John Wesley Kerr was born in Alabama to John M and Elizabeth (Provence) Kerr. The date of 15 February 1838 is given on his tombstone and death registry entry. Some family tree entries vary since a "List By One Of M.E. Kerr’s Children" in Ellen Heern’s bible gives the date a month earlier, 15 January 1838.

John in included in the Madison County Alabama family of John Kerr in the US census of 1840 (<5) and 1850 (13).

On 08 June 1859 John W Kerr and Mary J Sisk were married in Jackson County, Alabama. According to the record in the Alabama Marriage Collection at ancestry.com, the ceremony was performed by R H Jones, Justice of the Peace (Source: Jordan Dodd, Liahona Research). Mary Jane is the daughter of Richard W and Lucinda Sisk who had two other children also marry into the Kerr family. A member submitted International Genealogical Index record at familysearch.org shows William Henry Kerr born 23 March 1860 to John Wesley Kerr and Mary J Sisk in Guntersville, Jackson County, Alabama. On the 1860 US census, 21-year-old J W is a farm laborer at the end of the listing of the household of his parents John and Elizabeth Keer in District 3, Jackson County, Alabama. His oldest sister Susanah is living next door with her family, but John Wesley’s 16-year-old wife Mary and baby William are listed with her parents.

Along with other young men from Jackson County, John W Kerr was inducted into the Confederate Army in Company G, Unit 12 Alabama Infantry. organized July 1861 at Richmond. Serving as a private under General Robert Rodes, John Wesley was wounded June 28,1862 in one of the engagements near Richmond Virginia known in Civil War accounts as The Seven Days Battle.

Evidently John W was able to return home to recuperate. The second child of John W and Mary, John Richard Kerr, was born March 3, 1863.

Exactly when John W returned to duty is unknown, but he was involved in the Battle of Chancellorsville where he was again wounded on May 2, 1863. This time the wound was serious and John W was in military hospitals from May 3 until October 28, 1863 when he was furloughed for sixty days to go home to recuperate. Upon arriving home he surrendered to the occupying Union Army and was given a parole. The family began making plans and shortly thereafter moved to Union County, Illinois, where the family is found on the 1870 US census for Anna Precinct.

At least five more children were born in Illinois: Lucinda Elizabeth (born December 23, 1865); James Madison (born October 1868)l Nancy E (born March 22, 1871); Charles W (born about 1873); George (born about 1876). Possibly another daughter Elizabeth was born about 1877 and died in infancy.

John Wesley Kerr died 21 January 1879 his residence five miles east of Cobden in Union County, Illinois. Although one family record has 21 January 1878, there is no source so it is probably merely a transcription error. He was buried the next day, but again there is a source of error. The death registry entry shows his place of burial as being the John Rich cemetery. It is actually in the Kelley Cemetery, two miles east (located by Richard Smith).

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