Descendants of John Maxfield
of Salisbury, Massachusetts
Fifth Generation

RICHARD⁵ MAXFIELD (probably Benjamin⁴, Joseph^3-2, John¹ ) was born at New Hampshire about 1800 probably a son of Benjamin Maxfield and his wife Polly Sargent. He died probably between 1848 and 1850. He married about 1827 ELIZABETH COONS.^[1] She was born at New York about 1808. She married as her second husband, sometime between the 1850 and 1860 censuses, ELIAS MARKLEY, who was born at Maryland about 1813/4.^[2]

The information on Richard Maxfield is sketchy and inconclusive. According to his eldest daughter's 1880 census record he was born at New Hampshire. He fits - roughly - into the age and sex categories in the census records for Benjamin Maxfield. He appeared as the head of household in a census for the first time in 1830, in Onondaga County, New York, where his father appeared in 1820 and his brother William in 1830. So based on proximity, this is the most likely place to locate Richard.

Richard Maxfield was born at New Hampshire about 1800. Sometime between the 1810 census and the birth of a brother in 1812/3 the family moved to Massachusetts. By 1815 (the birth of another brother) the family was living at Onondaga County. Richard Maxfield was of Onondaga County at his marriage in 1827, the 1830 census, and the birth of a child in 1831. Beginning in 1834 all of his children were born at Ohio. The 1840 census placed him at Richland County, Ohio; the 1850 census placed his widow and children at Marion County, Ohio. The 1840 Census described Richard as an agriculturalist. Richard's widow, Elizabeth, a native of New York, had remarried by 1860 and was living at Kent County, Michigan. The children had also gone to Michigan and most of them settled there.

The census records for 1830 and 1840 reported only the numbers of persons in a household in certain age and sex groupings. Based on the other information we have on this family, these census records could be explained as follows:^[3]

These designations present a couple of problems. First, we do not know Richard's exact birth date, we only estimate it to be about 1800. As he is on the cusp of two age categories, he could be either of the two men in the 1830 census, which means that either of them could be the unidentified male. Second, Martha's birth date is based on an undocumented internet source, which would not have her born until three months after the 1830 census. This could be in error by a year, and her age on her death record would support an earlier birth date.

Richard Maxfield died probably between the conception of his youngest child (1847) and the 1850 census, in which he was not reported. That census gave this information for the family at Tully, Marion County, Ohio:^[4]

Daughter Harriet Maxfield was reported in this census at Tully Township, age 7, living in the household of Matthew and Phebe Kinstey, farmers, who had married within the past year.^[5] I have not located Hannah in this census.

In the decade between the 1850 and 1860 censuses, the family moved to Michigan, Elizabeth remarried, and at least four of the eldest five children married. The census reported Elizabeth and the younger children at Oakfield Township (Spencers Mills P. O.), Kent County, Michigan:^[6]

I have not identified Laura Thompson. Of the other children:

• Martha had married, and was living at Byron Township, Kent County; her oldest child was 4.^[7]
• Allen had married and was living at Montcalm, Montcalm County, Michigan; his oldest child was 4.
• Lucas had married about 1854/5 at Kent County, but was living at Clay Township, Bartholomew County, Indiana, working as a day laborer, apparently boarding in a home.
• I have no further record of Laura.
• Mary lived at Oakfield, age 22, where she was employed as a domestic in the home of Ambrose (62) and Anthena (60) Wilkes.^[8]
• Hannah was baptized at the Methodist Episcopal Church, Greenville, Montcolm County, Michigan, on 26 August 1855.^[9] I have no further record.
• Harriet was also recorded at Montcalm Township, Montcalm County, in the household listed immediately after Allen Maxfield. Harriet R. Maxfield, age 15, born Ohio, attending school, was residing in the household of William D. (41) and Polly A. (34) Vider.^[10]

I have no further record of Elizabeth (Coon) (Maxfield) Markley. The three sons all fought in the Civil War. All of the children for whom I have information settled in Michigan except for Lucas, who moved to Nebraska.

Much of the information on this family, including the birth dates of the children, comes from an undocumented on-line family tree of Debbie Ferguson. Although I do not know the sources of this information, I have included them, as they are generally congruent with the birth years suggested by ages of persons in census records.

Richard Maxfield and his wife Elizabeth Coon had the following children:

1. MARTHA A. PATIENCE⁶ MAXFIELD b. at New York on 23 August 1830;^[11] d. at Byron on 20 June 1880;^[12] m. bef. 1855 RENSSELAER MOORMAN, b. at Michigan abt. 1833/4.^[13]
2. ALLEN DERICK⁶ MAXFIELD b. at Onondaga Co. on 9 November 1831.
3. LUCAS G.⁶ MAXFIELD b. at Geuga Co., Ohio, on 9 February 1834.
4. LAURA MALISSA⁶ MAXFIELD b. at Ohio on 20 March 1836.^[14]
5. MARY LOSINA⁶ MAXFIELD b. at Marion Co., OH, on 15 July 1838;^[15] d. at Clare Co., MI, on 17 August 1922;^[16] m. LUTHER HART,^[17] b. at New York on 6 May 1834, d. at Kent Co. on 24 June 1882.^[18] See her picture on the right.
6. HANNAH RUMINA⁶ MAXFIELD b. on 24 September 1840.^[19]
7. HARRIET⁶ MAXFIELD b. at Ohio on 17 February 1843;^[20] I have no further record since the 1860 census.
8. RACHEL JANE⁶ MAXFIELD b. at Ohio on 24 April 1845;^[21] I have no further record since the 1860 census.
9. MATTHEW NATHANIEL⁶ MAXFIELD b. at Tully on 26 December 1847.

¹"RootsWeb's World Connect Project", database, Roots Web (wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com : accessed 2013), The Entire Family You Can Edit; undocumented and unnamed family tree submitted 30 March 2009 by Debbie Ferguson; the names, without a date, are foud in Michigana (Genealogical Society of Western Michigan, Grand Rapidsd, MI): 28:35.
²Eighth Census of the United States: 1860, population, Oakfield, Kent Co., MI, 550:572, 190; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 2012).
³Fifth Census of the United States: 1830, population, Salina, Onondaga Co., NY, 100:2; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 2012); Sixth Census of the United States: 1840, population, Hanover, Richland Co., OH, 423:62; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 2012).
⁴Seventh Census of the United States: 1850, population, Tully, Marion Co., OH, 708:59A, 30; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 2012).
⁵Ibid., Tully, Marion Co., OH, 708:59A, 34.
⁶1860 Census, Oakfield, Kent Co., MI, 550:572, 190.
⁷Ibid., Byron, Kent Co., MI, 550:7B, 564.
⁸Ibid., Oakfield, Kent Co., MI, 550:573, 196
⁹"Michigan, Births and Christenings, 1775-1995," index, Family Search (familysearch.org : accessed 2013); Michigana: 24:88.
¹⁰1860 Census, Montcalm, Montcalm Co., MI, 555:688, 62.
¹¹Ferguson, "RootsWeb's World Connect Project."
¹²Michigan Department of Vital Records, Lansing, MI, "Michigan Deaths, 1867-1897," digital images of index, Family Search (familysearch.org : accessed 2013).
¹³1860 Census, Byron, Kent Co., MI, 550:7B, 564.
¹⁴Ferguson, "RootsWeb's World Connect Project."
¹⁵Michigana: 25:112.
¹⁶Ibid; year given at: Horton Cemetery, Greenville, Kent Co., MI, Find a Grave, digital images (findagrave.com : accessed 2012), .
¹⁷Date of 1854 given in Michigana: 28:35, is not consistent with information in census records.
¹⁸Horton Cemetery, Greenville, Kent Co., MI, Find a Grave.
¹⁹Ferguson, "RootsWeb's World Connect Project."
²⁰Ibid.
²¹Ibid.

Ferguson, Debbie. "The Entire Family You Can Edit." undocumented family tree. "RootsWeb's World Connect Project." Database. Roots Web. wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com : 2013. Submitted 30 March 2009.

Horton Cemetery, Greenville, Kent Co., MI. Find a Grave. Digital images. findagrave.com : 2012.

"Michigan, Births and Christenings, 1775-1995." Index. Family Search. familysearch.org : 2013.

Michigan, State of. Department of Vital Records, Lansing, MI. "Michigan Deaths, 1867-1897." Digital images of index. Family Search. familysearch.org : 2013.

Michigana (Genealogical Society of Western Michigan, Grand Rapidsd, MI).

United States Department of the Census. Fifth Census of the United States: 1830, population. Digital images. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2012.

________. Sixth Census of the United States: 1840, population. Digital images. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2012.

________. Seventh Census of the United States: 1850, population. Digital images. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2012.

________. Eighth Census of the United States: 1860, population. Digital images. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2012.