BURKE COUNTY, NC - BIOGRAPHIES - Early Settlers of Burke County, Part 2 The PERKINS FAMILY of Johns River, descended from a native of England, who came to the Colonies in 1732. Landing in Pennsylvania, he removed to Lincoln County, North Carolina (then Tryon), founded in 1779. By way of pre-eminence, he was known as "Gentleman John Perkins." Reference the above, I have seen this before. Although partly correct, Gentleman John Perkins was actually born about 1732 in Baltimore (now Harford) County, MD to Elisha Perkins and Margaret Sherrill. Elisha was born June 9, 1697 "at the head of Swan Creek" in Baltimore County, MD to Richard Perkins and his wife Mary. Richard was said to be from Plymouth England, but this has not been proven. The first record we have of him is in Baltimore County, MD in 1683. Margaret Sherrill was the daughter of William Sherrill and sister of Adam Sherrill. William is known as the Conestoga Fur Trader, and settled first in Maryland, moving on to Pennsylvania and then Virginia. The Perkins and Sherrill families moved down to North Carolina together, with Adam Sherrill being the first, permanent white settler on the west bank of the Catawba River in North Carolina. Like Gentleman John Perkins, he left a large number of descendants there, and the community of Sherrill's Ford, which was named for him. Kathy