Johnston - Sarah Keller - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

Mrs. Archibald Johnston died at her home on East Main Street, Saturday afternoon at 3 o’clock, at the advanced age of 84 years. Since the first of the year she has been declining in health on account of old age and for four weeks she has been bedfast with dropsy. The funeral occurred Sunday afternoon at 4 o’clock and was conducted by Rev. Cornelius Airhart, of Advance, and Rev. S. W. Goss. The interment was at the Masonic Cemetery.

Mrs. Johnston’s maiden name was Sarah Keller and she was the daughter of Jonathan Keller, who came from Virginia, and Mary Keller, of North Carolina. She was born near Corydon, Aug. 19, 1816, and at the age of 12 years went on horseback with her parents to Wabash County, then a dense wilderness inhabited by Indians. Five years later the family went to Huntington, where Mr. Keller had a contract on the Wabash & Erie Canal, then being constructed. It was there she met Archibald Johnston, the wedding occurring in 1835, Feb. 3. They moved to Putnamville, later to Wabash and still later settled at Greencastle. In 1865 they came to Darlington, where they lived until their removal to Crawfordsville in 1882. Two years later Mr. Johnston died, since which time Mrs. Johnston has lived with her son, James B., and her daughter, Martha.

She was the mother of eleven children, two of whom died in infancy, and the others survive her. They are: Mrs. Mary McCullough, of Brazil; I. N. Johnston, of Darlington; Martha A. Johnston, of this city; Rev. John A. Johnston, of Lebanon; Mrs. Louisa E. Larrick, of Crawfordsville; Mrs. Alice B. Cox, of Darlington; Charles, James B. and Wm. H. Johnston, of this city.

Mrs. Johnston was a life long adherent of the Primitive Baptist Church, although not a member of the organization. She was a pioneer of Indiana, suffering all the hardships incident to such a life and doing her full share toward making the country ready for the advanced civilization which we now enjoy. In a quiet but none the less effective way, she was charitable to the full extent of her ability, and her cheerfulness and ever ready wit made her at all times a most entertaining hostess and a welcome guest. She was a type of that ever decreasing number to whom the present generation in Indiana owes so much. - thanks to "S" for all her great obit work :)