Sarah (Crowther) Makinson
born March 20, 1807 in England
died April 21, 1891, in Afton, Iowa

Obituary:

Mrs. Sarah Makinson, mother of Mrs. J. B. Jennings, who was stricken with apoplexy on Wednesday last week, lingered in an unconscious state until Tuesday morning, expiring at 4:30 AM. The deceased lady, whose maiden name was Sarah Crowther, was born in England on March 20, 1807, and consequently had arrived at the good age of 84 years and 28 days. Her father was one of the early Methodist ministers under the immediate charge of John Wesley himself. She was married to Geo. Makinson, a prominent attorney of Manchester. England, and removed with him to the United States, settling in Missouri in 1840. In 1853 she moved to Illinois, and there her husband died in 1875. She came to Iowa in 1879, where she has since resided, making her home with Mr. and Mrs. Jennings. She has five children, two sons and three daughters. One son is now in New Mexico; the other resides in Shenandoah, Iowa, and was present at her death. One daughter resides at Crawfordsville, Indiana. The others are Mrs. Alex. Beath, of Thayer, and Mrs. J. B. Jennings, of Afton, who is the youngest. The remains accompanied by the relatives left on No. 4, Tuesday afternoon for Dayton, Ill., there to be interred beside her husband. Death comes to all, and though to be expected, in the case of one so aged, is always attended with sorrowful thoughts. The sons and daughters have the consolation of knowing that their mother lived a noble, Christian life, true to the doctrines instilled in early childhood, and was with them much longer than the usual term allotted to human life. The sorrowing family is assured that while their recent advent among us has prevented all our citizens from being thoroughly acquainted, yet their sorrow is shared, and the hope is expressed that time will heal their sorrow.¹

1. The Afton [Iowa]  Enterprise, April 23,1891