Older Scholfield Monument

Photo by Brian Zolak, 2012, used with persmiison

Another not to be missed photo of a Scholfield monument in Raymond Hill Cemetery in Oakdale (Montville), Connecticut with the newer monument in the background nearer the classic Connecticut stone wall. Thanks to Brian Zoldak for taking these gravestones and showing the position in the cemetery.

Notice that the headstones are in the same plot as this monument. Many granite headstones just have a first name on them or have the person's initials. This is why it is important to have a list of persons names with you when you go out to the cemetery. This way you can look for specific positioning such as husband and wife together or babies who are mentioned on the large stone and may not be in your charts at all. 

You might get a clue for a woman's maiden name if her initials reflect her birth name. Sadly many women's initials are reflect her married name and not her maiden name.

Marriage Records

Learning About Marriage Banns 

Title Page of Register Book for St. Chad's in Saddleworth (Ancestry.com)

Recorded Marriage of John Schofield and Hannah Fox, St. Chad's Saddleworth, (Ancestry.com)

#1075 John Scholefield, of this Parifh [parish], and Hannah Fox of the same [parish] were married in this Chapel by Banns this twenty-fifth Day of February in the Year One Thoufand [thousand] seven Hundred and eighty two by me, Charles Hague.

The Marriage was folemnized [solemnized]  between us John Scholefield and Hannah fox [their signatures]. In the Prefence [presence] of Arthur Scholfield [ likely his brother, signature] and Benjamin Brierley's [his mark indicating he could not write his name.

So, they were wed. John and Hannah came to America after having six children and had more born here.

Marriage Banns

Learning About Marriage Banns 

The tradition of Marriage Banns came to the New World from religious practice in countries of the Old World.

 When I attended a mock ceremony at a (Denison-Gallup) family reunion a few years ago, I noticed that the notice of this marriage was posted on a pole outside the tent. I wondered how many people noticed it so I took a photo of it and blogged about it. It amazes me that it is my MOST read blog post. As of today, more than nine hundred people have read it even though there was no photo of a gravestone included.

In my genealogical research and reading books about certain types of records, I have come to understand that it may not be possible to find a record of marriage but you might find a record of banns.  Marriage banns are NOT evidence that a marriage took place. They are separate from an actual marriage record.

Title Page (page 1) of Marriage Banns for the Parish of St. Chad in Saddleworth (Ancestry.com)

In my recent travels, I stumbled over a new group of databases from the area of Manchester, England. This group of records have wonderful images attached and on the main page of this group of databases (Ancestry.com calls them "data collections") is a resource of explanation of what is contained in these databases. From now on, I will spend more time reading these explanations which were minimal in the past when I did so much of my research. Going back over and over is hard to do.

The database "Manchester, England, Marriages and Banns 1754-1930" gave me BOTH the banns and the marriage of my ancestors, John Scholfield and his wife Hannah Fox who are buried in the Raymond Hill Cemetery in Connecticut.

Photos by Brian Zoldak, used with permission

What I knew about this couple was from a undated, not sourced newspaper clipping (transcription) found in my family Bible. 

With the great help of others, I have researched this couple from their arrival in New England down to me. 

Because, John and his brother Arthur, came to build the first woolen mill in America, they are "famous" and that makes it easy to find out more about them. If only the spelling of the name Schofield had been consistent, they would have been a whole lot less trouble.

Cause of Death: Drowned

William V. SCHOLFIELD
Originally uploaded by midgefrazel

William V. SCHOLFIELD


Drowned in the Pawcatuck River in Westerly, RI, on 4 Feb 1852, William V. SCHOLFIELD probably ventured out onto thin ice and drowned. He was only 14 years old. The flower on his grave is symbolic of a life just coming into bloom.


He is buried behind his parents, Joseph A. Scholfield (1815-1855) and his wife Eunice C. Vibber (1817-1902) who were my third great grandparents.


It is still unclear as to whether this boy had another brother named William. The History of Montville, CT lists both a William V. and a William A. in this family!


I have located both gravestones but why a family would name two boys with the same first name before the first one had died is a mystery. I am assuming that this William's middle name is Vibber (his mother's maiden name).

Previous Post: 
William V. SCHOLFIELD, son of Joseph Arthur SCHOLFIELD and Eunice C. VIBBER was born 11 Oct 1837. He was drowned in the Pawcatuck River in Westerly, RI on 4 February 1852 at the age of 14 years, 3 months and 21 days.

William was the oldest child.

Source:
History of Montville, page 275, #71 [note: this source lists another son named William who was born in 1850 and lived to adulthood but this may be incorrect as he is not listed in the household in 1850]
1850 Federal Census, Montville, CT: William is 12 years old.

Wild and Wooly

Wild and Wooly

In a undated newspaper clipping, badly photocopied and put in my family Bible was this story of how the Scholfield brothers, John and Arthur, came to this country from England. I used it as the basis of research on this line and found that it is completely true.

I purchased the Images of America book on Montville (CT) by Jon Chase, the town historian and in it found images of the woolen mill there that my ancestors built.


This is annotated by me:


"March 24, 1793, John Scholfield, his wife Hannah, six children, and his brother Arthur who lived at Standish Foot in Yorkshire England sailed from Liverpool for the United States landing a Boston, May 1793. They brought with them a complete knowledge of the construction and operation of woolen machinery.

Associating themselves with Jedediah Morse and others of wealth of Newburyport, Mass, they built and put into operation at Byfield, Mass., the first wool carding machinery that was ever successfully worked in this country. When all machinery was put into successful operation John Scholfield was agent. The business was prosperous.

John and Arthur Scholfield have the honor of being the pioneer woolen manufacturers in the United States 1793 to 1798 at Byfield, Mass.

After five years, in 1798, the brothers sold their interest in Massachusetts and moved to Montville, Conn. and leased a privilege for fourteen years until 1812. Arthur Scholfield settled at Pittsfield, Mass., 1802-1803, and John Scholfield bought a mill site of John Congdon at Stillmanville in 1806.

This mill was first a saw mill and then an oil mill. Mr. Scholfield operated it for fulling (Fulling is the process of fluffing up an already woven or knitted piece of woolen cloth ) and carding of rolls and manufactured cloth. He operated it in connection with a plant located in Montville, Conn. He died in 1820, aged 62 years.

The Scholfields were ingenious and able mechanics. In 1808, Arthur Scholfield at Pittsfield, Mass. manufactured a piece of broadcloth which President Madison’s (James Madison 1751-1856, our fourth President 1809-1817) inaugural suit was made.

The Scholfield satinets (a fabric with a finish resembling satin but made from partially or wholly from cotton or synthetic fibre) were famous."

Joseph A. SCHOFIELD

Joseph A. SCHOFIELD
Originally uploaded by midgefrazel

Joseph A. SCHOFIELD's photograph shown here was located via the interesting Web site, DeadFred. I had no photographs of Joseph in my family collection but I do have several of his wife Sarah and his daughter Nellie. Joseph and his wife share a gravestone.

Upon finding this photo online, I noted the names of the other persons with the same surname and plunged into learning more about the Scholfields. I was sure this was the right person as his daughter's photo (taken of her at about this same age as her father) shows the deep dark circles under her eyes. I discovered that Joseph's sister, Elizabeth, was also a photograph at DeadFred!

When interviewing my grandmother, she told me that Joseph was a stout man who loved rich food and had gout. Clearly, this earlier photo shows none of that. Perhaps that is why I have no later photos of him in my collection.

Eunice C. VIBBER

Eunice C. VIBBER
Originally uploaded by midgefrazel

Eunice C. VIBBER was the daughter of William VIBBER and Elizabeth LYON. She married (1) Joseph Arthur SCHOLFIELD and (2) Alpheus A. BURDICK.

Eunice4 (William3, Nathaniel2, John1), was born 2 Sept 1817, in Montville, CT, daughter of William VIBBER and his second wife Elizabeth LYON. She was the last child born to William. She married Joseph Arthur SCHOLFIELD 27 Sept 1835 and when he died she married Alpheus [date unknown]. She died 15 May 1902 [age 84 years and 9 months] at the home of her daughter, Elizabeth Scholfield MANN. She lived in Westerly from 1851 until she died of a stroke ["shock"].

In addition to her son Joseph and daughter-in-law Sarah, Eunice is buried with both husbands and two of her children.

Eunice was one of my third great-grandmothers.

Sources:
The History of Montville, p.233 #32
Westerly Sun Obituary, 15 May 1902 [source: B. Fallon]

Joseph A. SCHOLFIELD

Joseph A. SCHOLFIELD
Originally uploaded by midgefrazel

Joseph Arthur SCHOLFIELD was born 25 November 1815 in Montville, CT, married Eunice C. VIBBER 27 Sept 1835 and died 23 Apr 1855 in Westerly, RI. Joseph was the son of Joseph SCHOLFIELD and Mercy NEWBERRY of Montville, CT.

He, like his ancestors, was a woolen manufacturer. His brother Charles and he manufactured satinet at the old Scholfield Mill in Montville. He moved from Montville, CT to Westerly, RI about 1850. Joseph may have been previously buried at a small cemetery called Citizen's Ground near Stillmanville and his remains were moved here.

Joseph and Eunice had 6 children. Two of them died at a young age and are buried behind their parents.

Scholfield Section

Scholfield Section
Originally uploaded by midgefrazel

View of the four gravestones marking this SCHOLFIELD or SCHOFIELD section at River Bend Cemetery in Westerly, RI.

When taking cemetery photos, it can be helpful to take some shots of the nearby graves. After taking the photo of the gravestone of Joseph and Sarah SCHOFIELD, I discovered by looking carefully at this photo using the computer, I saw that the next stones were ones I should have taken individual photos of as they are Joseph's father, mother and step-father.

So, back I went to Westerly!

Joseph A. SCHOFIELD and Sarah F. GARDINER

Joseph A. SCHOFIELD and Sarah F. GARDINER
Originally uploaded by midgefrazel

This is the combined gravestone of Joseph SCHOFIELD and his wife Sarah F. GARDINER. They were one set of my 2nd great grandparents and the discovery of this grave gave me important clues as to who they were and their ancestors. But, not completely!

Most importantly, Joseph A. SCHOFIELD changed the spelling of his surname from his father's name as he dropped the L. His father and the line back to Saddleworth, England, spelled the name SCHOLFIELD. In my family Bible was another clue as it is a newspaper article about the SCHOLFIELD Brothers coming to America (to Massachusetts) and creating the first woolen mill in America.

Sarah F. GARDINER lived to be nearly 100 and was as "sharp as a tack" until the day she died. She was making pies the day before her death and had to be convinced to lie down. This is not going to be what happens to me as I never make pies! [I have her mincemeat pie recipe in her own handwriting.}

I have a photo of Sarah but her name in the Bible was spelled GARDNER and I am still unsure which Gardiner/Gardner line she is descended from. [Help!]

Joseph5 A. SCHOFIELD (Joseph4 A. SCHOLFIELD, Joseph3, John2, Arthur1) was born 8 July 1843 in Montville, CT, third of six children. He was a tinsmith and engineer who fought for CT in the Civil War [Company G, 5th Infantry Regiment].

Amazingly, I found his photo at DeadFred.com, along with his sister Elizabeth [Lizzie] Scholfield Mann. It shows a serious, stylish young man with dark hair and dark circles under his eyes. His only child, Nellie's photo taken at about his same age shows the same family features. It is uncanny.

Joseph died 10 March 1917 after living much of his life in Westerly, RI. My mother was just a baby when he died so she did not remember him but my grandmother described him as stout and loved rich food.

Sarah F. GARDINER was the daughter of Jabez Champlin GARDINER born in Wickford, RI (1807-1884) and Elizabeth BICKNELL born in Exeter, RI (1809-1879). She was born in April 1846 and died in 1944. Her grandfather was either named Joseph or John and his wife was Dorcas.

I THINK they are of the Rhode Island Gardiner family.