Cynthia,
This John Cato is a half brother to Sterling, one of two boys by John
Cato's second wife Elizabeth Nannie.
24-21 JOHN CATO, b. ca 1770 (became 21 yrs. according to the Greensville Co.
Va. personal property tax record in 1791), m. 1st 5/6/1790 in Greensville
Co.,Va. Temperance Webb, John Webb consents 5/6/1790, m. 2nd Harriet Perry
5/25/1797, by Rev. William Andrews, Methodist. He has his own household in the
1792 personal property tax record listed as John Cato Jr. His father, John
Cato and his cousin, John Cato (son of Daniel) are also in the record. He
received land on the North side of Stukes Branch of Fountains Creek in his father's
will. He remained in Greensville Co. until 1800 when he and his wife Harriet
sold 224 acres on the north side of Fountain Ck. for $1000 to William Evans.
He is not on the personal property lists after 1800.
It is presently thought that the Cato's of Wilson Co., Tn. came from this
John. In a family tradition given to Bonnie Palmer by Jesse Markle (that is of
questionable validity relative to the family being a Scottish family that
settled in New York City) there is a statement that the line in Wilson Co.
began with a John Henry Cato, born in York Co., Va. in 1772-78 who married Ollie
(or Harriet?) Perry. John died and the children were moved to Wilson Co. by
their father's brother, the oldest child being George Edwin Cato who married
Euphenia Rieff (see 24-9B5-3).
Another message on this family states that it was John Henry II that married
Ollie and that his father, John Henry I, after the death of John Henry II,
brought George Edwin, (b. 1798 and his siblings Britania (b. 1800) and John
Wesley (b. 1803) to Wilson Co., where he was living on a Rev. War land grant.
This message has John Henry II as a blacksmith in Williamsburg before his
untimely death. It was Jesse Markle that has suggested that Ollie Perry was
Harriet Perry.
Robert Allen Cato, son of Roland Cato Jr., b. 10/12/1825, d. 2/13/1891, was
quoted by his great grandson Willliam Craig Cato, as saying he had uncles and
cousins in Lebanon but he had never seen them. However this group might be
from (24-10A1). Robert L. Cato who was the Curator of the DAR entered an
application to that organization as a descendant of Jacob R. Cato, son of George
E. Cato who married Euphenia Reiff in Wilson Co. In his application he said
that George E. Cato was the son of John Cato and Harriett Perry and grandson
of John Cato and Elizabeth Moss, quoting a will of 1795. As was written in his
writeup there is no son listed in the will of John Cato and wife Elizabeth
Moss. Moreover his will was written 12/27/1795, proven Jan 1797. I think Mr.
Robert Cato was referring to the will of John Cato and wife Elizabeth Nannie
whose will was written 11/8/1788, proven Jan 1795.
I have searched the land grant records of Tennessee and the records of
Wilson, Smith and Sumner Counties for records on John Cato but I have found
nothing. However I have found one thing to support the above family tradition. In
the Sumner Co. Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 2nd Monday, Sept. 1809, “
App’t Edwin Perry guardian to the minor orphans George E. Cater, Britain
Cater, John Wesley Cater; bond $160 with Henry Belote and Jeremiah Belote,
securities.” Study of records on Edwin Perry reveals he was involved in a law suit
dated Oct. 1798, sold some household implements on 1/8/1799, bought 160 acres
of land from James Winchester March 1804. This land was originally granted
to Isaac Bledsoe and lay near the North side of the Cumberland River near
what is now Castalian Springs. I would suspect that it was a maternal uncle
(Edwin Perry) instead of a paternal uncle that cared for the Cato children. He
was most likely a brother of Harriett Perry and therefore these children were
sons of John Cato who was a son of John Cato and his second wife Elizabeth
Nannie. Bonnie Palmer concludes differently on this family. See (24-10A)
There is a lot of information available on the Wilson Co., Tn. family of
George
Edwin Cato. Some of it will be given at this time.
Children:
24-21A GEORGE EDWIN CATO, b. ca 1798 in Va., m. Euphenia Rieff 3/18/1822 in
Wilson Co., Tn. (licensed 12/31/1821). John R. Rutherford was bondsman.
Between
7/11/1825 and 1/7/1826 George E. Cato and Euphana Cato sold three tracts of
consisting of 54 acres, 70 acres and 69 acres. This is apparently when they
moved
across the Cumberland River into Sumner Co. where they lived for a few years.
According to Jesse Markle, a descendant, they moved to Green Co., Ill
12/31/1830
in a two wheeled cart with a cow hitched to the cart. They arrived in
Carrolton, Ill.
on 1/12/1831. According to Jesse Markle, there were 10 children born from
this
marriage, 5 in Tennessee and 5 in Illinois. The 2nd and 3rd sons are listed
below.
Children:
24-21A1 JOHN HENRY CATO, b. in Wilson Co., Tn. 5/30/1824, d. 2/2/1865
as a Confederate Soldier in a Union prison at Alton, Ill, about 30 miles
from his father’s home in Carrolton. He was living in the home with
Jacob. R. Cato in the 1850 census of Washington Co., Ark. He married
Elizabeth Jane Willey (Wiley) 11/30/1851 in Fayettville, Ark. She was
b. in Wilson Co., Tn. 11/22/1834.
Children from Jesse Markle:
24-21A1-1 URIAS CATO, b. 1852, Ill.
24-21A1-2 OZIOS CATO, b. 1855, Ill.
24-21A1-3 QUINTUS CATO, b. 1857, Ark.
24-21A1-4 EMMITT CATO, b. 1859, Ark.
24-21A1-5 JOHN HENRY CATO, b. 1862,Ark.
24-21A2 JACOB R. CATO, b. 1/15/1826 in Tn, d. 5/1/1910 in Fayetteville,
Ark., m. 1/14/1846 Lutitia May who was b. 1828 in Tn. and d.
2/4/1908 in Fayetteville, Ark. He went to Green Co., Ill with his father
and then as a grown man moved to Washington Co., Ark. where he
may be found in the 1850 census.
Children from the census record and the DAR application
of Robert L. Cato.
24-21A2-1 JOHN HENRY CATO, b. 1846
24-21A2-2 JOSEPH CATO, b. 1849
24-21A2-3 JAMES FENN CATO, b. 3/11/1851 in Fayetteville, Ark.,
d. 12/31/1929 in Beaumont, Tx., m. 9/30/1875 Armenia
Barnett who was b. 3/19/1858 in Breathitt Co., Ky.
Children:
24-21A2-3a JOSEPH HENRY CATO, b. 4/1/1880 in
Fayetteville, Ark, d. 5/7/1953 in Beaumont,
Tx., m. 2/15/1902 Babe Murrell who was b.
3/7/1884 in Temple, Tx., d. 9/3/1952 in
Beaumont, Tx. They were the parents of
Robert L. Cato.
24-21A2-4 LIZZIE CATO
24-21A2-5 ALLIE CATO
24-21A3 GEORGE W. CATO, b. 1829, was living in the home with Jacob. R.
Cato in the 1850 census of Washington Co., Ark.
24-21B BRITANIA CATO, b. ca 1800
24-21C JOHN WESLEY CATO, b. ca 1803
Henry