Berry, Thomas bio

Portrait and Biographical Album of Fulton County, Illinois: containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county: together with portraits and biographies of all the presidents of the United States, and governors of the state; Biographical Pub. Co., Chicago, IL; 1890; page 285-287; Transcribed by Margaret Rose Whitehurst
Thomas Berry. Among the residents of Fulton County who have prosecuted their life work successfully and are now enjoying the fruits of their prudence and energy, surrounded with comforts, able to journey through scenes of beauty and grandeur and indulge in other recreations suited to their years and according with their taste, is the gentleman above name, whose portrait appears on the opposite page and who is well and favorably known to many of our readers. He is now occupying a pleasant home in Table Grove, having disposed of his large estate to his children for a sufficient consideration to afford himself and family a maintainance during the remainder of their lives. The residence which he built in 1882 is an ornament to the village, and is the center of social and domestic joys, being presided over by an estimable woman and brightened by the presence of two daughters.
Mr. Berry is a native of England, born at Stanford, Berkshire, July 12, 1826. He was seven years of age when his parents, Joseph and Elizabeth Berry, emigrated to Canada, where they made their home seven years, thence removing to McDonough County, Ill. After a short time they bought a farm five miles north of Table Grove and while they were living upon it our subject received six months’ schooling. Being the youngest of the family, he was indulged when he desired to remain away from school and so received but a meager education. At the age of twenty years he began working at Vermont, in a mill which his brother and himself had bought and repaired so that they were able to grind wheat and corn, and saw lumber. This establishment was operated by our subject some four years.
During this time Mr. Berry led to the hymnal Miss Nellora H. Harris, their marriage rites being celebrated in the spring of 1851. The capable and affection wife survived until January 20, 1879, six children being born to her, four of whom now survive. These are: Prudence E., who still resides with her father; James J., who with his wife and two children – Archie and Alice – occupies the old homestead; Clara C., wife of John L. Powell, Assistant Cashier in the State National Bank, of Wichita, Kan., and the mother of two children – Clarence B. and Herbert L.’ Nellora A., who occupies her wanted place at the home fireside.
When Mr. Berry disposed of his interest in the mill he purchased a farm in McDonough County, within a half mile of the Fulton County line and three miles from his present residence. There was a log house on the place about forty acres of which were surrounded by a very poor fence, but ere long the entire quarter section was in a fine state of cultivation and improved with the buildings, fences, etc., which an energetic man always places about him. The estate was added to until, when he retired to town life, Mr. Berry owned five hundred acres of most excellent land,
A second matrimonial alliance was contracted by Mr. Berry, November 6, 1870 {1879}, his bride being Miss Hannah C., daughter of Samuel and Phebe A. (Allen) Beers. Mr. Beers was a native of Ohio in which State he also breathed his last. Mrs. Berry was born in Knox County, that State, and grew to womanhood in possession of much useful knowledge, excellent principles, and great kindliness of heart. She is a grand-daughter of John and Charity Allen, of New Jersey, her grandfather having been a Revolutionary soldier.
In 1885 Mr. Berry with his entire family, including a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law and two grand-children, visited the exposition at New Orleans and then journeyed by the Southern Pacific Railroad to California, passing along the Rio Grande River and stopping at various places of interest, among which were the city of Monterey, the Yosemite Valley, and the Big Tree groves at Mariposa County, Cal. They camped three weeks at the hot spring at San Juan, and continued to Oregon overland, staging it one hundred and twenty miles over the roughest road in America, and returning to their home over the Northern Pacific Railroad. The state in which they journeyed was drawn by six horses, but in going up hill could not make as good time as a man could by walking. This slowness was more than compensated by, however, by the rush with which they came down the slopes, the speed and dangerous surroundings of rocks and precipices being sufficient to make the hair of the passengers rise. The six months and ten day spent in travel and recreation is a period upon which the family can look back with unmixed delight, as no accidents marred their pleasure.
During the days of slavery as an American institution, our subject and his brother Henry were ardent abolitionists and many a poor refugee did they assist over the Quincy route of the underground railroad. The general plan was to take the refugees from Quincy in the day-time in a close covered carriage, stopping the first night beyond Ellison’s Station. Then they would journey on horseback by night, halts being made at Henry Berry’s, Lavinus Sperry’s and Bernadotte. They would cross the river by fording, continuing their journey on foot by east stages, whence they would be shipped to Canada on board any lake craft which could be secured.
On one occasion our subject had piloted two fine looking mulattoes who told him their master had ailed and that they were mortgaged to St. Louis firms. The day after they had passed Henry Berry’s, two sheriffs from St. Louis came thither looking for such “property.” The mother of our subject was blind and the sheriffs pretended to her that they were abolitionists desirous of buying land near the Berrys, whom they knew to be of that stripe. They questioned her regarding runaways but having been satisfied from whisperings that she had heard that all was not right, she gave them no satisfactory answers. They finally asked if any consideration would induce her to tell them where the fugitives were. She replied that if she had the whole world she would give it for her eye-sight, but she would not betray a slave or assist in restoring him to bondage. After watching the bridge over Spoon River two days and nights the sheriffs departed, their expected prey being by this time many mines away on their road to freedom.
A somewhat amusing incident connected with the underground railroad was the remark of a very black but intelligent man who was brought to Mr. Berry’s very late one night. White the horses were being prepared mother Berry gave him food, and when doing so remarked that it was rather late at night to be traveling. The fugitive quietly responded “it suits my complexion better.” Henry Berry was once arrested for helping fugitive slaves, the laws being very stringent, but the only thing that could be proven against him was that he had said he saw the “nigger” kick a dog. As at the time he was helping a negro to Missouri in order that he might rescue his wife, it was thought a queer way in helping to rescue a man to take him directly toward bondage. This man made three different trips before he managed to get his wife away from slavery, coming on foot from Canada and undergoing many perils. He was very light and could easily pass for a white man under ordinary circumstance.
For years Mr. Berry worked for the good of the Republican party, but he is now laboring ardently for prohibition, standing high in the councils of that political party and being a member of the Prohibition Club.