Black and white photo of a large gathering; appears to be a community or church picnic. Peter Prytherch is seen sitting toward the front.

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salishan Place by the River currently maintains a collection of over 9000 photographs, 2000 archival documents, 9000 objects, 500 works of art, and 300 oral history recordings. This collection, spanning hundreds of years, is a wonderful window on the past and present life of our community.

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Object Description

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Object Name

Print, Photographic

Object ID

2015.027.034

Title

Black and white photo of a large gathering; appears to be a community or church picnic. Peter Prytherch is seen sitting toward the front.

Date

[192-?].

Description

Black and white photo of a large gathering; appears to be a community or church picnic. The crowd is standing in rows for the photograph with the children standing in the front. There is a table with cutlery and dishware visible towards the back; and a stream flowing just behind it. Seated first from the right on the log towards the front of the picture appears to be Peter Prytherch holding a jug or watering can. Seated behind him to the right, between two standing women and with a young boy standing between his lap, is J.W. Berry. The man in the centre of the photo in a white shirt (no jacket) with a cigar appears to be Dr. B. B. Marr. Picture was glued onto cardstock with a dark gray border. The back of the photo has fading writing on it that reads "Langley picnic, Pitt lake."

People/Subject

Berry, John Walter, 1868-1943

John Walter Berry was born on December 18, 1869 in Bruce County, Ontario to parents William Berry and Susanah (Sterne) Berry. In 1890 he married Lydia Bowman of Mannheim, Ontario. They had 7 children: Edith (b. 1891), Edward (b. 1894), William (b. 1900), Harold (b. 1901), Anne (b. 1903), John (b. 1905), and Thomas (b. 1910). John moved his family to Langley in 1897 to help long-time friend David Moss Coulter open a general store. The pair opened two stores, one in Murrayville (managed by Berry) and one in Fort Langley (managed by Coulter). In 1904 John sold his store to Hugh A. MacDonald. During the time he owned the store, John purchased a 135 acre price of land and went on to build a successful dairy farm (Belmont). In 1910 he helped form the Fraser Valley Milk Producers Association. John was a prominent Langley citizen. He served as Municipal Clerk in the Township of Langley from 1899-1909, as Chairman of the Langley School Board from 1912-1936, and as MLA for the Delta Riding (which consisted of Delta, Surrey and Langley) from 1928-1932. He also served as an auctioneer and valuator. John died at his home on Old Yale Road after a lengthy illness on September 5, 1943 at the age of 74. He is buried in the Murrayville Cemetery.

See Also: Coulter & Berry Store
Term Source: The Langley Story, pg. 249 (Waite) ; From Prairie to City, p. 85 (Sommer).

Marr, Benjamin Butler, Dr., 1882-1939

Benjamin Butler Marr was born on August 10, 1882. He graduated from Tuft's Medical School in Boston in 1907 and came to Vancouver. He set up his medical practice in 1910 and became Langley's first doctor. In 1913, he married Isabel Drew McIntosh (1895-1936). In 1914, Marr enlisted in the cavalry; he was transferred to the medical corps in Britain in 1916. Benjamin died on October 14, 1939.

Dr. Marr was also the Chairman of the Fort Preservation Committee during the late 1920s when the Fort was undergoing revitalization.

Prytherch, Peter

Peter Prytherch was born on November 9, 1876, in Tunshill, Staffordshire, England. He had a cab proprietorship business at 10 Poplar Rd., Wrexham. He worked as a ship steward and waiter from about 1905 until 1909. He came to Canada from England in 1904, settling in Langley in about 1910. He married a woman named Annie Penningrath on June 19th, 1916. He had served in the Boer War, and served with the Canadian Engineers in the First World War. He returned to Langley in 1919, but decided in the late 1920s to stop farming; at this time he established a shoe repair business in Langley Prairie. He retired from this work in 1947, leaving it to his son Samuel to run. He was active in Langley's May Day, celebrations, Fall Fair celebrations, organizing many municipal picnics, the Canadian Veterans Association, and the Royal Canadian Legion. He died on September 18, 1955.

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