Luther D. Berry, son of William and Caroline (Boone) Berry, was born on April 27, 1893 in Missouri, probably at his parent's home near Ash Grove. Census data show that Luther was attending school in 1900, and in 1910 was living and working on his parents’ farm. Luther married Mamie Tressie White in about 1915. Following his father’s death in 1917, Luther and his brother Ellis took over the family farm, although by 1920, Luther had also taken a job making barrels at the Ash Grove lime kilns. He still worked at the lime kilns in 1930, but as a fireman, whereas his brother Ellis and family had moved to Springfield. During the 1940s, Luther worked as a janitor until he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. On April 15, 1950, he was admitted to the Missouri State Sanatorium in Mt. Vernon. He died there on October 21, 1951 (Russell 2012).
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