MESSAGE FROM ED BARRY: 

BARRY FAMILY HISTORY
 The name Barry is of Welsh-Norman origin and came from the name of the estate in Glamorgan in  South Wales that belonged to Nesta (known as the Helen of Wales because of her many  extramarital liaisons) and her husband, Gerald de Barri. Their son, Philip de Barri, came to  Ireland with the Anglo-Norman invasion in 1170, and in 1179 he was granted extensive tracts of  land in Munster. 
 From that day to this, the name Barry has been principally associated with Co Cork. The Barrys  originally settled around Buttevant in north Co Cork, named after the family motto, boutez en avant, meaning strike forward.

Our ancestor Edmond Barry was born in 1780 in Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland and married  Julia Marshall in 1803. His grandson Thomas, was born July 3, 1865, and married Mary Lynch there in 1886. A year later the couple came to the United States locating to 9 Morris Street, Utica, NY.
County Kerry, traditionally known as the 'kingdom', is situated in the extreme southwest of  Ireland. Kerry is one of the most singular places in Ireland, with rich farmlands in the north of the county and astonishingly beautiful mountains, Atlantic islands and Beara, Iveragh and  Dingle peninsulas in the south.  Along the coast, sandy bays alternate with cliffs and rocky headlands. The Ciarrai, from whom the name of the county derives, invaded and occupied the region in early historical times. They claimed descent from Ciar, son of Fergus, a legendary king of  Ulster.

                      VITALE FAMILY HISTORY
My maternal grandfather, Dominick Vitale  was born in Caserta, Italy in November of 1871and married Theresa Marchese there in 1900. A few years later the couple came to the United States locating to Utica, NY. The old town of Caserta, north  of Naples (Caserta Vecchia), was founded by the Lombards in the 8th century, lies on hills 3 miles north-northeast of the modern city, which was a village known as Torre belonging to the Caetani family of Sermoneta until the construction there of the Bourbon Royal Palace in the 18th century.  In the Italian Risorgimento (movement for political unity), the Battle of the Volturno (1860), in which the nationalist leader Giuseppe Garibaldi defeated the Neapolitan forces, was fought around Caserta.

In World War II the royal palace served for a time as the headquarters of the Allied command,  and the surrender of the German army in Italy was signed there on April 29, 1945. The palace  (1752–74), with a richly decorated interior including a sumptuous chapel and theatre, stands in  an extensive park with famous gardens.