Sacramento County
Biographies
John T. Barry, proprietor of the Valley Press Printing House, Sacramento, was born in Louisburg, County Mayo, Ireland, in 1840, emigrating to the United States in April, 1848; was partially educated at St. John’s College, Worcester, Massachusetts; spent some months in New York city. In 1857 he joined the army that was sent to Utah to subdue the rebellious Mormons and establish the supremacy of the General Government. He resigned his commission in 1858, and came westward, arriving in Sacramento in November following. Within a few days he went to San Francisco and obtained employment in a newspaper office, where he remained until 1860. Thence, going to Virginia City, Nevada, he became part owner of the Territorial Enterprise, then a weekly paper. In 1862 he was commissioned by Governor Nye as First Lieutenant of a company of Nevada volunteers, and was placed in command of the infantry at Fort Churchill, Major McDermit being in command of the fort. He resigned in 1864, returned to Virginia City, and in connection with Hon. William Woodburn and others, started the Daily Constitution, which, after a short time, was abandoned. He then returned to California and was commissioned Major in the Mexican army by President Benito Juarez, and in conjunction with General Williams and Colonel D. E. Hungerford (father of the now celebrated Mrs. John W. Mackay), organized an expedition to help drive the Maximilians out of Mexico. Among his offices were the now celebrated Henry George and the Hon. J. F. Linthicum, Receiver of the United States Land Office at Sacramento. The expedition proved a failure, and in November, 1865, in conjunction with a gentleman named Lyons, he purchased The Monitor, a weekly newspaper of large circulation, then and now printed in San Francisco. This paper he published until 1877. Having soon after lost most of his means in mining stocks, he resumed his business as a printer, and worked in various offices until the inauguration of Governor Stoneman, when he came to Sacramento and worked in the State printing office until after the election of Governor Bartlett. He then went to San Diego, where he owns considerable property; finally returned to Sacramento, and in August, 1887, bought the interest of Rev. C. M. Davis in the Valley Press Printing House, associating himself with Charles D. Monagan, whose interest he also purchased in February, 1888, becoming the sole proprietor of the establishment. The Valley Press is one of the best equipped book and job offices in Sacramento. In politics Mr. Barry is a Democrat, and was nominated for State Printer in 1871, but with his whole party was defeated. August 15, 1868, he married Miss Kate E. Fenton, of Santa Clara. They have had three children, two of whom are living, a daughter and a son. The son, Charles J., graduated last year first in the first class of the Sacramento Institute; and the daughter, Marcella J., graduated from the State Normal School at San Jose, in July, 1889.
Transcribed by Karen Pratt.
Davis, Hon. Win. J., An Illustrated History of Sacramento County, California. Pages 492. Lewis Publishing Company. 1890.
© 2005 Karen Pratt.