Religious life was important to the early inhabitants of small towns as it provided residents with a much needed social life. Church gatherings provided attendees the opportunity to meet others especially for those looking for a spouse. Many of the families intermarried especially in the Irish community. (Laura Quirk, The Thompsons' Town: Family, Industry, and Material Culture in Indiana, Ontario 1830 -1900, 2010, Wilfrid Laurier University, 133).