OBIT: John M. BARRY, 1886, Lancaster, Lancaster County, PA

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DEATH OF JOHN M. BARRY.

A Well-Known Lancaster Railroad Contractor
Expires After a Brief Illness.

John M. Barry, on of this city's best known railroad contractors, died shortly 
after 10 o'clock Sunday morning at his residence, No. 215 East Orange street, 
from pneumonia that was contracted on Tuesday night last.  Prior to that he had 
enjoyed excellent health, but on the evening mentioned he was seized on the 
street with a violent chill, took his bed, grew steadily worse and died while 
the church bells were summoning the people to worship.

John M. Barry was the eldest son of the late Michael Barry, of this city, one of 
the most prominent railroad contractors in the state, and was born in the county 
of Limerick in Ireland a little more than fifty years ago.  When a lad of tender 
years he came with his parents to this town where he has, with only brief 
intervals of absence, lived ever since.  He was educated at Mt. St. Mary's 
college, Emmittsburg, Md., and his first business venture was with his father in 
the building of the Mahanoy tunnel in Schuylkill county.  Thence he went on the 
Western Maryland railroad, having a contract for a portion of its construction.  
He was next associated with George K. Reed and Thomas Baumgardner in the 
building of the Junction road from Breakwater to Lewes, Delaware, through the 
peach-growing district of that state.  This road was afterwards sold to the Old 
Dominion Steamship company.  Following this he helped to build the original 
Shenandoah Valley railroad, and was also engaged a few years ago in contract 
work for the Shenandoah company under its new management.  The other contracts 
with which he was more recently connected were with the Delaware & Bound Brook, 
Pittsburg & Lake Erie and the South Pennsylvania companies, continuing with the 
latter until the work was stopped.

The deceased was a warm-hearted gentleman, whose genial manners gained for him a 
wide circle of friends who will grieve sincerely over his untimely demise.  A 
loving husband and most indulgent father, he will be sorely missed by the widow 
and three children, two daughters and a son, who survive him.  The deceased also 
leaves a brother, Michael Barry, a Wilmington, Del., contractor, and a sister, 
Mrs. Thomas Brady, of Bergen Point, N.J.

The funeral will take place from his late residence on Wednesday morning at 8:30 
o'clock; requiem mass at St. Mary's Catholic church at 9 o'clock, and interment 
at St. Mary's cemetery.


Lancaster Daily Intelligencer, Monday, May 10, 1886