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- Source: Lu B. MacKie Mbmackie123@cs.com (6 Apr 2003 RootsWeb Post-Em) "Juliana Coombe and James D. Barry also had: Griffith Coombe Barry, b. April 14, 1826; Elizabeth Ruhannah Barry, b. March 10, 1833." Excerps from an e-mail from Lu B. MacKie Mbmackie123@cs.com, 6 Apr 2003 [Griffith C. Barry was her gg grandfather.]; FROM A BOOK CALLED "THE HISTORY OF TEXAS," pages 225, 226, 227: "Griffith C. Barry, Sr., a long time resident of Kopperl, Bosque County, Texas, holds an honorable position in the records of pioneer Texas. He is widely respected both for his business abilities and his personal character. He is a native of Washington, D. C., having been born under the shadows of the national capitol, April 14, 1826. "Our subject is of Irish origin, his father, J. D. Barry, having come to this country in the closing years of the last century and settled in the new capitol almost before it had been reclaimed from the wilderness. Here he was married to Miss Julianna Coombe, a daughter of Griffith C. Coombe, well known among the early settlers of the capitol city, and here he continued to make his home until the day of his death. He was a successful business man, and in middle life retired to a farm near the city. He was the father of ten children, seven sons and three daughters, all but one of whom lived to attain maturity. Their names were David, Robert, James, Edmund, Mary, Anna, Griffith Coombe, Daniel, Elizabeth and John, who died in infancy. His fourth son, Ed, was a captain in the Confederate service, and was widely known on account of his bravery and the daring way in which he penetrated Washington in search of information. The father of this interesting family died in December, 1849, at the age of seventy-four, and his wife in December, 1872 at the age of seventy. He was a Catholic in his religion and a Whig in his politics, while she was a member of the Episcopal church. They were able to give their children good educational opportunities. "Mr. Barry, our subject, was raised in the federal district, well educated in the public schools, and especially trained in the sentiments of honesty and industry, which have indeed proved a good foundation on which to build for future success, and for which he never ceases to be grateful to his parents. In the year 1849 he left home and went to New York. Here he remained for a few months, and in 1850, following the tide of emigration, came west, locating for two years at Palmyra, Marion county, Missouri. A great flood of settlement was flowing west to California, bearing on its crest the brave and daring, and our subject, being a man of this character, mounted the crest. So he started overland for California with a mule team, leaving Palmyra April 21, 1852, and on August 7 of the same year was in the land of gold. While in Salt Lake they traded off their wagons, and our subject rode over one thousand miles horseback, without a saddle! In his party there were but three, and they were unarmed; but they had no trouble. Our subject spent one year in Tuolumne county engaged in placer mining, and was then two years in the San Jose valley, mostly on a ranch. By this time our young adventurer felt that he had enough of the golden west and turned his face back to Missouri, returning by way of the water and the isthmus. He again located in Marion county, Missouri, where he made his home until 1858. This year our subject came to Texas with his family, traveling with a wagon across the country and camping out on the way. He was attracted by the fine appearance of Bosque county, and determined to locate here, a determination which he has never regretted. He purchased two hundred acres and built a log picket house of the dimensions of 15 x 15 converting a canoe into a meat house,...narrow quarters but a hospitable, generous home, where saint and sinner were alike welcome. In 1875 he erected a concrete house, 30 x 49, and has added four hundred acres to his original purchase. This farm of six hundred acres well watered by Raymond Creek, with much rich valley land.
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1825 - 1896 (71 years)
[2, 4, 6, 7] 