My great-grandmother, Sadie (left), as a young woman. The young girl right) in this photo may be Sadie's younger sister, Bertha, however she appears to be more than two years younger than Sadie |
Sadie, front left, with a group of friends |
Sadie as a young woman. |
My great-grandmother, Sarah Hannah Clark, was born on August 14, 1884 in Canterbury, Connecticut. My name, Sally, is a variation of hers, and it is from her that my first name comes. Sarah, in turn, was named for her two grandmothers, Sarah Maria Heath and Hannah Emeline Palmer. Sarah was the second of three daughters born to Levi Nelson Clark and Carrie E. Larkham Clark. Sarah's older sister, Mabel Larkham Clark, died at eleven months of age just two months after Sarah was born.
Sarah, or Sadie, as she was known to family and close friends, was raised on a 75-acre tract of land at the south of Canterbury that her father purchased from the Baldwin family in 1883. Here, her father was engaged in politics at both the state and local level, as well as farming. Levi Clark represented Canterbury in the State of Connecticut House of Representives and he held many offices in the town of Canterbury. As a farmer, Levi Clark focused on the raising of small fruits and vegetables and to the breeding of poultry. For some time he also had the agency for agricultural implements and fertilizers.
Sadie's great-aunt, Sarah Harvey Palmer, wrote this poem when Sadie was about was about 2 years
SADIE'S BIRD
Sadie had a little bird,
With feathers brown and yellow,
Slender legs, upon my word
He was a pretty fellow.
Dainty crumbs and tiny seeds,
She gave him every day,
And birdie hopped about and chirped
For little Sadie May.
Now Sadie loved the little bird,
And when he died one day,
Her little heart was very sad,
And she forgot to play.
But Sadie has a little kitty,
Which is very fond of her;
And when she takes him on her lap,
He says "purr, purr, purr."
Now since the little Birdie's gone,
She must play with Kitty more;
For Kitty thinks the snow is cold,
And loves to stay in door.Dec. 1886
Sadie's firstborn,
Francis Clark Burdick,
4 months old, 1909On July 7, 1907, at the age of twenty-two, Sadie married Frank Rowland Burdick, the son of Abel and Susan (Phillips) Burdick of Hampton, Connecticut. Frank and Sadie settled in Norwich, Connecticut where Frank worked for the New Haven Railroad. The couple's first child, Francis Clark Burdick, was born two years later. Three years after this, a daughter, Bertha Melissa Burdick, was born. The birthdates of the two children were as follows:
- Francis Clark Burdick, born July 12, 1909
- Bertha Melissa Burdick, born May 27, 1912
Sadie's children,
Bertha and Francis Burdick
about 1916-1918In the early 1930s, Frank Burdick fell from a railway car and was seriously injured and was forced to retire early from his job with the railroad. Rheumatoid arthrithis and heart trouble complicated his health. Sadie and Frank went to live their daughter and son-in-law (my grandparents) in Waterford, Connecticut. They remained there for the rest of their lives.
Sadie was an ardent genealogist. She saved photographs, bibles, land deeds, letters, poetry, and many other books and documents. My job in researching my ancestry has been made so much easier because of her efforts. In particular, were it not for her records pertaining to her mother's Larkham ancestry, a good deal of information would not be known about this family today.
Sadie died of a cerebral hemorrhage at 71 years of age on October 18, 1955. She was a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
Note: the photos and scans of old documents on my web pages are family heirlooms that may not be reproduced in any form without my express permission.
Copyright © 2001 by Sally Cox. All rights reserved.Photo Gallery
A gathering of friends and family in the 1920s.
Frank Burdick is second from the left. My grandmother, Bertha Burdick, is sitting to his right. Sadie is seated in the second row, the second woman from the left. Carrie Larkham Clark is standing at the top center. Levi Clark is the man seated to Carrie's right, wearing a hat.
Levi Clark's birthday party at Bertha Davis' house, probably the late 1920s.
Frank Burdick is in the front row, far left. Sadie is in the second row, second from the left. Levi Clark is in the second row, second from the right. Carrie Larkham Clark is sitting behind him, to his rear left.
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