About james barry

James Barry: Fiddler, Printer, and Miller

James B. Barry, born in 1819, was a prominent miller, fiddler, and printer who lived up the West River in Six Mile Brook. Barry was the son of a Scottish immigrant, James Barry Sr., who settled in Nova Scotia in 1808. Barry Sr. obtained a land grant and established a sawmill and a gristmill. Barry Sr. worked the mills in Six Mile Brook for many years and eventually his son took over his father’s work at the gristmill.

We don’t have a photograph of Barry, but many of the doodles in his diaries appear to be self-portraits. Here, “the Traveller, may be Barry imagining himself in the tune of the same name.

Barry the Printer

Barry’s small printing and binding shop still exists.

Barry the Printer

When Barry wasn’t working as a miller, he was hard at work printing and binding books. Barry made his own printing press and cast his own type, allowing him to print and bind his own books. Books were a major part of Barry’s everyday life and they provided him a way to connect with his community.

Barry often loaned books to his neighbours, enjoyed discussing them, and used his skills as a printer to reprint some books, sometimes illegally. Barry read hundreds of historical and theological works that over the course of his life influenced his way of thinking and by extension the ideas of the community he engaged with.

Barry the Fiddler

Barry was an enthusiastic and devoted fiddle player. Alongside many other local musicians, he kept alive the spirit of Scottish traditional music. We don’t know when or how he learned to play, but his musical education was very clearly furthered by his regular interactions with many local players. Barry also kept a diary. His daily entries over a 56-year-long period give insight into his personal life and his thoughts on everything from theology, politics, farming practices, the weather, and his enjoyment of fiddle music.

From Barry’s diary we are given a portrait of a man who was quite critical of others. He valued and respected the well-educated and never turned down an opportunity to criticize what he viewed as poor thinking, or poor playing. When it came to the quality of a fiddler’s ability to play, Barry was always direct. A fine player would receive high praise, but he was quick and enthusiastic in condemning the “poor scratching” of others.