Husband James Benard Berry 1 2 3
AKA: James Berdine Berry 4
Born: 5 Nov 1841 - near Roaring Spring, Blair Co, PA 1 2 3
Christened:
Died: 15 May 1908 - Oil City, Venango Co, PA 1 2
Buried: - Grove Hill Cemetery, Oil City, Venango Co, PA
Father: Michael Berry ( -1863) 1 2
Mother: Susan Blake ( - ) 1 2
Marriage: 14 Nov 1875 2 5
Wife Abbie M. Dufur 6 7
Born: 1851 - Boston, MA
Christened:
Died: 15 Dec 1923 or 1924 2
Buried: - Grove Hill Cemetery, Oil City, Venango Co, PA
Father: John R. Dufur ( - ) 6 7
Mother: Sarah Gibbs ( - ) 6 7
Children
1 F Florence Abbie Berry 6 7
Born: 1876
Christened:
Died: 1927
Buried: - Grove Hill Cemetery, Oil City, Venango Co, PA
Spouse: Howard Hindman Lowrie (1873-1953) 6 8
Marr: 25 Jan 1919 - ? Venango Co, PA 4 6
2 M James Dufur Berry 3 6 9 10
Born: 17 Sep 1878 - Oil City, Venango Co, PA 3 6
Christened:
Died: 1 Apr 1941 - Oil City, Venango Co, PA 5
Buried: - Grove Hill Cemetery, Oil City, Venango Co, PA
Spouse: Helen Caroline Robinson (1888-1954) 5 9 10
Marr: 6 Dec 1911 6 10
3 M Charles Dufur Berry 3 6 11
Born: 15 Jun 1882 - Oil City, Venango Co, PA 6 10
Christened:
Died: 1940
Buried: - Grove Hill Cemetery, Oil City, Venango Co, PA
Spouse: Helen Margaret Splane (1888-1918) 6 12
Marr: 15 Jun 1914 - Oil City, Venango Co, PA 6
Spouse: Carlotta Smithman (Abt 1893- ) 13
Marr: 7 Jun 1923 - Oil City, Venango Co, PA 14
General Notes: Husband - James Benard Berry
He had average educational op-portunities in his youth and during his early manhood was engaged as bookkeeper at various furnaces and in railroad offices, having been in the employ of the Pennsylvania Rail-road Company at Petersburg and for a time manager of the Aetna Furnace near Altoona before his removal to Oil City, PA, in 1869. His first position there was as bookkeeper for McElroy & Boulton, wholesale and retail dealers in coal, and as their accountant he gained a thorough familiarity with the business, of which he eventually became the owner, conducting it successfully until 1884. It held an important place in local circles at the time, operating mines as well as handling coal, but when natural gas was introduced as fuel in Oil City Mr. Berry disposed of his interests in the coal trade to James Bigler and turned to other lines. For a few years he was in the employ of the Union Refining Company, whose plant was located at the mouth of Cornplanter run, remaining with them until he embarked in the oil business on his own account. The Astral Refining Company, Limited, originally formed about 1881, was reorganized in April, 1884, and again in December, 1888, as the Astral Oil Refining Company, of which Mr. Berry became secretary. The works, at the Astral Station on the Allegheny Valley road a few miles south of Franklin, then had a daily capacity of two hundred barrels of refined oil, and attained large proportions under his management, much of the remainder of his life being given to the direction of the refining business. At the time of his death he was carrying on an extensive general wholesale business in the sale of oil, gasoline and other refined products, besides looking after valuable interests which he had accumulated as an oil producer. His sons continued his activities.
Mr. Berry was a man of jovial disposition, kind-hearted and genial, and with all his busi-ness cares found time to form many agreeable friendships and to serve his fellow citizens with public-spirited devotion, making a splen-did record in the city council, where he had the honor of being elected president in both branches. At the time of his death he was one of the oldest members of the Second Presbyterian Church, and he had served the congregation for many years as one of the board of trustees, where his business experience and sound judgment were of the utmost value in placing the material affairs of the church upon a substantial basis. Fraternally he belonged to the A. O. U. W., Knights of Honor and Royal Arcanum, so that his taking away was felt in many circles in the city, mourned as the departure of a high-minded, unselfish friend to every good cause. [HVC 1919, 640]
General Notes: Wife - Abbie M. Dufur
She was a member of an New England family, who came to live in Franklin, Pennsylvania, from Chelsea, Massachusetts, about 1870.
She was a member of the Putnam-King Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. She was also a prominent worker in all branches of work in the Second Presbyterian Church, teaching classes of young boys for thirty-five years, being identified with the missionary societies in an official capacity, and having been president of the Clarion Presbyterial Society for seven years. In 1918 Mrs. Berry graduated in Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle, passing through the celebrated Golden Gate.