Near Mason in Mason County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

John Bate Berry

(1813-1891)

Photographed By James Hulse, December 4, 2023

1. John Bate Berry Marker

Inscription. Forefathers resisting America's foes on many frontiers inspired John Bate Berry, who came to Texas from Kentucky in 1826. He fought (1835-36) in the Texas War for Independence and in the 1842 Mier Expedition to stop Mexican raids on the Republic of Texas. Captured, imprisoned, then freed in 1844, he scouted for the American Army in 1846, during the Mexican War. Later he married, lived in this locality, and fought to make frontiers safe for settlement. Recorded - 1977

Erected 1977 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 11268.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: War, Mexican-American • War, Texas Independence. A significant historical year for this entry is 1826.

Location. 30° 46.66′ N, 99° 18.148′ W. Marker is near Mason, Texas, in Mason County. Marker is on State Highway 29, 3½ miles west of U.S. 377, on the right when traveling west. The marker is located in the southeast section of the Grit Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Mason TX 76856, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Koocksville (approx. 3.4 miles away); Old Fort Mason (approx. 3.4 miles away); Two Sheriffs of Mason County (approx. 4 miles away); The Whorlie Well

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(approx. 4.1 miles away); St. Joseph's Catholic Church (approx. 4.2 miles away); First Comanche-German Meeting (approx. 4.4 miles away); The Lindsay House (approx. 4½ miles away); Holmes & Bierschwale Law and Land Office (approx. 4½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mason.

Also see . . . Berry, John Bate (1813–1891). Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)

After the Mexican War Berry received a first-class headright certificate and selected his land in Williamson County, where he resided until the end of the Civil War. Shortly thereafter, probably influenced by his brother-in-law, James Bradberry (husband of Bate's half-sister, Elizabeth), he moved to the upper Llano valley. He settled on the river two miles above the mouth of Red Creek in Kimble County. There he built a log house surrounded by a stockade of tall pickets to afford protection from the Indians and raised cattle. Some five or six miles to the southwest, on Gentry Creek in Kimble County, lived the Raleigh Gentry family, including Nancy Frazier Gentry, widow of William Gentry (son of Raleigh Gentry), who was killed during the Civil War,
Photographed By James Hulse, December 4, 2023

2. John Bate Berry Gravestone and Marker
and her young son. After John Bate and Nancy agreed to be married they rode horseback to Fredericksburg, a distance of sixty miles, where they were married on March 9, 1867. In 1871 they moved to Willow Creek in Mason County, where, on March 2, 1878, Bate purchased 160 acres of land from Gustav Schleicher and, on December 28, 1881, bought from William Koock three acres of land a mile or so west of Mason at a settlement known as Koockville. In those days Berry was often involved in helping to defend the frontier against Indians. In Mason County he farmed and ranched until his death at his home near Koockville, on December 20, 1891. Berry was a devout member of the Church of Christ. He was buried in the Grit Cemetery in Mason County. His wife died in 1928 at the age of eighty-three and was buried beside him.

(Submitted on December 5, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

The view of the John Bate Berry Marker in the Grit Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, December 4, 2023

3. The view of the John Bate Berry Marker in the Grit Cemetery

Credits. This page was last revised on December 5, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 5, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 46 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 5, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.