Sarah M. Savage (maiden name: Mead) was born on February 18, 1817, in Connecticut, to Silas and Harriet Mead. Her father was a farmer in Greenwich. Sarah married Selah Savage on September 3, 1838, and they had at least two children: William, born in 1842; and Roxy, born around 1855. They lived in Greenwich, and her husband worked as a farmer. In 1860, they owned $7,050 of real estate and $1,400 of personal property, and they employed at least one white servant. A decade later, they owned $10,000 of real estate and $2,000 of personal property. Selah died on January 13, 1894, and by 1900, she was living with two white servants. She died on July 24, 1900.