John Berry ( – ) was an English colonist who migrated from Barbados to become an early major landowner, militia officer and Deputy Governor under the Lords Proprietor of the

Proprietary Colony A proprietary colony was a type of English colony mostly in North America and in the Caribbean in the 17th century. In the British Empire, all land belonged to the monarch, and it was his/her prerogative to divide. Therefore, all colonial proper ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

Career

Soon after British annexation of the Dutch province of

New Netherland New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva P ...

in 1664,

Philip Carteret Rear-Admiral Philip Carteret, Seigneur of Trinity (22 January 1733, Trinity Manor, Jersey – 21 July 1796, Southampton) was a British naval officer and explorer who participated in two of the Royal Navy's circumnavigation expeditions in 176 ...

, governor of the

proprietary colony A proprietary colony was a type of English colony mostly in North America and in the Caribbean in the 17th century. In the British Empire, all land belonged to the monarch, and it was his/her prerogative to divide. Therefore, all colonial proper ...

, granted land to Captain John Berry in the area formerly known as

Achter Kol Achter Kol (or Achter Col) was the name given to the region around the Newark Bay and Hackensack River in northeastern New Jersey by the first European settlers to it and was part of the 17th century province of New Netherland, originally admini ...

. He soon took up residence and called it " New Barbadoes," having previously resided on the island of

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate) ...

. The land patent encompassed area between the

Hackensack River The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles (72 km) long, in the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The drainage basin, watershed of the ri ...

and Saddle River in what is now Bergen County, New Jersey. From 1672 to 1673, Berry was the Deputy Governor of the Province of New Jersey while Governor Philip Carteret was in England. He later served in the

East New Jersey Provincial Council The East New Jersey Provincial Council or Governor's Council was the upper house of the East New Jersey Legislature under proprietary rule until the surrender of the right of government to The Crown, and Queen Anne's acceptance. History The Coun ...

through 1692. On 22 March 1679/80, Carteret designated Berry to succeed him as governor, with Councillor

William Sandford William Sandford (26 September 1841 – 29 May 1932) was an English-Australian ironmaster, who is widely regarded as the father of the modern iron and steel industry in Australia. Early life in England Sandford was born at Torrington in ...

designated to succeed Berry in the event of his inability to serve.''New Jersey Colonial Documents, Archives of the State of New Jersey, First Series, Vol. I''; Daily Advertiser Publishing House, Newark, New Jersey, 1880. pp. 295

Personal life

Berry was married to Francina, with whom he had at least five children, including: Richard, Francina, Sarah, Hannah, John Berry.

Legacy

He is recalled in the name of a stream in the

New Jersey Meadowlands New Jersey Meadowlands, also known as the Hackensack Meadowlands after the primary river flowing through it, is a general name for the large ecosystem of wetlands in northeastern New Jersey in the United States, a few miles to the west of ...

Berrys Creek Berry's Creek (sometimes referred to as ''Berrys Creek'' or ''Berry Creek'') is a tributary of the Hackensack River in the New Jersey Meadowlands in Bergen County, New Jersey. The creek watershed contains a diverse array of wetlands, marshes, and ...

, his descendants owned the historic Yereance-Berry House.

References

;Notes ;Sources 17th-century births 1710s deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain Year of death unknown People of British North America Colonial governors of New Jersey Lieutenant Governors of New Jersey Members of the East New Jersey Provincial Council People from Bergen County, New Jersey {{NewJersey-politician-stub