Mark was born in Towednack, Cornwall in 1796.  In 1816, he married Mary Broad in Redruth, and shortly after moved to Brecon in South Wales. They had a son, William Humphrey Broad Berryman, but Mary died shortly afterwards. In 1831, Mark married a widow, Margaret Charles, and had seven children: Henry, Matthew, Margaret, Sampson, Elizabeth, John and Robert. They lived in "The Struet" in Brecon, and Mark's occupation is listed in the 1835/1837 Pigot's Directory under Shopkeepers & Dealers in Groceries and Sundries, and in the 1851 Census of Brecon, he is described as either a "carrier" or a "currier" (see Note below).

This photograph was dated between 1884-1891, taken by a Brecon photographer, Henry Hobbis.  It is believed to be of Mark and Margaret.  Alan Berryman discovered the photograph in the effects of Mark's great-granddaughter, Gladwys Goldsworthy ("Auntie Daisy"). I have not yet found Mark in the 1861 census; but if the photo is indeed of him, we can assume that he made it to at least 1884 (88 years old).

During the early 19th century, specifically around 1815, there was a significant migration of Cornishmen to Wales, primarily driven by the Industrial Revolution and the shifting fortunes of the mining industry.

Cornwall was facing economic pressures that forced families to look elsewhere:

End of the Napoleonic Wars: 1815 marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The subsequent economic slump led to a drop in the price of copper and tin, which were the lifeblood of the Cornish economy.

Agricultural Distress: Poor harvests and the "Year Without a Summer" (which occurred shortly after in 1816) made subsistence farming in Cornwall increasingly difficult, prompting many to seek steady wages in the Welsh valleys.