The story of Asaph Perry

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ETHEL STORY LINE
Opening Marriage Business Woman Amanda Westbrook Church Mother

Ethel comfortably wore the hats of both motherhood and businesswoman. Ethel tended the economics of the Perry home, maintaining a thriving garden with enough chickens for the extended Perry family to eat stewed, boiled, or fried. Outside the home, she marketed her skills as a seamstress. At one point, Ethel took on additional help to meet the demand for her seamstress services when her younger cousin, Amanda Westbrook, moved in to, in part, provide added help.

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Writing the Story

Ethel's role as a contributor and a provider cannot be underestimated. Often, when writing history we treat women as object, or people who have no agency. We want to deliberately make the point that Ethel had agency and was a very integral part of the Perry household. Her contributions were not simply as a caregiver, but extended into subsistence farming, household maintenance, and confidant to Asaph.