Mary Jane KERR [906]

   Another name for Mary was Mary CARR.

   FamilySearch ID: LWYD-9GV.

  General Notes:

Mary Gray was born in Montreal, Canada, April 16, 1836. She was married to Thomas Gray in 1864 and they continued living in Montreal until 1882, when they moved to Michigan in the United State where she lived until the death of her husband in 1891. She then moved to North Dakota and made her home with her daughter Jane, Mrs. David Milne. Later she moved west with the Milne family to Tacoma, and then to Cashmere, Washington, where she remained until her death on July 22, 1924.

In all, Mary Gray made her home with the Milne family for 26 years and for 20 of those years was an invalid.

  Noted events in her life were:

1. She immigrated from Montreal, Canada in 1882 to , Chippewa, Michigan, United States.

2. Her obituary was published in The Wenatchee Daily World on 24 July 1924 in Wenatchee, Chelan, Washington, United States.
MRS. M. GRAY, 88 YEARS OLD DIED TUESDAY

Funeral Services will be held today at Cashmere

Cashmere - Mrs. Mary Gray, 88 years of age passed away Tuesday night at 8:30 o'clock at the home of her daughter Mrs. D. Milne. Funeral services will take place at 2 o'clock Thursday afternoon from the Kueb's chapel. Mrs. Gray has made her home with Mrs. Milne for 26 years and for 20 years has been an invalid.
Came to Michigan in 1881. They owned a dairy farm in Rawdon, Quebec. They left Canada because the public schools had closed. After arriving in Sault Ste. Marie, he found property that could be bought cheap. He didn't like that territory because there was a lot of drinking and fighting. He went to Jolly's Landing on a boat, Northern Belle, and continued on foot to Mary's cousin's home in Stalwart. He knew the Reynold's and O'Brien families from Canada. He then filed a homestead claim on a piece of land on the Sand Ridge and sent for his wife and children. They stayed here for 3 years, then found a place in Stirlingville. There, they bought a tract of land from James Hill. The new home was quickly built of logs and was beside Mary's brother, Gabriel Kerr. A spring of water was handy, a river was close by, a school and church were in the process of being built, and also the land they boys were thinking of buying. He lost his arm in a shake mill while making shakes for his roof. About 1891, he died. He had made a cemetery on his land for his family. It was high and dry, he said. He was the first to be buried in it. Three days after his funeral, his only granddaughter, Mary(Robert's) was buried beside him. Elizabeth was soon after.

--- Submitted by: Aaron Sweeney <mailto:acsmsp@voyager.net>

3. Her obituary was published in The Wenatchee Daily World on 26 July 1924 in Wenatchee, Chelan, Washington, United States.
MARY JANE (KERR) GRAY

Mrs. M. Gray laid to rest at Cashmere.

The Rev. Alexander Ford of Baptist Church Preaches Sermon

Cashmere: Funeral Services were held at the Kuelb's Chapel for Mrs. Mary Gray, Thursday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock. Rev. Alexander I. Ford, pastor of the Baptist Church, preached the sermon, taking from the text from the 90th Psalm. Favorite songs of the deceased were sung by the Baptist Choir and when the service was completed at the new cemetery "Asleep in Jesus" was sung by Miss S. L. Fisher and relatives, here son in law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. David Milne, two granddaughters and three grandsons.

Mary Gray was born in Montreal, Canada, April 16, 1836. She was married to Thomas Gray in 1864 and they continued living in Montreal until 1882 then they moved to Michigan in the United State where she lived until the death of her husband. She then moved to North Dakota and made her home with her daughter Mrs. Milne. Later she came west with the family to Tacoma, and then to Cashmere, where she remained until her death on July 22, 1924.

Mrs. Gray leaves four sons and two daughters. Andrew and George of Astoria, Oregon, Thomas and Edward of Pickford, Michigan, and Mrs. William Wiggins of Moalla, Oregon and Mrs. David Milne of Cashmere.

Mrs. Gray was for six years an uncomplaining invalid, just longing to go home. For over four years she was deprived of her sight, but she had stored her mind with Bible truth and its teachings were hid in her heart. She could recite almost entire chapters of it.

In all these years of feebleness and blindness her faith never wavered and her testimony was that God was her comfort and stay, and that his words endured forever.

She was over 88 years of age when she died. She was permitted to see a ripe old age and to test her faith in a Living Christ through many trials and sorrows.

[graytree.ftw] Name was Carr in Canada, then when they moved here they changed to Kerr. Died at 96 in Jane's house in Oregon.

--- Submitted by: Aaron Sweeney <mailto:acsmsp@voyager.net>

Mary married Thomas GRAY, Sr. [905] [MRIN: 350] on 6 February 1855. (Thomas GRAY, Sr. [905] was born on 13 October 1830 in Rawdon, Matawinie, Quebec, Canada, died in 1891 in Pickford, Chippewa, Michigan, United States and was buried in 1891 in Stirlingville, Chippewa, Michigan, United States.)