The Perry Family

The Perry family is an American Naval and political dynasty from Rhode Island whose members have included several United States Naval commanders, Naval aviators, diplomats, governors, congressmen, writers, lawyers, physicians, and socialites. Progeny of a mid-17th century English immigrant to South Kingstown, Rhode Island, the Perry family patriarch, Captain Christopher Raymond Perry, and his two sons Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry and Commodore Matthew C. Perry, were seminal figures in the legitimization of the United States Navy and establishment of the United States Naval Academy.

The Rhode Island Perrys and Their Origin
Christopher Raymond Perry was born on December 4, 1761, in Newport, Rhode Island, the son of the Hon. Judge (James) Freeman Perry (1732–1813) and his wife, Mercy Hazard (1739–1810).

Judge Freeman Perry was a physician and surgeon in the Revolutionary War, as well as a local magistrate who served as Judge of the Court of Washington County and President of the Town Council of South Kingstown. Christopher Raymond Perry's paternal great-grandfather, Edward Perry, came from Devon, England, and settled in Sandwich, Massachusetts, around 1650 with his wife, Mary Freeman.

Mercy Hazard was a seventh-generation descendant of Captain Richard Raymond (1602–1692), and his wife, Julia, who was likely born in Essex County, England, in 1602 and arrived in Salem, Massachusetts, about 1629, possibly with a contingent led by the Rev. Francis Higginson. He was about 27 years old and later was a founder of Norwich, Connecticut, and an "honored fore-father of Saybrook". . Mercy Hazard was also a descendant of Governor Thomas Prence (1599–1673), a co-founder of Eastham, Massachusetts, who was a political leader in both the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies, and governor of Plymouth; and a descendant of Mayflower passengers, both of whom were signers of the Mayflower Compact, Elder William Brewster (c. 1567–1644), the Pilgrim colonist leader and spiritual elder of the Plymouth Colony, and George Soule (1593–1679), through his grandmother Susannah Barber Perry (1697–1755).

American Revolution
Christopher Perry enlisted, at the age of 14, in a local militia company named the Kingston Reds early in the American Revolution. He then served on a privateer commanded by a Captain Reed. After one cruise with Reed, Perry signed on to the privateer Mifflin commanded by George Wait Babcock. The Mifflin was captured by the British and Perry was confined to the infamous prison ship Jersey in New York harbor for three months before he managed to escape.

In 1779, Perry joined the Continental Navy as a seaman aboard the frigate USS Trumbull commanded by Captain James Nicholson. On June 1, 1780, the Trumbull engaged the British letter of marque Watt in a hard-fought, but indecisive, action in which the Trumbull suffered 8 killed and 31 wounded compared to the Watt's 13 killed and 79 wounded.

Perry then enlisted on another privateer which was captured off the coast of Great Britain. He then was taken as a prisoner to Newry Barracks in Ireland where he met his future wife, Sarah Wallace Alexander (1768–1830). Perry managed another escape by masquerading as a British seaman and taking passage to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. From St. Thomas he took passage to Charleston, South Carolina shortly before the war's conclusion in 1783.

Post war


After the war, Perry served as a mate on a merchantman which sailed to Ireland where Perry was able to bring his beloved Sarah to the United States. They were married in Philadelphia on August 2, 1784. The young couple then moved to South Kingstown, Rhode Island where they lived with Perry's parents on their 200-acre estate. Their first child, Oliver Hazard Perry, was born in August 1785.

Sarah Wallace (née Alexander) (1768–1830) was born in County Down, Ireland and was a descendant of an uncle of William Wallace, the Scottish knight and landowner who is known for leading a resistance during the Wars of Scottish Independence and is today remembered as a patriot and national hero.

The Two Brothers
Benjamin Harrison V (1726–1791) is known in the family as "the Signer" of the Declaration of Independence, from his representation of Virginia in the First and Second Continental Congresses. He was chosen Chairman of the Congress' Committee of the Whole and, as such, he presided over final deliberations of the Declaration. He was a rather corpulent and boisterous man; John Adams referred to him variously as the Congress' "Falstaff", "obscene", "profane", and "impious", although he allowed that "Harrison's contributions and many pleasantries steadied rough sessions" and also that Harrison "was descended from one of the most ancient, wealthy and respectable Families in the ancient dominion". Harrison was a close friend and confidant of George Washington, and he served on the Board of War with Adams, Roger Sherman, James Wilson, and Edward Rutledge, and on the Committee of Secret Correspondence (later the Committee of Foreign Affairs) with Benjamin Franklin and John Jay.

When signing the Declaration, Harrison turned to the diminutive Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts and said, "I shall have a great advantage over you, Mr. Gerry, when we are all hung for what we are now doing. From the size and weight of my body I shall die in a few minutes and be with the Angels, but from the lightness of your body you will dance in the air an hour or two before you are dead." Harrison's family experienced retaliation from the British for his role in the revolution. Benedict Arnold and his troops pillaged many plantations, including Berkeley, with the intent of obliterating all images of the treasonous families. In January 1781, the troops removed every family portrait from Harrison's home and made a bonfire of them. Benjamin V later served in the House of Burgesses and as Governor of Virginia (1781–1784). His brother Nathaniel served as Sheriff of Prince George County and in the House of Delegates, and later settled in Amelia County. Nathaniel's son Edmund served as Speaker in the House.

The Harrisons owned and traded slaves, whose treatment was at times inhumane and recurrent as typical for the institution. The family provided for the slaves' sustenance on their plantations, and sought to teach them Christianity. They made efforts to keep slave families together, though this was compromised by the ever-widening distribution of estates, as primogeniture waned. They mostly abandoned their slaveholding as the abolitionist movement took hold. Future President Benjamin Harrison began his political career in Indiana and joined the fledgling Republican party then being built in opposition to slavery.

Benjamin Harrison VI (1755–1799) was a successful businessman and also served in the Virginia House of Delegates. His brother was General William Henry Harrison who served as a congressional delegate for the Northwest Territory, was appointed in 1800 as Governor of the Indiana Territory, and served in the War of 1812. In the 1840 presidential election, William Henry defeated incumbent Martin Van Buren, but fell ill and died just one month into his presidency, and Vice President John Tyler, a fellow Virginian and neighbor, succeeded him. William Henry was the father of Ohio Congressman John Scott Harrison (1804–1878) who was the father of Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901), a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Benjamin also served in the Senate and was elected president in 1888.

The James River Harrisons are related by marriage to the Byrds, Lees, Washingtons, Tylers, Randolphs, and Carters.

Harrisons in the Shenandoah Valley
The Harrisons who settled in the Shenandoah Valley in the 1730s came from New England and most likely had common ancestry with the James River family, and they probably descended from Benjamin Harrison I's brother Thomas (1619–1682). He led a parish at Elizabeth River at age 21, and was appointed by Governor William Berkeley as an acting chaplain of the Jamestown Colony.

Rev. Thomas Harrison
Thomas earned his B.A. from Sydney College, Cambridge in 1638, then sailed to Virginia in 1640. He became a Puritan and left his parishes and his chaplaincy at Jamestown following the Indian Massacre there. He moved to Boston near his brother Edward, married Dorothy Symonds, and later repatriated to England. In 1650, he had a parish at St. Dunstan-in-the-East, London, joining the English Puritans. In 1655, then a widower, he became the Chaplain for Henry Cromwell, accompanied him to Ireland, and resided with the Governor and family.

Thomas also formed a close friendship with famed author and cleric, Bishop Jeremy Taylor. Taylor biographer Edmund Gosse indicated that Thomas "was rewarded by the governor's confidence, and his advice was often asked for and acted upon. When in 1658 he published his extremely popular manual of piety, Topica Sacra, he was the most popular divine in Ireland." Topica Sacra publicized Thomas as a robust and forceful cleric of his time. In an age of piety, the book invokes Job's insistence upon God's answers. Thomas was likewise notably confrontational in his prayers and, according to Gosse, was willing to "catechize" God for insight into His words. Thomas’ work was dedicated to Cromwell and was reprinted on its centennial. In 1659, he married Katherine Bradshaw and resided in Chester, England. He later settled in Dublin and most likely fathered a son named Isaiah in 1666, who was the patriarch of the Virginia Harrisons of the Shenandoah Valley. Thomas died in Dublin in 1682.

Some have contended that the Valley Harrisons instead descended from Major General Thomas Harrison (1616–1660) who was born in the same year as the Reverend and whose wife was also named Katherine. The General participated in the regicide of King Charles I of England, and was hanged, drawn and quartered in 1660. The Reverend's position as a non-conformist would have made them allies concerning the monarchy, which adds to the confusion of their identities. No record is found at the Herald's College showing a pedigree and succeeding coat of arms for the General's family, as in the case of the Reverend. Also, no other lineage to the General has been adequately shown, and it is therefore mostly discredited.

The strongest evidence (though circumstantial) is that Reverend Thomas Harrison was the father of Isaiah Harrison (1666–1738), who was born in Dublin at the time of Thomas' residence and marriage there. Thomas' atypical use of the name Isaiah for his son would have been very consistent with his Puritan and non-conformist belief. Though his last will and testament of 1671 makes no mention of Isaiah, it omits as well his eldest son Thomas, born in Chester in 1661. Isaiah sailed from Dublin for New York in 1687, most likely on the ship The Spotted Calf. His departure was a likely consequence of his father's position as a non-conformist. Isaiah Harrison is shown at Oyster Bay on Long Island in 1687, the region from which his father Thomas departed on his return to England. The family of Richard Harrison lived across Long Island Sound in New Haven, Connecticut. Richard arrived in Connecticut in 1644 and was Isaiah's uncle. John Harrison is shown in Flushing in 1685, and Samuel at Gloucester, New York in 1688. There are records in Dublin which show Thomas' consistent spelling of Harrison with the double "s", not otherwise found in Ireland or England. Isaiah and his children utilized the same spelling in their American court records.

Isaiah and another president


Isaiah's first wife was Elizabeth Wright, with whom he had five children: Isaiah (b.1689), John (1691–1771), Gideon (1694–1729), Mary (1696–1781), and Elizabeth (b.1698). Wife Elizabeth died shortly after the birth of her youngest. Isaiah married Abigail in 1700 and they had five children: Daniel (1701–1770), Thomas (1704–1785), Jeremiah (1707–1777), Abigail (1710–1780), and Samuel (1712–1790). The family lived at Oyster Bay for 14 years, then moved to Smithtown, New York near the Nissequogue River on Long Island, and remained for 19 years. They moved to Sussex County, Delaware in 1721, where Isaiah acquired the Maiden Plantation and Abigail married Alexander Herring (1708–1780). The Harrison family moved to the Valley of Virginia in 1737 via Alexandria, and camped in the Luray area while waiting for their land grants to be finalized. Isaiah died in 1738 and was buried on the banks of the Shenandoah River. Daniel made the family's first Virginia land acquisition in 1739 in Rockingham County, and he and brother Thomas founded the towns of Dayton and Harrisonburg respectively. Brother John settled at Great Spring, and Samuel settled at nearby Linville. Daniel used the "Durham arms" as his seal for the legal documents in Rockingham.

Abigail and her husband Alexander Herring settled at Linville also. Their daughter Bathsheba (1742–1836) married Captain Abraham Lincoln (1744–1786), also of Linville, and they had son Thomas (1778–1851) who married Nancy Hanks (1783–1818). They gave birth to Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) who became president in 1860.

Local officials, politicians, educators, and physicians
Daniel Harrison served as a Captain in the French and Indian War and later as Deputy Sheriff in Augusta County. Brother Thomas was a lieutenant in that conflict. Daniel's son “Col. Benjamin” (1741–1819) was a regimental commander in the Virginia Militia during the revolution, and then was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. Among their descendants were physicians and educators, including Benjamin's son, Dr. Peachy Harrison (1777–1848), who served as well at the House of Delegates, the Virginia Senate, and the state's Constitutional Convention. The latter's son, Dr. Gessner Harrison (1807–1862), graduated with an M.D. and LL.D. from the University of Virginia, and in 1828 was appointed by the school's rector, James Madison, as a professor. He was highly regarded in the classics and served as faculty chairman. The devout Gessner is also remembered for declining Thomas Jefferson’s invitation to Sunday dinner at Monticello, saying it would represent a desecration of the sabbath.

Gessner's daughter, Mary Stuart Smith (1834–1917), became a noted author and translator at the university, and was an advocate for women’s rights. Her daughter, Rosalie Smith (1870–1956), married a descendant of the James River family, Isaac Carrington Harrison (1870–1949), with common lineal ancestors 8 generations distant. Their son, Dr. J. Hartwell Harrison (1909–1984), was a professor of surgery at Harvard University, and collaborated in the world’s first successful kidney transplant.

Other Harrison lines in Virginia
In addition to the James River and Shenandoah families, there were other Harrison families, one from Prince William County founded by Burr Harrison (1637- ?) originally of Westminster, England. This line includes House Delgates and a judge. Another line from York County begins with Richard Harrison (1600-1664) from Essex, England.

Legacies
Benjamin IV's Berkeley Plantation in Charles City County, Virginia was the site of one of the first Thanksgivings in 1619 and became an icon of the Harrison family in Virginia. Other historic Virginia homes of the family include Brandon Plantation, Upper Brandon, Hunting Quarter, The Oaks, The Wigwam, Four Mile Tree, and Kittiewan. The Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge is a drawbridge along Virginia State Route 5 and the Virginia Capital Trail across the James River, named in honor of "the Signer". Fort Benjamin Harrison near Indianapolis, Indiana was named for President Benjamin Harrison, who was born in Ohio. The Shenandoah Harrisons also lent their names to Harrison Hall at James Madison University, Daniel Harrison House in Dayton, and memorials at the University of Virginia.

Other family notables

 * Carter Bassett Harrison (1752–1808), son of Benjamin Harrison V, member of the Virginia General Assembly, Representative from Virginia (1793–99)
 * Burwell Bassett (1764–1841), first cousin of William Henry Harrison, Virginia House delegate (1787–89 and 1819–21), Virginia state senator (1794–1805), Representative from Virginia (1805–13, 1815–19, and 1821–29)
 * Russell Benjamin Harrison (1854–1936), son of President Benjamin Harrison, Indiana Representative (1921–25), Indiana State Senator (1925–33)
 * William Henry Harrison (1896–1990), son of Russell Benjamin Harrison, Wyoming State Representative (1945–50), Representative from Wyoming (1951–55, 1961–65, and 1967–69)
 * Carter Henry Harrison I (1736–1793), son of Benjamin Harrison IV, Virginia House delegate
 * Carter Harrison Sr. (1825–1893), Mayor of Chicago (1879–1887)
 * Carter Harrison Jr. (1860–1953), Mayor of Chicago (1897–1905; 1911–1915)

Family Tree

 * Christopher Raymond Perry (1761 – 1818), m. Sarah Wallace Alexander (1768 – 1830)
 * Oliver Hazard Perry (1785-1918), m. Elizabeth Champlin Mason, New York City assistant alderman
 * Christopher Grant Champlin Perry, RIM (1812 – 1854), commander of the Artillery Company of Newport from 1845-1854, m. Frances Muriel Sergeant (1817 – 1903), great-granddaughter of Benjamin Franklin
 * Frances Sergeant Perry Pepper (1848 – 1918) m. William Pepper Jr MD (1843 – 1898), Physician who discovered neuroblastoma, leader in medical education, and a longtime Provost of the University of Pennsylvania
 * William Pepper MD (1874 – 1947) Physician and longest serving Dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
 * Thomas Sergeant Pepper (1876 – 1882)
 * Benjamin Franklin Pepper (1879 – 1919)
 * Oliver Hazard Perry Pepper (1884 – 1962)
 * Thomas Sergeant Perry (1845 – 1928), literary critic and Harvard University English professor, m. Lilla Cabot ((1848 – 1933), famous impressionist painter
 * Margaret Perry (1876)
 * Edith Perry (1880)
 * Alice Perry (b. 1884), m. Joseph Clark Grew (1880–1965), the Under Secretary of State, and later, the U.S. Ambassador to Japan during the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor
 * Margaret Mason Perry m. John LaFarge
 * Oliver Hazard Perry II (February 23, 1813 – March 4, 1814), died in infancy;
 * Oliver Hazard Perry, Jr., USN (1815 – 1878), m. 1) Elizabeth Ann Randolph (1816–1847) of the Randolph family of Virginia and m. 2) Mary Ann Moseley
 * Christopher Raymond Perry, USA (1816 – 1848), never married
 * Elizabeth Mason Perry, m. the Reverend Francis Vinton, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Newport
 * Raymond Henry Jones Perry (1789 – 1826)
 * Sarah Wallace Perry (1791 – 1855)
 * Matthew Calbraith Perry (1794 – 1858), m. Jane Slidell Perry (1816–1864)
 * Sarah Perry (1818 – 1905), who married Col. Robert Smith Rodgers (1809–1891)
 * Jane Hazard Perry (1819 – 1881), who married John Hone (1819–1891) and Frederic de Peyster (1796–1882)
 * Matthew Calbraith Perry (1821 – 1873), a captain in the United States Navy and veteran of the Mexican War and the Civil War.
 * Susan Murgatroyde Perry (1825 – 1896)
 * Oliver Hazard Perry (1825 – 1870)
 * William Frederick Perry (1828 – 1884), a 2nd Lieutenant, United States Marine Corps, 1847-1848.
 * Caroline Slidell Perry Belmont (1829 – 1892), who married financier August Belmont, 1813-1890
 * Perry Belmont (1851 – 1947), who married Jessie Ann Robbins (1858–1935), the divorced wife of Henry T. Sloane.
 * August Belmont Jr. (1853–1924), who married Elizabeth Hamilton Morgan (1862–1898). After her death, he married Eleanor Robson (1879–1979), an actress.
 * Jane Pauline "Jennie" Belmont (1856 – 1875)
 * Fredericka Belmont (1856 – 1902), m. Samuel Shaw Howland (1849–1925), founder of Howland & Aspinwall
 * Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont (185 – 1908), who married Sarah Swan Whiting (1861–1924). They divorced, she married George L. Rives and he married Alva Erskine Smith (1853–1933), former wife of William Kissam Vanderbilt.
 * Raymond Rodgers Belmont (1863–1887), who accidentally shot "himself while practicing with a pistol."
 * Isabella Bolton Perry (1834 – 1912), who married George Tiffany
 * Anna Rodgers Perry (1838 – 1922)
 * Anna Maria Perry (1797 – 1858), m. Commodore George Washington Rodgers (1787-1832)
 * George Washington Rodgers (1822 – 1863)
 * Alexander Perry Rodgers (1825 – 1847)
 * Elizabeth Rodgers Smith (1827 – 1906)
 * Sarah S. Rodgers Perry (1831 – 190) m. Capt E.A. Perry
 * Anna Perry Rodgers (1859 – 1933) m. Alexander Black
 * Ruth Black (1893 – 1964) m. Willard F. Jones (1890 – 1967), Naval architect and Gulf Oil executive
 * Christopher Raymond Perry Rodgers m. Julia Slidell,
 * Raymond Perry Rodgers (1849 – 1925),
 * Thomas Slidell Rodgers (1858–1931).


 * Jane Tweedy Perry (1799 – 1875), m. William Butler, Jr. (1790–1850), a Surgeon and United States Congressman.
 * Matthew Calbraith Butler (1836 – 1909)
 * James Alexander Perry (1801 – 1822),
 * Nathaniel Hazard Perry (1803 – 1832), who served as a purser (i.e., a supply and pay officer) in the U.S. Navy from 1820 until his death.