Anthony H. Barret
History of Montana, 1898
US Genweb Montana Archives

Anthony H. Barret, one of Montana's most respected pioneers and 
senior member of the firm of Barret and Jacky, is a Kentuckian, 
born in Grayson County, January 25,1834.  His great-grandfather, 
Barret, a Presbyterian minister, emigrated from Wales to Virginia 
where he spent the remainder of his life.  His son, Francis Barret 
was born there and became a Baptist Minister.  He removed with his 
family to Greensburg, Kentucky.  In 1832 while the Asiatic cholera 
was raging, he and his wife busied themselves in administering to 
the wants of the sick and dying until they also were stricken with 
the horrible disease and died within an hour of each other, 
neither knowing that the other had been taken sick.  Thus nine 
children were left orphans.  One of them, Augustus (father of 
Anthony) was born in Green County Kentucky, May 8, 1804.  For 
his first wife he married Miss Mary M. Marshall and they had 
three children one of whom died when a child, one lived to 
womanhood and one still survives.  For his second wife, Mr. 
Barret married Miss Mary J. Cunningham, a native of Grayson 
County Kentucky, a daughter of William Cunningham of that 
State and they also had three children-two sons and one 
daughter.  The last mentioned died when a year old, soon 
after Mrs. Barret died; one of the sons William L., was 
killed in the Battle of Mansfield, or as some call it Pine 
Ridge, while he was a Lt. in the Confederate army and the 
remaining son is Anthony.

Their father was County Clerk and Clerk of the Circuit Court 
of Edmonson County for thirty years.  By trade he was a 
merchant and tanner.  In 1852 he moved to Missouri where 
he had a farm and where his death occurred in 1857.  He had 
married his third wife in 1839, wedding Miss Berroyal H. 
Rountree, a native of Edmonson County Kentucky.  She too, 
had three children, a son and two daughters and died in 
1885.  There is now only one surviving child by each of the 
marriages.  The parents were Baptists.

Mr. Anthony H. Barret learned in his youth the trade of 
harness-maker at Bowling Green, Kentucky.  In 1852 he moved 
to Texas where for a portion of the time he was traveling 
salesman for a drug house, and during the interval he was 
salesman in a general merchandise store.  Moving to Shreveport 
Louisiana, he had charge of a cotton warehouse there.  His 
father then dying, he returned to his old home to assist in 
the settlement of the estate.

In 1861, when the war came on, he went to St. Louis and 
opened a gents' furnishing goods store, but as the business 
proved unsatisfactory he sold it and was salesman in a 
clothing store for a number of years.  His health failing, 
he crossed the plains, arriving at Alder Gulch in the 
spring of 1865.  By the following winter he had secured a 
mining claim, which, however, he was unable to work for 
want of water.  Selling out his interest here, he was 
appointed by Governor Meagher his private secretary, and 
besides serving in that capacity he was also Clerk of 
Indian Affairs and Assistant Auditor of the Territory.  
In March 1867 he was appointed Special Indian Agent for 
the Jocko Indian Reservation, near Missoula, in which 
capacity he served to fill a vacancy.  In 1866 he was 
elected Chief Clerk of the Territorial House of 
Representatives and served for twelve sessions.  In the 
winter of 1869-70 he represented Jefferson County in the 
lower house.

In 1875 Mr. Barret started a harness shop at Adobe town in 
Alder Gulch.  After a time he moved to Pony with his business 
and on the 8th of April 1878 he opened his shop on Granite 
Street in Butte City.  The following year he admitted his 
present partner, Mr. Jacky.  In 1880 they built their brick 
block on West Park Street, where they have since done a 
large and prosperous business and now for many years they 
have been the leading manufacturers of harness and saddles 
and dealers in buggies in Butte City.  They also have 
branch stores at Anaconda and Phillipsburg.  They have 
erected a large brick block on Galena Street where they 
store their buggies and carriages.  They are also interested 
in placer mines in Deer Lodge County.

November9, 1880 he married Miss Lizzie Brooke, a native of 
West Virginia, daughter of Dr. Brooke of that State and of 
an old Virginia family.  Mr. and Mrs. Barret are members of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church South.  They are bringing up 
an adopted daughter, Marie Barret, a native of Kentucky.

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