Effie B. Sweet was born to Ella Baxter, father unknown, on 23 Feb 1874. Ella was seventeen at the time of Effie's birth, so Effie was probably conceived when Ella was sixteen. In 1877, Ella married William Henry Newcomb, a self-made man who managed a saw mill near Easton, Maine. It's not clear whether Effie ever lived with her mother Ella and step-father William, but what is known, is that Ella died in Lowell, Massachusetts (officially) of hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain) by her mid-twenties, leaving others to raise Effie.
Following Ella's death, Effie's Aunt Hattie (mother Ella's older sister) may have initially tried to raise Effie herself, or perhaps with the help of the Bragdons, Ella's maternal grandparents, who lived nearby. At some point between 1874 and 1880, however, Hattie Baxter brought Effie to the Sweet family, paying the Sweets to provide Effie with room and board. The Sweets accepted Effie into their family and Effie used the Sweet name, although Effie may have never been formally adopted. (The Sweets also had a daughter, Hattie, so Effie had both a adoptive sister and a biological aunt "Hattie." This has been the source of some confusion in researching Effie's ancestry.)
Effie married George Washington Hall on 22 Mar 1894 in Lewiston, Maine and the couple moved to Mansfield, Massachussetts between 1895 and 1897. George ultimately established a real estate practice in Boston, where he continued to work for several years. George and Effie had eight children, including one son who died in infancy, not including a twin to Beulah who was stillborn and a male child who was stillborn. There is some evidence that George and Effie separated around 1920. The 1920 U.S. Census lists Effie as head of household in Mansfield, Massachusetts while George is listed as a boarder in Melrose, Massachusetts, on the far side of Boston from Mansfield. Sadly and somewhat inexplicably, Effie spent the last 23 years of her life interned at Medfield State Hospital and died there of hypertensive heart disease at the age of 74.
Although the fact of Effie's internment at Medfield State Hospital (a psychiatric hospital) implies that Effie was mentally ill or even insane, it's possible she was simply depressed following the tragic death of her eldest son Linwood in an airplane accident. Indeed her nephew, Sumner Quincy Newcomb, was quoted once as doubting that there was anything seriously wrong with Effie. With the benefit of hindsight as well as some knowledge of modern treatment for depression, one could legitimately question whether it was necessary for her to be committed at all, let alone left in the State's care for over 20 years. Although copies of Medfield Vital Records indicate that Effie was buried in Spring Brook, there is no known marker for Effie's gravesite. Medical records and her death certificate indicate that she was buried in the Hall lot with husband George and aunt Hattie Baxter but with no marker of her own. Records also indicate that Effie's daughter Beulah was buried in the Hall lot as well.
Following Ella's death, Effie's Aunt Hattie (mother Ella's older sister) may have initially tried to raise Effie herself, or perhaps with the help of the Bragdons, Ella's maternal grandparents, who lived nearby. At some point between 1874 and 1880, however, Hattie Baxter brought Effie to the Sweet family, paying the Sweets to provide Effie with room and board. The Sweets accepted Effie into their family and Effie used the Sweet name, although Effie may have never been formally adopted. (The Sweets also had a daughter, Hattie, so Effie had both a adoptive sister and a biological aunt "Hattie." This has been the source of some confusion in researching Effie's ancestry.)
Effie married George Washington Hall on 22 Mar 1894 in Lewiston, Maine and the couple moved to Mansfield, Massachussetts between 1895 and 1897. George ultimately established a real estate practice in Boston, where he continued to work for several years. George and Effie had eight children, including one son who died in infancy, not including a twin to Beulah who was stillborn and a male child who was stillborn. There is some evidence that George and Effie separated around 1920. The 1920 U.S. Census lists Effie as head of household in Mansfield, Massachusetts while George is listed as a boarder in Melrose, Massachusetts, on the far side of Boston from Mansfield. Sadly and somewhat inexplicably, Effie spent the last 23 years of her life interned at Medfield State Hospital and died there of hypertensive heart disease at the age of 74.
Although the fact of Effie's internment at Medfield State Hospital (a psychiatric hospital) implies that Effie was mentally ill or even insane, it's possible she was simply depressed following the tragic death of her eldest son Linwood in an airplane accident. Indeed her nephew, Sumner Quincy Newcomb, was quoted once as doubting that there was anything seriously wrong with Effie. With the benefit of hindsight as well as some knowledge of modern treatment for depression, one could legitimately question whether it was necessary for her to be committed at all, let alone left in the State's care for over 20 years. Although copies of Medfield Vital Records indicate that Effie was buried in Spring Brook, there is no known marker for Effie's gravesite. Medical records and her death certificate indicate that she was buried in the Hall lot with husband George and aunt Hattie Baxter but with no marker of her own. Records also indicate that Effie's daughter Beulah was buried in the Hall lot as well.
Effie B. Sweet was born to Ella Baxter, father unknown, on 23 Feb 1874. Ella was seventeen at the time of Effie's birth, so Effie was probably conceived when Ella was sixteen. In 1877, Ella married William Henry Newcomb, a self-made man who managed a saw mill near Easton, Maine. It's not clear whether Effie ever lived with her mother Ella and step-father William, but what is known, is that Ella died in Lowell, Massachusetts (officially) of hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain) by her mid-twenties, leaving others to raise Effie.
Following Ella's death, Effie's Aunt Hattie (mother Ella's older sister) may have initially tried to raise Effie herself, or perhaps with the help of the Bragdons, Ella's maternal grandparents, who lived nearby. At some point between 1874 and 1880, however, Hattie Baxter brought Effie to the Sweet family, paying the Sweets to provide Effie with room and board. The Sweets accepted Effie into their family and Effie used the Sweet name, although Effie may have never been formally adopted. (The Sweets also had a daughter, Hattie, so Effie had both a adoptive sister and a biological aunt "Hattie." This has been the source of some confusion in researching Effie's ancestry.)
Effie married George Washington Hall on 22 Mar 1894 in Lewiston, Maine and the couple moved to Mansfield, Massachussetts between 1895 and 1897. George ultimately established a real estate practice in Boston, where he continued to work for several years. George and Effie had eight children, including one son who died in infancy, not including a twin to Beulah who was stillborn and a male child who was stillborn. There is some evidence that George and Effie separated around 1920. The 1920 U.S. Census lists Effie as head of household in Mansfield, Massachusetts while George is listed as a boarder in Melrose, Massachusetts, on the far side of Boston from Mansfield. Sadly and somewhat inexplicably, Effie spent the last 23 years of her life interned at Medfield State Hospital and died there of hypertensive heart disease at the age of 74.
Although the fact of Effie's internment at Medfield State Hospital (a psychiatric hospital) implies that Effie was mentally ill or even insane, it's possible she was simply depressed following the tragic death of her eldest son Linwood in an airplane accident. Indeed her nephew, Sumner Quincy Newcomb, was quoted once as doubting that there was anything seriously wrong with Effie. With the benefit of hindsight as well as some knowledge of modern treatment for depression, one could legitimately question whether it was necessary for her to be committed at all, let alone left in the State's care for over 20 years. Although copies of Medfield Vital Records indicate that Effie was buried in Spring Brook, there is no known marker for Effie's gravesite. Medical records and her death certificate indicate that she was buried in the Hall lot with husband George and aunt Hattie Baxter but with no marker of her own. Records also indicate that Effie's daughter Beulah was buried in the Hall lot as well.
Following Ella's death, Effie's Aunt Hattie (mother Ella's older sister) may have initially tried to raise Effie herself, or perhaps with the help of the Bragdons, Ella's maternal grandparents, who lived nearby. At some point between 1874 and 1880, however, Hattie Baxter brought Effie to the Sweet family, paying the Sweets to provide Effie with room and board. The Sweets accepted Effie into their family and Effie used the Sweet name, although Effie may have never been formally adopted. (The Sweets also had a daughter, Hattie, so Effie had both a adoptive sister and a biological aunt "Hattie." This has been the source of some confusion in researching Effie's ancestry.)
Effie married George Washington Hall on 22 Mar 1894 in Lewiston, Maine and the couple moved to Mansfield, Massachussetts between 1895 and 1897. George ultimately established a real estate practice in Boston, where he continued to work for several years. George and Effie had eight children, including one son who died in infancy, not including a twin to Beulah who was stillborn and a male child who was stillborn. There is some evidence that George and Effie separated around 1920. The 1920 U.S. Census lists Effie as head of household in Mansfield, Massachusetts while George is listed as a boarder in Melrose, Massachusetts, on the far side of Boston from Mansfield. Sadly and somewhat inexplicably, Effie spent the last 23 years of her life interned at Medfield State Hospital and died there of hypertensive heart disease at the age of 74.
Although the fact of Effie's internment at Medfield State Hospital (a psychiatric hospital) implies that Effie was mentally ill or even insane, it's possible she was simply depressed following the tragic death of her eldest son Linwood in an airplane accident. Indeed her nephew, Sumner Quincy Newcomb, was quoted once as doubting that there was anything seriously wrong with Effie. With the benefit of hindsight as well as some knowledge of modern treatment for depression, one could legitimately question whether it was necessary for her to be committed at all, let alone left in the State's care for over 20 years. Although copies of Medfield Vital Records indicate that Effie was buried in Spring Brook, there is no known marker for Effie's gravesite. Medical records and her death certificate indicate that she was buried in the Hall lot with husband George and aunt Hattie Baxter but with no marker of her own. Records also indicate that Effie's daughter Beulah was buried in the Hall lot as well.
Gravesite Details
The photograph is believed to be Effie, and she does resemble an aunt, however we have not been able to confirm the identity conclusively.
Family Members
Siblings
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
