Sophia Frances Andrews Wylde - A Life Well Lived with Charity to the Church of England

Sophia Wylde was the first child and daughter born on January 24th, 1858 in Constantinople, Turkey to Henry Ernest Wylde and Elizabeth Barrow. In one of her ship manifests, she stated she was born in Orakui. Ortakoy is a fine suburb in Besiktas district of Istanbul, on the European side of the city, just below the suspension bridge. The family was living in Turkey because her father's business was there. He was a ship chandler and maritime commission agent.

A ship chandler (or ship's chandler) is a retail dealer who specializes in supplies or equipment for ships, known as ship's stores.

For traditional sailing ships, items that could be found in a chandlery might include sail-cloth, rosin, turpentine, tar, pitch (resin), linseed oil, whale oil, tallow, lard, varnish, twine, rope and cordage, hemp, oakum, tools (hatchet, axe, hammer, chisel, planes, lantern, nail, spike, boat hook, caulking iron, hand pump, marlinspike), brooms, mops, galley supplies, leather goods, and paper. In the days of sail ship chandlers on remote islands, such as St. Helena, were responsible for delivering re-supplies of water and fresh produce (fruit and vegetables) to stave off scurvy.

The ship chandlery business was central to the existence and the social and political dynamics of ports and their waterfront areas.

Her mother did not like living abroad in Turkey and the family moved back to England within a year of her birth.

On the 4th of November 1867, Sophia emigrated to New York City with her family. The family initially lived in Hudson County, New Jersey as evidenced in the 1870 United States Census. By the 1875 New York Census, her father had bought a home in New City, New York located in Rockland County. Though raised in New York, she decided to move to England where she lived the rest of her life. She visited and lived with her Uncle Robert Tracey Wylde in Adelaide, South Australia where he was a doctor.

In the Rockland County Journal Newspaper dated Saturday, 1 November 1884 – Nyack, New York, Sophia was given a “handsome gold watch” as a “token for the esteem in which she was held by and in behalf of the Sunday-school and congregation of St. John’s P. E. Church” in New City, New York for “her work, her interest and ever faithful effort in the Sunday-school and as an organist of said church.” It mentions that she had just sail the prior Wednesday for London where she would spend the winter, and in the “spring sail for Adelaide, Australia to reside with her uncle Robert Wylde, M. D., who stands at the head of his profession in that city.”
Here is that newspaper article:

NEW CITY
Sunday last was a notable day in the history of St. John's P. E. Church at this place. At morning service, the rector, the Rev. Mr. Stephens, was assisted by the Rev. Mr. Ray, of Harlem, who administered the communion. At the close of the - services the congregation were requested to remain a few moments, when Miss Marsh, the eldest lady of the congregation, both by age and attendance, presented Miss Sophie F. A. Wylde, eldest daughter of the late Henry E. Wylde, as a token of the esteem in which she was held, by and in behalf of the Sunday-school and congregation of said church, with a handsome gold watch in remembrance of her work, her interest and ever faithful effort in the Sunday-school and as an organist of said church. The rector added to his words of the kindest appreciation and sympathy. Miss Wylde has resigned her church work here, it may be forever, having sailed on the National line steamer Italy on Wednesday for London, where she will spend the winter, and in the spring probably sail for Adelaide, Australia, where she will reside with her uncle, Robert Wylde, M. I D., who stands at the head of his profession in that city. She carries with her the loving sympathy and regrets at her loss of her many friends in the United States. In the evening the Methodist congregation attended St. John's Church in a body, Rev. Mr. Kidder assisting the rector as also Mr. Haring, lay reader. At the close of evening prayer, Mr. Robert Graham, Secretary of the Church Temperance Society of England, and more recently of the United States, gave a most interesting lecture of the experience he had had in his thirty years of temperance work in the various cities and country towns of England, and the connection between the Protestant Episcopal Church and the cause of temperance. Ho held his audience entranced for more than an hour, and both congregations undoubtedly felt that besides the very harmonious union, the coming together made for each, the lecture was one every person present could take a lesson and benefit from. Mr. Graham is a man of excellent purpose, thorough, but not a radical or fanatical temperance reformer.

~ Source: Rockland County Journal - Nyack, New York – Saturday, 1 November 1894 – Page 5 – Column 3

Several times, she did visit her immediate family at their residence in New City, New York on Kings Highway. The photo to the right depicts one such visit. She traveled from St. Albans, England aboard the Mauretania Ship arriving in New York on May 23, 1923. She took a photo with her grandnephew, James Smith Haring IV Born Nov 1919 and his sister Elizabeth Barrow Haring "Betty" Born 29 June 1921. Sophia's sister, Elizabeth Wylde Haring, had died within a week of giving birth to the children's father, James Smith Haring, Jr. Here is a summary of her ship manifest.

New York Passenger Arrival Lists - Ellis Island

• Given Name: Sophia F. A. - Surname: Wylde
• Last Place of Residence: St Albans, England
• Event Date: 25 May 1923
• Age: 65 years & 3 months
• Nationality: English, Britain
• Departure Port: Southampton, England
• Arrival Port: New York City, New York
• Gender: Female - Marital Status: S
• Ship Name: Mauretania

~ Source: New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924 - database, FamilySearch

Sophia was generous to the Church of England and was noted in the Radlett Parish as being one of the highest donors to that church.

In June of 2013, Carole Nurmi Cummings, a 2nd Great Grandniece contacted the Radlett Society in Radlett, England inquiring about Sophia Frances Andrew Wylde. Philip Eastburn responded with the following information:

The Wylde family

The name Wylde crops up quite frequently in the old records of Radlett.

The first mention is for Sophia in the 1901 Census where she is shown as Sophia Wild, niece of Robert Wild, living at The Cottage, Loom Lane, Radlett. Also, at that house was Margaret Simmonds, a 19-year-old domestic servant. This is the last entry for Robert, who is described as a retired surgeon, an 80-year-old widower who was born in Claverdon which is a small village in Warwickshire. In 1901 Sophia was single, 43 years old and born in Constantinople.

We now move to 1911 where the Census of that year shows Sophia and Caroline to be living in the same house, Oak Bank in Watling Street, where they are described as tenants. Oak Bank was a large (17 rooms) house owned by Miss Bedford, the daughter of the late Thomas Bedford [Cousin to Sophia], a retired clergyman. Both Sophie, aged 53, and Caroline, aged 50, are described as of “Independent Means”, having been born in Constantinople and London respectively. A 41-year-old cook and a 16-year-old housemaid were the only other people resident in that large house in 1911.

In 1918 Caroline Wylde died and was interred in Christ Church graveyard, the cemetery attached to Christ Church, the Church of England church of Radlett.

The next mention is of a Miss S. Wylde living at a house called St. Stephens, later on numbered 23, in The Crosspath, Radlett. She is recorded as living there until 1940. She died in 1941 as was buried in the same grave as Caroline. There is a stone which marks the grave which bears two inscriptions:
• Under Caroline’s name - “Where I am there shall also my servant be. St John XII 26.”
• Under Sophia’s name - “He giveth his beloved sleep”

The records at the church state that Caroline Annie Wylde died on 3rd April 1918 aged 57, and that Sophia Frances Andrews Wylde was born on 24th January 1858 and died on 31st October 1941.

~ Source: Email to Carole Nurmi Cummings from Philip Eastburn – [email protected] on Thursday, 22 August 2013