Eliza FIELDS

  General Notes:

Photo: Eliza's year of birth is thought to be 1824 but does vary from census to census. She and her husband, Seely Baldwin, migrated from Pennsylvania to Iowa in the late 1850s. When Eliza's sister-in-law, Elizabeth (McCarroll) Fields, died in Iowa County, Iowa, Eliza assumed care of her infant Sadie. (Sadie's father, Henry Fields, returned to Pennsylvania where he remarried his first wife's sister, Louisa McCarroll.) In later years, widow Eliza lived with her son George in Meade County, South Dakota and is buried in Piedmont Cemetery.

This vignette of Eliza is created from a photo in the collection of Nancy Boals Heisel.



1824-1829 BIRTH of Eliza Fields

Eliza's birth year of 1829 is calculated from her age at death provided in her obituary. Census records provide varying ages so that her year of birth could have been 1824-1829. The date of August 20, 1829 as her birth seems unlikely because her younger brother, George W. Fields, was born March 2, 1830.

1830 CENSUS, Pennsylvania, Greene County, Richhill Township

1840 CENSUS, Pennsylvania, Greene County, Richhill Township

1846 MARRIAGE of Eliza Fields and Seely Baldwin on May 20

1850 CENSUS, Pennsylvania, Washington County, East Finley Township ("Seely," age 30, "Farmer") (wife "Eliza," age 21)

1855 DEATH (approximate) of father, John Fields

1857 MOVE (approximate) from Pennsylvania to Iowa (perhaps to Sigourney, Iowa)

1860 CENSUS, Iowa, Tama County, Richland Township ("S." Baldwin, age 37, "Cabinetmaker") (wife "E." Baldwin, age 27) (in the Baldwin household is son George as "G." Baldwin, age 8, also "A. Fields," age 13, born in Pennsylvania)

1865 DEATH (approximate) of mother, Rachel (Phippen) Fields

1870 MOVE to What Cheer (aka Petersburg), Keokuk County, Iowa

1870 CENSUS

1880 CENSUS, Iowa, Keokuk County, What Cheer ("Saly" Baldwin, age 58, "Cabinetmaker") (wife "Eliza," age 53) (in the household is son "George," age 24, "Painter"; "Saide Fields," age 17, "Music Teacher"; and a boarder surnamed Thompson)

1885 CENSUS, Iowa State Census, Keokuk County, What Cheer ("Lela," age 63, "Painter," born in Pennsylvania) (wife "Eliza," age 56, "Dressmaker," born in Pennsylvania) (Seely's name is "Sela" in the census, but the "S" was transcribed as "L")

1895 or 1898 DEATH of husband, Seely Baldwin

1900 CENSUS

1910 CENSUS, South Dakota, Meade County ("Eliza," age 81, widow, is in the household of her son George and his wife Mary)

1914 DEATH, Eliza (Fields) Baldwin



OBITUARY (Eliza) from an undocumented newspaper:


Grandma Baldwin Gone

Eliza Fields was born in Greene county, Pa., Aug. 20, 1829, and died in Piedmont, S. D., of strangulated hernia June 13, 1914, at the age of 84 years 10 months and 23 days.

On May 20, 1846, she was united in marriage to Seely Baldwin in Pennsylvania, where they lived until 1857 when they moved to What Cheer, or Petersburg as it was often called, where they lived until the death of her husband, May 9, 1898, after which she lived with her children.

In early life she was converted and joined the Methodist church and later united with the Baptist church, to this faith she was faithful the remainder of her life.

Mrs. Baldwin was the sixth child in a family of nine children. Two brothers survive her: Henry Fields of Pennsylvania, ninety-six years of age, and George Fields of Hartwick, who is past eighty.

Mrs. Baldwin spent the winter in Iowa with her daughters, Mrs. McFarlan, and had only been in Piedmont a short time when stricken with the old trouble, which caused her death. When told by her physician that nothing but an operation would relief (sic) her she smiled, shook her head and said: "Oh, no we won't do that; I have just come from seeing my girl and her family, and now I am with my boy, and all of them here, it is all right, I am ready to go." Being very poorley (sic) all winter she did not expect to see another spring, but when she saw nature so beautiful and flowers, which she always loved, she seemed to take new courage and planned somewhat for the summer, not knowing as the choir beautifully sang, "How soon the Silver cord would break."

Funeral was held at the home of her son, George Baldwin, Sunday, June 14, at 4:30 p.m., conducted by Rev. McNish of Rapid City, and Rev. Weston, pastor of the Piedmont M. E. church. The lesson was read from the 90th psalm and sermon from the 15th chapter of Cor. The choir led by Miss Ella Priest, sang appropriately and the pall bearers were Iowa and Piedmont friends.

Grandma Baldwin, as she was always called, held the highest respect of the entire community. Friends and flowers bespoke the love which was cherished for her.

It was often said, to know her was to love her. She was laid to rest close to her granddaughter "Addie" and near many old friends who sleep in Piedmont cemetery.

One son, one daughter, six grandchildren and eight great grandchildren besides many other relatives and friends are left to mourn the loss of one who will be missed by all who knew her. Her daughter, Mrs.Ada McFarlan, and granddaughter, Mrs. Emma Barrows, were present at the funeral.




CONTRIBUTOR to this page:

Nancy Boals Heisel

Eliza married Seely BALDWIN on May 20, 1846 in Pennsylvania. (Seely BALDWIN was born in 1821 in Pennsylvania, died on May 9, 1895-1898 in Keokuk County, Iowa and was buried in McFarlane Cemetery, Washington Township, Keokuk County, Iowa.)