Isaac Barbree was a resident of Tyrrell and later Martin Counties. In 1777 he became a member of the Gourd Patch Conspiracy. When the plot was discovered and William Tyler was arrested and imprisoned, Barbree met other conspirators in the Gourd Patch and plotted to kill James Mayo, but never carried out the plan. Barbree later enlisted in the 3rd North Carolina Regiment of the Continental Line in the spring of 1778 for nine months.