Bio of Sarah Frances Anderson
Sarah Frances Anderson was born 26 April 1811, the second daughter and third child of Edmund Anderson and his wife Frances Moore. She was probably born at the community of Milton in Albemarle county Virginia. When Sarah Anderson was about two years old, her mother died, and her father quickly remarried to Nancy Cole. She was probably the mother that she most remembered. About 1815 the Anderson family removed to the town of Richmond. Nothing further is known of her childhood.
On the 25th of November 1833, Sarah Frances Anderson was married to David Michie of Richmond Virginia. This marriage followed only a few months after the marriage of her older sister Pamelia Anderson to Philip Slaughter Fry of Orange county Virginia.
There has been some good work done on the Michie family in Virginia, but I have not been able to confirm the parentage and ancestry of David Michie. It seems most likely that he is the son of William Michie and his wife Susan Michie (likely daughter of Patrick Michie). If this is correct, then our David Michie would be the grandson of an earlier William Michie and his second wife, Ann Mills. William Michie (grandfather) was the owner of the well-known Michie Tavern that is still operating in the town of Charlotte Court House Virginia.
There is a delightful article at michietavern.com giving a brief history of the tavern. It begins:
A Virginia Historic Landmark MICHIE TAVERN, located mile below Jefferson's Monticello, accommodated travelers with food, drink and lodging more than 200 years ago. Today, visitors experience the Tavern's past through an historical journey which recreates 18th-century tavern life. Servers in period attire offer bountiful Colonial Midday Fare.
David Michie and Sarah Frances Anderson settled in Richmond Virginia after their marriage. I have not discovered the nature of his work, but he appears in various records. In 1838 David Michie stood security for his father-in-law, Edmund Anderson, during Anderson's financial troubles.
I have tried, in vain, to locate the Michie family in the 1850 census wishing to get a good feel for their family. The 1860 census indicates three "grown" children still at home, Fannie M Michie, Susan Michie, and William Michie. These three children remain in a household together through the 1900 census, Fannie and Susan never marrying. David Michie and Sarah Frances Anderson may have had other children, but I have not been able to identify them.
1860 Census of Henrico county Virginia; Richmond
David Michie; 50 (1810) Virginia; farmer
Sarah Michie; 48 (1812) Virginia
Fannie M Michie; 23 (1837) Virginia
Susan Michie; 21 (1839) Virginia
William Michie; 19 (1841) Virginia
Edwin (Edmund?) Anderson; 75 (1785) Virginia
1870 Census of Charlotte county Virginia, Roanoke
William Michie; 29, Virginia; medical doctor
Sarah Michie; 45, Virginia
Fannie Michie; 32, Virginia
Susan Michie; 30, Virginia
note: If Sarah Michie is the mother of William Michie, she should be about 58 years of age.
During the Civil War David Michie was aged just past fifty. He has an extensive Confederate Citizens folder. Living in Richmond Virginia, he supplied basics like horse fodder, and also lead for bullets. In 1862 he received orders to clean up the battlefield outside of Richmond, and there are several interesting letters related to this work.
David Michie must have died between 1860 - 1870. When and where he is buried is not known. Sarah Frances Anderson Michie moved into the household of her son, William Michie in, or near Roanoke Virginia. When she died in 1874 she was noted as living in the community of Charlotte Court House.
Sarah Frances Anderson Michie died on the 2nd of April 1874, at the age of sixty-two. Her obituary was published in the Charlotte Gazette, of Charlotte Court House Virginia, on 9th April 1874:
At her residence near Charlotte C.H., April 2d. Mrs. Sarah Frances, widow of the late David Michie, Esq.
Mrs. Michie was formerly from Richmond, and her father was for many years postmaster in that city. She was eminently domestic in her habits and tastes, a good mother, an agreeable companion, and a consistent member of the Presbyterian church. Her health has been feeble for some time, and during her illness she has been sustained by the power of Christian faith. Her remains were deposited in the cemetary in this village.
- obituary submitted by Beatrice Adams King.
Evidence of three children of Sarah Frances Anderson Michie appears in the census records of Roanoke, Charlotte county Virginia.
1870 Census of Charlotte county Virginia, Roanoke
William Michie; 29, Virginia; medical doctor
Sarah Michie; 45, Virginia
Fannie Michie; 32, Virginia
Susan Michie; 30, Virginia
note: If Sarah Michie is the mother of William Michie, she should be about 58 years of age.
1880 Census of Roanoke Virginia
Wm. E. Michie; 39, Virginia; physician
Fanny M. Michie; 43, Virginia; sister
Susan A. Michie; 40, Virginia; sister
1900 Census of Charlotte county Virginia
William E Mechie; 60, Virginia
Martha A Mechie; 42, Virginia
Baker Farrah (Farrar); 16, Virginia
Herman P Farrah; 14, Virginia
Carroll J Farrah (m); 12, Virginia
Willie Farrah (f); 8, Virginia
Fannie M Mechie; 64, Virginia
Sue A Mechie; 62, Virginia
Notes for Sarah Frances Anderson; compiled by Pamela Hutchison Garrett, 2013; for Family Stories at pamgarrett.com.
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