1891 Biography - O. D. Berwick

O. D. BERWICK, FOSTER. -- O. D. Berwick is a native of St. Mary parish, born in 1842. He is the son of David and Louise (Garrett) Berwick, both natives of this parish. David Berwick was an extensive planter and owned and conducted three plantations on Bayou Sara. He died in 1874, and his wife in 1865. Joseph Berwick, father of David and grandfather of our subject, was the first settler in the vicinity of the bay which bears his name.

O. D. Berwick is one of a family of nine children, four of whom are living, viz.: Louisa, widow of Dr. S. Allen; Oscar Dudley, our subject; Addie, wife of N. K. Todd, Mary, wife of J. D. Capon. O. D. Berwick was educated in Hanover College, Virginia. In 1861 he entered St. Mary Cannoneers and served during the whole of the war in the department of Louisiana. After the [sic] [this] he engaged in planting on the place where he now resides, he being among the very few planters who occupy the same plantation they did before the war. His place is located on Bayou Sal‚, six miles west of Foster. It consists of fifteen hundred acres of land, four hundred of which are under cultivation, the remainder being swamp lard. He grows chiefly sugar cane, and averages two thousand pounds per acre. Its yield in 1890, was over three thousand pounds per acre. Mr. Berwick married, in 1866, Miss Virginia A. Dungan, of St. Mary parish; she died in 1888, leaving eight children, six sons and two daughters, viz.: James D., Louis, Oscar D. Jr., Joseph W., Virginia, David, Walter and Edward. He is a member of the K. of H., and was police juror for two years, having been appointed by Gov. Nicholls. In 1889 he married, again, Miss Eveline Dungan, daughter of Dr. Jas. B. Dungan, a prominent physician of this parish.

Contributed 2021 Nov 04 by Mike Miller, from Southwest Louisiana Biographical and Historical, published in 1891, Biographical Section, pages 361-362.