Early Life & Family

Barry Alter, 10, School Photograph, Belmont, MA

David and Marguerite Beach gave birth to Barbara (known as Barry) on December 19, 1920, in Madison, Connecticut. Barry’s parents had grown up, met, and married in Maine. She describes her father’s family as intellectual, with deep roots at Yale University, while her mother’s family were farmers and workers. Barry’s father intentionally moved the family from CT to MA to MN and then back to CT. In these stories, Barry describes her family and explains her liberal roots in what was called the “social gospel.”

My Two Sides of the Family
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