
Stephenson
into the area of Red River County, Texas between 1817-1820, a time when
our Joseph Reed was also in the area.(Steely, Six months from Tennesse,
1982) This other early Reed also came out of Kentucky and Tennesse and
resided in Hempstead, Arkansas for a time. He was a slave owning
minister, a vocal supporter of the south, and thus part of the split
creating the Methodist Episcopal and Methodist Episcopal South prior to
the Civil War. Our Reed died in TX in 1839 but from the letters and
notations in a family Bible he was in Oklahoma and Indian Territory (Ft.
Towson) prior to 1830.
Letters of the 1860's and 1870's mention Methodism in relation to
meetings or revivals in areas of their southwest Missouri relatives.
Also mentioned are Cumberland Presybeterians (Reed may have been
associated with them as well for a time) and Baptists.
In one letter dated 9 Nov. 1877, William's daughter, Matilda Terry
Ennis, is said to "be one of our liveliest preachers" and a "Northern
Methodist". It is possible she was a "deaconess" or merely a very active
church woman, but it is interesting to note that in the Holiness
Movement of the same period noted Phoebe Palmer, for example, was part
of many revival efforts in the New York period from as early as 1857.
This reveals a trend toward greater female participation - and some
acceptance of the same - among some groups of Methodists.
The ten year silence between the two Terry brothers during and after the
Civil War has been attributed to the devastation and rebuilding of the
conflict. The conflict took a heavy toll on the families as both sides
contributed family to the cause or lost family as part of the illnesses
that followed the troops. It may be, however, that once again religion
plays an important role in interpreting the silence as the result of
conflicting theological and ideological views. Martin's line in Missorui
had clear connections to the North via "Northern Methodist" church
membership and John in Texas was connected to the "Methodist Episcopal
South". This allegiance reveals that probably the brothers took two
different sides in the conflict (and military records seem to support
this). The wording of the letter that broke the silence (written by the
wives) suggest something beyond disrupted mails was at fault. The letter
dated 27 September 1867 reads in part: "I am no politician and take no
part in political controversy and I exceedingly regret the unhappy
circumstances that has made such a deep and lasting wounds in the minds
of those that once was friends and are bound by the nearest and dearest
ties of kindred relation." The fact the letter was written by Martin's
wife to her sister, and the fact she notes the severing of family ties,
seems to pointedly highlight the silence was brought on by more than
merely the hardship and grief of war. It may have been caused by
differences of deep idealogical and theological significance to the
brothers.
John King Terry, Martin's son was married in 1861 in Cassville, Mo by
"Methodist minister, Keith Hankins" (County record/Civil war pension
record).
There is a persistent story that Martin was a minister as well. No
definitive records exist but if he were a Methodist he may have been a
lay pastor and records for those individuals were not usually kept at
the time. However, the area of the Ozarks where Martin lived was well
known as a place difficult to keep ministers and a tradition of lay
ministers evolved in many locations, including Barry Co. This may be
what is referred to by the oral tradition. [Clark. Ozark Baptizings,
hangings, and other diversions, 1984, pg. 78, 98, 147].
Further research may minimize or correct any Terry connections to early
Methodism, but at this point the cumulative evidence presents a strong
case for the serious consideration of this relationship, no matter how
short-lived. It certainly serves to clarify the dominate role that
religion played in the areas through which all the Terry lines traveled
on their way west to Missorui.
Marilyn A. Terry Hudson, 1993.
Marilyn holds a B.A. degree in History and
a Masters in Library and Information Studies. Image was taken at the
Wesley House, London, and shows the prayer room of John Wesley.
Trained as a Nurse's Aide and served as special care attendant at local hospitals in Wellington, Kansas. 
Retired
to the Ozarks in the 1970's and published two books of poetry before
the death of her husband and her own subsequent failing health. 
