The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-09-30
Bv THE OTTT EASTER,


 The recent death of Patrick s. Bergin, head of the firm of Martin Bergin and Sons, Inc, again proves that even undertakers must die, just like the doctor, the grave-digger, and the ordinary man. But before he died, MT. Bergin throughout the years, closed the eyes of thousands of dead persons. He was brought up in the undertaking business, and made it his life's work.
 The Bergins were real Out East CTS. Their first place of residence was at Wall Street, directly across from the old home of the Munzani family. There they lived, father, mother and children until the lat ter part of the nineties, when a change was made to 102 Walnut Street, the old Coer home. Martin Bergin, the father, organized. the business. That was back in 1884, just before the family moved to Waterbury from Southington. Mrs. Bergin was Maher, born out east, in the old family home opposite Silver Street. She had a brother John J., who conducted a stationery store at 62 South Main Street, next door south of the runway of the Waterbury post office, facing Bank Street, but allowing for entrance and exit by way of either street There was another brother, Mich ael, an electric silver platter at the old Roger & Bros. factory. He and Mrs. Maher lived on East Main Street in the second house south from Dublin Street. An expert in his line, MT. Maher carried on at his home in the night season, which resulted finally in his decision tc retire from the factory. That gave him time to think over things, and discuss matters with friends or lbusineSS questions.
 The only Catholic undertakers in town were the Lawlor Brothers, To- cated east of the old Irving block or exactly on the site of the present Lleberskind store on East Main Street. The Lawlor family owned that property for years back, and al one time the Roman Catholics ot the city owned the property at the corner of East Mains Street anc Phoenix Avenue. They sold it in the late eighties or early nineties fo1 the nominal sum of eight thousand dollars.
 Only Four Undertakers
 In 1897, the town was small, but 1t had four undertakers, including the LaWlors. J. M. Burrall was tht Heading Protestant undertaken; h. buried many Catholics, too It wa this situation which prompted MT Maher to go into the undertaking business. First, he had a few coffin in the barn in the rear of where he lived. Then, he consulted hi brother, and obtained a show room on the second floor of his Soutl Main Street store Michael Maine, apparently believed in showing hi wares, for his first dozen walnu like collins were shown for public gaze in specially arranged window in that part of the old post offic, building, running through the cor ridor toward South Main Street from Bank Street. The story is tha the display interested the town a once, and that a mad rush wa made by the old-time Irish resi- dents to observe the new standar< type of coffin. Tastefully trimmed along the side and well fittin! head rest nicely adjusted for tn coming patient" the Irish of tn day now felt "one of their own was as well prepared to take care o the dead as any undertaken around So MT. Maher prof1ted by his cleve move to advertise in the way he did although there was some grumblin, on the part of others to the re hinder of death every time the, went into the post office by way o South Main Street. Embalming hat not made it's entry into the preServ ation of the dead at this time; tn old-fashioned ice method was il vogue, and continued for a numbe of years, or until the newly dis covered way of keeping the bod rigid and free of decay for limited period was adopted.
 MT. Maher didn't live long afte the creation of the undertaking business; he died in the latter par of 1883. Martin Bergin took hold il lthe early part of 1884; he als bought out John Maher's interes in the stationary store. His tw young sons, Thomas and Patricl Bergin helped their father in tn store after school hours; so di John J., still younger, when he wa eligible to leave school aroun nineteen hundred. In the meantime Patrick left for Holyoke to furthe his Knowledge of undertaking, re maining there for a period of som years. Young John took his yIace a a help-mate to his father, and hi older Brother, Thomas, until the re 2 turn of Patrick, around 1904.
 By this time, the House of Der gin, was a well established institu ton in Waterbury. A change 0 business location was made to tn Holohan building at the corner 0 Scovill Street; barns for the horse and carriages were provided in tn rear. The Bergins by now had sev eral horse-driven hearses, and half dozen carriages, or hacks fo funeral purposes. They owned
 dozen handsome black horses, il lI Il. T. AN- 1 Il T