Descendants of John Maxfield
of Salisbury, Massachusetts
Fifth Generation

VARNIS5 MAXFIELD (Joshua4-3, Joseph2, John1) was born at New Hampshire, on 26 January 1808 a son of Joshua Maxfield, Jr., and his second wife Ascenath Young. He died at Richfield, Genesee County, Michigan, on 2 August 1896.[1] He married probably at Fort Ann, New York, about 1831 PERCEY AMANDA IRISH. She was born at New York on 21 August 1814, a daughter of David Irish and his wife Sadie Phelps. She died at Richfield on 18 July 1901.[2] Varnis and Percey both had uncommon given names, subject to various spellings; it is not clear which spelling is correct.

A birth record for Varnis has not been found clearly linking him to Joshua and Ascenath Maxfield. However, the 1835 New York state census placed Hiram, Varnis and Joshua next to each other in Fort Ann, all censuses give his place of birth as New Hampshire, and his birth date, from his grave stone and age on his death record, place him within the categories of age/sex groupings in the Joshua Maxfield household in the 1810 census. Varnis is also closely associated with Hiram Maxfield, both appearing in the same township in Michigan in the 1840 census, along with David Irish, the father of Percey. Also, Varnis and Percey named one of their daughters Assenatt, the same name as Varnis' probable mother.

Anna Gallagher has been researching this family, and has provided me with images of the 1835 New York census.[3] More research could be done on the interconnections of the Maxfield, Irish and Phelps families of Fort Ann.

Varnis Maxfield probably spent his boyhood in his parents' home at Bradford, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. By the time he reached the age of twelve his family had moved to Chester, Windsor County, Vermont. In another ten years his family of origin would move to Springfield, Windsor County, Vermont, and five years later to Fort Ann, Washington County, New York. But Varnis was already on the move. He married Percey Irish of Fort Ann by 1832 (their first known child was born in 1833). They had children born at New York in 1833 and 1835 and were reported at Fort Ann in the 1835 census. By 1837 they had moved to Michigan, where the rest of their children were born.

The 1835 census reported the Varnice Maxfield family at Fort Ann, listed immediately after Hiram Maxfield and immediately before Joshua Maxfield. The Varnice Maxfield household consisted of two males and two females,[4] which can be explained as Varnis and Percey, their first son Elhanan, and an unidentified female child.

The 1840 census reported the V. Maxfield household at Groveland Township, Oakland County, Michigan, the same township in which his brother Hiram and his father-in-law David Irish lived. The description of the V. Maxfield, by categories of age and sex, can be explained as follows:[5]

male 30-39 Varnis, 32
female 20-29 Percey, 25
male 5-9 Elhanan, 6
female 5-9 unidentified
female 0-4 Etta, 4
female 0-4 Assenat, 1

V. Maxfield was engaged in agriculture. Percey's death record indicated that she had given birth to a total of eleven children, eight of whom survived. So the unidentifed daughter in the 1835 and 1840 censuses could be an unknown daughter who did not survive to adulthood.

The 1850 census reported a much enlarged family, still at Groveland, as follows:[6]

Line Name Age Sex Occupation Birthplace Other
29 Varnis Maxfield 42 M farmer NH real estate $1300
30 Pierce Maxfield 36 F NY
31 Elhanan Maxfield 17 M farming NY school
32 Sally Maxfield 14 F NY school
33 Assenatt Maxfield 11 F MI school
34 Silsba Maxfield 8 F MI school
35 Adelaide Maxfield 6 F MI school
36 Mary delight Maxfield 3 F MI school
37 Rebecca Maxfield 9/12 F MI

About 1855 Varnis Maxfield moved to Genessee County, Michigan, and played a role in the development of the village of Richfield. Varnis Maxfield and E. R. Goodrich built a saw mill on the Flint River, the first steam saw-mill in the town. The mill provided employment for eight or ten men, who built homes, and so the village was born. About ten or twelve years later Maxfield and his partner sold the mill. Meanwhile, Varnis Maxfield, often called "Capp," short for Captain, built a tevern in 1857, which he operated for about twelve years, and continued to reside there afterwards. The village of Richfield was in its early days often called Maxfield's.[7]

The decade of the 1850s brought much change to this family, as indicated in the 1860 Census. "Vorum" still described himself as a farmer, but now had real estate of $4000 and a personal estate of $800. The eldest four children had left home, all married in the three years from 1857 to 1859. A new child appeared on the list of family members, "Dan" (probably "Dorr" is intended), age 1 year.[8] Yet another child did not appear: Varnis was born in 1853 and died in 1855.

In 1870 only one child remained at home, Dorr, age 11.[9] Mary and Helen had married; I have no further record of Adelaide.

The 1880 census reported a household of two persons, Varnis Maxfield, age 72, farmer, and Persy Maxfield, age 66, wife, keeping house.[10] However the census entry for this household follows immediately after Elhanan Maxfield and immediately preceeds Linos D. Maxfield.

Varnis Maxfield died on 2 August 1896, Persis Maxfield on 18 July 1901. They are buried together at Flint River Cemetery, Richfield.[11]

Varnis Maxfield and his wife Percey Irish had the following children, and probably others, who did not live to adulthood:

  1. ELHANAN W.6 MAXFIELD b. at New York on 19 September 1833.
  2. SALLY ETTE6 MAXFIELD b. at New York on 23 December 1835;[12] m. at Saint Charles, Saginaw Co., MI, on 7 February 1858 JOHN BACON ADAMS,[13] b. at Brattleboro, Windham Co., VT, on 11 November 1836.[14]
  3. ASENATT ANN6 MAXFIELD b. at Michigan on 8 October 1838; d. at Richfield on 1 June 1911;[15] m. abt. 1857/8 CORNELIUS WORTH,[16] b. at Uxbridge, Ontario, on 12 February 1836, d. at Genesee Co. on 15 February 1911.[17]
  4. SYLVIA JANE6 MAXFIELD b. at Michigan on 3 January 1842; d. at Pine River, Genesee Co., on 25 September 1921;[18] m. at Genesee Co. on 5 March 1959 AUSTIN BLACKMORE,[19] b. on 1835, d. on 1900.[20]
  5. ADELAIDE6 MAXFIELD b. at Michigan abt 1843;[21] no further record after 1860 census.
  6. MARY DELIGHT6 MAXFIELD b. at Richfield on 11 July 1848; d. at Petoskey, Emmet Co., MI, on 20 December 1921;[22] m. abt. 1867/8 JOHN D. THOMAS,[23] b. at Canada on October 1849, d. at Bear Creek, Emmet Co., on 11 November 1907, child of Henry E. and Elizabeth Thomas.[24]
  7. HELEN REBECCA6 MAXFIELD b. at Michigan abt. October 1849; d. at Riverdale, Gratiot Co., MI, on 8 August 1898;[25] m. at Davison, Genesee Co., on 21 July 1867 GEORGE SEELEY, b. at New York abt. 1840/1.[26]
  8. VARNIS BERDET6 MAXFIELD b. on 24 July 1853; d. on 30 September 1855.[27]
  9. LINUS DORR6 MAXFIELD b. at Richfield on 2 February 1859.

NOTES

1Flint River Cemetery, Richfield Center, Genesee Co., MI, Find a Grave, digital images (findagrave.com : accessed 2011).
2Ibid.; Michigan, Death Records 1897-1920; digital images, State of Michigan Archives, Seeking Michigan (seekingmichigan.org : accessed 2013).
3Anna Gallagher, to Charles A. Maxfield, e-mail, 25 May 2013, "Joshua Maxfield, Jr., & Hiram and Varnis," privately held.
4Ibid.
5Sixth Census of the United States: 1840, population, Groveland, Oakland Co., MI, 209:142; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 2012).
6Seventh Census of the United States: 1850, population, Groveland, Oakland Co., MI, 360:334A, 550; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 2012).
7Franklin Ellis, History of Genesee County, Michigan: with illustrations of its prominent men and pioneers (Philadelphia: Everts & Abbott, 1879), 413-14; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 2013).
8Eighth Census of the United States: 1860, population, Richfield, Genesee Co., MI, 544:442, 420; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 2012).
9Ninth Census of the United States: 1870, population, Richfield, Genesee Co., MI, 671:364B, 221; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 2013).
10Tenth Census of the United States: 1880, population (roll 579), Richfield, Genesee Co., MI, enumeration district (ED) 84, 378B, 156; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 2013).
11Flint River Cemetery, Richfield Center, Genesee Co., MI, Find a Grave.
12Alice Turner Miller, Portrait and Biographical Album of Gratiot County, Michigan (1864), 355; digital images, (books.google.com : accessed 2012.
13Ibid.; "Michigan, Marriages, 1822-1995," database, Family Search (familysearch.org : accessed 2014).
14Miller, Portrait and Biographical Album of Gratiot County, Michigan, 355.
15Michigan, Death Records 1897-1920
16Twelth Census of the United States: 1900, population (roll 711), Vienna, Genesee Co., MI, enumeration district (ED) 28, 4B, 106; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 2014).
17Flint River Cemetery, Richfield Center, Genesee Co., MI, Find a Grave.
18Michigan, Death Certificates, 1921-1952.
19"Michigan, Marriages, 1822-1995," Family Search.
20Flint River Cemetery, Richfield Center, Genesee Co., MI, Find a Grave.
211850, 1860 censuses for family.
22Michigan, Death Certificates, 1921-1952.
231900 Census, population (roll 710), Petoskey, Emmet Co., MI, enumeration district (ED) 90, 10A, 211.
24"Michigan, Deaths and Burials, 1800-1995," Family Search (familysearch.org : accessed 2014).
25Michigan, Death Records 1897-1920.
26"Michigan, Marriages, 1868-1925," index and images, Family Search (familysearch.otg : accessed 2013).
27Flint River Cemetery, Richfield Center, Genesee Co., MI, Find a Grave.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ellis, Franklin. History of Genesee County, Michigan: with illustrations of its prominent men and pioneers. Philadelphia: Everts & Abbott, 1879. Digital images. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2013.

Flint River Cemetery, Richfield Center, Genesee Co., MI. Find a Grave. Digital images. findagrave.com : 2011.

Gallagher, Anna. "Joshua Maxfield, Jr., & Hiram and Varnis." E-mail to Charles A. Maxfield. 25 May 2013. Privately held.

Michigan. Death Records 1897-1920. Digital images. State of Michigan Archives. Seeking Michigan. seekingmichigan.org : 2013.

"Michigan, Deaths and Burials, 1800-1995." Family Search. familysearch.org : 2014.

"Michigan, Marriages, 1822-1995." Database. Family Search. familysearch.org : 2014.

"Michigan, Marriages, 1868-1925." Index and images. Family Search. familysearch.otg : 2013.

Miller, Alice Turner. Portrait and Biographical Album of Gratiot County, Michigan. 1864. Digital images. books.google.com : 2012.

United States Department of the Census. 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.

________. Ninth Census of the United States: 1870, population. Digital images. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2013.

________. Tenth Census of the United States: 1880, population. Digital images. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2013.

________. Twelth Census of the United States: 1900, population. Digital images. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2014.

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