Memorials › Pearl Gertrude Chitwood Jenkins
Pearl Gertrude Chitwood Jenkins
17 Jul 1880 – 23 May 1898
| Birth | 17 Jul 1880 |
| Death | 23 May 1898 |
| Cemetery | Belmont Cemetery Ector , Fannin County , Texas , USA |
| Added by | Ben Cynova on 21 Feb 2008 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24805623 |
Bio
Pearl Gertrude Chitwood (1880–1898) Early Life and Family Pearl Gertrude Chitwood was born 17 July 1880 in Ector, Fannin County, Texas, the eldest daughter of Sparrell Hale Chitwood and Mary Cassandre "Cassie" Stephenson. She grew up in a large farming family on the plains of north Texas, experiencing both the promise and hardship common to rural families of the late 19th century. Pearl witnessed the birth and early loss of her younger sister Eulla Lee, as well as the arrival of several brothers who later became central figures in the extended Chitwood family's migration west. Marriage and Young Motherhood At just 15 years old, Pearl married on 25 January 1896 in Fannin County, Texas. Like many young women of her era, she stepped immediately into the responsibilities of rural married life—housekeeping, farm labor, and the expectation of early motherhood. Tragic Death in Childbirth Pearl became pregnant early on, and on 22 May 1898 she gave birth to her son, Pearl Jenkins. Complications set in almost immediately after delivery. Despite the efforts available in rural Texas at the time—long before antibiotics, blood transfusions, or modern obstetric care—Pearl died the next day on 23 May 1898, at only 17 years old. Her infant son survived into adulthood, but Pearl's death was deeply felt among the Chitwood family. Her passing marked the first major loss among the siblings, occurring years before her father's death and decades before the family dispersed across Texas and New Mexico. Legacy Pearl's story reflects the realities for many young frontier women: early marriage, early motherhood, and the ever-present danger of childbirth. Though her life was short, her son carried forward her line, and her memory endured within a family that later traveled far from Ector—but never forgot its beginnings. Sources Texas birth, marriage, and local records — birth 17 Jul 1880; marriage 25 Jan 1896, Fannin Co. Chitwood family census entries (1880–1900) — confirm household composition and sibling timeline. Local Fannin County records — death 23 May 1898; childbirth of Pearl Jenkins, 22 May 1898. Sibling birth and death records — contextual family chronology (Eulla Lee, Clyde, Floyd, Bernice, Gay, Bruce, Earl).
Inscription
Closed are thy sweet eyes From this world of pain But I trust in God To meet thee again
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Family
Parents
Spouse
Siblings
- Ausburn Brown Chitwood 1868–1941
- Hernest H. Chitwood 1870–1873
- Martin Luther Chitwood 1873–1921
- Eula Lee Chitwood 1882–1883
- Clyde Timothy Chitwood 1883–1942
- Floyd Clinton "Bill" Chitwood 1886–1959
- Bernice Shedrick Chitwood 1889–1966
- Dona Gay Chitwood Montgomery 1891–1985
- Bruce Chitwood 1893–1963
- Earl Chitwood 1896–1976
- Leonard Leondus "Lyn" Chitwood 1902–1971
- Bluford Blanton Chitwood 1907–1986
Children
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