Sarah Jane "Sally" Hutchinson : Short Biography

Sarah Jane "Sally" Hutchinson, the daughter of Knox Hutchinson and Margaret Elizabeth Forgrave, was born Presbyterian in Aghadowey, Coleraine, Derry, Ireland, in 1896. Her siblings were Margaret Hutchinson, born in 1880, in Mettican Glebe, and died single in 1937 in Belfast; William John Meek Hutchinson, born in 1882 in Mettican Glebe, and married Elizabeth E. Chism in 1908 in Philadelphia, PA; Mary Ann (Minnie) Huchinson, born in 1884 in Mettican Glebe, and married William E. Morrison Jr in Alleghany, PA, USA in 1906; Thomas James Hutchinson, born in 1886 in Mettican Glebe, married Martha Jane Halliday in 1912 in Belfast and after her death, married Euphemia Clark Bethune in 1921 in Niles, OH; Robert Knox Hutchinson, born in 1889 in Mettican Glebe, married Johanna Dalton in 1915 in Belfast; Elizabeth Forgrave Hutchinson, born 1891 in Mettican Glebe, married John Henry Bradley Sr in 1915 in Belfast; Isabella Alexandra McNeary Hutchinson born in 1894 in Mettican Glebe, married George Cree Jamison in 1914 in Belfast and after his death, she married Hugh Wallace about 1941 in Belfast; Hugh Smith Morrison Hutchinson born in 1898 in Belfast, and married Alberta A. Swager in 1935, in Erie, PA, USA.

Sally Hutchinson married Robert Charles "Stanley" Bower Jr in September 1919 at Newington Presbyterian Church in Belfast, after Stanley returned from World War I. They honeymooned at Portrush, a small seaside resort town on the north coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It neighbours the resort of Portstewart. The main part of the old town, including the railway station as well as most hotels, restaurants and bars, was built on a mile–long peninsula, Ramore Head. The houses along the water are painted all different colors, making a vibrant and relaxing contast to the bustling streets and the harbor of Belfast.

In March of 1920, Sally, Stanley, Sally's mother Margaret Forgrave Hutchinson, her sister Maggie, and brother Hugh, all immigrated to the United States, sailing in second class, aboard the Columbia, a ship originally commissioned as the "Belgic" for the White Star Lines, but was delayed in its completion by World War I until 1917, bound for Niles, OH. Sally was pregnant with their first child at the time. Sarah was a tailoress, often working with fur in Belfast, a skill she had likely learned from Stanley's sister Bertha, that was passed down from Stanley's grandfather, James Bower, who was a tailor. Sally was naturalized on 30 September 1926 in the Trumbull County Couthouse, in Warren, OH.

Until World War II, Sally did not work outside of the home. She continued to make the children's clothes, knitted socks, and had a laundry mangle in the kitchen and took in washing of sheets for other families. Sally had phlebitis, or vein inflamations in her legs that affected her for many years, often having to use crutches to walk. Sally would often trade housework for piano lessons for her children. She also did practical nursing, sometimes moving in with a family to help care for their sick loved one. When World War II broke out, Sally supported the war effort by getting a job at Packard Electric in Warren, a job she would keep for 23 years, retiring in 1965. Upon receiving her first paycheck, Sally bought the family their first refrigerator. Up until that time, they had only an ice box to keep food items cold.

Sally was a social butterfly, active in the Niles Presbyterian Church, the Church Choir, the Church Youth Group, the Church Women's Association, the Order of the Eastern Star, the Dames of Malta, the Order of the Amaranth, the White Shrine, and the Order of Beaurenat, of which many required significant contributions to community service, including feeding the neighborhood hungry. She loved to write letters and recieve mail, often staying up late at night to pen letters to friends and family. Sally kept a neat and orderly house and loved to make scones and homemade root beer for treats.

Sally enjoyed traveling, and often visited her brother William in Atlantic City when the children were growing up. One of her favorite things was to go to the Steel Pier and shop in the stores and see the Diving Horses. The kids got their first of many soft serve ice cream cones to keep them occupied while she shopped along the pier. The Diving Horse was an attraction that was popular in the mid-1880s, through 1978,  in which a horse and rider would dive into a pool of water, sometimes from as high as 60 feet. (Google: "Rare Video of the Diving Horse from Steel Pier" for a fantastic video documentation of this!)

Sally passed away 19 February 1984 at Mountain View Rehab Center in Latrobe, PA after spending seven years there. She is buried in Niles City Cemetery, Niles, OH.