George Bellows (1882-1925) was born in Ohio and attended Ohio
State University.  When a senior there he left for New York to
study art.  e soon was studying under Robert Henri.  In 1910 he
married Emma Story. The couple had two daughters, Anne and Jean,
and Bellows is thought to have wanted sons. Nevertheless, after
spending some time on a portrait of a boy, he declared to his wife,
"The boy is an awful fine kid, but god what an itch. I am glad we
have girls."

The Story of My Childhood was written for her children by Alice
Mendenhall George in 1923. It describes her childhood on the prarie
of Minnesota.  Here's an excerpt from the conclusion of the book

The years came and went. We worked, and played, and went to
school, had our little childish quarrels and our reconciliations. 
We always went to a picnic the Fourth of July and possibly to 
one or two others during the summer. In the winter we went
occasionally to singing school, spelling school, a party, or a sleigh
ride.

Mother, being musical, and never having had advantages herself,
was ambitious for us to learn something about music, so they
bought a melodeon and a few years later a cabinet organ. Though
we took music lessons, we accomplished very little, because we
were not musical and didn't like to practice. We did learn enough,
however, to play church music, and that pleased Mother.

Every fall we went to the Garden City Fair, where we saw our friends
from all around the country, for no one would stay away unless he
were sick. We saw the bed quilts and all the fancy work in Floral Hall,
and everything else of interest, and grew very much excited over the
horse races.

Once we went to a circus and saw that fat woman, the living skeleton,
the educated pig and the big snakes, all of which made a lasting
impression upon our minds.

There were no railroads, no automobiles, telephones, electric lights,
flying machines or moving picture shows; but "Little we asked, our
wants were few," so we were contented and happy.