Another new life for Edward Sandford

In 1888, great grandfather Edward had been the Pastor of the Baptist Church for 15 years and was revered by his parishioners and the Saint Johnsbury, Vermont community at-large. At age 48, he had already experienced more in life than most could imagine. It would be reasonable to predict he would continue in his position for another 15 years and settle comfortably into retirement. In fact, Edward was on the threshold of a sequence of events which, over the next four years, would once again change his life.

A June 14, 1888 newspaper notice portends the changes to come.

Edward’s wife Saada (Sarah) Spear Sandford died the following day. According to her obituary she had been in decline for 15 years after falling on ice and injuring her spine. There are indications that she had been prone to illnesses for much of her life–In 1866 Edward had almost declined the position of Consul to China because of her illness, and his 1869 resignation was, at least in part, due to the need to care for her.

It is not completely clear why Saada and Edward never had children. They were married for 25 years. The first 5 years Edward was away most of the time, first in the war, and then in China. There might have been a chance for children between Edward’s return in 1869 and Saada’s accident in 1873, but nothing happened and her overall health seems the most likely explanation.

A side note on Saada–a part of the 1880 Census listing farm assets shows that she held substantial assets in her own name, including more than 100 acres of land in Maine, probably inherited through her prominent family.

13 months after Saada’s death, Edward was remarried to Annie Calderwood, whose ancestry we have previously explored.

Annie, our great grandmother, shows up in the historical record at least 8 years prior to the marriage. The 1880 census shows that she was employed by Edward and Saada as a housekeeper, and probably a caretaker for Saada as her health declined.

That Edward and Annie might someday leave Saint Johnsbury is foreshadowed in the fall of 1889, when Edward receives, and ultimately rejects a job offer from a larger pastorate in nearby Burlington, VT. Edward’s health also starts coming up as an issue during this time, as cited in his explanation for declining the position.

Nine months after their marriage, Edward and Annie had their first child, Saada, our great aunt. We can’t be sure that she was named in honor of Edward’s first wife, but it seems likely given that both Edward and Annie cared for her for many years.

Later in 1890, Annie lost her sister Mary at age 30. Recall that Annie’s parents, John and Elizabeth, had moved from Vermont to California four years earlier, in 1886.

We don’t know exactly what drove the decision for Edward and Annie to seek a new life in California, but we can see that life changes are piling up. Vermont is getting old and California beckons. We have also seen the pattern that Edward was not afraid to go after changes once his mind was made up about something. He returned home early from his first trip to Asia, changing ships to join the fighting in the Civil War, and he resigned his post as Consul to China to join the ministry.

In the fall of 1890 Edward submitted his resignation to the Baptist church where he had been Pastor for 18 years. The explanation given in the newspapers was that he was looking for a milder climate because of ill health.

The church did not let Edward slip away easily. For a time, they declined to accept his resignation. Edward went anyway, signing up for a vacation excursion with the Raymond and Whitcomb company that specialized in showing people the wonders of the west. It is not clear whether Edward and Annie returned from the vacation and then left Vermont for good, or perhaps never returned from the vacation, but by January 1891 he had accepted a temporary ministerial post in Cheyenne Wyoming, and it was clear that he would not be returning to Vermont.

Edward and Annie continued to make their way west, next settling in the Bay Area. Edward had probably been to San Francisco early in his life, twice coming and going from China, and must have enjoyed seeing it again, this time arriving by land, and showing it to Annie.

Our grandfather Joe Sandford was born in Twin Lakes, California, near Santa Cruz, in May 1892, the second child of Edward and Annie.

The family will make one more move to southern California before settling down for good. We will continue their story in Corona in a future post.