Sarah Jane Wilcox

Sadly, Sarah Jane Boggs' father, Stephen Winbern Boggs, was killed while serving in the Confederate Soldiers Army during the Civil War in February of 1864 when Sarah was not yet even two years old. Then even more tragedy occurred when her mother, Elizabeth Betsy Ann Couch Boggs, passed away when Sarah was just 5 years old in 1867. Sarah went to live with her maternal grandparents, Nathan Couch and Happy Yates Couch. Sarah's parents Stephen and Elizabeth Ann Couch Boggs had also given birth to three other children, who all died in infancy, or may have, in fact, been stillborn. They were Stephen in 1857, Betsy in 1859, and Hannah D., in 1860.

In the 1870 U.S. Federal Census for Concordia, Davis Township, Lafayette County, Missouri, Sarah and her grandparents and aunts and uncles were listed as follows: Nathan Couch, 59, Happy Yates Couch, 54, and their children Stephen W. Couch, 18, Mary O., 16, Hannah D., 13, and little Sarah, was 8 years old. Also living in the home was Martin L. Yates, 22, who may have been a nephew of Happy Yates couch.

About 9 years later in 1879, at the age of 17, Sarah married Mark Wilcox. By 1900 they were living in Washington, Lafayette County, Missouri, and were listed as follows in the census: Mark, 52, Sarah J., 37, Andrew, 18, Florence, 15, Beulah, 12, Meekie, 6 and Arbie, 3 years old. Mark was born in Georgia, Sarah in North Carolina, and all their children were born in Missouri. Mark was working as a farmer and Andrew as a farm laborer.

They were still living in Washington, Missouri, in 1910, and were listed as follows in the census: Mark, 63, Sallie (or Sarah), 46, Florence, 25, Beulah, 22, and Meekie, 16. Sadly, their little son Arbie, who was 3 years old in 1900, had passed away sometime before 1910.

Even more sadness came for Sarah and her children when her husband Mark Wilcox passed away in 1919. Sometime after his death, Sarah and her children moved to California. In 1920 they were living in Ontario, San Bernardino County, California. Sarah, 57, Florence, 35, Beulah, 32, and a grandson, Emeral Fry, 12, were renting a home on East 8th Street.

In 1930 they were living at 4061 4th Street in Riverside, California, Sarah, 67, Florence, 47, and Beulah A., 42, and Florence was working as a sales lady at a grocery store, and Beulah was working as an alteration lady at a dry goods store.

In the 1940 census, Sarah, 77, and Florence, 58, were living at 3935 13th Street in Riverside, a home they were renting for $18 per month. No occupation was listed for either woman. Florence had a 4-year high school education and Sarah had an 8th grade education.

Sarah passed away 4 years later at the age of 82 years old in Los Angeles, California, but she was taken back to Missouri to be buried in the Mt. Tabor Cemetery with her husband. She had a lot of tragedy and sadness in her life. Hopefully her daughters and grandchildren brought her some comfort in the last 25 years of her life!