James and Rose Berto family reunion held

Descendants of the James and Rose Berto family held their annual reunion on June 27 at the Jensen Community Center.

Those from further away said that they were pleased to be back in Amherst for an afternoon of reminiscing and sharing stories. The event was hosted by the Steve Piotrowski family; Steve is the son of Rosemary (Berto) Piotrowski.

Jim (1883-1949) and Rose (1890-1988) Berto settled on South Main Street in the Village of Amherst in its formative years. They were instrumental in establishing the Methodist Church. All their children were educated in the Amherst school system, with them being proud of the fact that every one of their children graduated from high school — an accomplishment that was quite rare back in those days.

Jim was the President of the Village at the time of his death. Rose was a housewife and was also well-versed in healing with natural herbs and medicinal plants.

The “Berto Farm” now encompasses the Wake Island Drive and Christy Drive areas in the Village. There are still descendants of the original family proudly living in Amherst today.

Members of the extended Berto family.