The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1924-08-14
Letter from Former Somerset County
Resident

manager Oh Tue Ahucpch"OiAs ]
err. F. S. Berry, now of Rockland,
says:
az was born at New Sharon, Frank
lin County, the 7th of June, 1S41. as
YOU can see l am quite an antique
specimen of humanity. My father
bujIt the house where / first saw the
light, and my first effort for self
support was to engage with George
w. Davis of Pennington Falls, In his
dry goods and grocery store as
clerk. I boarded in his family,
very pleasant place. genial and pleas
ant people, was with him about one
wear. | had great desire to learn
the drug business and engaged with
M G.. Cofren of Pennington as
clerk in his store, and boarded with
Nordicas parents. Campmeeting
John Allen was an old acquaintance
of mine as | used to see him there
often, usually at Sunday dinner.
! later went to Augusta where | was
in business, where he used to sell to
customers in Hallowell and Gardiner.
and my home trade was pretty good.
| used to go up into Somerset and
Franklin counties. After a while G.
! F.. Flynt of the firm of Burleigh &c
Flynt, publishers of the old Kenne-
/ bee Journal came to me and wanted
me to work for them. soliciting sub
/ scriptions and making collections. |
was with them six years, and they
were fine men to work for. While
there my wife passed away and after
couple of years, | married Mrs.
/ 10 ~ I Of AnuuGfa hut Formerly
of Fairfield. saw in one of the
papers that w. B. Nash of Cherry
field and Frank B. Nichols, then of
Bristol, this state, were starting in
to publish, the Rockland Daily Star.
came over here and hired with
them. After a few months, Mr.. Nj
chols sold out to Mr. Nash and bot
the Bath Daily Times and has been
proprietor and editor for several
years. Before l came here, for Mr..
Nash, | was with the Portland Even
ing Express in the same line, also
on the old Maine Farmer. l after
wards worked again for Mr.. Nash on
the Machias Republican. After leav-
ing Mr.. Nash, l worked for Cyrus Da-
Wis of Waterville several years on the
Waterville Daily Sentinel. While
working for the Sentinel my second
wife passed away, and after long
time | married Mrs. NJ. ]. Lamb of
Fairfield She was the daughter of
1 Charles Luce. We used to talk about
buying a farm and she had good
chance and sold her home. We saw
an ad in one of the papers Of fine
farm for sale at the Twelve Corners,
Madison. We went out and looked 1t
over and bought 1t. A very fine
place and nice buildings. After she
sold her place at Fairfield, we went
up to Madison and lived with her
daughter. whose husband had a posi-
ton with the HollingsWorth &c Whit
ney Company He hired me as clerk
at the boarding house and We went
from there onto the farm, and they
made it their home with us. He is
still working for the Hollingsworth
Company He used to come home
occasionally We bought the farm
after the hay was in the barns and
they were full There was some
wood in the shed but before the snow
came. 1t was about gone. After II
came. | hired my neighbor to take his
horses and go down to the woods and
cut some of the large trees and junk
them up into convenient length, and
haul them up to the buildings. I had
fine cross cut saw and used to
work them up for the furnace. One
cold rough day in winter, l was do
ing so and came to the conclusion
that farming would be hard task for
me, and went into the house to rest;
sat down by the stove and my wife
said, Frank, you don't look well,
what IS the troubles? l replied |
thought had not about enough farm
ing and made up my mind II we con-
tinued in the business we would be
mingling with the angels sooner than
we cared to. She said, I've been
thinking we had better SELL and we
advertised and soon had a nice Gus
toner. We did not lose anything for
we sold the hay for a good price and
| picked lots of apples that we got
good price for, and thus ended the
farming. My wife's daughter mar
ried for her first husband, a physi-
clan, DR.. Nelke and they went to La
coma. N. H. to live. She later mar
ried Rev. w. C. HornbSker. a Chris
to Fairfield and rented part of the
mousse Vi MIS-. ldohGl, Wnti
they were married. | went to visit
, them the next spring. While | was
there, he was offered professor
position in Palmer College at Albany
Mo-, Sentry County and | went ou
there with them. The daughter is
very fine singer and also a fine
teacher of vocal music as she hat
charge of the music and taught yoca
music in the college. l stayed ouI
there with them a few months ant
! came back to Maine and took up my
! newspaper work again. 1t did moi
agree with the son-in-law there and
! he had a call to preach at Muncie
Indiana | went down there after
a while and made them visit. The
former minister was not liked and II
sort of hurt the church. He had a
call to Middleton, Ind. and l went oui
and visited him there. After d
} while he was called to Knox, Ind.
and | was with them, then a while to
Charlottesville, Mo-, then to Green
wood. Mass. While they were al
Greenwood. I was at Muncie, Ind