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Sidney Perley, lawer and historian who had lived in Salem for many years died at Massachusetts Homeopathic Hospital on 9 Jun 1928 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts. He was born 6 Mar 1858 in Boxford, Essex, Massachusetts, son of the late Humphrey Perley and Mrs. Eunice (Peabody) Perley.[1][2][3][4]
In 1885 Mr. Perley was graduated from the Boston University law school and was admitted to the Suffolk bar that same year. From 1881 to 1886 he acted as auditor of the town of Boxford. Soon after his graduation Mr. Perley moved to Salem, where he practiced law.[3][4]
From 1900-1903, Mr. Perley was a member of the Salem school board and again from 1902-1911. He was interested in the Prohibition and Republican parties and at one time was a candidate for attorney-general and for mayor of Salem.[3][4]
As an author and poet Mr. Perley was widely known. He wrote the “History of Medford,” History of Salem,” “Historic Storms of New England.” “Dwellings of Boxford.” Poets of Essex Country,” and several law publications. From 1890-1909 he was editor of the “Essex Aniquarium.”[3][4]
Mr. Perley belonged to the Essex Institute, which he joined in 1881. He was a member also of the New England Historic-Genealogical Society of Boston.[3][4]
On June 11, 1889, he married Miss Harriet Hood Spofford of Georgetown who survived him as did a daughter Miss Eleanor Perley and a son, Richard Perley, a Salem attorney.[3][4]
In 1921, Sidney Perley (1858-1928) was the first to suggest Proctor’s Ledge as the site where the nineteen accused of witchcraft were hanged during that long ago summer of 1692, "with their bodies discarded" in a nearby crevice.
Fast forward to 2016 . . . "To identify the site, the researchers combed through maps, court documents and other primary sources, hoping to determine the location of “the house below the hill.” That phrase, discovered among nearly 1,000 pages of court records by researcher Marilynne Roach, was uttered by 51-year-old accused witch Rebekah (Blake) Eames (1641-1721) during her preliminary examination on Aug. 19, 1692. The magistrate asked if she had witnessed the five executions that occurred earlier that day and EAMES responded that she was at “the house below the hill” when she saw the executions." [The Gallows Hill Project] [5]
Acadian heritage connections: Sidney is 23 degrees from Beyoncé Knowles, 21 degrees from Jean Béliveau, 19 degrees from Madonna Ciccone, 18 degrees from Rhéal Cormier, 18 degrees from Joseph Drouin, 21 degrees from Jack Kerouac, 17 degrees from Anne Murray, 20 degrees from Matt LeBlanc, 17 degrees from Roméo LeBlanc, 18 degrees from Azilda Marchand, 17 degrees from Marie Travers and 19 degrees from Clarence White on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.
Categories: Family Historians | United States of America, Writers | Writers | United States, Genealogists | Genealogists
Note (09/21/2019) - The Antiquarian copies at Peabody disappeared. Our links now go to digital copies at Hathi Trust.
And, accurate. Comparison of one map with its modern equivalent: How close is close? II
It was wonderful to find Sidney's Profile. We'll be pointing to it frequently. He mentioned The Massachusetts Magazine which published writers like Col. Thomas Higginson, F. M. Thompson, R.A. Douglas-Lithgow, MD, LLD, and others.