Journals

Perley kept journals most of his life. He started when he was 14 years old in 1903 and kept a daily journal until the day he had a stroke at age 85 and could no longer write. The over 60 journals I have give a detailed description of what Perley's life was like growing up and in his later years. Unfortunately either he did not have time to write during the years of his marriage or those journals were lost or destroyed. The journals I have range from 1903 to 1911 and then again from 1945 to 1973. What has surprised me most in reading through his journals, especially in the earlier years was how busy everyone was visiting their neighbors. When I first started researching for this book I always thought that Perley and his family were totally secluded from the rest of the townspeople but almost every day Perley mentions neighbors visiting, strangers passing by or they go to visit someone.