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Sarah (Rose) Witt |
Sarah "Sadie" (Rose) Witt was born on Jan. 17, 1874 at Normalville, Fayette County, PA, the daughter of Andrew J. and Susanna (Minerd) Rose Sr.
On Nov. 26, 1899, when she was age 25, Sarah married 25-year-old Jacob B. Witt (June 12, 1874-1947). He was the son of David A. and Mary Maude (Bungard) Witt and was a native of Davistown/Indian Head, Saltlick Township, Fayette County. The wedding took place at her father's home, and justice of the peace A.G. Sherbondy performed the rare Sunday morning ceremony.
Sadie is said to have lost a foot one day when she was out in a field with her husband, looking for tree stumps to pull with the aid of horses. One of the horses became excited and unexpectedly bolted, dragging her for some distance.
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Rare aerial view of Indian Head |
The Witts did not reproduce. The federal census of 1910 shows the Witts living by themselves in Donegal, Westmoreland County, PA, where Jacob worked as a sawmill laborer. When her mother died in 1919, Sarah resided at Donegal and was named in the newspaper obituary.
Federal census enumerations for 1920 and 1930 show the couple in Donegal and East Huntington Township, providing a farm home for her bachelor brother Andrew Jackson Rose Jr.
In about 1944, the Witts moved to Mount Pleasant, East Huntingdon Township.
Jacob suffered at the end with chronic heart and kidney disease. On Christmas Eve 1946, he was admitted to the Westmoreland County Home in Greensburg. There, he died five days later, at the age of 73, on Dec. 29, 1946. His funeral was held at the Indian Head Church of God, followed by burial at the Sparks Cemetery.
Sadie also was burdened with chronic heart and kidney problems. She survived her spouse by a little more than a year and relocated into the home of her married brother Charles H. Rose in Rogers Mills near Normalville. After an extended illness, she died on Feb. 16, 1948, at the Rose home. Her funeral was held at the Indian Head Church of God, followed by burial in the Sparks Cemetery. At the time, said the Connellsville Courier, "Her only survivor is Charles Rose, a brother."
Copyright © 2001, 2008, 2014, 2022 Mark A. Miner