Sarah Timentwa Ross 1798 - 1884
Early lifeSarah “Sally” (Timentwa) Ross was born in the Columbia River area of British Columbia, in 1798. Sarah was a member of the Sylix (Okanagan) Nation. While information on her family is limited, her father could have possibly been named Shenamaken and her mother Kinemtaqu, but there is no definitive sources that can confirm this.
Older sources indicate that Sarah was the daughter of a Chief, but recent scholarship indicates that this is not true. One source suggests that her family gained prominence (later becoming Chiefs) due to her relationship with Alexander Ross. |
Sarah "Sally" Timentwa Ross
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Sylix territory
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Family and life on the settlementSarah married Alexander Ross in 1813 in British Columbia at the age of 14; he was 30 at that time. Alexander later retired from the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1825, then relocated to the Red River Settlement. Sarah remained in the Okanagan for one year after Alexander left for their new home. During this time she raised their children and prepared to move to the Red River Settlement in 1826. Her journey across the Rockies and prairies with the four children was difficult, but was likely done with the aid of connections through the fur trade. Sarah ended the trip in the Spring with one child strapped to her back, one sitting in front of her sharing the saddle, and the other two on a separate horse. Unfortunately, when Sarah arrived, she was met with the devastating 1826 flood that had ruined the home Alexander had set up for the newly settled family.
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One book published in 1994 states that the Timentwa family remains suspicious of white men marrying their daughters to this day, because Sarah and her children followed Alexander to the Red River Settlement. Sarah’s departure was traumatic for her family, as they never saw her or her children again. This story offers an interesting lesson about historical perspectives:
While Alexander took it for granted that "his" wife and "his" children should follow him, Sarah's family likely saw him as an outsider who was welcomed into their family and their community. He repaid their hospitality and support in trade by breaking apart their extended family for his own benefit.
While Alexander took it for granted that "his" wife and "his" children should follow him, Sarah's family likely saw him as an outsider who was welcomed into their family and their community. He repaid their hospitality and support in trade by breaking apart their extended family for his own benefit.
Sarah and Alexander had a total of nine children together before he passed in 1856:
Sarah was remembered as a kind and caring mother who taught her children traditional skills from her upbringing in the Okanagan. She was seen as a Grandmother figure, called "Granny Ross", by many in the Settlement.
Alexander wrote about their marriage in one of his books, where he described their relationship as tender and expressed his love for her. Other aspects of their relationship raise questions for modern readers: He was twice her age when they met; her birth name was never recorded, Alexander simply writes that "he called her Sally"; and he also wrote describing his worry about her Indigenous heritage and influence on their children. Family letters reveal that Sarah's own daughters were ashamed of being seen in public with their visibly-Indigenous mother, and would walk separately to church.
She was baptized into Christianity with the name "Sarah" when she married Alexander, and carried on practicing her faith until her death in 1884 at the age of 86.
- Alexander Ross (1812-1835). Named after his father.
- Margaret (Ross) Matheson (1819-1841). She married a local carpenter, Hugh Matheson.
- Isabella (Ross) Green (1821-1864). Her first marriage was to William Gunn, and her second was to James M. Green.
- Mary (Ross) Flett (1823-1884). She married Reverend George Flett Jr.
- William Ross (1825-1856). He and his wife Jemima (McKenzie) Ross Coldwell were the original owners of Ross House Museum.
- Henrietta (Ross) Black (1830-1873). She married Reverend John Black, the first Presbyterian minister in the Settlement.
- Sarah (Ross) Cunningham (1832-1868). She married James Cunningham.
- James Ross (1835-1871). James became a noted lawyer and served as Minister of Justice in Riel's Provisional Government in 1869/1870.
- Jemima (Ross) Coldwell (1837-1867). Jemima married William Coldwell before her sudden death at the age of 30. William Coldwell later married her widowed sister-in-law, also named Jemima.
Sarah was remembered as a kind and caring mother who taught her children traditional skills from her upbringing in the Okanagan. She was seen as a Grandmother figure, called "Granny Ross", by many in the Settlement.
Alexander wrote about their marriage in one of his books, where he described their relationship as tender and expressed his love for her. Other aspects of their relationship raise questions for modern readers: He was twice her age when they met; her birth name was never recorded, Alexander simply writes that "he called her Sally"; and he also wrote describing his worry about her Indigenous heritage and influence on their children. Family letters reveal that Sarah's own daughters were ashamed of being seen in public with their visibly-Indigenous mother, and would walk separately to church.
She was baptized into Christianity with the name "Sarah" when she married Alexander, and carried on practicing her faith until her death in 1884 at the age of 86.
