Viewing Object

Object Description

Object Name

Oral History

Object ID

SR-265

Title

Bill Berry's oral history interview conducted by Warren Sommer on 21 Mar., 27 Mar., 3 Apr., 11 Apr., 2012.

Extent

7 Cds; 2 Preservation and 5 Research.

Date

21 Mar., 27 Mar., 3 Apr., 11 Apr. 2012.

Description

SR-265 is a recording of an interview with Bill Berry, conducted by Warren Sommer.

SR-265.1
Track 1 – Warren introduces Bill Berry, Bill gives his full name and some family history.
Track 2 – Bill talks about his grandfather’s house when he was growing up, and what it’s like today. Bill also discusses the Japanese-Canadians residents and when they were sent to internment camps in 1941.
Track 3 – Bill talks about his grandfather, John Walter Berry (J.W. Berry). He also discusses his grandmother’s Mennonite heritage.
Track 4 – Bill describes some more of J.W. Berry and his different jobs, and why he didn’t join in the family farm. Bill also talks about the Fraser Milk Valley Producers.
Track 5 – Bill talks about the Belmont Farms and gives his opinions on having pets today.
Track 6 – Bill talks about everyone in his family working on the farm growing up, and the different jobs they went on to have.
Track 7 – Bill talks about the previous generation of Berry’s, and talks some more about his immediate family members and the role each one played on the farm.
Track 8 – Bill talks about the different farms in the area and which families owned which ones.
Track 9 – Bill gives some details about the acreage of Belmont Farms at its height, and the history of what sections got sold when. He also talks about what sections were bought when.
Track 10 – Bill further discusses the different farms and families in the Langley area, and briefly talks about the Michaud and the Harrison families.
Track 11 – Bill talks about Bob and Bill Blair and tells a story about a group of Danish men coming to look at his cattle.
Track 12 – Bill discusses the Haggerty brothers. Bill also talks about the economics of farming and the changes that occurred when the farms kept getting bigger.
Track 13 – Bill recounts his memories of Alf Layton. Bill also tells a story about when his father was a young man.
Track 14 – Bill talks about the different stores in the Murrayville area, like Porters and Cumming’s Meat Market.
Track 15 – Bill talks about some of the people he grew up with and recounts a couple of stories of Murrayville from when he was a young man.
Track 16 – Bill talks some more about some of the old shops in the Murrayville area, specifically Anderson’s Garage.
Track 17 – Bill talks about his earliest duties on the farm, and also gives an overview of the milking process. Bill also tells a story about when milk was being stolen by a local farmer.
Track 18 – Bill talks about the farm in his childhood, and the stumps and stumping powder they had to use to remove the stumps.
Track 19 – Bill talks about the different soils on his farm, and the different activities that they would participate in with their limited spare time.
Track 20 – Bill talks about community dances in the different community halls.
Track 21 – Bill talks about their well and furnace growing up.
Track 22 – bill talks about their food growing up, and how they would preserve different things.
Track 23 – Bill discusses the different roles of men and women in his home growing up, as well as butchering their own meat.
Track 24 – Bill talks about the effects that the Depression had on his family and the community.
Track 25 – Bill recalls a story about a relief camp set up during the Depression and the hired help his family would get from the men there.
Track 26 – Bill talks about getting taxes back as a farmer. Bill also discusses the growing number of elderly homes in Langley over the years.
Track 27 – Bill talks about the growing responsibilities in regards to milking the older he got. Bill also talks about milking machines and the different hired help over the years.
Track 28 – Bill discusses various sickness cattle would get and how they would treat said sicknesses.
Track 29 – Bill talks tells a story about his neighbour’s cattle escaping their fence three days in a row.
Track 30 – Bill talks about the different accents that Langley residents had in the area. Bill also discusses going to church with his wife.
Track 31 – Bill talks about the bottling and shipping of milk, and how its evolved over the years.
Track 32 – Bill talks about the mechanization and growth of modern farming. Bill also tells a story about their Fortson tractor.

SR-265.2
Track 1- Bill discusses the different kinds of grasses and soils in the local farms.
Track 2 -Bill discusses drainage systems for the land and the difficulties and innovations over the years.
Track 3- Bill talks about the mechanization of farming and the impact WWII had on farm work and machinery.
Track 4- Bill talks further on mechanization of farming, focusing specifically on mechanization after WWII and the veterans. Also discusses how they stored cattle feed.
Track 5 -Bill discusses Otter’s Farmer Institute and the Surrey Co-op, and talks about the Surrey-Co-op going out of business. Also talks about professors from University of British Columbia coming and assessing agriculture.
Track 6- Bill discusses the rise of artificial insemination clinics and their success throughout Canada. (Recoding cuts out). Further discusses artificial insemination and the effects that had on local fairs and farmers.
Track 7- Bill discusses different sickness cattle were prone to, and how farmers dealt with it. Briefly discusses insurance for the farm and animals.
Track 8 -Bill talks about buying and selling cattle as well as the local auctions.
Track 9 - Bill talks about his grandfather and his job as an auctioneer. Also discusses his involvement with the Fraser Valley Milk Institute.
Track 10 -Bill discusses the dairying business today and what it requires, and how it differs from his day.
Track 11 -Bill talks about the different hired help at the farm over the years.
Track 12 -Bill discusses his days at Murrayville School, the building, principal and his overall experience.
Track 13 -Bill talks about discipline in the school and the sports/activities they would play as kids.
Track 14 -Bill talks about Sundays on the farm, chores, permissible activities and going to church.
Track 15 -Bill discusses Langley’s billiard halls and the acceptability of alcohol consumption.
Track 16 -Bill discusses shopping, both locally in Murrayville and in New Westminster.
Track 17 -Bill talks about the rarity of family day trips outside the municipality due to their farming responsibilities.
Track 18 -Bill talks about the community of Italians in Langley. He also talks about relations between the Catholics and Protestants.
Track 19 -Bill discusses the Japanese Canadians in the Langley area.
Track 20 -Bill discusses his high school classes and principal. Tells a story about his principal being an experienced boxer and fighting one of the students.
Track 21 -Bill discusses organized sports in Langley and the surrounding municipalities.
Track 22 - Bill discusses the First Nations in Murrayville, as well as venturing outside of Murrayville.
Track 23 - Bill talks about different community events like May Day, the PNE and Remembrance Day.
Track 24 -Bill discusses Saturday night shopping in Langley. Bill also talks about the newspapers his family would get, as well as the Langley Theatre.
Track 25 -Bill talks about the royal visit in 1939, and his British principal and the patriotism that wore off on him through her. Also discusses the discussion of WWI around his home growing up and his family’s feelings on the subject.
Track 26 -Bill discusses WWII and the reactions and results of its arrival.
Track 27 -Bill talks about the impact rationing had on his family. He also talks about keeping up with the news during the war. Also discusses Ian Matheson, a friend who died during training in Canada.
Track 28 -Bill discusses the reactions of Pearl Harbor in Langley and the internment of the Japanese Canadians.
Track 29 -Bill talks about Air Raid Precaution Units and having cadet classes in high school.
Track 30 -Bill talks about the national registration and enlisting in the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Track 31 -Bill discusses his motivations for joining the Royal Canadian Air Force, as well as the Langley Airport’s development and activity during the war. Bill also talks about the pilot training he received.
Track 32 -Bill discusses his pilot training further and the frustrations he experienced during this time.
Track 33 -Bill discusses the lack of information regarding the war that he received. Tells a story about his friend who was a paratrooper in D-Day.
Track 34 -Bill further discusses the oblivion many people experienced during the war, especially regarding the Holocaust. Also talks about V-E and V-J Day, being discharged an coming home.
Track 35- Bill talks about coming back after the war and attending the University of British Columbia and studying agriculture. Also discusses shipping cattle to China for Canada (Recording cuts out at the end)
Track 36 -Bill discusses the increase of mechanization in farming after the war and the effect that has had on the Langley farms.
Track 38 - Bill discusses politics’ involvement with land today and the consumption of land for transportation, and what that has meant for the local farmers.
Track 39
Bill discusses farm land and its suffering due to increased industrialization, and how farming has adapted to these changes.
Track 40- Bill tells of how he met his wife and raising their family.
Track 41 - Bill discusses politics and the development of Langley, and discusses how Langley has changed politically over the years.
Track 42 - Bill discusses the construction of the Highway 1 and its impact on Langley, and the growth of surrounding municipalities like Aldergrove and Brookswood.
Track 43 - Bill talks about being retired and the farm’s current use, and the progress the government is making in Langley.

People/Subject

Belmont Farm

Farm started by the J. W. Berry family on Old Yale Road, Murrayville.
See Also: Berry House (and Barn)

Berry, "Harry" William Berry

William Henry "Harry" Berry was born in 1894, in Devonshire, England, to Melinda Smith (nee Baglow) and William Smith. His father died in 1898. His family came to Langley when he was 13. His mother got married again, to James Berry. He played on the Milner Men's Basketball Team in 1921-22. He started keeping a general store on the Old Yale Road in 1920, and in 1930, when the Fraser Highway became a part of the Trans-Canada Highway system, built the Berry General Store on the south-east corner of 232nd Street (Livingstone Road) and Fraser Highway (23210 Fraser Highway). He lived at 4290 Livingstone Road, near the store. He married Ruth and they had four children, William D., Audrey, Linda and Judy. Much of the local community survived the Depression due to Berry's extension of credit. Berry was quite involved in the Masonic Order and the Eureka Lodge. Berry's nephew Jack Maitland began working in the store in 1946, and managed it until 1980. He and then partner Ernie Morelli sold and turned the management over to Kyung Il Chun. During the 1980s (and up until at least 2008) the store was run as "Ye Olde Country General Store." He died at the age of 70 on July 6, 1965 at Langley Memorial Hospital, and was buried in the Fort Langley Cemetery.

Berry, Bill

Son of Harry Berry, sister of Chub Berry and Jean Hope.

Berry, Dick

Son of Harry and Vera Berry.

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).

Cows, Milking

May Day Celebrations - Langley Prairie

Murrayville Elementary School (Belmont Superior)

Murrayville Elementary School is located in the Langley School District, later School District No. 35 (Langley). A one-room school located just south of Murray's Corners was built in 1891, was known as Belmont School, and was the earliest public school in Langley. Belmont School was in use until 1911, when a new a two-room school called Belmont Superior School was built at the top of the hill on Old Yale Road (now 48th Avenue). One room was later sub-divided into three rooms, and two more rooms were added in 1913. Langley had no high school at this time, and from 1911-1922 high school classes were also held at Belmont. In 1912, the School District arranged to provide water to the school, which came from Rod Cumming's artesian well at Five Corners. In 1918 the school names were split: the elementary section became known as Murrayville Elementary and the high school part became Langley High School. In 1922 the high school moved to Milner. The original Belmont structure is now (2005) the back portion of the present Murrayville School. The row of oak trees in front were probably planted when the original Belmont School was constructed. The historic building was approved to be restored and used as apartments in 2018, called Reunion.
Term Source: BCAUL; "History of Langley Schools: Langley School District #35, 1867-2004".

Native Peoples of North America

Otter District Farmers' Institute (Otter Co-op)

The Otter District Farmers' Institute represented farmers and agricultural interests in the Otter district of Langley, B.C. Since 1922, the Otter District Farmers Institute and its successor, Otter Co-op, have been a part of the Otter community.
Term Source: BCAUL

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Argus v4.4.2.32 - Langley Centennial Museum