The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 36, July 1932 - April, 1933 Page: 145
328 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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The Diary of James Buckner Barry, 1860-1862
The depredations of the savages continued and became so heavy
that Governor Houston authorized Barry and other men, in De-
cember, 1860, to recruit companies to patrol the frontier. A few
months later, Captain Barry, commissioned by the State, assisted
in the taking over of the federal military posts in Texas. Barry
was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel of the Texas
Frontier Regiment and served through the war with the confidence
of his men and his superiors.
After the war, Barry resumed his farming and stock raising, but
was frequently called upon to help maintain order during the
troublesome days of reconstruction. For his military services in
behalf of his community and because of his record in civil offices,
such as postmaster, sheriff, county treasurer, etc., citizens of Barry's
district sent him to the eighteenth legislature. He had never been
very active in politics previously, although he had assisted in or-
ganizing chapters of the Grange. His last active participation in
public life was the acceptance of the nomination for State Treas-
urer on the People's Party ticket in 1898.
The final years of his life were spent on his ranch with members
of his family. He died on his eighty-fifth birthday, December 16,
1906, and was buried with simple ritual in the family burial plot,
on a hill overlooking the ranch house and the river valleys, three
miles southwest of Walnut Springs, the town which he had been
instrumental in founding and protecting from the usual vicissitudes
of frontier travail.
The diary covers the period from January 1, 1855 to May 30,
1862. While Barry's life was more circumscribed during the period
of 1860-62 than from 1855 to 1860, the diary is made up substan-
tially of the same sort of items that appear during 1860, 1861 and
1862. The journal seems to merit publication, if for no other
reason, as a first-hand narration of the homely details of the daily
life of a pioneer settler on the southwestern frontier during the
Civil War.
[January], 1860
1 Sunday at home all day snow on the ground the last three
days[.] cold weather froze good many stock Parson Kid [d] left
here after being weather bound 3 days
2 & 3 most of the snow melted[.] trying to work a little
4 went after horses on Rockey [Creek] killed several goblers145
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 36, July 1932 - April, 1933, periodical, 1933; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101093/m1/159/: accessed May 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.