Googling Scholefield

Scholefield Family Tree

Since I had such success searching for Clara’s side of the family, I’ll try George’s.

First, George himself. To make sure that Google does not automatically “correct” my search I have to put his last name in quotation marks. To narrow further, I also add the name of the state — Arizona. Alternately, I can remove his first name and search with other terms — Tucson, City Council, Rosemont, Greaterville, Helvetia.

The first searches turn up this blog. There are also links to NewspaperArchive.com which link to articles in the Tucson Citizen that report what was happening X number of years ago. When searching with the town names it turns up mostly materials discussing proposed mining in the area because of the spring and canyon which bear the family’s name.

Useful results include a list of Tucson City Councilmembers which reports that George P. Scholefield was elected on 4 Jan 1904 and resigned 2 Jan 1906.1 He served four full half-year terms. Results from the papers already explained the political situation behind the resignation.2

What is most ironic is that Charles M. Scholefield came up in a search for the last name and the state because he was listed on the Political Graveyard site. Another politician on the site was from Arizona. The entry for Charles reports that he was from Oneida County, a republican, served the 1859 and 1862 terms as a reprentative to the New York state assembly from the 1st District, and was an alternate delegate for the Republican National Convention in 1868.3


Changing our search to — charles “scholefield” new york — reveals a Google Books hit in the book Biographical Sketches of the State Officers and Members of the Legislature of the State of New York, in 1859.4

blockquoteMr. Scholefield was born in Goshen, Conn., and is thirty-six years of age. He is the son of a Methodist clergyman, and is one of the same stock to which Sir Henry Scholefield belongs. His paternal grandfather was a Major in the English army for some years, and distinguished himself as a brave and skillful officer. Mr. Scholefield was educated for the profession of the law, and completed his legal course of studies in the city of Utica. He afterwards began the practice of his profession at Whitestown, in that county, where he still resides. He has held the position of Deputy Clerk in the Assembly for several years, and is one of the best parliamentarians on the floor of the House. He is a ready, fluent, and energetic speaker, and seldom allows a discussion to arise in which he does not participate. He has a clear, logical mind, but has the bump of language largely developed, and is a capital fellow to speak against time. He was originally a Whig, but joined the Republican party at its first organization, and is strongly in favor of uniting all the Anti-Democratic forces in the State upon a common platform, as the only safe and reliable means of defeating the National Administration Democracy. Mr. Scholefield is a gentleman of prepossessing personal appearance; is still single; and seldom arises to address the House, without attracting the attention of the fairer portion of the spectators who constantly crowd the gallaries and the open space without the bar of the Chamber.


Additional hits within Google Books return more confirmation that he was an assemblyman from Oneida — which also confirms the 1860 Census which named him as a 37 year old Assembly Member.5 These two records point to a birth year of 1823 and one points to New York as his place of birth and the other Connecticut. The year of birth is quite different than the one on his grave marker (which was likely placed in 1920 at his wife’s death 51 years later and may not be accurate). These facts will need to be checked against additional sources.

Searches using Oneida instead of New York don’t turn up additional useful hits. Also a search for — helen degraff “scholefield” — doesn’t turn up anything we haven’t already located.

Research Plan:

  1. Check 1850 Census for clergymen with the last name of Scholefield who are possibly married to an Abigal.
  2. Check New England Ancestors for Scholefields.

1. FairElect – Tucson, Tucson City Mayors and Councilmembers (http://www.fairelect.org/Elections%20Past/MCHistoryList.pdf : accessed 16 Sep 2008).
2. See post dated 7 Sep 2008.
3. Lawrence Kestenbaum, “Index to Politicians” database, Political Graveyard (http://politicalgraveyard.com : accessed 16 Sep 2008).
4. Wm. D. Murphy, Biographical Sketches of the State Officers and Members of the Legislature of the State of New York, in 1859 (Albany: C. Van Benthuysen, 1859), 217-218; electronic text, Google Books (http://books.google.com : accessed 16 Sep 2008).
5. See post dated 1 Sep 2008.

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