My Genealogy Hound

HENRY BERG, hotel-keeper, Verona, is the only child of Henry and Anna Maria (Bayer) Berg, and was born at Kaiserslautern, Bavaria, in 1853. When twelve years old he came with his parents to the United States, the family landing at Pittsburgh on a Saturday night in 1866. The father was a blacksmith, and found employment with a coal company on the Monongahela. In 1868 he was engaged by the N. Y. & C. G. C. Co., and settled in Penn township. He was very industrious, and often, after digging coal all day, spent the evening fitting up tools for miners. His son labored in the mines and was his father’s assistant at night. In June, 1873, Mr. Berg purchased two lots in Verona borough at a cost of $2,000, and at once erected thereon a hotel, at a cost of $3,800. This burned down on the 25th of July, 1875, and he at once rebuilt, at a cost of $12,000. April 5, 1876, the family occupied the building, and on Oct. 5 following Mr. Berg passed from earth. The business was continued by the widow and son, who paid off a debt of $6,200 incurred in building, and have added much to the property since. Our subject has now thirty-four lots on Railroad and Penn avenues, extending from the former to the river, on which he has built a three-story business block and three dwellings, icehouse, etc., and seven and a half acres near the railroad shops. The six lots on Railroad avenue were purchased at a cost of $5,500. The family is identified with the E. P. Church. Mr. Berg is a republican, and at present a member of the borough council.