Sophia Mack Standerwick

Sophia Mack Standerwick was born on 20 August 1862 in Staten Island, Richmond, New York. She was the second of six children born to Henry Fischer Standerwick (a clerk) and Harriet Francis Gurnee (whose father was born in France in 1820).

In 1870, Sophie and her family lived in the town of Middletown, Richmond, New York. On 16 May 1879, the town clerk of Middletown, Richmond, New York sent Sophie (age 16) a letter that read:

You have been appointed a Teacher of Public School District No. 2 By the full Board of Trustees of said District, and you are to take the Place of Miss Garretts in the Colored School. You are to Commence on the first day of June 1879. By Order of the Trustees.

I Am Yours Very Respectfully 

Michael F. Donnelly 

 District Clerk

On 5 June, the 1880 census shows Sophie (age 17) was a school teacher in Richmond, New York.  On 1 September 1884, the Board of Education abolished the separate colored schools. "In the mean time, in response to an appeal made by colored citizens, an act was passed by the [state] Legislature prohibiting the abolition of the two remaining schools, turning them over to the control of the Trustees in the wards in which they were situated and providing that they should be 'open fort he education of pupils for whom admission is sought, without regard to race or color.'"* On 12 August 1884, Sophie (age 21) received the following notice:

MEMORANDUM OF HIRING

This is to Certify, That we have this day engaged Sophie Standerwick (a duly licensed teacher) to teach the public school of District No. 2 towns of Middletown & Southfield county of Richmond for the term of one year commencing Sep 6th of 89 at a Yearly compensation of Five hundred dollars, payable in ten payments - monthly

Dated Aug 12th 1884 

 On 30 September1889, Sophie (age 27) received the following notice:

MEMORANDUM OF HIRING

This is to Certify, That we have this day engaged Sophie Standerwick (a duly licensed teacher) to teach the public school of District No. 2 towns of Middletown & Southfield county of Richmond for the term of one year commencing Aug 20th of 84 [her 22 birthday] at a compensation of Forty One 66/100 dollars, payable on or before the first of the Month

Dated Sep 30th 1889

On 20 August 1890 Sophia Mack Standerwick (at age 28) married Maurice Stadtfeld (also 28), who was a baptist minister. Witnesses to the marriage included William Standerwick (Sophie's brother? and R. M. Stadtfeld). They were married in the Village of Edgewater, Staten Island, New York.

 After their marriage, Maurice was assigned to a Baptist parish in Minnesota for three years. During this time, on 13 August 1891, their daughter Hattie (Harriet Marguerite) was born in Byron, Olmsted, Minnesota. The family spent five years at South Dover, Dutchess, New York where their second daughter, Lucy Standerwick, was born 28 Oct 1895. On 8 June 1900 the family lived in the Town of Chester, Middlesex, Connecticut, where Maurice served as pastor of the Baptist Church. (Photo below is of Maurice and family in the Chester parsonage.)

In the Fall of 1906 the family moved to Fairview Avenue in Warwick, Kent, Rhode Island where Maurice served for seven years as pastor of the Phenix Baptist Church.  The 1910 census showed them still living at this location. In 1918, their daughter Lucy married Raymond Henry Page.

From Phenix, Maurice went to Brooklyn, NY where Maurice served as pastor of Euclid Avenue Baptist Church.  They then spent 13 1/2 in Brewster, NY. In July of 1930, their daughter, Harriet, married John Scheuring.

Maurice retired in March 1932 (at the age of 70) after 43 years of service and came to Harris, Rhode Island to live.  He was a member of the Kent County Rhode Island Minister's Circle.

Maurice died on 27 September 1933 at the age of 71 in West Warwick, Kent, Rhode Island. Maurice was buried at Greenewood Cemetery in Coventry, Kent, Rhode Island.

Sophie died on 1 November 1949 at the age of 87. She was buried in Coventry, Kent, Rhode Island.




* The New York public school: being a history of free education in the city of ..., pg. 177, By Archie Emerson Palmer

Maurice Stadtfeld - Baptist Minister

Maurice Stadtfeld was born on 20 July 1862 in New York City, New York. His parents were Maurice Stadtfeld and Ann who were both immigrants from Prussia. Maurice was the fourth of six children. His mother, Ann, died sometime between 1870 and 1880 and his father married Marguerite Wertz.

On 1 June 1880 Maurice lived with his family at 228 Sixth Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. At that time he was employed as a lithographer.

On 20 August 1890 Maurice (at age 28) married Sophia Mack Standerwick (also 28), who was a school teacher since she was 16. Witnesses to the marriage included William Standerwick (Sophie's brother? and R. M. Stadtfeld). They were married in the Village of Edgewater, Staten Island, New York. That same year, Maurice graduated from the Crozer Theological Seminary (photo at left was taken of Maurice at Crozer) and he was assigned to a Baptist parish in Minnesota for three years. During this time, on 13 August 1891, their daughter Hattie (Harriet Marguerite) was born in Byron, Olmsted, Minnesota. The family spent five years at South Dover, Dutchess, New York where their second daughter, Lucy Standerwick, was born 28 Oct 1895. On 8 June 1900 the family lived in the Town of Chester, Middlesex, Connecticut, where Maurice served as pastor of the Baptist Church. (Photo below is of Maurice and family in the Chester parsonage.)

In the Fall of 1906 the family moved to Fairview Avenue in Warwick, Kent, Rhode Island where Maurice served for seven years as pastor of the Phenix Baptist Church.  The 1910 census showed them still living at this location. In 1918, their daughter Lucy married Raymond Henry Page.

From Phenix, Maurice went to Brooklyn, NY where he served as pastor of Euclid Avenue Baptist Church.  He then spent 13 1/2 years as pastor in Brewster, NY. In July of 1930, their daughter, Harriet, married John Scheuring.

Maurice retired in March 1932 (at the age of 70) after 43 years of service and came to Harris, Rhode Island to live.  He was a member of the Kent County Rhode Island Minister's Circle.

Maurice died on 27 September 1933 at the age of 71 in West Warwick, Kent, Rhode Island. Maurice was buried at Greenewood Cemetery in Coventry, Kent, Rhode Island.

That Old Elm Tree by Elmer Page

Poem to Phenix Square elm tree

The passing of that old elm tree
A sight we all regret to see
For decades it has nobly stood
Dispensing shade and shelter good

Dont cut it down, it was decreed
When the State thought it had a need
To use the spot on which it stood
To use the place for public good

The tree has stood as faithful friend
And rendered service to the end
What scenes have passed since first it stood
We could not record them, if we would.

Many generations have passed
And, serving where their lot was cast
In the neighborhood of this tree
Which stood for full a century.

Its tale of life adown the years
Has compassed many human fears
Has lived while children grew to men
And travelled far and home again.

The children joyful passed to school
Under the elm, which held its rule
Through many a happy summer day
As arden children stopped to play.

The old tree stood as bridal car
Passed ‘neath its shade and travelled far
A honeymoon to celebrate
As they sealed their earthly fate

The crowds that passed on worship bent,
Was to their zeal new pupose lent
When stopping ‘neath the tree to greet
The friend they had sol longed to meet.

Our town has grown both big and strong
As this old elm has come along
It has a purpose as the tree
To see how good a town can be.

The tree has gone, it could not last
All through another wintry blast,
The only rival it has had
Is old man river deep and sad.

It kept on rolling to the sea
And watched the growth of that elm tree
The tree must go, the river stay
Unchanged, unchanging, on its way.

New England by Elmer E. Page

December 1927

In this old New England town
We are thinking of today
We find that we are anchored down
And cannot get away.

We love the old moss covered rock
And the hills that tower aloft
We love the thought of Pilgrim stock
That walked these vales so oft.

We love her rills in vale and wood
Where ere they chance to be
We would not change them if we could
For they are the best to me.

A fairer land in which to dwell
You’l travel far to find
And many things you’l always tell
Of those you’ve left behind.

If you have traveled to the west
To find a better place
You’l have to do your very best
Or lose in such a race.

For here is climate unsurpassed
To build a human race
That dare to do when they are massed
What others fear to face.

The ever beaming sun is bright
Some days we have the rain
We have the curtain of the night
Rolled up at morn again.

So weak and ever whining ones
Complain at winter’s chill
These days are for the one who runs
And tries to use his will.

What more can mortal man desire
With changes every day
For sure the weather will be drier
If you but longer stay.

The ever firm old Plymouth rock
Where on our Fathers landed
Relieves us from the fear of shock
And we shall not be stranded.

I’ve traveled far; I’ve traveled wide
And looked for something better
But if you want me for a guide
You’ll find me a home setter.

Elmer Ellsworth Page - The Bard of Phenix

Elmer Ellsworth Page was born on 27 March 1861 in Stoughton, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States. His parents were William Thomas Page, a bootmaker, and Harriet Jones Page. He was apparently named after Elmer Ellsworth, the Civil War hero who died just before Elmer Page's birth.

Elmer (age 9) appeared in the census on 19 July 1870 in Stoughton, Norfolk, Massachusetts. At that time, he lived with his parents, two sisters (C. Avis age 20 and M. Alice aged 16), and his brother (Warren E. age 11). Elmer's grandfather (Samuel Page a farmer at age 79), his grandmother (Deborah Curtis Page age 77), and his aunt (Hannah L. Page age 41 who worked for a woolen mill) lived next door. At this time his father, William worked as a grocers clerk.

On 12 June 1880, Elmer (age 19) lived with his family at West Stoughton Village in Stoughton, Norfolk, Massachusetts. His family consisted of his father (William Thomas age 63 and a farmer), his mother (Harriet age 61), his brother (Warren E. a student age 21), his sister (Alice age 26) and her family (husband James C. Chase a blacksmith and son Arthur J. age 2).

On 25 Jan 1886, Elmer (age 24) married his sweetheart, Annie Burnside Henry (age 23).

In June of 1889 he was living in Riverside, Rhode Island according to probate records for his father's estate. He worked as a machinist and electrician and founded the Phenix Electric Company at 748 Main Street in Phenix, Rhode Island. On 22 May 1892 Elmer was a Machinist in Providence, Providence, Providence, Rhode Island. On 14 June 1900 Elmer (age 40) was a "machinist iron" in Coventry, Kent, Rhode Island. At that time his family consisted of his wife Annie (age 38), his daughter Edith (aged 12), his son Lester C. (age 9), and his son Raymond H. (age 8). Elmer and his family lived next door to his brother Warren and Warren's wife Ida (older sister of Elmer's wife).

In 1905, Elmer and Annie's son, Frank Wales Page, died at the age of 3 years.

On 26 February 1910, Elmer and Annie arrived at Ellis Island aboard the ship Mauretania. Their port of departure is listed as Liverpool. On 15 April 1910 he lived with his family in Warwick, Kent, Rhode Island. Elmer ran an electric hardware store. His household, at the time, consisted of his wife Annie (age 47), his son Lester C. (age 18), and his son Raymond H. (age 17), and daughter Dorothy G. (age 9).

On 13 April 1915, Elmer's wife Annie died of paresis (some sort of paralysis).

On 6 January 1920 lived with his daughter, Dorothy, at 23 Lippitt Avenue in West Warwick, Kent, Rhode Island. At that time he was an Electrical Contractor at West Warwick Township in West Warwick, Kent, Rhode Island. In 1920 the Phenix Business Men's Association was formed, the president of the new group being Elmer Page. This group later became the West Warwick Chamber of Commerce.

He appeared in the census on 22 April 1930 at 43 North Pleasant Street in Phenix, Kent, Rhode Island. At that time, Elmer was a Proprietor Retail Electrical Shop in Phenix.

Elmer died on 4 November 1948 at the age of 87 in West Warwick, Kent, Rhode Island. He was buried on 7 November 1948 in Coventry, Kent, Rhode Island. He was known as the Bard of Phenix.  He wrote over 300 poems and prose writings. At the time of his death, he had been a deacon at the Phenix Baptist Church for 53 years and Sunday school superintendent for 40 years.

Only a Picture by Lucy Page

I am only a picture, and as such have lived my life much as every picture does: in restful silence and repose. However, my life, I think, differs somewhat from the lives of other pictures that I know in that it has not been quite so peaceful and undisturbed. There has entered, especially in these later years, much of interest and excitement, that has somewhat relieved my life of some of its deadness and inertness and has made it at least, for a time, worth the living. My life, up to within a year or two ago, has been lived the same, day after day, week after week, and then on into the months and years. I have quite forgotten the experiences and the things of earlier years, which seemed to me then to be a little out of the ordinary and which, when they occurred, I enjoyed to the fullest extent. Those are passed, and out of the vagueness that remains, I can draw hardly anything that I would feel justified in weaving into my history. Accordingly I shall try to give as best I can a very brief account of the events of the last years or two, and in this way relieve my mind of the over-taking burdens of thought that have been thrust upon it.

As I said before, the beginnings of my life are very vague, yet I still have a faint recollection of the very first ; the day the photographer brought me into being. I don't remember much about it, except the fact that I was placed in an envelope and put to one side. It was several days before I was taken out of the confining walls that held me, only to find myself not at the photographers, but in the hands of a young girls who stood looking intently at me. Evidently I seemed to please her, for, as she hurried away, I heard her say something to the effect that I wasn't so bad looking after all. However that may be, I grew to like her and looked with pleasure to the three or four times every day that she came to gaze into my face. If I could only have been permitted to remain in my first home, I would have been satisfied but such a thing was not to be.

One day I was taken from my place on the shelf, by my mistress, and, after a long searching look into my face, she put me into some kind of black thing and snapped the edges together, and went out of the house with me. When I "came to" I found myself lying face upward on a table. I thought this a pretty poor way to treat me after I had been treated so nicely before, and as a result I felt slighted and hurt. I thought of my young mistress then. Where was she and why had she left me in this tiresome position on the table? I soon learned the reason for this. I had been given away to someone else. After some time my new owner came, picked me up, and carried me off and put me on a bureau, way off up the stairs, in some back room and there I remained for a long time. Hardly anyone came to look at me or even notice me. Day after day passed by; this kind of life was becoming rather tiresome. Finally, one day, a young man came into the room where I was, looked at me for a minute or two, and then took me up and examined me closely. When he had finished looking at me to his satisfaction, he took out a book from his pocket, put me between the leaves, and said, as he returned the book to his pocket, "I'll have some fun with that picture yet!" This sounded interesting to me, and although shut up in the dark, I made up my mind to wait patiently until the fun should come. I didn't have to wait long for it was only about two weeks after I had changed hands for the second time, that the fun came.

It all happened in a street car. I was, as usual tightly shut up in that little book in my owner's inside coat pocket. Suddenly he pulled the book out of his pocket, took me out of it, and held me up before the eyes of another young man sitting beside him, saying as he did so, "See what Lucy gave me." I don't know who the young man was but certainly it was amusing to see how excited he suddenly became. For some reason or other, that name seemed to produce a curious effect upon him.

"Did she give you that picture? I don't believe she did, you wouldn't dare ask for her picture anyway. Let's see it, will you? Oh come on, please let's see it!" etc.

Listening to such exclamations as these, and seeing the look of real distress on the face of the young fellow sitting beside my owner, I was almost forced to laugh right out but I managed, with great difficulty, to keep my composure for I knew it would have been impolite to laugh right out in anybody's face. Finally this young fellow quieted down, and, little by little, he drew from my owner, information as to how he had taken possession of me without permission from my previous owner with the thought of teasing him. All this time I was held in such a position that I could see this young man's face and as the two talked together, I saw something of a determined look come upon him. Little did I realize what was passing in that young fellow's mind.

At the close of the journey I was again placed between the leaves of that small book, and with it was put in my owner's pocket. It seemed years to me before I was taken from it again but when I was released I was in strange hands. Someone was looking at me, and as our eyes met I recognized the young man of the streetcar incident. I was surprised. I don't know whether I was pleased or otherwise. I wondered if I was about to change hands again. I wasn't exactly dissatisfied with my present lot, but a change would not be so bad after all; so I thought.  

There was something about this young fellow that seemed to indicate that if I were to belong to him, he would use me well, and, perhaps, not keep me shut up all the time in a book. After a little thinking I decided that I would enjoy a change. A change did come that very day and I had a new master. I was rather disappointed at first because he too kept me in confinement between the leaves of a little book he carried around in his pocket. However, my new master was more considerate to me. I was often taken from my prison and intently gazed at by him. 

Not long after my third and last changing hands, another event of my life happened, and, curious enough, happened in a railway car. This time I had a surprise waiting for me. As previously, I was taken from my master's pocket and held up before the eyes of a young lady who was sitting beside him. I didn't know what to make of this and tried hard to keep my composure and look as dignified as I possibly could. This young lady seemed to recognize me immediately and acted as if she was ashamed of me, for some reason or other. She looked at me for a minute or two and after exacting from my master a promise that he would show me to no one else, she gave me back again to him and I was returned to my prison. I learned afterward that this young lady was my previous mistress whom I had loved so much and I couldn't quite see why she seemed so ashamed of me. I left hurt that she should act so but perhaps another picture had taken my place. At the present time, I am kept under lock and key still shut up. in that little book. Occasionally I am taken out and looked at and then put back in my prison. Life is beginning to take on for me the same monotony as previously but then I am only a picture and as such I have lived my life the best I knew how, and what more can a picture do?

Lucy Standerwick Stadtfeld

Lucy Standerwick Stadtfeld was born on 28 October 1895 in South Dover, Dutchess, New York. Lucy was the second of two children born to Maurice Stadtfeld and Sophia Mack (Standerwick) Stadtfeld.  Lucy's father worked as a minister.

She appeared in the census with her family on 8 June 1900 in Chester, Middlesex, Connecticut. (Photo was taken in the parsonage includes: father [Maurice], sister [Harriett], Lucy, and mother [Sophie]). In the fall of 1906, Lucy and her family moved to Warwick, Kent, Rhode Island. Shortly after this move, she met a member of the Phenix Baptist Church, Raymond Page. She graduated from Warwick High School in 1913 at Village of Westcott in West Warwick, Kent, Rhode Island. The friendship between Raymond and Lucy began in 1913.


 Lucy attended Hunter College (Sixty-Eighth and Park Avenue (Hamilton Square) in New York City, New York)where she studied mathematics. It was during her college years that her friendship with Raymond grew. During college she was a member of Kappa Delta, YWCA, Fellowship of Goodwill, and the astronomy club. Lucy graduated in 1917 from Hunter College. 

On 25 September 1918, Raymond Henry Page and Lucy Standerwick Stadtfeld were married. 17 December 1918 found Raymond on a ship to France serving in the American Expeditionary Force. Germany surrendered on November 11, 1918. Raymond returned home from the war on 1 September 1919.


Raymond and Lucy roomed at 809 West Street, Wilkinsburg, Allgheny County, Pennsylvania in January 1920. Their first child, Raymond Jr., was born on 15 April 1921 in West Warwick, Kent County, Rhode Island. Their daughter, Charlotte, was born 16 January 1926 also in West Warwick, Kent County Rhode Island.

Raymond, Lucy, and their children appeared in the census on 15 April 1930 in Newton, Middlesex, Massachusetts. The photo includes Lucy, her daughter Charlotte, and son Raymond. 


On the 3rd of April 1932 at the age of 36, Lucy passed away while living in their home at 43 North Pleasant Street, West Warwick, Rhode Island. She left two children; Raymond age 10 and Charlotte age 6. Her son Raymond later wrote of this time:

"We were a happy family in West Warwick having loving parents. I enjoyed visiting Grandma and Grandpa Stadtfeld who lived close by since Grandpa's retirement from the ministry. It was a terrible loss to me when he passed away [September 1933] since he was one of my heroes and shortly after both Charlotte and I came down with scarlet fever. Mother spent so much time attending to our needs that she became run down and she also succumbed to scarlet fever. I will never forget Dad coming to wake us up with the shocking news that Mom had passed away. This happened about a year before the discovery of sulfa drugs which could have saved her life."