No. 16652 John Henry Barry
Mrs. Marion (Barry) Callinan found out about our World War I Dorchester servicemen project and asked if we would honor her father by featuring him in a short biography. She even came to meet us and brought some of her father’s medals for us to look at. We were happy to oblige and add Henry to our collective memory of Dorchester’s World War I veterans!
John Henry Barry was born on March 3, 1898 to parents Henry and Maria (Davis) Barry who were living at 3 Savin Hill Avenue in Dorchester. To his family, he was always known as Henry.
Henry enlisted in the National Guard in June of 1916 when he was 18 years old. This was shortly after Mexico’s attack on the United States by the famed general, Pancho Villa. Henry served with the Mexican Border Service as a part of Company “C” in the 9th Massachusetts Infantry of the National Guard. However, war with Mexico never came and Henry returned to Massachusetts only to get ready for an imminent war with Germany.
Henry in uniform from Mexican War Picture 16653
Henry mustered out on April 4, 1917 as a private, just two days before President Wilson and the United States officially declared war on Germany. He served in the 101st Infantry Division until he was discharged in April of 1919. While he was in the Army, he was involved in a number of engagements, all in France, including: Champagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne, Meuse-Argonne, and St. Mihiel. When he was honorably discharged in 1919, Henry moved back home with his parents in Dorchester. He received commendations for his service from both Mayor of Boston, James Michael Curley, and Massachusetts Governor Samuel McCall.
Sometime in the early 1920s, Henry married Florence Raithel. In 1930, they were living at 192 Savin Hill Avenue in the Savin Hill neighborhood of Dorchester with their four children: John (6), Paul (5), Harold (3) “aka” Hap, and Arthur (0). Henry is listed on the United States Census as a “line-o-typer” in the newspaper industry and listed as a World War I veteran. In 1940, not much has changed; the family is still living on Savin Hill Avenue with Henry working in the newspaper industry. But now, the Barry’s are a family of seven, having had a daughter, Marion, who is now 6.
Henry stayed in Dorchester for the rest of his life, until he died suddenly on June 20, 1980 at the age of 82. His obituary indicates that he was a printer for the Boston Post and the Herald Traveler. He was a member of the Boston Typographical Union No. 13 and retired in 1965 from the Herald Traveler. He was a grandfather of 10 when he died and is buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery in Mattapan. As of 2017, the Barry family house on Savin Hill Avenue had been sold and Henry’s children, Marion (83) and John (93) are still living in Massachusetts.
Sources:
Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.
Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.
Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002.
Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2012.
Ancestry.com. Massachusetts Birth Records, 1840-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA:
Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2013.
Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Death Index, 1901-1980 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA:
Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2013.
Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2011.
Military, Compiled Service Records. World War I. Carded Records. Records of the Military Division of the Adjutant General’s Office, Massachusetts National Guard.
“Henry J. Barry” obituary, Boston Globe, June 21, 1980.
Check out the Dorchester Historical Society’s online catalog at
http://dorchester.pastperfectonline.com/
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