William Thomas BERRY born 19 Jul 1842; chr. 7 Aug 1842 at St. Matthew, Bethnal Green; d:1912

Jane Elizabeth Berry 1844 - 1883

Angelina Charlotte Sarah Berry 1846-1932

Susan Esther Berry 1848-1930

Edwin Cicero Berry 1851 - 1938

Julia Deborah Berry 1854 - 1943

Joseph Henry Berry 1858 - 1931

Benjamin Augustus Berry 1860 - 1901

Thomas Berry emigrated to Nelson, NZ, with his family, to join his son Thomas Richard Berry, who had arrived in 1842.

He travelled on the "Ralph Bernal" 3rd Dec 1847. (Ships list) Thomas 51, Brushmaker with Jane Elizabeth, wife, 27, William Thomas 5, Jane Elizabeth 3, Angelina Charlotte Sarah 1 and John Thomas 18 (youngest son from 2nd marriage to Sarah Barron.

Colonist, 16 July 1872: Death Berry, 1872 July 13, at his residence, Washington Valley, Mr. Thomas Berry, aged 96 years.

Death of a Very Old Freemason. Thomas Berry: d: July 13, 1872, at his residence, Washington Valley, Nelson at the very advanced age of ninety-six years.  Mr. Thomas Berry, or, more properly, de Berri was made a Freemason in the Grand Lodge of England in the year 1821, the Duke of Sussex being then Grand Master. The father of deceased was son of the Duke de Berri, who, escaping from France in 1793, in the Reign of Terror, ultimately settled in Colchester, England, and obtained the freedom of that city, under the name of Berry. The son passed much of his time in America and France, mixing largely in the political intrigues of those days, and ultimately died in Colchester, at the very old age of one hundred years and four days. His son, the subject of the present notice, appears to have continued in trade more steadily than his progenitor, and to have acquired some means. He was subsequently induced to emigrate to these shores through the representations of sons who had settled here previously, at the ripe age of seventy years. He will be remembered as having been in the employ of the Nelson Government for many years and the craft will recollect him as having been for a similar period an office-bearer of the Nelson Lodge. A Masonic funeral was given to the deceased. Although this was repeated in newspapers throughout the country, it is belived Thomas's age was 70 yrs at death)

New Zealand Herald, 8 Aug 1872: A Masonic funeral took place on Thursday last, the hearse being preceded by the members of the order in full regalia, with jewels encased in crape, and proceeded to the new cemetery, where the Rev. G. H. Johnstone read the service of the Church of England, after which, the beautiful prayer used by the Masons on such occasions was offered up by Past-Master Robert Burn, who officiated in the absence of Mr. Joseph Shephard, the W. M. The circuit of the grave was then made, and the branches of evergreens cast upon the coffin by the brethren present, and the solemn ceremony was brought to a close by the singing of a hymn.

Colonial gullibility distorted the facts but for years added a touch of glamour to descendants personal family history records! (eg Report: 13 Dec 1930: Obituary of Thomas's grand-daughter Susan Esther Berry who mar: 1866 Frank Claude John Noakes)

Berry family historian,  David Lamb completed a great deal of research on his family and give his reasons he is so sceptical:

"Thomas BERRY (1796-1872) was my 1st cousin 5 times removed. Although he was actually descended from a weaver from Colchester, Essex, England, his over-fertile imagination seems to have got the better of him once he arrived in New Zealand. He told people that he had been born in 1776, and that he was a direct descendant of the French Duc de Berri. He had escaped (he said) with his father to England during the so-called "Reign of Terror", which was part of the French Revolution, and took place in 1793. These stories must have sounded so plausible, for even his death certificate states that his age at death was 96, and his obituary says he was descended from French nobility!

However, one of his sons, Frederick Thomas BERRY, wrote in a letter: "...at the age of 17 (Thomas) contracted a misalliance by marriage with Thomas's [that is, Thomas's son Thomas] mother, that gave offence to his father, that is, our grandfather. I think that may have been the cause of our grandfather not giving our father the full particulars of his pedigree; he no doubt wished to guard the honour of his house from stain."

If Thomas senior had been born as he claimed in 1776, he would have been 17 in 1793, and Thomas junior was not born until 1815. 22 years seems a long time between marriage and the birth of the first child. A birth year of 1796 seems to fit far better, especially as Frederick in his letter states that his mother (Sarah BARRON, Thomas senior's second wife) was 42 when she died in 1839, and that she was 2 years younger than Thomas.........

Evening Post,  31 May 1906, Mrs. Sarah E. Rosenberg, one of New Zealand's early settlers, is dead. Deceased was sixty-three years of age, and is said to have been the 1st white person born in Nelson. She was relict of the late Alfred Rosenberg, and for a number of years had been a resident of Wellington, where she was greatly respected by all who knew her. She leaves a family of three sons and three daughters, the sons being A. Rosenberg, of Woodville, and M. and E. Rosenberg, of Wellington, and the daughters Mrs. A. Gyles, of Wellington, and Mrs. H. J Barnard, of Eltham.