I read that Ms. Schafer was born in New Jersey, but she sounds British (or at the very least, an upper-crust New Englander). Was "Lovey's" accent her real one?

If you remember, she spoke the exact same way when she played Penelope Fletcher in the Brady Bunch, so I'm inclined to think that was her real accent. Does anyone know, or perhaps has anyone seen some of Ms. Schafer's earlier movies and can tell me if she spoke like Lovey in those as well?

well, i can't say for sure, but i saw her in an I Love Lucy Episode ("The Charm School")
and she sounded just like Lovey.
so, yeah.
Apparently, in many ways, Natalie Shaffer was a lot like Lovey Howell

hope that helped.:)