September 30, 1867 – May 21, 1961
Annie Miller was born on September 30, 1867 in Mallow, Cork, Ireland to William and Sarah Jean Medhurst Sanborn. Annie’s father died shortly after Annie was born. The family, mother Sarah Jean and older sisters Louise and Bessie emigrated to the United States sometime after the 1871 England census. They journeyed across the vast country on the cinder-filled cars of early day trains and settled in Visalia. Early schooling was in Tulare county.
In 1880 Annie was living with her sister Bessie and her husband Caesar Johnson and sister Louise in Visalia.
On her first visit to Lemoore in 1883 to visit Mrs. S.A. Sanborn. It was a long hot drive from Visalia, “for miles we drove through wheat fields, in some places the wheat had been harvested, and sheep were grazing on the stubble. Outside of willows growing in the banks of ditches, no trees were in sight form the time we left Goshen until we reached Lemoore. Here we found many poplars or cottonwood trees, a few mulberry and figs, some walnut trees.” Coming several years later, “we left San Francisco at 4:30 PM and arrived at Goshen at 4:30 AM the next morning, then by horse and buggy to Lemoore. Lemoore had not changed much; we had wood stoves, coal oil lamps, tubs and washboard, and hand pumps. One housewife had a ringer washing machine. No phones, no plumbing and ice only on special occasions. The Forth of July was one of the occasions. Ice was hauled from Visalia.”
In 1888 Annie moved to Lemoore. On November 13, 1889 she married William Horace Sanborn. He was a merchant operating the W. H. Sanborn general merchandise store. Later William would be mayor of Lemoore and also became a justice of the peace. The Sanborn’s would have six children. Elmer, Flora, Evelyn, William, Ada and Alvin. While the children were in school Annie was active in the work of the “mothers club” that was created by high school principal J. F. Graham and was composed of mothers of high school students. She was one of the early presidents of this forerunner of the PTA. Working with the elementary school mothers club she was active in creating a hot lunch program.
Annie was a charter member of the Lemoore Women’s Club when it was organized in 1893. As chairperson of child welfare she was instrumental in establishing the library in 1912, the first preschool clinic and the first community nurse.
June 15, 1931 saw the appointment of George Barre Phipps, Annie Sanborn and Jesse C. Poindexter by the Kings County Board of Supervisors as the three trustees for the Lemoore Cemetery District. At the first meeting, held November 2, 1932, Annie Sanborn was elected president, Jesse C. Poindexter, vice president and George Barre Phipps, secretary. She was local chairperson of the Red Cross for many years. It has been said that Annie was synonymous with the Red Cross.
Annie was one of the longest subscribers of the Lemoore Advance, starting in 1888.
Annie moved to Southern California to take care of the house of her son Dr Alvin Sanborn. She died May 21, 1961 in Fontana.She is buried in Lemoore Cemetery.