Sarah Wilson Hannegan, 1820–1907

Sarah Wilson was born in Ireland about 1820. In about 1841, she married Daniel Hannegan, most likely in Ireland. Per a response to the 1900 census, she and Daniel arrived in the United States in 1842. Their first child, Daniel, was born in New York in 1843. Their second son, John Murdoch, was born in Ohio in 1848. By 1854, they were living in St. Louis where their daughter Margaret was born. Margaret died at fifteen months of age on 3 May 1855 with burial from the Old Cathedral.

After the death of her husband in 1874, Sarah probably remained in St. Louis, although no paper record of her has been found until 1889, when the city directory shows her living at the rear of 1310 North 8th Street. Sarah lived at the St. Ann’s Widows’ Home in 1900 and appears in city directories through 1904.

In June 1904, Sarah was in a picture taken at the time of the baptism of her great-grandson, John Michael Hannegan. In the photo on the right, Sarah is seated and surrounded by Bertha Elisabeth (Deininger) Hannegan, John Louis Hannegan, and Ernestine (Winkelmeyer) Hannegan, who is holding baby John Michael.

She is thought to have died on or about 4 November 1907 with burial at Calvary Cemetery. The family believes that a transcription error in deciphering her name as Sarah “Harrigan” has muddied the waters for finding her exact date of death and burial site.

Submitted by Mary McMillan
March 2018

© 2018, St. Louis Genealogical Society

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