Carrie Idelia Gray 1878-1922

I know very little about my father's mother.  She was born on June 15, 1878 to Ashfield John Gray and Adelia (Della) Seely Gray.  Carrie was the oldest of 3 children. Her younger sister, Arabella (or Isabella) married Augustus (Gus) James Fitzsimmons and had 8 children. Her brother, Alfred, may have had a mental disability.  He lived with his mother most of his life but was found in the Retreat Hospital for the Insane, Newport, PA in the 1920 census.  I have located a 1914 newspaper article in which he reportedly attacked his mother. The headline on this article is as follows:
"Crazed, Twice Shoots Defender of Mother
Fires Bullet Into Border's Head and Hand, Then Barricades Himself for Twelve Hours"
In 1930 he was back living with his mother.  In her will, Della specified that Alfred was to be cared for.

Carrie was born in Fell Township, Lackawanna, PA.  She appear there with her parents in the 1880 census.  By 1900, she appears in South Canaan, living with her grandfather, Jonas Seely (photo at left) and is still living there in 1910.  Sometime in the next few years she met and married my grandfather, Joseph Paynter. They had 2 sons, Russell born in 1913 and Clayton, born in 1916.  The marriage was short however.  Carrie contracted breast cancer and died Feb 1, 1922.   She was 43 years old.   Here is her obituary, from the Wayne Independent, Honesdale, PA, Feb 7, 1922:

"The funeral of Mrs. Joseph Paynter was held last Friday afternoon at one o'clock at her late home in Waymart and was largely attended by friends and relatives. The services were in charge of Rev. Mr. Lloyd, pastor of the Presbyterian church of which the deceased was a member.  Mrs. Paynter was a highly respected resident of Waymart where she spent the greater part of her life. She is survived by her husband and two little sons, Russell and Clayton, aged 9 and 6; also by her mother, Mrs. Della Gray; one brother, Alfred of Parsons; one sister, Mrs. G. Fitzsimmons of Forest City."

Carrie is buried in Canaan Corners cemetery, next to Joseph.