Hiram Gregory Berry was born on August 27, 1824, near East Thomaston (present-day Rockland), Maine, to Jeremiah Berry and Frances Gregory. His father operated a hotel, and he owned $5,000 of real estate by 1850. He grew up near East Thomaston, and he married Almira Brown. Their daughter Lucy was born around 1846. Berry worked on a lumberyard, and by 1850, he owned $1,200 of real estate.

 

He supported the Whig Party, and local voters elected him to the state legislature in 1852. He co-founded the Rockland Steam Manufacturing Company in 1852, but a fire destroyed the company three years later. He began serving as a director of the Lime Rock National Bank in 1853, and he became its president in 1857. In 1856, he was elected mayor of Rockland as the “anti-Republican candidate.” By 1860, he had joined the Democratic Party, and he supported John C. Breckinridge in that year’s presidential election. By then, he owned $28,000 of real estate and $30,000 of personal property.

 

In May 1861, he received a commission as colonel of the 4^th Maine Infantry. He took part in the First Battle of Bull Run, and he received a promotion to brigadier general in March 1862. He fought at the Battle of Williamsburg, the Battle of Seven Pines, and the Seven Days’ Battles. He was promoted to major general in November 1862. He died at Chancellorsville on May 3, 1863.

 

Image: Hiram G. Berry (courtesy Wikicommons)

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