Pemberton Obituary Project: Sarah Maria Pemberton Morrison Jones

Before continuing on my Pemberton obituary project, I would like to thank Amanda at A Tale of Two Ancestors for giving me the Happy 101 Award. I haven't been blogging much lately, so I apologize for not recognizing this sooner. I am very honored to receive the award.

In my last post about the Pemberton obituary project, I mentioned that I would be posting the obituary of William Pemberton next. I just realized, however, that I am still searching for an obituary. He died 12 Jan 1915 in Shelldrake, Chippewa, Michigan, according to his death record. I asked an RAOGK volunteer to find his obit, but she did not have any luck in The Evening News from Sault Ste. Marie. So, for now, we will skip William and move on to his younger sister, Sarah.

From Port Huron (Michigan) Times-Herald, "Resident Of City Fifty Years Dies," 10 February 1941, p. 2.

Mrs. Sarah Morrison Jones, 89, wife of Charles Jones and resident of Port Huron and vicinity 50 years, died Sunday in her home, 574 Myrtlewood Avenue, Marysville, after a long illness.
She was born in Detroit June 31, 1851. She was a former resident of Algonac and was a member of the Church of Christ of that village.
She is survived by her husband; a daughter, Mrs. Robert Tudhope, Detroit; three grandsons, Russell W. Tudhope and Harry Tudhope, both of Detroit, and Llywn Tudhope, Port Huron.
Rev. John E. Mealley, retired Methodist minister, will officiate at funeral services at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the McNinch-Kipp Memorial. Burial will be in Lakeside Cemetery.

Sarah was the younger sister of my 3rd great-grandfather, John C. Pemberton. She was the last to die of all her siblings. She first married Reuben Morrison on 20 May 1871 in Detroit. They had two children, Reuben, Jr. and Mary Pearl Morrison. Reuben, Sr. died on 7 Apr 1892 in Wales, St. Clair, Michigan, from epileptic fits. Sarah then married Charles Jones, son of Stephen Jones and Mariam Monroe, on 9 May 1910 in Sault Ste. Marie, Chippewa, Michigan. Charles died just one month after Sarah on 15 Mar 1941 in Marysville, St. Clair, Michigan.

Note that this obituary gives Sarah's birth date as 31 Jun 1851. As we all know, there is no 31 Jun. I think the obituary meant 3 Jun 1851, as her death record gives her age as 89y, 8m, 6d. She died 9 Feb 1941.

I'm not sure that Sarah was born in Detroit, as her family does not seem to have arrived in Michigan until about 1856. They arrived in the Detroit area around that time. Previously, they lived in Ontario, possibly in Kent County. I think it is more likely that Sarah was born in Canada, as suggested by several census records and her marriage record to Reuben Morrison.

This obituary mentions the Church of Christ in Algonac, which is the church mentioned in her older sister Agnes' obituary.

The surviving daughter mentioned is Mary Pearl Morrison Tudhope, who married Robert James Tudhope on 28 Nov 1900 in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan. I have actually been in touch with the wife of Mary Pearl's grandson, a son of Llywn Pemberton Tudhope, who found my family tree on WorldConnect. She said that was the first time they had seen Sarah's maiden name. Her maiden name looks like Pemperton on her marriage record, and has been transcribed horribly in the IGI. We exchanged GEDCOM's, so now I have info on Sarah's descendants.

Sarah's son, Reuben Morrison, Jr., died on 30 Apr 1896 in Port Huron at the age of 19 from typhoid fever. This is why he is not mentioned in the obituary.

I will have to search for Sarah's grave next time I am in Port Huron. She is buried at the same cemetery as her sister, Eliza Jane Pemberton Finkle. Lakeside Cemetery is a very large cemetery not far from Lake Huron. An online transcription says Sarah is buried in Section G.