Descendants of John Maxfield
of Salisbury, Massachusetts
Sixth Generation

CALEB STRONG6 MAXFIELD (Zadock5, Edmund4, Timothy3-2, John1) was born at Dartmouth, Massachusetts (son Caleb's birth record), about 1813 (1811/2 on death record, 1812/3 on 1850, 1860 censuses, second marriage record, 1813/4 on 1870, 1880 censuses), to Zadock Maxfield and his wife Susanna Soule. Caleb's birth was not recorded. However, he was listed among the minor children of Zadock Maxfield in the probate records of Zadock's father Edmund (BCP 59:243-244), and his death record clearly stated that he was born in Dartmouth to Zadock Maxfield (born in Dartmouth) and Susan Soule (born in Westport).

In 1822 Seth Russell was the court appointed guardian of the minor children of Zadock Maxfield, including Caleb Maxfield (BCP 59:243-244).

Caleb Maxfield married ANN BRIGGS at New Bedford, Massachusetts, on 24 August 1834 (VR NB 2:365). Ann was born at Rochester, Massachusetts, on 2 January 1815, a child of Rudolphus and Polly Briggs. The date and her parents are derived from her death records; the place is given on son Caleb's birth record.

Caleb Maxfield was called a cabinet maker on the birth records of his children in 1843 and 1846, and a merchant in 1849. "Furniture warehouse" was given as his occupation in the 1850 Census. He was called a cabinet maker again in the 1855 and 1860 censuses, and a furniture dealer again at the time of his second marriage in 1869. On all these occasions he was in New Bedford. By 1878 he was in Springfield, Massachusetts, when his son Frank's marriage record indicated he was a foreman for Caleb Maxfield. Caleb was reported as a furniture dealer in New Bedford in the 1870 and 1880 censuses. Caleb's death record called him a furniture dealer in Springfield in 1890. The Caleb Maxfield family lived at 81 Maxfield Street, New Bedford (birth records of last three children).

The 1840 Census reported the Caleb Maxfield family of New Bedford as follows (178:433):

age male female
0-4 1 0
5-9 0 1
15-19 1 1
20-29 1 1
60-69 0 1

I cannot account for the two teenagers, the female 5-9, the woman in her sixties, or the absence of the child Ellen.

The 1850 Census reported Caleb Maxfield's family in New Bedford as follows (309:332A):

Name Age Sex Occupation R.E. Birthplace Other
Caleb Maxfield 37 M furniture warehouse Mass
Anna Maxfield 34 F Mass
Charles E. Maxfield 13 M Mass school
Anna A. Maxfield 11 F Mass school
Ann L. Maxfield 9 F Mass school
David B. Maxfield 7 M Mass school
Cornelia F. Maxfield 4 F Mass school
Caleb Maxfield, Jr 1 M Mass

The presence of two apparent daughters named Anna is a puzzle. The first corresponded in age to Ellen in the 1855 and 1860 censuses. The 1855 Massachusetts State Census (MA Cen 1855) reported the family at New Bedford, consisting of Caleb Maxfield, 41, cabinet maker, Anna Maxfield, 40, Charles E Maxfield, 19, clerk, Ellen A. Maxfield, 16, Ann L Maxfield, 14, Dana B Maxfield, 11, Cornelia F Maxfield, 9, Caleb Maxfield, Jr., 4, Frank H Maxfield, 1, and two Irish servants.

Ann (Briggs) Maxfield died at New Bedford on 26 August 1859 (VR Ma 129:84:242; NB Merc D 564; Oak Gr Cem). The event was recorded as follows:

Aug 29, 1859 Anna Maxfield 44 y 7 mo, d. 81 Maxfield St., consumption, married, b. Rochester to Rudolphus and Polly Briggs

The New Bedford Mercury gave her age as 44 years, 7 months and 24 days.

The 1860 Census reported the Caleb Maxfield family of New Bedford as follows:

Name Age Sex Occupation R.E. P.E. Birthplace
Caleb Maxfield 47 M cabinet maker $2400 $15,000 Mass
Huntress Maxfield 49 F Mass
Ellen Maxfield 21 F Mass
Louisa Maxfield 19 F Mass
David B. Maxfield 17 M Mass school
Cornelia Maxfield 15 F Mass school
Caleb Maxfield 12 M Mass school
Franklin H. Maxfield 7 M Mass school
Sarah Nichols 39 F domestic Sweden
Emma Nichols 4 F Mass school

The identity of "Huntress Maxfield" is not known. Could it be his older sister Hepsibah Maxfield Robbins?

Caleb Maxfield married again. At New Bedford on 27 October 1869 he married CAROLINE S. (RUSSELL) SLOCUM (VR Ma 217:117:231; NB Merc M 787). The record gave the following information:

Caleb Maxfield of New Bedford, 56, furniture dealer, b. Dartmouth to Zadock and Susannah, 2d;
Caroline C. Slocum of New Bedford, 34, b. New Bedford to Holden Russell and Clarise; 2d;
by A. Quint, clergy

Caroline was born at New Bedford on 17 January 1835 (LP), a child of Holden and Clarise Russell. She had married FREDERICK SLOCUM at New Bedford on 26 February 1856 (MA VR 99:101:164). He was a dry goods dealer, born at New Bedford about 1834/5. The blended family of Caleb and Caroline Maxfield was reported in the 1870 Census (605:83B):

Name Age Sex Race Occupation R.E. P.E. Birth Other
Maxfield, Caleb 56 M W furniture dealer $9000 $12,000 MA
Maxfield, Caroline C. 35 F W keeping house $7000 $12,000 MA
Maxfield, David B. 26 M W clerk in store MA
Maxfield, Frank 16 M W attending school MA school
Slocum, Francis R. 9 M W attending school MA school
Haley, Mary 24 F W domestic servant Ireland cannot read
cannot write
Brownell, Harriet 19 F W domestic servant MA

The 1880 Census (525:153A) reported a much smaller household at New Bedford, consisting of Caleb Maxfield, 66, furniture dealer, Caroline C. Maxfield, wife, 45, and Francis R. Slocum, step-son, 18.

Caroline Maxfield died at New Bedford on 24 August 1881, age 46 years, 7 months and 7 days, and was buried at Rural Cemetery, New Bedford (Rural Cem NB S14). The death was reported in the Vital Records (328:134:394) as follows:

New Bedford, Aug 24, 1881: Caroline C. Maxfield (Russell), female, white, married, age 46 y 7 mo, tumor, res + death: 99 Hillman St., New Bedford, b. New Bedford to Holden and Clarissa S., he b. New Bedford, she b. Westport

Caleb Maxfield died at Springfield, Massachusetts, on 19 August 1894 (VR Spring (H) Deaths 8:103:546). His death record indicated the following:

widower, 82 y, arterio sclerosis and exhaustion, res: 73 Dartmouth St. bur: New Bedford; furniture dealer; b. Dartmouth to Zadock (b. Dartmouth) and Susan (Soule)(b. Westport)

He was buried at Oak Grove Cemetery, New Bedford, on 22 August 1894 (Oak Gr Cem H-5).

Caleb Maxfield and his first wife Ann had the following children:

  1. CHARLES E.7 MAXFIELD b. at New Bedford in June 1836
  2. ELLEN7 MAXFIELD
    • b. at Massachusetts abt 1838/9 (1860 Census)
    • m. at San Francisco, California, on 30 June 1864 TIMOTHY G. GAMMONS (she of New Bedford, he of Virginia City, Nv (NB Merc M 787)
      • NOTE: Source calles her daughter of Charles, but there is no Ellen daughter of Charles in New Bedford, and Ellen daughter of Caleb is a perfect fit by age.
      • b. in Massachusetts abt 1838/9 (1870, 1880 Censuses)
      • Census 1870 at Hamilton, White Pine Co., NV
      • Census 1880 at Springfield, Ma
        • Gammons, Timothy G., white, male, 41, bookkeeper, b. MA, parents b. MA MA
        • Gammons, Ellen A., white, female, 41, wife, keeps house, b. MA, parents b. MA MA
        • Gammons, Willie, white, male, 12, son, at school, b. MA, parents b. MA MA
        • Gammons, Fred G., white, male, 10, son, at school, b. NV parents, b. MA MA
        • Gammons, Carrie L., white, female, 8, daughter, at school, b. MA, parents b. MA MA
  3. ANN LOUISA7 MAXFIELD
    • b. at New Bedford abt 1840 (marriage record + 1850 Census)
    • m. at New Bedford on 15 December 1864 JOHN O. MORSE (VR Ma 171:113:281; NB Merc M 787)
      • John O. Morse of Edgartown, 25, mariner, b. Edgartown to John O. and Mary;
        Ann Louisa Maxfield of New Bedford, 24, b. New Bedford to Caleb and Ann, 1st;
        by Alonzo H. Quint, clergy.
      • b. at Edgartown, Ma, abt 1838/9 (marriage record)
  4. DAVID BRIGGS7 MAXFIELD b. at New Bedford on 3 October 1843
  5. CORNELIA7 MAXFIELD
    • b. at New Bedford on 22 February 1846 (VR NB 1:323)
    • m. at New Bedford on 22 November 1866 EDWARD E. HITCH (VR Ma 189:127:261; NB Merc M 787)
      • Edward E. Hitch of New Bedford, 25, sailmaker, b. New Bedford to Charles and Abbie, 1st;
        Cordelia F. Maxfield of New Bedford, b. New Bedford to Caleb and Anna, 1st;
        by Alonzo H. Quint, clergy.
      • b. at New Bedford abt 1840/1 (marriage record)
  6. CALEB7 MAXFIELD
    • b. at New Bedford on 13 January 1849 (VR NB 1:323)
    • Census 1870 at New Bedford (605:1:4B) in household of David G. (60) and Lovice (61) Wilson
      • Maxfield, Caleb, 20, male, white, at home, b. MA, insane
    • Census 1880 at Dartmouth (523:400A) in household of John E. (43) and Cornelia M. (39) Peck
      • Caleb Maxfield, white, male, 30, boarder, single, insane, b. MA, parents b. MA MA
    • Census 1900 at Taunton, Ma (13-1829-3-43 Soundex) Taunton Insane Hospital
      • Maxfield, Caleb, Jr. white 41 Mass inmate
    • d. at Taunton on 18 Apr 1907 (age 58 y) (Oak Gr Cem H-5)
    • bur. at Oak Grove Cemetery, New Bedford, on 20 April 1907 (Oak Gr Cem H-5)
  7. FRANKLIN HERBERT7 MAXFIELD b. at New Bedford on 14 February 1854
Caleb's second wife Caroline had the following child by her first husband:
  1. FRANCIS R. SLOCUM
    • b. at Massachusetts abt 1861/2 (1880 Census)

REFERENCES

Information on this family can be found in:

Other sources abbreviated above include:

BCP
Bristol County Probate Records. Taunton, Ma.
LP
Leonard, Elisha. Leonard Papers. New Bedford Free Public Library, New Bedford, Ma.
Massachusetts State Census, 1855. Family Search (familysearch.org). Accessed 22 September 2011.
MA VR
Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, MA (americanancestors.org).
NB Merc D
Deaths Recorded in the New Bedford Mercury, 1845-1874. Free Public Library, New Bedford, Ma.
NB Merc M
Marriages Recorded in the New Bedford Mercury, 1845-1874. Free Public Library, New Bedford, Mass.
Oak Gr Cem
Oak Grove Cemetery, New Bedford, Ma. Grave marker and New Bedford Cemeteries cardfile.
Rural Cem NB
Grave Marker. Rural Cemetery, New Bedford, Ma., and New Bedford Cemeteries cardfile.
VR Ma
Massachusetts Vital Records. Division of Vital Statistics, State House, Boston, Ma.; microfilm, Genealogical Society, Salt Lake City, Ut.
VR NB
Vital Records of New Bedford, Massachusetts to the Year 1850. Boston: NEHGS, 1932, 1932, 1941.
VR Spring(H)
Holbrook, Jay Mack, ed. Vital Records of Springfield, Massachusetts. Oxford, Mass.: Holbrook Research Institute.
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