Tombstone Tuesday

SARAH A.

Wife of

W. KESINGER

Born

Apr 25 1819

Died

Oct 26 1894

Sarah A. Bean was born in Monroe County, [West] Virginia to William Bean and his wife, Rachel Wiseman Bean. She was one of 13 children born to the couple.

Sarah married Wilson KESINGER [1819 - 1892] 16 Nov 1840 in Monroe County. The couple had 13 children, 9 of whom were born in Monroe County. One after a brief move to Craig County, Virginia, and three after their move to Gilmer County, where Wilson and Sarah built a farm life for themselves.

Wilson and Sarah's children were:

Calvin [1841-1917]

Rustus [1842-1862]

Elizabeth [b. 1844]

Floyd [1845 - 1927]

Margaret [b 1847]

John [1849-1925]

William [1852 - 1881]

Edwin [1853-1858]

Martha [1856 - 1877]

Ruphena [1857 - 1893]

Oscar [1860 - 1934]

Hulda [1862 - 1936]

Virginia [1865 - 1881]

Several of the children move west to Kansas. In 1894 Sarah made her second trip to Kansas to visit her children. During her return home she stopped in West Virginia to visit a daughter before heading across the hills to her home. Her son Calvin wrote a letter stating she had enjoyed her visit with the grandchildren, eaten a good dinner and went to bed. She died in the night. Her body was carried across the hills to the family farm, where she was layed to rest beside her husband.

Although this photo depicts the stone marking Sarah's grave as broken, current owners of the farm, although not relatd, have restored the gravestones for the Kesinger cemetery on the farm, and built a protective split rail fence around the cemetery to prevent any damage.