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Sarah Gehring Kennedy

Last Name: Gehring Kennedy
First Name: Salome Anna
Dates:
(Place of Death)
12.4.1876 (Date of Birth)
Biography/History: Salome Anna Gehring was born on 12 April 1876 in Silver City, Montana to Francis “Frank” Gehring (1846-1927) (born Franz Göhring in Dunningen, Wurtemburg, Germany) and Julia Mathilda O’Conner (1856-1931), of Logansport, Indiana. Frank and Julia were married on 30 May 1875 at the St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Logansport. Soon after their marriage, Frank and Julia moved to Montana, where Salome, the first of their children, was born. Salome, also known as Sarah and Sally, was named for her paternal grandmother. Frank Gehring had come to the U.S. as a small child with his parents Johannes Gehring (1798-1850) and Salome Mertz Gehring (1810-1871). The family settled in the DeKalb, Indiana area, where Johannes, who had been a tilemaker in Germany, took up farming, and where Frank learned the trade. Salome’s mother, Julia family originated from Scotland and Ireland, having settled in Indiana also. In 1882, when Salome was six, Frank and Julia moved their family to a ranch outside Great Falls, Montana. Salome's younger sister Jessie had the distinction of being the first female child born in Great Falls in 1886, three years after its founding. The Gehrings were in Great Falls for the 1900 census, but at some point after that they moved to Spokane. When she was young, Salome contracted polio and from then on, she had to wear a built-up shoe and she walked with a cane. Family lore holds that she turned to Christian Science to heal her polio. On 8 November 1905, Salome Gehring married Jonathan “John” C. Kennedy of Vernon, Ontario, Canada. Jonathan was the son of John Kennedy originally from Scotland and Eliza “Lizzie” Montgomery of Northern Ireland. Jonathan and Salome’s marriage was officiated by Dr. Wallace of the Congregational Church in Spokane. The couple farmed in both Spokane and Asotin counties, but by 1940, they had moved to Missoula. On 13 June 1948, Jonathan died in Missoula of a cerebral hemorrhage. He was buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Spokane. Salome lived in Missoula for another 22 years following her husband’s death. She died there on 10 July 1970 and was also buried at the Riverside Cemetery in Spokane. Perhaps due to the polio, Salome and Jonathan never had children.
Related Objects:
4433.1 (Block, Quilt, Crazy Quilt Block, Early 20th Century)
4433.2 (Quilt, Central Star Quilt, 1925 - 1945)