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Surnames: Cato
Classification: Query
Message Board URL:
http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/FII.2ACIB/79.116.1.2
Message Board Post:
The following relative to your family is from a book I have written and have for sale on
the Cato family.
Henry Brackin
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 see!
n 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 th!
ese 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 second and third 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 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
24-21B BRITANIA CATO, b. ca 1800
24-21C JOHN WESLEY CATO, b. ca 1803