John Joseph BARRY b. 1830 d. 1882

1830 - 1882 (52 years)

Name	John Joseph BARRY
Born	1830 [1]
Gender	Male
Died	1882 [2, 3]
Notes	In 1853 the Cape Colony achieved representative government from the British and the first Parliament of the Cape of Good Hope, without regard to race, was elected. The Honourable Joseph Barry was elected as the Swellendam (and surrounding Overberg town’s including Montagu) representative and moved to Cape Town leaving the Swellendam Head Office in the hands of his nephew John Joseph Barry. In 1863 the Honourable Joseph Barry was elected as Mayor of Cape Town until his death in March 1865. Seventy horse drawn carriages attended his funeral. Joseph’s death couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Overberg that was once again suffering the effects of a prolonged drought, a locust plague, and Gladstone raising the duty on wine imports leaving the farmers without a ready UK market for their wine. Joseph’s will revealed a partner’s agreement requiring that accounts be settled and his share paid to his family with the remaining estate shared between the surviving partners. Barry & Nephews had always extended credit and been patient about payment, waiting for the rains to fall or crops to be reaped. Lawyers now heartlessly delivered ultimatums to a farming population that was already overextended. To add insult to injury, on the 17 May 1865 strong winds prevailed and a fire that sparked from a baker’s oven laid waste to much of Swellendam in two hours, including the main Barry & Nephews stores. Joseph’s nephews John and Thomas Barry continued with the business which was further crippled when the SS Kadie struck the dreaded sandbar at the mouth of the Breede River and sank in November of the same fateful year leaving the farmers without a rapid means to market for their crops. Joseph’s eldest son Charles van Reenen Barry succeeded John Barry on his death in 1871 as head of the firm. Four years later the firm started selling out and Charles sold up a year later and moved to England. John Joseph of Swellendam was the last head of the firm which closed by the end of the 1870s. Left in charge of the Barry farm "Godown" in Swellendam
Person ID	I5092	LC Joubert
Last Modified	30 Aug 2026

Father	Thomas BARRY, b. 8 Aug 1801, d. 12 Oct 1876 (Age 75 years)
Mother	Aletha Catharina VAN REENEN, b. 7 Nov 1810, d. 27 Nov 1888 (Age 78 years)
Married	14 Mar 1829 [4]
Family ID	F2242	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family Hester Johanna Wilhelmina JOUBERT, b. 1830, d. 6 Jan 1869, Swellendam (Age 39 years)

Married 19 Nov 1851 Stellenbosch [5]

Children

1. Aletta Josephine BARRY

Last Modified 30 Aug 2026

Family ID F2240 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Sources

[S637] WEBSITE, https://rivertonstud.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Family-of-Nephew-Thomas-Barry.pdf.
FAMILY OF THOMAS BARRY
Thomas Barry b. 08.08.1801 d. 12.10.1876 married 14.03.1829 Aletta Catharina van Reenen b. 07.11.1810 d. 27.11.1888

1. John Joseph* b. 1830 d. 1882 m Hester J.W. Joubert
2. Jacob John William b. 1831 d. 1895 m Martha Catherina van Breda
3. Mary Ann b. 1833 d. 1901 m Frederick J Perreyn Van der Riet
4. Joseph James b. 1834 d. 1870 m Susan Martha Bland
5. Thomas Francis b. 1836 d. 1845
6. Maria Adriana b. 1837 d. 1839
7. Elizabeth Adriana b. 1839 (died young)
8. Johanna Martina b. 1840 d. 1913 m Tobias John Herold
9. Aletta Catherine b. 1842 d. 1913 m Michael Barry (son of Joseph Barry)
10. Maria Adriana b. 1844 d. 1919 m Daniel John May **
11. Daniel Nicholas b. 1846 d. 1889
12. Thomas Henry b. 1848 d. 1874
13. Richard van Reenen b. 1849 d. 1920 m (1) Elizabeth van der Byl m (2) Christina Maria Louw
14. Elizabeth Martha b. 1851 d. 1915 m James Gerhard Reid
15. Julia Hubertha b. 1854 d. after 1895 m James Ford
* Joseph Barry left John Joseph in charge of the Swellendam Godown when he moved to Cape Town to take up his position as a Member of Parliament.
** Lt. Daniel John May of the Royal Navy compiled the first South African Barry family tree taken to Austria by Richard Ritter von Barry in 1879/80
[S18] FAMILYSEARCH, DEATH NOTICE: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQX-H9YC-1.
[S637] WEBSITE, https://www.graveswcape.eggsa.org/SWELLENDAM-Urban/swellendam-NGK/barry/DSC09735.JPG.
Western Cape, SWELLENDAM, Urban area / Western Cape, SWELLENDAM, NG Kerk, kerkhof / BARRY :: JOUBERT :: HEROLD :: REITZ
Family grave - BARRY Hester J.W. nee JOUBERT , her mother and her husband
BARRY Hester J.W. nee JOUBERT 1829-1869 JOUBERT Aletta A. formerly HEROLD nee REITZ 1798-1871 BARRY John Joseph 1830-1882
contributed by: Alta Griffiths
[S18] FAMILYSEARCH, MARRIAGE: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSK6-9957-C.
"South Africa, Dutch Reformed Church Registers (Cape Town Archives), 1660-1994 ", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6P5D-CSMV : Thu Sep 26 20:21:59 UTC 2024), Entry for Thomas Barnery and Aletta Catharina Van Roenen, 14 Mar 1829.
[S18] FAMILYSEARCH, MARRIAGE: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-69HW-3HR.