Chapter X#
…In Dixie Land Where I Was Born… (1840-1850)#
The Federal Census of Fayette County Alabama 1840 lists the following BERRY pioneer men as Head of Household:
- Berry, David — Age 30-40 (voting precinct at his house 1845) (XV; p.16) (Justice of the Peace 1844-1847) (XV; p.67)
- Berry, George — Age 40-50 (operated a mill 1828-1845) (XV; p.35)
- Berry, John — Age 20-30 (probably nephew or cousin to Wm. C. Berry)
- Berry, Robert — Age 70-80 (possible father of William C. Berry) (probably cousin to Wm. C. Berry’s father)
- Berry, Robert C. — Age 30-40 (believed to be brother to Wm. C. Berry) (Constable 1849-Holly Springs Beat) (XV; p.67)
- Berry, Thompson — Age 30-40 (believed to be brother to Wm. C. Berry) (Constable 1844) (XV; p.67)
- Berry, William C. — Age 30-40 (Gr. Gr. Grandfather of author of this book)
- Berry, William, Sr. — Age 30-40 (possible cousin to William C. Berry)
- Berry, (J?) F. — Age 20-30 (probably nephew or cousin to Wm. C. Berry)
William C. Berry is listed as a customer at Burr Wilson’s store, Fayetteville, Alabama, in 1840. (XV; p.67) The following children were born unto William C. Berry & Massa Ann during the decade of the 1840’s:
- May 28, 1840…Mary Jane Berry (XXIV)
- August 12, 1843…Henry Tompkins Berry (XXIV)
- December 1, 1847…Lucinda Temperance Berry (XXVIII)
- 1849…Sarah Catherine Berry (XI)
On January 10, 1848, George Rufus Berry, the oldest child, married Sarah Catherine Farquhar in Fayette County Alabama. (IV; p.90)
Thompson Berry, believed to be a brother to William C. Berry, has been mentioned previously as being a prosperous and important pioneer in Fayette County Alabama in Chapter VII, page 19. The following article entitled Bought And Sold At Berry’s Sawmill, gives an inside look at several items, not just lumber & timber products:
…This saw mill was located on Clear Creek and was evidently a large operation. One entry in the saw mill account book was written “Fayette County Alabama, New River”. There was a Post Office called New River from 1853-1902.
In an old account book, “Lumber bought at the sawmill” is the first line of almost every entry. The lumber bought was- roughage planks, Joice, flooring, posts, floor planks, pailings, soiling planks, scantlings, shingles, sheeting, rafters, lathing, door planks & shafting.
In the 1840’s & 1850’s, the accounts were payable to Thompson Berry. In 1858 they were payable to John N. Berry & Company, but beginning in 1859, they were payable to Thompson Berry & Sons.
The lumber sold was made from “poppier”, oak, cherry, pine, walnut ($2.00 @ 100 ft.) and “ellum”. The planks were up to 19 feet in length and up to 24 inches in width, and some were as thick as 3 inches. No doubt many of them were made from virgin timbers. A plank 18 feet long and 21 inches wide sold for 30¢.
Mr. Berry sold & bought other things also. Some of these were: corn, oats, wheat, potatoes, “flower”, hogs, yearlings & whiskey.
In the 1850’s, corn cost 50¢-60¢ @ bushel; oats 62½¢; Irish potatoes $1.50; sweet potatoes 50¢; and wheat 75¢ @ bushel.
Bacon sold for 10¢ @ lb; sugar 10¢ @ lb; and beef from 2-4¢ @ lb. One 82 lb. hind quarter of beef sold for 3½¢ @ lb; one bacon hog sold for $2.50 and one yearling sold for $5.00.
Whiskey prices rose from 50¢ @ gallon in the 1850’s to 75¢ @ gallon in the late 1860’s. About 1/5 of the accounts had whiskey charged in the amounts of ½ gallon-3 gallons.
There are several interesting entries in the account book:
- Duncan Ray paid Mr. Berry $2.00 to rent a horse for the 3 day ride to Tuscaloosa in 1854
- Mr. Berry paid Duncan’s wife Della $15.00 for 3 months board & $1.50 for one month washing & making one shirt and a pair of pants
- 1852…For 4-day hire of filly…$2.00
- “Hailing” 1-day…$1.00-$2.00
- For 1 day work…@ 75¢
- Hauling 250 lbs. from Tuscaloosa…@ $2.00
- One sale entry listed “a bunch of hogs” (XV; p.92)
OCR note: The currency symbols and fractions in the sawmill account article above (¢, @, ½, 62½¢, 3½¢) were reconstructed from a heavily degraded price table where the scan rendered “¢” as “$”, “@” as “©”/“9”, and fraction marks as stray characters. The prose is confident from context, but the exact figures should be verified against the hard copy before this chapter is considered final.