| Birth: | 1830
Providence
Providence County
Rhode Island, USA | | Death: | May 27, 1899
Saint Paul
Ramsey County
Minnesota, USA | 
NOTE:
I lived in Shakopee, MN, near Valley Cemetery, in the 1980s. At that time, the Wakefield marker was barely visible because the sod had nearly overgrown it. More recently, the marker is maintained and trimmed, and is easier to find and view. I have attached a photo of the marker that I took in 2002. The obituary below is from the St. Paul Pioneer Press newspaper, dated May 29, 1899.
Bill Cox
OBITUARY
DEATH OF MRS. WAKEFIELD
IN MINNESOTA SINCE 1854
SHE WAS PRISONER OF THE SIOUX FOR
SIX WEEKS DURING THEIR OUTBREAK
Mrs. Sarah F. Wakefield of Merriam Park (an area in St. Paul), died Saturday evening. She was sixty-nine years old and the cause of her death was blood poisoning resulting from other ailments.
Mrs. Wakefield was an old settler, having come to Minnesota in 1854 from Providence, R.I. where she was born. In 1856 she married Dr. John L. Wakefield, a well known physician of Shakopee. Dr. and Mrs. Wakefield and James B. Wakefield went to Blue Earth City and were among the earliest settlers in that town.
Dr. Wakefield was appointed Indian Physician at Yellow Medicine and he and his wife were there during the Sioux outbreak of 1862. Mrs. Wakefield was taken prisoner during one of the Indian raids and was held by the Indians for six weeks when she was released and rejoined her husband at Shakopee.
Dr. Wakefield died at Shakopee in 1874, and Mrs. Wakefield removed to St. Paul for the purpose of obtaining better schooling for her children. She is survived by Mrs. John Gigrich of Merriam Park and Mrs. Lucy E. Bourk and John R. Wakefield with whom she made her home. The funeral, which will take place at the residence, 1637 St. Anthony Avenue, tomorrow morning, will be private. The interment will be in Shakopee.
Note: After her release from captivity, Sarah Wakefield wrote two narrative editions about her experiences during the Dakota uprising of 1862. It was titled 'Six Weeks in the Sioux Tepees: A Narrative of Indian Captivity', and it was published in 1863-64 by Argus Book and Job Printing Office of Shakopee.
Family links:
Spouse:
John L. Wakefield (1823 - 1874)*
Children:
James Orin Wakefield (1857 - 1897)*
*Calculated relationship
Inscription:
Wakefield
John L.
1823-1874
Sarah F.
1830-1899
| | | Burial:
Valley Cemetery
Shakopee
Scott County
Minnesota, USA
Plot: The grave and marker are located in the northeast part of the cemetery. |
Created by: Bill Cox
Record added: Sep 03, 2010
Find A Grave Memorial# 58147100 |
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