Scholefield Family Tree
Anyone working with people who were born or died in the early part of the 1900s in Arizona will find themselves in luck. The Arizona Department of Health Services has scanned birth and death records and placed them online. Since Geo. P. and Clara A. Scholefield were in their 60s in 1930, if they continued to live in Arizona up until the times of their deaths, their certificates should be available.
And the certificates are in fact there:
George P. Scholefield died 31 Aug 1942.1 He died at home: 3914 E Monte Vista Drive in Tucson, Pima, Arizona. The informant for his death was Helen Brodie who lived at 929 N. Hoff. It is now confirmed that Geo. is an abbreviation for George as this man is confirmed to be the white, retired cattleman who was married at the time of his death to 79 year old Clara A. Scholefield. His birthdate was recorded as 21 May 1860 in Utica, New York, to Charles Scholefield and Helen DeGraf. Charles’s birthplace is unknown, Helen’s is Scotland. George died of chronic myocarditis and was buried 2 Sep 1942 in Evergreen Cemetery in Tucson. Reilly Undertaking handled the funeral. George reportedly lived in Arizona for 63 years, meaning he moved in 1879. He lived in the community for 55 years, so he had lived in or near Tucson since 1887.
Clara Ann Scholefield died 27 Nov 1947.2 She died at home: 929 N. Hoff St. in Tucson, Pima, Arizona. The informant for the death was Helen Brodie who lived at the same address. Clara is also confirmed to be the white, homemaker widow of Geo. P. Scholefield. Her birthdate was recorded as 2 May 1863 in San Bernardino, California. Her father was James A. Moore who was born in California; her mother was Sarah Jane __?__ who was also born in California. Clara died of cerebral hemorrhage and was buried on 29 Nov 1947 at Evergreen Cemetery in Tucson. The funeral was handled by Reilly Undertaking. Clara was reported to be a 65 year resident of the community and the state of Arizona which would mean she had moved in 1882. This does not agree with the date her husband moved to Tucson, but was secondhand information from Helen (a daughter — see below) who had not been born 65 years earlier.
Additional certificates of interest:
Armour M. Scholefield appears to be George and Clara’s son eventhough they are not named on his death certificate. His parents are reported as born in Utica, New York, and San Bernardino, California, which match George and Clara’s birthplaces. He was born 29 Jul 1883 in Globe, Arizona, and died 30 Nov 1906 at 628 N. 9th Ave, Tucson, Pima, Arizona, of typhoid fever.3 He was white, single, and worked as a U. S. Forest Ranger. He had lived in Tucson for 21 years (since 1885). The undertaker was Reilly and burial was in the Citizen’s Cemetery. The Citizen’s Cemetery is now defunct and, if moved, Armour is likely in Evergreen Cemetery.
Helen M. Brodie’s death certificate reports that she is the daughter of George Schoelfield (born in New York) and Clara Ann Moore (born in California).4 Helen was born 5 Mar 1886 in Tucson, Arizona. She married and later divorced Max Brodie. She was a white, retired dept. assessor and died at home at 827 East Adelaide which was inside Tucson city limits. She lived had her whole live in Tucson and died of a cerebral vascular accident due to arteriosclerosis on 17 Jul 1957. Helen and Armour are confirmed as siblings because Helen named her son who was born in 1909 after her brother. A. Major Brodie was the informant at her death. Reilly Funeral Home handled the funeral and Helen was buried in Evergreen Cemetery. Her Social Security number was 527-44-7363.
Between 1913 and 1919 there are certificates for three girls born to Carl Burnett Scholefield and Alice Hester Bradfield.5 Carl was reportely born about 1888 in Globe or Tucson, Arizona, and was a forest ranger. This would mean that he is of an age to be a child of George and Clara. Carl and Armour are likely siblings since they might have born in the same place and shared an occupation. Carl and Helen are likely siblings if he was born in Tucson. Additional research is needed to confirm.
I also searched for variants of the name George Scholefield (Geo* Sch*, Geo* Sho*), variants of Scholefield (Shol*, Shoe*, Shof*, Scho*), and for anyone who had the names Clara and Moore appearing on the records. There are several Schofields and Scholfields, but their birth information or places of residence are not yet significant to this search. A bit more digging might turn up birth records for Armour, Helen, and Carl in Gila or Pima County (though records that early are very sparse).
Since the 1930 Census reported that George and Clara married about 1882, and based on the length of time they reportedly lived in Arizona, it now seems likely that they married in Arizona. Three children have been located (one with less certainty): Armour M. Scholefield, Carl Burnett Scholefield, and Helen Brodie. Since Armour was born in Globe, Arizona, George and Clara may have married in Gila County.
Research Plan:
- If I did not live in Tucson, I would request a photograph of the stones in Evergreen Cemetery on Find A Grave. Instead, I will get them the next time I visit the cemetery myself. I will also check stones nearby and ask after others who might be buried in the cemetery, checking especially for Armour.
- Locate census records for the Scholefield household for years before 1930. This will confirm children’s names.
- Search Arizona marriage records (especially Gila County).
- Search creatively for children’s birth certificates.
1. Arizona Department of Health Services, death certificate no. 430 (1942), George P. Scholefield; digital image, Arizona Genealogy Death Certificates (http://genealogy.az.gov : accessed 17 Aug 2008).
2. Ibid., death certificate no. 511 (1947), Clara Ann Scholefield.
3. Ibid., death certificate no. 305 (1906), Armour M. Scholefield.
4. Ibid., death certificate no. 4822 (1957), Helen M. Brodie.
5. I am not yet publishing dates for Helen’s son and Carl’s three children as they may be living.