Alfred Bernard was born in Castle Hill, Maine in 1912, the youngest of seven. He was raised mostly by his mother since his father died before he was two. At age 14, he quit school to go work in the woods in Ashland. He worked in the woods in other places in Maine after that, including Island Falls, Mattawamkeag (as a river driver), and Kingman. He also did some work in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New York. He both worked for others, including Great Northern, and was his own boss.