Isaac Henry Bry (1781-1858) and Nancy Tennille Barlow Bry (1793-1869)

Isaac Henry Bry (1781-1858)

Upon entering the parlor, you will see a portrait above the mantle of Henry Bry. Judge Henry Bry, who according to tradition was the builder of the original creole cottage on the property, was a native of Geneva, Switzerland. He moved to the Ouachita Valley soon after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. As early as 1807, he laid claim to 500 arpents along Bayou DeSiard, a tributary of the Ouachita River. By the time Louisiana became a state in 1812, Bry had served as parish judge, legislator in the House of Representatives of the Ouachita Territory, receiver of Public Moneys for the Public Land Office for the District North of the Red River, and a member of the convention which wrote Louisiana’s first constitution. He was also a close advisor to Governor William C. C. Claiborne. Also involved in local affairs, Bry led the impromptu celebration when the first steamboat to ascend the Ouachita, the James Monroe, arrived, and they renamed Fort Miro, Monroe. Bry was also a prosperous planter and enslaved people as part of his business - listing 58 enslaved people in his will.

Nancy Tennille Barlow Bry (1793-1869)

To the left of his portrait, you can see his wife, Nancy Tennille Barlow Bry. Nancy Tennille was born in Georgia, the daughter of Benjamin Tennille, who fought in the American Revolutionary War. Nancy first married Dr. Thomas Barlow in 1810 at age 17, but he died in 1822 – they had no children. In 1823 Nancy married Isaac Henry Bry, also a recent widow, who had 5 children. Henry and Nancy had 8 children, but only 2 reached adulthood - their youngest daughter, Melinda Tennille Bry (1838-1892) inherited the family homestead on which Layton Castle now stands, and the current occupants are descendants of hers.