Thomas Barry, son of Dr. Redmond D. Barry, was born in Sumner County July 2, 1807. He received a classical education, studied law and became eminent in his profession. He was a personal friend of Andrew Jackson, for whom he cast his first vote. He married Sarah H. Peyton, who was born in Sumner County in 1812. Early in the fifties he was the Democratic candidate for Congress, but was defeated. He served two terms in the lower house of the State Legislature. When the war broke out in 1861 his sympathies were with the Union, and while he took no part in the Civil War, he contributed very much toward ameliorating the condition of the families of men who had espoused the cause of the South. In 1865 he was appointed by Governor Brownlow Chancellor of his division, a position he filled to the entire satisfaction of the public until 1869. He died on May 23, 1891.