General Notes

REFN: 671AN
REFN: P671
Much of the information in this file on David Wherry and his descen dents
comes from the modern David A. Wherry of Phoenix, Arizona, who compiled a
large amount of information on the Wherrys in recent years.
From a Sept 1 967 packet, originally copied from a 1904 Wherry family
reunion packet, comes the following: "...So far as now know, the earliest
Wherry to arrive in this coutnry was David who came in 1718 with his wife
Mary and three children fro m the north of Ireland and settled in Chester
County, PA.  So near the Maryla nd line that in 1730 a portion of his land
was claimed by a citizen of Maryla nd.  This occasioned much trouble and
caused Gov. Gordon of Pennsylvania to w rite by special messenger 13 Sept.
1731 to Gov. Calvert of Marlynad, who repl ied by return of messenger. The
whole matter is detailed in the Pennsylvania Archives, Vol. 1, pages
282-292.  It all rested on boundary lines, one claimi ng from Lord
Baltimore and Wherry claiming by conveyance from William Penn. The
boundary stones were afterward found and proved the land to belong to
W herry.  It is now occupied by his descendents bearing the Wherry name...
"Davi d Wherry died 13 July 1743, by will he left his plantaion to his
two sons, Ja mes and David, and appointed them executors.  His daughter
married Mr. John L usk, who was killed by indians while passing through a
narrow defile with tro ops during the Revolution.  We have no record of
her descendents.  The elder so James, died on his homestead in 1771.  In
his will he mentioned four child ren:  Mary, Ann, James and David.  The
two sons were in the Revolution..."
F rom an April-May-June 1960 genealogical packet [#5] published by
Mrs. J. W. A day, comes his Last Will and Tesment, written verbatim
[spelling differences retained]:
"The Last WIll and Tesment of David Wherry Who being frail in body
but in perfit memory I do comit my Soul to God and my Body to be buried
at the expense of my exetours to wit my Well Beloved Sons James and David
and fi rst of all I bequeth to my Well Beloved Wife from the whol head her
chous of a hors or mear and a cow and six sheep and a achor of land
yearly and labours and five bushels of wheat and six bushels of Ingon
Corn yearly and the new h ous to dwell in if she requer it and eight
carlod of hay yearly and she to be free of any debts or expenses
belonging to the plantaion and Secontly I leav e all my other efects and
plantation to be divided in two hefs between my two sons James and David,
and likewise I order that my two sons James and David shall give to my
son-in-law John Lusk three pound from their two shears in a year after
administration.
"Given under my hand this 12th of July 1743------ David Wherry
Witness:  Samuel Dickey, Patrick Hanigen    March 27th, 1744 ins t."
The Wherry (aka Wharry) is a sept of the Scottish Clan MacQuarrie.
David Wherry was born about 1670 in North Ireland. He married Mary
Leonard who was born about 1687 and they had three children: James, Ann,
and David II. David and his family came to Pennsylvania about 1718 and
settled in Chester County, Pensylvania which was populated by Quakers and
Presbyterians. The people liv ing in this area were generally fiercely
patriotic and were some of the first to join in the fight for
independence. David was a Presbyterian and a member of the Rock
Presbyterian Church that was formed in 1724. He was an Elder of the
church for many years. David bought a farm from the Penn family that was
along the Pennsylvania and Maryland border. He was involved in a border
dis pute in 1730 involving a farmer who bought his land on the Maryland
siDe of t he border and before it was all settled, the dispute received
the attention o f the governors of Pennsylvania and Maryland. The eventual
outcome of the dis pute was that David was the rightful owner of the
disputed land.
David died July 17, 1743 and Mary died December 7, 1759 and