This surname is traceable to the French Province of Berri but the family is one of long standing in England.  It was represented in the sixteenth century by John de Berri or Berryman of Upcott, England.  His son, John, was the grandfather of John and Elizabeth who in 1654 migrated to America and settled in Westmoreland County, VA.

Benjamin Beryman, the son of these founders, became an influential citizen in the Virginia Colony, serving as justice and attorney in King George and Stafford Counties and as Sheriff of Westmoreland County.  He also rendered military services as captain and major.  He married Elizabeth Newton of Westmoreland.

Benjamin and Elizabeth Berryman were the parents of a large family and through the marriage of their children the Berryman family became allied with the Taliaferros, Ishams, Woodsons, the Randolphs of Virginia, and the Allertons of Massachusetts.

Berryman Family Arms

ARMS:  Ar. a chevron between 3 horses pass. Sa.

CREST:  A horse head erased sa.

EXPLANANTION:  of Heraldic description:  A silver shield with a black Chevron dividing 3 black horses standing with one leg raised.  The crest is a black horse head with the neck ragged as though erased.

The surname Berryman is traceable to a province in France – Berri.  The family as descended from its English forebears is long resident in England.  The varied spellings from medieval times contains such usages as Berriman, Buryman, deBerri, and other variations of the surname.  It is to be remembered that while at this time the Berry part of the name can signify a merchant in berries, but often it came from Bury, meaning a small country estate of settlement, later boro, then borough, so that the horses shown in the Arms could very well have been adopted because of the country area of the landed family of deBerriman using the arms.

An early representative of this family (1500s) was John de Berri or Berryman of Upcott, England.  His son John was the grandfather of John & Elizabeth Berryman who in 1654 came to America and settled in Westmoreland County, Virginia and other areas as stated above.

Prepared by J. Carlton James & Associates, Elkins, PA.

Sources:  Burke’s General Armory, Bardsley’s English Surnames

This research was personally done by Mrs. Doris Fritz Berryman and given to Jones & Associates for drawing up into a picture from here November 1965.

Fritz-Berryman History written by Doris Miriam Fritz Berryman

Walter C. Barryman and Doris M. Fritz were married April 19, 1930 in Hazleton, PA by Rev. Russell.  Doris graduated 5 June 1930 from West Hazleton High School after marriage.  Walter (Bud) Berryman had lived at 1422 Letterly St., Philadelphia, PA.  He was discharged from a three year hitch in the U.S. Army.  He served from 1927 to April 17, 1930 at Fort Hoyle, MD.

 Walter and Doris Berryman                              

We came to Philadelphia, PA to Bud’s sister, Mae, June 13, 1930.  She was married to William Hess and lived at 2058 S. Alden St., Philadelphia, PA.  It was in the 1930s Great Depression and work was difficult to find but we looked hard and got jobs.  I went housekeeping July 13, 1930 at 2060 S. Cecil St., Philadelphia, PA.  Bud had gotten a job delivering ice for $15.00 a week.  He swung a piece of ice to his shoulder which took him off balance, injured his back, and lost his job.  He had nothing until October 1930 when he started at Bellevue Garage.  Mean while we were put out on the street, our clothes on a wagon borrowed from our nephew Walter Hess.  We borrowed $5.00 from Bud’s sister and $5.00 from my sister, Genevieve, and got a room at 5205 Chester Ave, 3^rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA.  We lived on oatmeal cooked on a hot plate.  We had one knife, fork, and spoon between us.

I got a temporary job.  The landlady was taking care of a bedfast patient and had to leave the city on an emergency, so I filled in.  I got a 50 cent tip for doing special things.  We lived on that 50 cents for a week plus a pack of cigarettes for Bud, oatmeal, and a loaf of bread.

Then on September 15, 1930 I started work in Merchant & Evans private restaurant for employees.  Mae’s husband was an accountant there at $35.00 per week.  Our move to 5205 Chester Ave. on September 18, 1930 was when we started to move around some.  Bud walked to Camden, N.J. from West Philadelphia, PA the month we were at Mae’s and ended with a heat stroke.

December 9, 1930 we moved to an apartment at 1415 N. 16^th St., Philadelphia, PA.

March 6, 1931 we moved to another apartment at 1400 N. 16^th St., Philadelphia, PA.

November 6, 1931 we moved to another apartment at 1802 N. 16^th St., Philadelphia, PA.

May 3, 1932 we bought our first car, a 1929 Oldsmobile Coupe.

August 6, 1932 we moved to 2030 N. 22^nd St., Philadelphia, PA.

September 4, 1933 our first son, Walter Jr. , was born at the above address.

Dr. Horace Perlman and Mother, Pauline Fritz, assisted in the birth.  Labor was from Thursday to Labor Day, September 4^th with a birth by instruments.  Sister, Genevieve, was in the area at the time.

November 22, 1935 we bought a house full of furniture.  We paid cash for it and moved to a rented home at 2106 S. Alden St., Philadelphia, PA.  We had sister - Genevieve, and friend - Thelma Henderschidt, Bud’s brother - Eddie at times, and also Billy Kelley - Bud’s Army pal all at $3.00 per week room and board.

 August 3, 1936 Bud started work at Phillips and Jacobs.

Walter C. (Bud) Berryman and half brother John Berryman October 16, 1939.  This photo was taken by a photographer from the Daily News.

August 25, 1941 we moved to 2037 S. Redfield St., West Philadelphia.  This is the first house we bought.  We rented a room out to a man working in the neighborhood to help cover extra expenses.

Our second son, Allen Lamont Berryman , was born while we lived at 2106 S. Alden St. on December 1, 1938 at Misericordia Hospital, Philadelphia, PA.  Dr. Gerald Horan delivered him.

Allen L, Walter Jr, Doris Berryman, May 11, 1947 at Yeadon, PA

Buddy went to Mitchell School as did Allen.  Buddy then went to Shaw Junior High School and Bartram and then did the last half of the year and graduated from Springfield Township which was the new high school on Paper Mill Road, Montgomery County, PA.

Allen’s schooling started at Mitchell Elementary and then he had one year in Longstreth Elementary, Philadelphia.  Then in 1949 I boarded him with Uncle Orville and Aunt Grace Fritz after difficulties with school teachers in Philadelphia.  He then came back to Philadelphia and went to Wyndmoor when we moved, then to Hillcrest, and finally to Springfield Township High School where he graduated June 1958.

During World War II Bud went to work for PTC.  He left that in 1945 and went back to Phillips and Jacobs.  I only worked a few month when we first married and then not until 1945 again when I started with MAB paints.  Then in 1950 to American Red Cross, to Hajoca Corporation, to Bell telephone, to Railway Express, to National Dairies Sealtest in December 1960 – making over 15 years for all of these, working to help with buying homes, children, and extra expenses.

We enjoyed our family life as a unit – the four of us – many picnics, trips and outings to various places from shore to mountains and historical settings.

I started teaching on a volunteer basis for American Red Cross in 1941 in First Aid then later in Water Safety.  In October 1944, I started swim lessons since I had become a first aid instructor for Red Cross and they wanted me to teach swimming.  The kids were both swimming before I was and Bud couldn’t remember when he couldn’t swim.

Bud accompanied me in the ARC courses in 1946.  We went to Camp Nunnehaha in West Virginia to a National Aquatic School, the both of us, and again in 1948.  We taught, in West Branch YMCA, swimming classes of all levels.  Later on the ARC Training Board we taught instructor courses in the University of Pennsylvania, Temple, Abington YMCA, Abington High School, Cheltenham High School, and also handicap swim classes for the physically handicapped and the blind.

We made hundreds of acquaintances through these channels.  Some of them never to be forgotten were Constance Thomas, David Bernhardt, Fred Brown,…because of the good times we shared.

Both boys shared our enthusiasm for water and became excellent swimmers and eventually Red Cross certified as we were.

We went up state quite often on weekends because of parents failing in health.

Mother Fritz died 15 August 1949 at her home.

Mother had fractured her hip in a fall on ice against Orville’s car about 1938.  She was diabetic so doctors didn’t set it, as they felt it wouldn’t heal.  She tried to walk on it and it set itself pining the cord fast, resulting in one leg shorter and making her a permanent cripple on crutches.

We bought our new ranch home 518 Hunters Lane, Oreland, Montgomery County, PA on October 23, 1949 and moved in on January 23, 1950.  The Red Cross gang came out and gave us a house warming in April 1950.  We entertained more now since we did not have any neighbors to worry about.  Tommy lived with us for a school year during 1951-52.

Doris at Hunters Lane home

We planted the grounds to our tastes as the grounds were clear and would become muddy when it rained.  We made it a show place.  We had a nice recreation room with a fireplace put in by Bud and Allen and again enjoyed groups and parties here.

 After high school graduation Buddy went into the U.S. Navy Air Service and served five years in the electronics field.  He married Joyce Brannan in 1955 at Carlsbad, New Mexico.  Our immediate family made the trip to the wedding.  Buddy met Joyce through her brother who was a ship mate of his.

Back: Allen L, Walter Sr, Doris, Walter Jr  Middle: Joyce  Front children: Jeffrey, Sharon,and Keith

Buddy bought a home in Mays Landing, New Jersey in 1955 because his last year he was stationed at Pomona Air Force Base near Atlantic City, N.J.  Later after discharge he traveled constantly, working electronics for Bendix Aviation, Maryland.  One hitch he spent on Spotter Isle off the coast of Newfoundland and his wife, Joyce, stayed with us.

 In 1955 we bought a home at 1703 Lincoln Boulevard, North Cape May, N.J.  Spending our weekends and vacations there we slowly followed the natural pattern – a rowboat, a small outboard motor, a canoe, friends, groups, etc.  Connie Thomas had a place at Stone Harbor and since 1946 we would visit with her until we decided to buy. 

By the time Allen graduated from high school he had nearly a year in Naval Air Reserves so he activated and went right in the service and was making a career of it in the electronics field.

William Gosymer L. Hartman lived with us about six months, from April through September 1959, after he was released from 30 years in the U.S. Army.  In 1959 Bud and I made a trip to Florida, all the way to Key West, and looked up his step sister, Dorothy Thomas Aston.  We took movies and slides of the trip.

Daddy and I had a very bad disagreement over a girl friend, Sue Taliga (a tramp).  He wanted her to come with him to visit and I refused so he disowned me.  This happened around 1954 perhaps.  When he died in November 1961 I did not go up at all.  He never asked and I would not go even if he had.  He lived out his days with Gene (Genevieve) and Dick, her husband in P.O.S. of A. Hall apartments in Audenried, since our old home on Church St. was demolished for strip mining operations.

In 1961 we bought a big 17 foot AristoCraft boat and outboard Merc 70 H.P. motor and did water skiing and took movies.  We paid off the shore home in January 1962.  Bud’s job improved until he made Stock Supervisor and naturally better salary.  We cleared the 518 Hunters Lane home November 1, 1962.  Orville got work in Connecticut and he and Grace moved up September 1952.

(This, so far, is all we’ve found of Doris’ history that she wrote down to pass on to us.)

Walter's Phillips & Jacobs  retirement party                            A sample of Doris' handwritten history