Jeremiah Thomas Sauntry

Jeremiah Thomas Sauntry 12/23/1855 born in Rathbarry, County Cork, Ireland (Near Clonakilty) 10/25/48 died in Kalispell, Mont. U.S.A., lived 93 years. Immigrated to U.S. in 1876

From AURORA COUNTY SOUTH DAKOTA, ROBEY CEMETERY, Located in Washington township, 14 miles south and 4 miles west of White Lake.

Robey Cemetery, St. Willibrord Robey Catholic Church.

Sauntry, Jeremiah, born 1854, died 1949

From Phil Sauntry:

Jeremiah Thomas Sauntry was born with defective eyesight so he never learned to read or write, but he learned his prayers in Gaelic from an Irish Priest and never forgot his Gaelic prayers. He learned his English from his brothers and sisters as he grew up and acquired an excellent vocabulary without learning to read or write the language. Whenever he received a letter from home he always had one of his pals read it for him and he dictated the answer to said pals. He also immigrated in 1876, the same year as Mary Campbell. He landed in New York and the first work he got was on an oyster boat on Oyster Bay, N.Y. He was unloading a cargo of oysters on the Maryland side of the Bay when a well-dressed prosperous looking man came over and called out: "Hey, Irish, how would you like a job on a dairy farm over in Maryland?" Jeremiah went to his oyster boat employer and got his release with a check and he was milking cows that afternoon and for the ensuing two weeks when he was assigned to a milk route. One of his big customers was Mrs. Stockholm’s Boarding House, where the Irish maid, Mary Campbell was on hand to meet the milkman when he arrived with her order. They were married at Immaculate Conception Church in Washington D.C. on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27, 1879 and Mrs. Stockholm was at the church. She had never been in a Catholic Church before in her lifetime and was so thrilled by the ceremony that she later became a Catholic. The wedding breakfast was ready for the newlyweds and all of the boarders were present at the breakfast and the reception in the afternoon. Mary's relatives in Cherokee, Iowa, began, as soon as they learned of her marriage, to urge her and her husband to come to Cherokee. In the early fall of 1880 they went West to Cherokee. Three of her brothers helped to build a little house for them and her Uncle John O'Hagan was also of great help and support. Mary wanted some chickens and he provided her with a flock of chickens. They also wanted a cow and John O'Hagan drove Jeremiah to a public auction where he bid $8.00 for a cow. No one else wanted the cow so he got a real bargain. This all took place in 1881. Their first child, J. T. Sauntry (Philip's father) was born on 12/6/1881. They later had three more sons and two girls. Daniel was Margaret Lyman's father.

From Mary Campbell Sauntry's written history (From Margaret Sauntry Redding):

(after arriving in Cherokee) Uncle Dan Campbell, Mother's brother, and Jerry (Jeremiah Sauntry), our dear old Dad, found good work with the Illinois Central Railroad in Cherokee, but South Dakota was calling Dad (Jeremiah) to bet his life, his son JT, 3, daughter, Mary (the author), 2, and baby son Patrick, nine months old, and Mother that he could prove upon and build a home on that South Dakota prairie. He won.

We travelled out from Cherokee, Iowa to Charles Mix County, South Dakota in a covered wagon and Mother often told how she nearly lost her girl at the ferryboat crossing at the Sioux River. We were in the wagon on the boat but Mother thought best for us to get out and sit on the flatboarrd. When the first jerk of the boat moving I ran off into the deepwater. But the good sailor boy was near and as he quickly caught me while my dress held me from sinking till he grabbed me and gave me back to my Mom. Our Mom often told of son JT being so surprised when he first wok up in the homestead cabin. He asked "Mom, why did we sleep in the hen house?"

Uncle Dan Cmpabell stayed with the Illinois Central RR Co. and when he was Division Supt. (about 1899) he wrote to Mom Sauntry that he wanted to see her, JT, and Mary and was sending a RR pass for we two to get our first train ride and come down to Cherokee, our birthplace. We had a tough wagon ride to Armour, South Dakota for Dad was taking two fat porkers in the back of the high wagon as he wanted the cash to give to we "childer" for our trip. From Armour, SD then to Cherokee, Iowa was our first Bit of Travel and it is still a pleasant memory. We two young pioneers with the eats that Mother had sent in that shoebox sure saw the towns, fields and paririe slip by and were seeing Cherokee, Iowa. Aunt Clare, Unlce Dan, John, Paul, Isabelle, Alice, Grace, and young Dan made our ife in their home a real thrill and the greatest blessing was the opportunity Aunt Clara offered me to stay with her to finish 8th grade year work in Roosevelt School near their home and help her at home. I loved that opportunity as that gave me an assurance to pass the Teacher's Examination which came up in the summer as I returned to Charles Mix County, SD only in my 14th year. The Supt. could not issue my certificate until I'd be 17 on the 10th. (?) Luck came my way when Kate Hishen said she was anxious to resign her school teaching job on the beginning fo February if I would come to teach in Geese Lake Township and I could stay at her home, Mr. and Mrs. Sam Simphen's. So it was God's will that I start teaching as soon as I passed my 17th birthday. I loved the 24 young grade shool pupils over there west of Geddes, South Dakota.