John Berry

According to his Australian death certificate John Berry (or Barry as his name is sometimes spelt) was born 'near Strabane' around 1822. His parents were John Berry and Sarah Leckie. His father joined the British Army in Dublin and served in the 40th Regiment of Foot, was present at Waterloo then posted to Glasgow where he married. He was subsequently posted to a variety of locations in England and Ireland, before being sent to accompany convicts to Australia. After a number of postings in Australia he was sent to India. He was to be invalided back to England but died on the voyage and was buried at sea in 1838.

It is doubtful if John, his mother and brother accompanied his father to any of his postings. The next peice of information concerning him is when he and his brother james sailed for Australia aboard the 'Catherine Jamieson' from Leith, Scotland and arrived in Port Philip in 1841. He married a Scottish immigrant named Jessie Cameron in Melbourne in 1847 and settled in the Barrabool Hills near Geelong. The couple had 10 children.

He died in Geelong on 14th October 1912.

More information can be found in the family history I wrote and posted online, see https://bpbond.ucoz.com/CH8.html