Ethel Pearl Harrington was the second child of William and Tillie Harrington. She was born on January 4, 1879 in Cheboygan, Michigan.

On February 14, 1901 she married John Pelton who was a bookkeeper. John was born in Woodstock, Ontario in 1877. They had one son - Jack, in 1904.

They moved from Michigan to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and then to North Carolina when John got a position with a lumber company. Eventually they settled in Knoxville, Tennessee where both John and Pearl died. John committed suicide on October 14, 1951 at the age of 74. Ethel died on June 27, 1967 at the age of 88. They were both buried in Berry Highland Memorial Cemetery in Knoxville.