HOME  

FAMILY LIFE STORY LINE
Opening   Gramma   Asaph after Ethel   Amanda Bell and Ethel Bertie

 

One of the most touching stories in the Perry family was the story of the Perry sisters Amanda Bell and Ethel Bertie. Their sibling friendship was forged over lives that would span 70 years of drastic change and turbulence. In this span, the technology advanced as the car replaced the horse and television replaced radio. Two world wars shattered the usual tranquility associated with small town America. A baby boom shifted the demographics of the United States and Canton. Together, they survive a lifetime of dramatic change, but losing one another is the only shock they cannot survive. After Amanda Bell died in her sleep, Ethel Bertie suffered a heart attack and died upon learning the news that her beloved sister had died - as if to say, even death, they would remain, together.

 

END

 

 

CLOSE

Learning the Story

 

The closeness of the Perry sisters is touching and sentimental. It provides a powerful context for making empathetic connections to people who lived in the past. Empathy is an important historical nuance. Some have termed it an outcome or product of historical understanding. Others wish to think of empathy as a skill to be used in the process of developing understandings. We recommend providing students with multiple opportunities to experience and to learn more about the role of empathy in history education.