Sarah (Picknell) Reid was born on August 11, 1843, in Bolney, Sussex County, England. The only schooling she received was from a lady in her hometown who taught her to read and write. On November 15, 1853, the Picknell family began their journey to America, arriving at St. Louis on January 3, 1854. Two of her siblings stayed in England, along with their father who was left to pay a debt. Her mother died along the journey, forcing Sarah and several other siblings to be placed in an orphanage.
Sarah Picknell was eventually taken in by Mr. and Mrs. Evans. A fire started in the chimney one morning, and she was accused of trying to burn the house down, although she was unaware of the need to clean the chimney. She then moved to Mrs. Edward's home. Beaten and deprived of sleep, she moved again to live with Mrs. Vincent.
She stayed in St. Louis until April 1859. She left for Salt Lake City to meet her father and his new wife, and traveled with ox teams and wagons. She arrived in Salt Lake City and stayed with her father, but left to travel to Rock Ridge, on the stagecoach line.
She married William "Bill" A. Reid on November 17, 1860. The couple had six children: William, Jennie, Wallace, George, John, and Sarah Ann. After Reid married, she wrote of the Indian raids on the stage line of which her husband worked, and the battles of Custer and other historic battles. The Reid family settled in Medora, North Dakota, near the Roosevelt Ranch. Theodore Roosevelt visited the Reid ranch nearly every fall and listened to Reid's pioneer stories. Sarah Reid died in January 1902, in Dickinson, North Dakota.