After the death of their mother, Cecilia Atherton in 1881, sisters Carrie and Celia Atherton lived aboard the Yarmouth-build ship C. F. Sargent with their father, David Hooper Atherton, the ship's captain. They traveled the globe during 1883 -1886 where they purchased items such as a peacock feather folding fan, perhaps during their stays in Hong Kong.

When not at sea the family lived in Portland, and later Falmouth.