MAY BERRY
- Program
- Subject
- Location
- Lat/Long
- Grant Recipient
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Hometown Heritage™
-
People
- 108 E Sigler St, Frankton, IN 46044, USA
- 40.222873380922, -85.780264785661
-
Frankton High School History Club
MAY BERRY
Inscription
MAY BERRY1889-1917. FRANKTON RESIDENT
AND WWI RED CROSS NURSE.
SERVED WITH BASE HOSPITAL
UNIT NO. 32. BURIED IN FRANCE
AT OISE-AISNE CEMETERY.
WILLIAM G. POMEROY FOUNDATION 2024
May Berry, sometimes referred to as Lottie May Berry, was a Frankton, Indiana Resident who dedicated her life to the service of others. Although her life was cut short by illness, her legacy and story remain important to the Frankton community.
Born in 1889 to parents Ida Pugh and William Berry, May Berry would move to Frankton Indiana while still an infant. An obituary published in the Indianapolis Star on January 1st, 1918, shortly after her passing, details her connection to the Frankton community. It reads:
“She came with her parents to Madison County and received her early education near Frankton. Miss Berry was well known in and around Florida and Frankton, where she spent most of her life. News of her death will be received with great sorrow by her friends.”
The article continues, describing her education in Indianapolis where she entered the Deaconess Hospital to become a nurse, which took her three years. After graduating, she stayed in Indianapolis where she worked as a general nurse before she, along with five other nurses who graduated the Deaconess Hospital with her, joined the Base Hospital Unit No. 32 after the United States entered World War I.
Her last visit to Frankton occurred three months before her death. The Indianapolis Star Obituary states May Berry “last visited the family home at Frankton in September, a short time before the unit left Indianapolis.”
During the multiweek overseas voyage that followed, May Berry grew ill. Her condition worsened after arriving in France, and on December 30th, 1917, she would succumb to the sickness. Later sources report her as the first American Red Cross Nurse to give her life during the War on foreign soil.
Although her life ended tragically, her selflessness and importance to the Frankton community is well-documented in the several obituaries and reports published following her death.
Along with the historical marker now commemorating her story, the local American Legion Post 469 is named in her honor. Fittingly, “this Hometown Heritage” historical marker is in Alexander Park, where the community gathers for the “Heritage Days” festival.
The application for this grant came from the Frankton High School History Club, which is a chapter of the National History Club organization, and was led by club advisor Kevin Cline. Club members researched May Berry, then gathered and submitted the required materials for the historical marker commemorating this hometown hero.
