Juliet Ashley's Early Life - Northville, MI

Northville is a town in the greater Detroit area. Juliet Ashley was the child of Eva (Beal) Booth and Charles Booth. Charles was originally from New York but moved to greater Northville for economic opportunity. In addition to having a home in Northville, Charles and Eva also maintained a residence in Hyde Park, Chicago (USA Census, 1900).

Charles was an exceptionally busy person. He was active in the local Presbyterian church and was elected to serve as it’s assistant superintendent in January of 1888 (Northville Record, 1888). Charles Booth was the manager of a tool company and frequently traveled to Great Britain and France for Business (National Archives and Records Administration, 1918). Eva Beal came from a family of capital and influence. Born in England, Eva Beal’s family moved to Northville for economic opportunity. The travels and stories of Charles and Eva Booth were often written about in The Northville Record (Northville Library , 2021).

On the 27th of December 1887, Charles and Eva Booth gave birth to Juliet. The birth of Juliet did not slow down the activities of the family. In December of 1888, the election results of local masonic lodge (Northville Lodge No. 186 F. & A.M.) were announced, and Charles had been elected to Senior Warden of his lodge (Northville Record, 1888). The following year, Charles was elected to lead the lodge of Freemasons and served as their Worshipful Master (Northville Record, 1889). Around the same time, Charles was elected (Democrat) to serve as the school inspector, (Northville Record, 1892) elected as an officer of the Masonic Body York Rite (Union Chapter No. 55) ( Northville Record , 1889), and he became the vice president of the Democratic club (Northville Record, 1892). In 1889, Charles became the vice president of the Stanley air rifle company (Northville Record, 1889) and the following month he became the president of the Global Furniture Company (Northville Record, 1889).

The success of the Booth family was celebrated to the extent that when Charles purchased “fine pianos” for his in-laws and himself, it was published in the paper (Northville Record, 1889). Equally impressive was the Beal family (Juliet's mother's family). They were also active in Freemasonry and various business ventures. In 1900, the Booth family moved to Hyde Park, Chicago where Charles Booth assumed a position as a vice president of a pneumatic tool company.

In our next post, we will explore Juliet's teenage years living in Chicago, Illinois.

Illinois Department of Public Health. (2010). Cook County Marriages, 1871-1920. Index. Familysearch. Division of Vital Records . Springfield, Illinois, USA. Retrieved from Ancestry.com.

Michigan Department of Community Health Division of Vital Records and Health Statistics. (1887). Marriage Records, 1867 - 1952: 35; Film Description: 1887 Shiawasee-1888 Genesee. Lansing, MI, USA. Retrieved August 1, 2021

National Archives and Records Administration. (1918, Nov 07). Roll #:623; Volume: Roll 0623 - Certificates: 44000. Washington D.C.

New-York Tribune. (1919, Apr 21). p. 16. Retrieved July 20, 2021, from ancestry.com

Northville Library . (2021). Northville Historic Records. Retrieved August 1, 2021, from Northville Library: http://history.northville.lib.mi.us/searchmfi/searchrtr/?q=booth&fromyear=&toyear=&rpp=100

Northville Record. (1888, January 13). Northville, MI. Retrieved from http://www.northvillehistory.org/dtSearch/DTSearch/NorthvilleRecord/1870-1899/1888-01-13.pdf

Northville Record. (1888, December 21). Retrieved from http://www.northvillehistory.org/dtSearch/DTSearch/NorthvilleRecord/1870-1899/1888-12-21.pdf

Northville Record. (1889, Oct 4). The Northville Record. Retrieved from http://www.northvillehistory.org/dtSearch/DTSearch/NorthvilleRecord/1870-1899/1889-10-04.pdf

Northville Record. (1889, November 1). The Northville Record. Retrieved from http://www.northvillehistory.org/dtSearch/DTSearch/NorthvilleRecord/1870-1899/1889-11-01.pdf

Northville Record. (1889, November 22). The Northville Record . Retrieved from http://www.northvillehistory.org/dtSearch/DTSearch/NorthvilleRecord/1870-1899/1889-11-22.pdf

Northville Record. (1889, December 6). Local Pencilings. Northville Record. Retrieved from http://www.northvillehistory.org/dtSearch/DTSearch/NorthvilleRecord/1870-1899/1889-12-06.pdf

Northville Record. (1892, September 8). The Northville Record. Retrieved from http://www.northvillehistory.org/dtSearch/DTSearch/NorthvilleRecord/1870-1899/1892-09-08.pdf

Northville Record. (1892, April 1). Town Caucus. Retrieved from http://www.northvillehistory.org/dtSearch/DTSearch/NorthvilleRecord/1870-1899/1892-04-01.pdf

Northville Record. (1909, Feb 26). The Northville Record. Retrieved from http://www.northvillehistory.org/dtSearch/DTSearch/NorthvilleRecord/1901-1910/1909-02-26.pdf

Northville Record. (1915, October 29). The Northville Record. Retrieved from http://www.northvillehistory.org/dtSearch/DTSearch/NorthvilleRecord/1911-1920/1915-10-29.pdf