Sarah Gardiner Schofield, Pie Maker

Sarah Frances (Gardiner) Schofield

1845-1944
widow of Joseph A. Schofield, Jr.

2nd great grandmother

#52ancestors  Blog Post #19

From the family photo collection of Midge Frazel, privately held

The Westerly, Rhode Island City directory of 1945 lists the exact death date of my 99 year old second great grandmother, who lived most of her life in Rhode Island. She is buried with her husband in River Bend Cemetery in Westerly, RI. Her daughter Nellie/Ellen's birth record lists Sarah's birth location as East Greenwich, RI where every other source lists this fact as North Kingstown, RI. 

East Greenwich, RI and North Kingstown, RI share a border. In 1850, she is listed as living with her parents and siblings in East Greenwich, RI. As a family of Baptists, her baptism at the age of 11 in the First Baptist Church of Westerly, RI,  places them living there. Her older brother, George C. was baptized in 1851 so it places this family living in Westerly, having moved from East Greenwich before 1850.

Sarah's father was a twiller in the 1850 census and I remember a spinning wheel in my great aunt's home when I was a little girl. 

Joseph and Sarah lived in the house on Elm Street, in Westerly until about 1925 as Sarah is not listed in the Rhode Island State census of 1925. The whole family moved to 160 West Broad St. in nearby Pawcatuck, CT probably in that year.

My mother told me that Sarah was sharp minded in her nineties and was making pies on Memorial Day weekend and said she felt unwell so they put her to bed. She died on Monday, 29 May 1944 having never arisen from her bed. 

I can tell you that I will not be making pies the day before I die.