Historical Tyson Landowners
Portion of E. Dupre’s 1838 Atlas of the City and County of St. Louis showing Kerr’s land, in the northwestern side of Tyson’s current border.
john franklin kerr
Born to parents Thomas Gordon Kerr and Margaret Johnston Calbreadth, John Franklin Kerr lived from 1832 to 1902. He owned property in 1838 where current day Tyson is. John Kerr's father died when he was two years old, and likely left the land in John's name, making him the youngest Tyson landowner uncovered so far. Kerr married Martha Green in 1853 and they had at least one son, David G. Kerr. John Kerr’s siblings included Elizabeth Hogshead Kerr, Sarah Jane Kerr, Thomas Calbreath Kerr, and William Gordon Kerr.
The Kerr family were enslavers. In the 1830 Census, St. Louis Middle Ward, they were listed as enslaving a girl and a boy between the age of 10-23, and a man between the age of 24-35.
Resources
Biro, E. Tyson Border Polygon. (2023) Tyson Research Center.
John Franklin Kerr (1831–1902) • FamilySearch. (n.d.). Retrieved June 20, 2024, from https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LQRN-4K6/john-franklin-kerr-1831-1902
Kearns, E. Kerr’s Land 1838 ArcGIS Polygon. (2024) Washington University in St. Louis.
St. Louis Integrated Database of Enslavement | Washington University in St. Louis. (n.d.). Retrieved June 17, 2024, from https://sites.wustl.edu/enslavementstl/search/.
This Tyson landowner profile was researched and written by Undergraduate Fellow Emmett Kearns and edited by Undergraduate Fellow Juliana Morera during summer 2024.