| 2. | Rev. John Gerrard was born in 1720 in Frederick Co, VA; died on 19 Aug 1787 in Gerrardstown, Berkeley Co, VA. Notes:
Will of August 19, 1787, proved September 18, 1787 (Berkeley County Will Book 1, p.460).
Sketch of John Gerrard Family
(drawn from Kari Northrup's summary of the works and research of Robert & Carolyn Gerard, Levi Rymph, James B. Taylor, Garnett Ryland, Gardiner, J.E. Norris, Cartmell,and Don Wood)
Rev. John Gerrard, John Bruce (an immigrant from Scotland), and Jeremiah Stewart (a frontier captain in the French and Indian War), along with their families, moved westward (to Berkeley County, Virginia Colony, probably from Pennsylvania), expanding British settlement and dominion.
John Gerrard married Mehitable around 1740 and it is said that the family arrived in Berkeley County in 1754, where John became the pastor of the Mill Creek Baptist Church.
John and his family removed south to Loudon County, Virginia due to Indian assaults, returning in 1757.
John received two land grants from Lord Fairfax: 227 acres December 11, 1762, and 251 acres August 29, 1766. On May 28, 1770, her purchased 90 acres of land adjoining his existing properties, excluding one acre for the Baptist Meeting House (Frederick Co. VA Deed Book 3, p.478, 481. The one-acre tract was deeded to the Baptist Congregation the same day). Standing on this 90-acre purchase was a two-story, limestone house, set into the hillside. The house had been built in 1743 by a John Hays. John Gerrard himself did not live in this house. However, his son David bought this house from his parents in 1779 and made it his home. In this house, David Gerrard laid out the plans for Gerrardstown, which was formally established as a town in 1787 and named after Rev. John Gerrard.
Another tract of 235 acres on the drains of Middle and Tuscarora Creeks was purchased 12 May 1769 (Frederick Co. VA Deed Book 13, p.40...they later sold this tract 19 Apr 1774).
They sold 150 acres of the 1766 grant to their son David 4 Apr 1769 (Berkeley Co. Deed Book 3, p.88), and the 90 acre tract to David in 1779 (Deed Book 5, p.268).
Rev. Gerrard's wife Mehitable died sometime after May 18, 1779 (after the sale of the house and lot to David). By 1781, John Gerrard had remarried, taking a Mary Gray as his second wife. At his death in September 1787, he had had 11 children by his first wife and three more by his second.
These properties are now in Gerrardstown, West Virginia. Historic sites: Gerrard House & marker designating the original site of the Mill Creek Baptist Church of Gerrardstown.
From a modern letter from Jack Jeffries to Bob Buckles: On the end of the house next to the tannery, is a room where the Baptist Church met until funds were collected to build the church building. The Methodists and the Presbyterians also used that same room to meet in as each of those congregations organized and prepared to build their own houses of worship. The room is on the left end of the house as viewed from the front. Immediately to the left of that is Rev. John Gerrard?s Tannery building. There is a picket fence all the way across the front of the relatively large building. Two complete stories with an open porch across the entire front. I assume that the church building that was erected was further to the left of that, yet. My reasoning is that most probably Rev. John would have been most likely to build his tannery downwind from his dwelling place. The book then mentions that the church was placed downwind of the tannery.
Further information: Berkeley County Historical Society. The Berkeley Journal. No. 15, 1991. "History of Gerrardstown."
John married Mary Gray Snodgrass. Mary was born about 1762; died after 1841 in Shelby Co, KY. [Group Sheet]
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