Sunday, May 11, 2014

Sarah Margaret Borah 1890's Grinnell, Kansas


"grandpa Borah
we all called Him= Wife
where mother worked in 1891
The woman who lernt mother
to paint cenry (scenery) + do protrates (portraits) and
mother got good at it and later
painted several pictures and protrates of her grandpa and grandma
which I have to day. Mother
loved the old lady. and rode a bike
from home to Grinnell to be with
her at her death and funeral.
She was John Borah's grandmother."

The story on the back is what drew me to this picture. It makes me wonder where all those paintings are now and if they're still in the family. The woman sounds like she was rather remarkable and well-liked, especially if the writer's mother rode her bike all the way from home just to be with her at her death.

If you know who this may be, let us know in the comments. And a very happy Mother's Day to everyone!

4 comments:

  1. I think "Burah" and "Baas" are both Boras, and "Gunnell" is actually "Grinnell" which is in Iowa (or perhaps it is the one in Kansas).

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    1. Hoxie is about 25 miles from Grinnell, Kansas. A long, but doable bike ride.

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  2. Sarah Margaret Borah nee' Kilby (Dec. 29, 1836 - May 14, 1901) the wife of Edmund H. Borah.

    She is in Find a Grave: http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=91698403

    Her son, Dell Adolphus Borah (Jul. 21, 1859 - Oct. 25, 1939) (http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=101195521) had a son John Edmund Borah (23 Oct 1890 - Jul 1972) in Grinnell, Kansas.

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    1. Thank you so much for the information! I couldn't get anything on her and now I see I was just using the wrong last name. Now that I have her full name, I'm sure it'll be easier for people to find her. Thanks again!

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