Sarah Ann Kilday (maiden name: Dickson) was born around 1837 in Pennsylvania to Joseph Dickson and Elizabeth Mason. Her father was probably a wool carder in Meadville, Pennsylvania. Sarah apparently grew up with her grandparents, Robert and Alice Dickson. She married James Kilday around 1858, and they had at least three children: Sarah, born around 1859; Wanda, born around 1862; and James, born around 1866. Her husband worked as a farmer in Meadville. Sarah died in 1867.