The story of Asaph Perry

HOME

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

Ethel's passing in 1916 was a tragedy to the large young family. Those that either knew her or at least knew of her (most of the town), tried to find solace in the fact that Ethel's prolonged illness was finally over. Just before her death, Ethel was able to see her oldest daughter's wedding. Asaph and Ethel's second child, Ethel Bertie, stepped into a maternal role for her younger siblings. Asaph settled into his job as the barber of Canton.

Later a new relationship between Asaph and a coy older lady known only as Alice emerged. Some of this relationship is mysterious, but the lack of information suggests the outcome. Whatever the circumstances, the family grew and adjusted as they were want to do. Asaph's resting place next to Ethel told of his enduring commitment to that insecure young lady he courted a half century before his death.

NEXT: Amanda Bell and Ethel Bertie

CLOSE

Learning the Story

We would like to suggest a Social Science History Journal article as a means to get at the social and time-bound complexities which arose when a spouse died in the early 20th Century. Remarriage was not as common a practice as today, and Aspah must certainly have battled powerful conflicting emotions, particularly given what seems to be evidence of a post Ethel romance. The article, titled "Sociohistorical and Demographic Perspectives on U.S. Remarriage in 1910" by Cheryl Elman and Andrew S. London examines the occurrence of remarriage and suggests that it is connected to the economic status of those widowed or divorced. The primary question is; Where does Asaph fit in the authors' findings?

This article is available online via Project MUSE institutional subscriptions