Family Trees

Please note that the trees are compiled from a variety of sources and are only as accurate as the source from which the information is obtained. Not all sources are 'primary' i.e. original information from parish registers, bishop's transcripts or census. Secondary sources, such as the IGI, Boyd's Marriage Index and so forth have also been used where the original information is not available or has not been referenced. Secondary sources may contain errors of transcription or omission.

Family trees are of course constructed on the basis of the 'best fit' of available information. Sometimes this may be a calculated guess because there is simply not enough information available to be sure. Such uncertainties are usually accompanied by a note expressing some reservation about the proposed connection.

I welcome any additional information that may support the construction of family trees and any additional suggestions or errors noted.

Ruardean, Gloucestershire, UK
Earliest: John Stirry bn abt 1515 and married Alice Bailie in 1539.
This is the oldest Sterry line. The Ruardean and Longhope lines are almost certainly connected, the two Forest of Dean villages being only a few miles apart. However, the parish registers are very difficult to read in parts and the Longhope records were destroyed during the English Civil War and were not kept properly for many years afterwards.
Researchers: The greater part of this tree is based on the published version by Walter Smith as detailed in his book "The Sterry Family of America". Descendants in UK

Longhope, Gloucestershire, UK
Earliest: Richard Sterry married 1686 All Saints, Longhope, UK.
Descendants: UK, Canada, America and Australia.
Researchers: Heather Robb (Australia), Kathy Sterry (England), Cecily Sterry (England), Graham Davison (England).

Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, UK
Earliest: Richard Sterry born abt 1763 and married Ann Toomey in Minsterworth in 1794.
Descendants: UK
Researchers: Kelly Imm (England), Roger Dennis (England), Peter Essex (England), Robert Sterry (Australia)
Photos: Wedding Photo of Frances Sterrey and William Essex (1913, Lydney, Gloucestershire) Kindly supplied by Eileen Phelps via Margaret Higgins (nee Virgo) and Roger Dennis. For further information on this photo, see Old Photos of Lydney & District.

Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK
Earliest: Simon Sterry married 1682 in St Mary's, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk England. Descendants: UK, Australia and America.
Researchers: Gwen Eastment (Australia), Robert Sterry (Australia), Art Sterry (America), Barry Sterry (England), Cecily Sterry (England)

Incorporating the Robert Sterry, Australia 1810-1883 line
Researchers: Josephine Stephens and Margot Wilkes, Queensland, Australia

Lowestoft, Suffolk, UK
Earliest: Daniel Sterry died 1608 Mutford , Suffolk, England.
Descendants: UK and America.
Researchers: John Roland Sterry (England), Cecily Sterry (England)

Incorporating the William Bristow Sterry, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk line.
Researchers: Mrs Ann Pring and Wendy Ford, Queensland, Australia. Houghton family information supplied by Immy McKiernan (Australia), Joanne Stockill and John Gooch (England)
Photos: William Bristow Sterry (1792-1848) and Betsy Louisa Dunnell (1799-1849). Hand painted miniatures supplied by Ann Pring.

Southwold, Suffolk, UK
Earliest: James Sterry married Elizabeth Cobourne 1760 Southwold. Almost certainly connects to Lowestoft line but connection has not been established.
Descendants: UK and Australia.
Researchers: Lynn Mummery (England), John Mummery (England), Peter Sterry (England). Other family information also supplied by Tony Sterry from Essex, England and Richard Ball, England. Information on Henry William Sterry and Hilda Mary Smith, their son Henry Archibald Smith Sterry and his descendants supplied by David Sterry of Runcorn, Cheshire.

Ipswich, Suffolk, UK
Earliest: George Starry married Mary Plum Norwich St Clement 1795. His grandchildren appear to have changed the spelling to Sterry when they moved to Ipswich, Suffolk.
Descendants: UK, Canada, America
Researchers: Sheila Murray, Leicestershire, England. Additional Hambling family information and marriage detail on Fred Goodman Sterry supplied by Lucille Hambling. Additional information on Harry William Sterry, his wife Elizabeth Sheward and their family provided by George Yankus. Additional information on Grave Lillian Sterry provided by Lin Jensen.

Pakefield, Suffolk, UK (Previously called Aleathea Sterry and Albert Muttitt Branch)
Earliest: John Sterry buried 1795 Pakefield, Suffolk. Probably connects to Lowestoft line.
Descendants: UK, Canada, Australia
Researchers: Les Buckle, British Colombia, Canada with additional information provided by Robert Napthine, England. Information on Annie Sterry and Harry Frederick Cracknell and their descendants supplied by Susan Dent nee Mason from Perth, Western Australia. (For further information on more of Susan Dent's direct family, see http://home.iprimus.com.au/sjdent/)
Photos: Aleathea Sterry and Albert Muttitt

Southwark, Surrey, UK
Earliest: Joseph Sterry died 1717 Southwark, Surrey. Joseph is almost certainly the son of John Sterry (1594-1672), Cooper of the Ruardean Sterry Branch who removed to Southwark from Ruardean with brother Anthony abt 1603. Descendants in UK.
Descendants: UK
Researchers: The greater part of this tree is based on the published version by Walter Smith as detailed in his book "The Sterry Family of America". Walter Smith's research incorporated the earlier research of so-called 'greatest Sterry genealogist', the Reverend Francis Sterry (1834-1925) of Eastbury House, Essex and his son, Sir Wasey Sterry who kept his father's papers which reveal a painstaking assemblage of data over a sixty year period (1862-1911)

Bermondsey, Surrey, UK (Previously called the George Sterry of Bermondsey, Surrey line)
Earliest: George Thomas Sterry born about 1835 Bermondsey, Surrey. His father was George Sterry, Baker.
Descendants: UK
Researchers: Rose Hatch, Southampton, England. Information also supplied by Leonard Sterry of Perth, Western Australia. The information on the descendants of John Henry Sterry (bn 1871, son of George Thomas Sterry and Elizabeth Jolley) was researched by Kim Johnson, Kent, England.
Photos: William James George John Sterry and Florence Laura Wells

Worcestershire, UK
Earliest: Thomas Starie buried Stoke Bliss, Herefordshire 1828. The family appears to have adopted the spelling of the surname 'Sterry' when they moved to Worcestershire. It is interesting to note that Thomas' son James was baptised in the same parish as Roger Sterry who founded the Connecticut Sterry line in America.
Descendants: UK
Researchers: John Todd, UK. John is not on email but invites others interested in this line to write to him at: 42 Woodcock Way, Chardstock, Axminster EX13 7SY England. Additional information on descendants of James Sterry and Elizabeth Turner provided by Barbara Alcock nee Sterry, UK.

Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, UK (Previously called the Sterry-Dudley Branch)
Earliest: William Sterrey buried 1646 at West Bromich, Staffordshire. Walter Smith comments: "This family, about which practically nothing is known, is intriguing a)because of its geographic location, adjacent to Shropshire to the east and north of Gloucestershire, suggesting it could have been a link between the ancient Sturry family of Shropshire and the early Sterry family of Gloucestershire; b) because of the presence in the family in the early 16th century of a "Roger Sterry", the name of the founder of the Coonecticut Sterry family in 1670; and c) because of the possibility that this same early Roger Sterry and his brother Humphrey lived in both Staffordshire and Shropshire.
Descendants: UK
Researchers: This family tree below has been compiled in reference to some original material supplied by Geoffrey Kernan, the IGI (including the 1998 Addendum), modern transcriptions of parish registers, Walter Smith's book and most interestingly, "a document in the Staffs RO that had been prepared for one of (Geoffrey Kernan's) wife's relations by a West Bromwich solicitor .... In reciting the history of a piece of land at Greets Bridge it gave a lot of Sterry genealogy ...." (Personal correspondence from G.P. Kernan, April, 1998)

Stonington, Connecticut, USA (Previously called the Roger Sterry line)
Earliest: Owen Sterry bn abt 1615 Stoke Bliss, Herefordshire, England.
Researchers: Principally by Walter Smith and published in The Sterry Family of America (1973). The first known record of Roger Sterry in America is that of his marriage to Hannah Palmer in 1671 at Stonington, Connecticut. Since this publication, further research by Kathy Sterry has established that Roger Sterry was baptised at Stoke Bliss, Herefordshire, England in 1640, the son of Owen & Elizabeth Sterry.
Descendants: USA.

Starks, Maine, USA
Earliest: Samuel Sterry married 1753 in Ipswich, Massacusetts. Starks, Maine is the area principally associated with this line. Samuel Sterry, the founder of this line, died in 1755 in the Battle of Minas, Nova Scotia. He was probably born in England but his lineage has not been established.
Researchers: This line was also principally researched by Walter Smith.
Descendants: USA.

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (Previously called William Ely Sterry branch)
Earliest: William Ely Sterry born abt 1814 Norfolk, England. William and his family emigrated to Victoria, Australia between 1855 and 1859. William is almost certainly the son of John Sterry (1779-1852/1860) and Mercy Ruddock on the Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK line, even though his baptism has not been found.
Researchers: Michael Davies of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Descendants: Australia

Hafslo, Norway
Earliest: Jens Jorgenson bn abt 1747 in Norway. During the nineteeth century there was a very large migration of people from Norway to America, including a number of Sterri. Most changed the spelling of their names in America to Sterry or Sterrie.
Researchers: Joyce Pettit nee Sterry, California, USA. Additional detail provided by Lars Oyane from Norway who has written several books on the history of the County of Luster, which includes the former parishes/counties of Luster, Jostedal and Hafslo.
Descendants: USA
Photo: Nels Iverson Sterri and his wife Karen Hillestad