George H. and Sarah (Wright) Lemmon

LEMMON, WRIGHT, JONES, BARRATT, RUTHERFORD, JENSEN

Posted By: Jennifer J. Jensen (email)
Date: 5/9/2004 at 12:15:39

George H. and Sarah (Wright) Lemmon

George Hice Lemmon, son of Robert Smith and Sarah (Hice) Lemmon was born on August 22, 1856, in Fairfield, Jefferson County, Iowa.

George’s family can be traced to the 1750’s in Ireland and includes numerous Revolutionary War and Civil War veterans from Pennsylvania. His great-great grandfather, William Lemmon, came to the American colonies in the mid-1750’s on the ship Welcome. He brought his wife and six children from County Tyrone, Ireland. His children were William, Thomas, James, John, Robert, and Mary Ann.

William and all of his sons served in the Revolutionary War. William, Jr., George’s great-grandfather, was a 2nd Lieutenant and acted as a spy between American and British forts during the war.

Religiously, the Lemmon family was Presbyterian. William Lemmon, Jr. is recorded as serving on the first session of what is today the Fort Palmer Presbyterian Church near Ligonier, Pennsylvania. Many of the early Lemmons are buried in the church cemetery there.

George Lemmon married Sarah Wright on September 9, 1877, in Jefferson County, Iowa.

Sarah Elizabeth Wright, daughter of Isaac W. and Eunice Lavina (Zion) Wright, was born on December 23, 1860 in Fairfield, Jefferson County, Iowa. Sarah’s great-great-grandmother was Lucy (McCormick) Zion of Virginia, a relative of Cyrus McCormick, the inventor of the reaper.

Sarah’s family were pioneer settlers east of Audubon. In 1878, the Isaac Wright purchased Section 22 east of present day Audubon from the railroad and moved to the farm he established in 1880. SEE ALSO: Isaac W. and Eunice Lavina (Zion) Wright

The Lemmons were the parents of six children: Robert (August 6, 1878); Charles (October 20, 1882); Effie Throckmorten (July 21, 1887); George Sherman (July 11, 1889); Mae Jones (October 18, 1893); and J. Arthur (March 1, 1896).

George and Sarah joined the Wrights on the family farm in Audubon in 1880. They later lived near Cozad, Nebraska, and Musselshell County, Montana. While they made their home in Nebraska, George moved to the northeast corner of Colorado where he homesteaded for land by planting 40 acres of trees. Prior to World War I, George also homesteaded in Musselshell County, Montana, with his daughter, Mae.

In addition to raising her family, Sarah served as a midwife in Nebraska, Montana, and Iowa. She was never paid cash for her work, but instead received clothing as payment for the deliveries.

The Lemmons moved from Montana to Sarah’s family farm in Iowa in 1929, following the unexpected death of Sarah’s brother, Jacob Wright. George sold his homestead land holdings in Colorado and Montana after he returned to Iowa. Both remained on the farm in Audubon until their deaths in 1948.

George and Sarah were married over 70 years. They are buried in Maple Grove Cemetery.

Several grandchildren of George and Sarah Lemmon who continue to make their homes in the area are Audrey Jensen of the Friendship Home and Bernice Barratt (Duane) of Irwin, Iowa.