Joab Sawyer Perry Family

l-r: Eleanor "Ellen", Lillian, Hunter & Joab S. Perry

Hunter & Lillian Perry

Joab Sawyer Perry
Born: Nov. 11, 1861 NC
[death certificate states Nov. 11, 1866]
Died: December 8, 1952 San Diego, CA

   According his 1921 passport application, Joab Sawyer Perry was born in Nags Head, Currituck Co., NC on Nov. 11, 1861 to Josiah D. Perry and his 1st wife, Nancy Sawyer.  Joab is found in his father's home in the Nags Head Twp. of Dare Co., NC in 1870 as age 10 and in the Crawford Twp. of Currituck Co. in 1880 as "Joe", age 21 and a sailor.  He was first married to Eleanor "Ellie Nora" Martin Land in Princess Anne Co., VA on Sept. 18, 1884 and to them were born two children:
1) Hunter Caryle Perry
b. January 12, 1887 Norfolk, VA
d. January 10, 1969 Charlottesville, VA
2) Lillian Martin Perry
b. October 13, 1888 Landstown, Princess Anne Co., VA
d. November 22, 1973 Charlottesville, VA

   Ellie Nora (Land) Perry was born to Caleb W. Land and his 1^st wife, Anne (Fox) Land, in Virginia Beach, VA on Jan. 17, 1862 and died in Huntington, Cabell Co., West Virginia on Aug. 7, 1895.  Ellie wrote her will just 3 days before her death.  She is buried in Landstown Road Cemetery in Virginia Beach which is maintained by Vernon Land who submitted her tombstone photos [see restoration photos and the restorer, Vern Land-- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 6] A short death notice appeared in The Norfolk Virginian on Friday, Aug. 9, 1895; pg. 2.
   In 1900 J.S. Perry is a boarder, along with his children, Hunter and Lillian, in the Hotel Roanoke in Roanoke Co., VA.  He is listed as age 38; born Nov 1861; widower; and had an occupation as a banker
     On December 21, 1900 a news article appeared in the Chicago Daily Tribune telling the following story:

Richmond, Va., Dec. 20 - Whether J.S. Perry did or did not hug and call pretty little Mrs. Simcox the sweetest peach in town is the question which is now engrossing the attention of the police court of Roanoke.  Mr. and Mrs. Simcox are the parties at the bar and the charge against them is holding up Perry with a shotgun and applying a cowhide freely to his person.  Perry is a real estate man of Roanoke.  He has an office on the principal street, and that apartment is subdivided into front and rear rooms.  Some days ago, according to Mrs. Simcox, she went to the office of Perry to see him about a claim he held against her brother.  She went with him into the rear office.  In a short time she emerged with tangled hair and an angry eye.  She said nothing but went straight home.  That afternoon as Perry strolled down the street he found himself looking into the muzzle of a shotgun while at the other end was Simcox.  At this stage Mrs. Simcox stepped from behind her husband with a robust cowhide in her hands and began to apply it vigorously until she was exhausted and then he was allowed to go.  In court Mrs. Simcox said he called her "the sweetest little peach in town" and tried to hug and kiss her.  Perry had witnesses to rebut this statement and it looks like a standoff.

   Joab Sawyer Perry married a 2^nd time to Celeste H. Staples in Lunenburg, VA on May 8, 1901. She was born in Lunenburg, Virginia on May 17, 1877 to Eglert A. & Ophelia Staples and died in Santa Clara, Alameda Co., California on March 22, 1957.  The 1902 Roanoke City Directory shows Celeste H. Perry next to J. Sawyer Perry and a letterhead from the Roanoke Savings & Loan in 1903 shows J.S. Perry as the President of the company and C.H. Perry as the Treasurer.  An extensive search of the 1910 census has not turned up anything on Joab & Celeste Perry but by 1920 they are living in Washington, DC.  Joab is age 58 and retired from real estate; Celeste is age 42, born in VA and their daughter, Celeste L. Perry is age 12, born in VA.  By June 1924 Joab and his family were living in California and were apparently a family of some wealth for in that year his daughter, Celeste L. Perry, graduated from High School and took a 6 week trip with her mother to Honolulu and then in November they sailed for Paris where Celeste would enter a finishing school.  In 1926 Mrs. J.S. Perry and her daughter, Celeste, sailed on the Empress of Scotland liner for Madeira and Gibralter.  Joab & Celeste Perry have not been found in the 1930 census but a Los Angeles Times article shows that in May 1931 Celeste H. Perry filed for divorce from Joab S. Perry.  She apparently never remarried because she was listed on her death certificate as a Perry.  Any new information from researchers can be sent to me for inclusion on this page.

They had:
1) Celeste L. Perry  b. Mar. 21, 1907  d. Aug. 30, 1989
Married: Elton Valerio Tognazzini