Thomas Perry was a resident of Bertie County. In 1777 he served as a grand juror in the fall session of the Bertie County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions during a period when the State was investigating various members of the Gourd Patch Conspiracy. In 1778 he signed an oath swearing his allegiance to the State of North Carolina and promised to report any treasonous conspiracies that might threaten North Carolina's independence. Later in 1782 he continued to support the American cause of independence and served in the US military.