DeBerry was the site of an 1850 sawmill and grist mill and was settled mostly by cotton planters, becoming a center for markets and gins. Oil development came after 1900. The community was named for Col. Alfred W. DeBerry (1829-1903), who served in the 28th Texas Cavalry, Dismounted, Confederate Army. From 1863 to 1865 he served in the legislature and helped pass laws to provide the Confederacy with men, revenue, and supplies, support soldiers' families, and defend the Texas frontiers. From 1874 to 1876 he was Secretary of State under Gov Richard Coke, who put Texas government into the hands of the people after nine years of federal rule.