Thomas Barry (1783/4-1840)
Thomas Barry, late of Demerara, died in London in 1840 aged 56 [The Evening Chronicle, 5 August 1840]. From at least 1808 Thomas Barry & Co had a store on Robb’s Stelling in Stabroek and imported a variety of goods from Liverpool and London [Essequebo & Demerary Royal Gazette, 20 February & 24 September 1808]. In April 1808 a robbery at the store was reported:
A most daring Robbery was committed on Thursday night last in the House of Mr. Barry, on Robb's Stelling. The thieves entered by a back window, and after taking the keys of his store and iron chest from his waistcoat pocket, (he being a-sleep in the same room) they opened the chest and took out about 170 Joes in Cash. [sic - period] robbed [sic - not capitalized] the store of some dry goods, drank six bottles of beer, and escaped without the least alarm being given!! The Centinel at the Military Hospital hailed a Negro during the night, who threw down a bundle and made off. The bundle contained 9 pieces of cambric belonging to Mr. Barry. Every exertion is making to apprehend a Negro who is suspected of being concerned in the affair, and who had been lately in the employ of Mr. B. [Essequebo & Demerary Royal Gazette, 16 April 1808]
In January 1810 his partnership with E Troughton in Demerara was dissolved [Essequebo & Demerary Royal Gazette, 9 January 1810]. In 1816 he announced his intention to leave the colony [Royal Gazette, 20 April 1816].
Will of Thomas Barry proprietor of the estate Vriesland of county of Demerarry proved 08/02/1841.
Under the will he ordered his executors to invest £20,000 in Bank of England stock, the interest from which was to go to Eliza his housekeeper 'the mother of my children for the joint support of her and my children' who were during her life to have access only through her to the income; after her death each child (Mary, Susan, Wilhelmina and Mary) was to have the interest on £5000, the principal to go in turn to their children. He also left 20,000 guilders to Eliza for her to buy 'a good freehold house in this colony' and 6000 guilders to her on his decease given that there would be a delay before the interest on the £20,000 Bank of England stock was paid to her. He left everything else, including the Vriesland estate and property in Ireland and England, to his sister Mary Tandy in Ireland. Mary Tandy was probably Mary Tandy of Mountshannon, whose nephew was called Thomas Barry George, presumably after her brother Thomas Barry.
On 16 July 1866 his sole surviving child, Wilhelmina (d.1873), married Michael Anthony Keogh, of Aughrey, Leitrim [Roscommon & Leitrim Gazette, 21 July 1866].