Craven County, North Carolina was Sarah Boone's birthplace and the location of her early life. This region shaped her experiences as an African American in the pre-Civil War South, marked by slavery and racial segregation.

New Haven, Connecticut became Sarah Boone's adopted home in the mid-1860s. This move likely offered greater opportunities and a more tolerant environment for her and her family. It was in New Haven where she invented her improved ironing board and received her patent.