Berkeley County, West Virginia         Biography of WILLIAM STANTON BERT

This biography was submitted by Valerie Crook,
E-mail address:  <vfcrook@earthlink.net>

The submitter does not have a connection to the subject of this sketch.

This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit
organizations for their private use. All other rights reserved.

Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval
system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other
means requires the written approval of the file's author.

This file is part of the WVGenWeb Archives. If you arrived here inside
a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at

http://www.usgwarchives.net/wv/wvfiles.htm

The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 397


WILLIAM STANTON BERT, president of the Board of Edu-
cation of the City of Martinsburg, Berkeley County, was
horn at Greencastle, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, on the
3rd of March, 1862, and at the same place his father, John
Bert, was born in the year 1835, a son of Peter Bert. Peter
Bert was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, and in con-
nection with a revolution in his native land his property
was confiscated. He then came to the United States, ac-
companied by his wife and by two of his brothers, Peter
and John, the former of whom settled at Strassburg, Penn-
sylvania, and the latter at New Brighton, that state. The
sailing vessel on which they crossed the Atlantic did not
reach its destination until the lapse of fourteen weeks.
The family name in Germany was spelled Bertt. Nephews
of Peter Bert came to this country and settled in Balti-
more, Maryland, and they changed the spelling of the name
to Burt. From New York City Peter Bert proceeded to
Greeneastle, Pennsylvania, where he followed the work of
his trade, that of tailor, but his death occurred within a
few years, his widow, a native of France, having survived
him by a number of years. They reared five children:
Louisa, George, Benjamin, John and Adam. Adam Bert
was killed in the battle of Fredericksburg while serving
as a Union soldier in the Civil war.


John Bert learned the shoemaker's trade, and became
skilled in the making of boots and shoes by hand. He be-
came a successful manufacturer of boots and shoes, and
continued his residence at Greencastle until his death, at
the age of seventy-six years. He married Rebecca Houser,
who was born at Greencastle, a daughter of George and
Elizabeth (Cantner) Houser. Mrs. Bert died at the age
of twenty-six years, leaving three children: Mary Eliza-
beth, Julia Prances and William Stanton. The father later
married Kate Good, and four children were born of this
second marriage: Charles Wesley, Arthur A., John W. and
Elizabeth R.


William S. Bert attended school until he was eleven
years old, and then devoted six years to clerking in a gro-
cery store. He next entered upon an apprenticeship to the
tailor's trade with the firm of L. Cantner & Son, and after
his three years' apprenticeship he worked a similar period
as a journeyman at his trade. He next went to Mercers-
burg, where he served two years in the merchant tailoring
establishment of J. W. Rearick, and became an expert cut-
ter. He then returned to Greeneastle and formed a part-
nership with T. W. Brendle in the merchant tailoring busi-
ness. Six years later he engaged in the manufacture of
trousers and overalls, in which he continued operations at
Greencastle until 1898, when he became associated with his
brother Charles in operating the Shenandoah Pants Fac-
tory at Martinsburg, West Virginia. Later he withdrew
from the firm and organized the Southern Merchant Tailor-
ing Company, with which he continued his connection un-
til 1906. From that year until 1910 he conducted a men's
clothing and furnishing-goods store, from 1910 to 1913 he
was engaged in business as a merchant tailor, and in the
latter year became associated with the Royal Woolen Mills
Company of Hagerstown, Maryland, and later with the Na-
tional Woolen Mills of Parkersbnrg, West Virginia, of
whose business at Martinsburg he has since been in charge.


Mr. Bert is a loyal and public-spirited citizen and has
been influential in community affairs at Martinsburg. In
1910 he was elected a member of the city council, on which
he served two years. He was again elected to the council
in 1916, and he served two years as city treasurer. In
1920 he was elected president of the board of education.
He and his wife are members of the First Methodist Epis-
copal Church, and Mr. Bert is president of the Sunday
school class of 200 members. He is affiliated with Mount
Pisgah Lodge No. 443, F. and A. M.; Lebanon Chapter
No. 2, R. A. M.; Palestine Commandery No. 2, Knights
Templars; the Scottish Rite Lodge of Perfection at Mar-
tinsburg; and Osiris Temple of the Mystic Shrine in the
City of Wheeling.


In 1899 Mr. Bert married Miss Minnie M. Diffenderfer,
who was born at Martinsbnrg, a daughter of Charles and
Ann Maria (Poisal) Diffenderfer. Mr. and Mrs. Bert have
no children.