Descendants of John Maxfield
of Salisbury, Massachusetts
Fifth Generation

NEWELL JAMES⁵ MAXFIELD (Richard⁴, Michael³, John^2-1) was born at Chichester, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, on 16 June 1802 a son of Richard Maxfield and his wife Mercy James. He died at Hooksett, Merrimack County, New Hampshire, on 9 October 1844.^[1] He married perhaps about 1825 MATILDA LANE.^[2] She was born at Chichester on 29 March 1807, a daughter of Abijah Lane and his wife Hannah Wallace. She died at Loudon, Merrimack County, on 29 January 1862.^[3] After the death of Newell, she married, as her second husband, at Pembroke, Merrimack County, on 7 December 1854, PEARSON CLEASBY,^[4] who was born at New Hampshire about 1802-3. Pearson had previously married at Sanbornton, Belknap County, New Hampshire, on 30 July 1825 HANNAH BUZZELL, who was born at New Hampshire about 1802-3.^[5] After the death of Matilda, Pearson married as his third wife at Concord, Merrimack County, on 3 May 1864 MARY OSGOOD.^[6]

Newell and Matilda lived at Chichester, where their first child was born in 1827. However, by the time of the 1830 census they had moved west to the town of Wentworth, Grafton County, New Hampshire. Their son Daniel was born at Wentworth in 1833. When the 1840 census was taken, they resided at Piermont, Grafton County, a town adjoining Wentworth and on the Connecticut River. In 1841 their last child was born, at Hooksett, a town in south-central New Hampshire on the Merrimack River, and that is where Newell died in 1844. His estate went before the probate court of Grafton County, which described Matilda as being of Piermont.

The Newell Maxfield family was reported in the 1830 and 1840 censuses, with the numbers in various age and sex categories. The following is a possible explanation of those family members:^[7]

There is some confusion over where this family lived after 1840. Their last child, Albert, was born in 1841 at Hookset according to his death record, at Wentworth according to his marriage record. Newell died at Hookset in 1844 and is buried at Head Cemetery, Hookset. The probate records placed the surviving family members at Piermont, which is next to Wentworth.

Matilda Maxfield of Piermont appeared before the Grafton County Probate Court on 19 November 1844, reported that her husband had died intestate, and declined administration of the estate. On 18 October 1845 the administrator was authorized to sell land to pay bills of the estate. At the final dispersal of the estate the widow was granted $300.00 and the remainder, $36.60, was to be paid for support of Albert Maxfield, a child of the deceased under seven years of age.^[8] On 21 October 1845 the Grafton County Court appointed Matilda Maxfield of Piermont to be guardian of Andrew Maxfield and George Maxfield, minors over fourteen years of age and Daniel Maxfield and Albert Maxfield minors under fourteen years of age and children of Newell J. Maxfield late of Piermont, deceased.^[9]

At the time of Newell's death, at age 42, he left a widow, Matilda, 37, and four sons, aged 16, 14, 11, and 3. Son George died in 1848 and is buried at Head Cemetery, Hookset. The 1850 census reported Matilda Maxfield, 43, at Hookset, with sons Daniel, 17, working in a factory, and Albert, 9, at school. Five other persons resided with them, probably boarders: a male factory worker aged 23, and four young women between the ages of 18 and 20.^[10] Her eldest son, Andrew, had married and lived with his wife at Hookset.

Widow Matilda Maxfield married Pearson Cleasby (or Clisby) on 7 December 1854. He was a farmer of Concord, Merrimack County.^[11]

The 1860 census reported Pearson J. Clisby, 57, farmer, and his wife Matilda, 53, at Concord, with two of Pearson's children from a previous marriage, Julia, 16, in school, and Oliver, 22, a farm laborer.^[12] Andrew Maxfield had moved with his family to Loudon, where he worked as a blacksmith. Daniel Maxfield had married, lived at Manchester, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, and worked as a mechanic. Albert, still single, also lived at Manchester, and was a laborer. Albert married in 1861. Matilda died on 29 January 1862 at Loudon, and is buried at Head Cemetery, Hookset.^[13]

Newell James Maxfield and his wife Matilda Lane had the following children:

1. ANDREW JAMES⁶ MAXFIELD b. at Chichester on 21 November 1827.
2. GEORGE F.⁶ MAXFIELD b. about 1830-1, d, on 5 March 1848.^[14]
3. DANIEL H.⁶ MAXFIELD b. at Wentworth on 21 February 1833; d. at Manchester on 21 February 1907;^[15] m. abt. 1858-9 SARAH ELIZABETH LANE,^[16] b. at Wentworth on 20 February 1833, d. at Manchester on 21 November 1816,^[17] child of Asa Lane and Elizabeth Towle. Daniel and Sarah were first cousins, as Sarah's father and Daniel's mother were brother and sister, both children of Abijah Lane and Hannah Wallace. At his death Daniel was reported to have lived at Manchester for "over 55 years" which would place his arrival there by 1852. The 1860 census reported Daniel and Sarah at Manchester, both age 27, both born at New Hampshire, he a mechanic.^[18] In 1870 he was reported "working in a cotton mill."^[19] The 1880 census reported Daniel and Sarah, both 47, at 17 Stark Street, the Stark Corporation, Manchester. Daniel was an overseer at Stark Mills; Sarah was keeping house. Sarah's mother, Elizabeth P. Lane, 67, a widow, lived with them.^[20] City Directories from 1890 to 1893 reported Daniel Maxfield at 481 Lincoln Street, Manchester, and described him as superintendent of the City Yard.^[21] The 1900 census reported Daniel and Sarah, both born in February 1833, had been married 41 years. Daniel was a time keeper for the city; Sarah never had any children.^[22] Daniel's death record stated that he was assistant superintendent of streets, and died from disease of the brain on 21 February 1907.^[23] The 1910 census reported Sarah E. Maxfield, age 77, living at Manchester with Kay Hutchinson, a housekeeper, and Mary Gibson, a nurse.^[24]
4. ALBERT⁶ MAXFIELD b. at Wentworth (or Hookset) on 27 April 1841; d. at Manchester on 21 May 1910;^[25] m. at Manchester on 25 March 1861 SOHPRONIA CHASE,^[26] b. at Lawrence, Saint Lawrence County, New York, on 4 May 1839, d. at Manchester on 11 July 1911, child of Liba M Chase and Mindwell Rollins.^[27] In November 1876 Albert served as a delegate to a state Constitutional Convention from ward 1, Manchester.^[28] The 1880 census reported Albert, 39, and Sophiana, 41, at 23 Canal Street, Machine Shop Block, Manchester. Albert was a beltmaker, Sophiana was keeping house. Her sister, Lilian Chase, 22, lived with them and worked in a cotton mill.^[29] City Directories reported their address at 23 Canal Street in 1890 and 1891, but at 98 Liberty Street in 1892 and 1893.^[30] The 1900 census reported Albert and Sophronia, born April 1840 and May 1839 respectively, at 98 Liberty Street. They had been married 39 years, he worked at a mill as a belt maker, she never had any children.^[31] The 1910 census, taken on April 15, reported Albert and Sophronia "Maxwell" at the same address. He was still a belt maker, but had been unemployed for 35 of the past 52 weeks.^[32] Albert died a few weeks after the census, May 21, from arterio sclerosis.^[33] Sophronia died the following year, 11 July 1911, from spinal sclerosis.^[34]

¹Head Cemetery, Hooksett, Merimack County, New Hampshire, Find a Grave, digital images (findagrave.com : accessed 8 December 2012), Newell J. Maxfield; Created and photo by: AuntieJ.
²Names given in Edmund J. Lane, "Descendants of William Lane," New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 27 (1873): 181.
³Head Cemetery, Hooksett, Matilda Maxfield Clisby; Created and photo by: AuntieJ.
⁴New Hampshire, State of, Division of Vital Records, Concord, New Hampshire, New Hampshire: Births, Deaths and Marriages, Marriage: Cleasby-Maxfield, 1854; digital images, New England Historical and Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (americanancestors.org : accessed 31 January 2023).
⁵New Hampshire: Births, Deaths and Marriages, index card 51435, Marriage: Clesby-Buzwell, 1825.
⁶New Hampshire: Births, Deaths and Marriages, index card, Marriage: Cleasby-Osgood, 1864.
⁷Fifth Census of the United States: 1830, population, Wentworth, Grafton County, New Hampshire, roll 75, p. 210, Newell Maxfield; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 21 September 2012); NARA microfilm publication M19, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. Sixth Census of the United States: 1840, population, Piermont, Grafton County, New Hampshire, p. 110, Newell Macksfield; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 27 September 2012); NARA microfilm publication M704, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
⁸Grafton County, New Hampshire, Probate records, 19:65; 26:23; "New Hampshire, County Probate Records, 1660-1973," digital images, Family Search (familysearch.org: accessed 2014).
⁹Ibid., 22:378
¹⁰Seventh Census of the United States: 1850, population, Hooksett, Merrimack County, New Hampshire, roll 435, p. 108A, household 54, Matilda Maxfield family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 9 October 2012); NARA microfilm record group M432, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
¹¹New Hampshire: Births, Deaths and Marriages, Marriage: Cleasby-Maxfield, 1854.
¹²Eighth Census of the United States: 1860, population, Concord, Merrimack County, New Hampshire, roll 675, p. 14, household 118, Pearsons J. Clisby family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 21 May 2014); NARA microfilm record group M653; Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration.
¹³Head Cemetery, Hooksett, Matilda Maxfield Clisby; Created and photo by: AuntieJ.
¹⁴Head Cemetery, Hooksett, George F. Maxfield; Created and photo by: AuntieJ.
¹⁵New Hampshire: Births, Deaths and Marriages, index card 15107, Death, Daniel H. Maxfield, 1907.
¹⁶Names from Lane, "Descendants of William Lane," 181.
¹⁷New Hampshire: Births, Deaths and Marriages, index card 15229, Death, Sarah Elizabeth Maxfield, 1916.
¹⁸1860 Census, Manchester, Hillsboro County, New Hampshire, roll 674, p. 461, household 63, Daniel H. Maxfield family.
¹⁹Ninth Census of the United States: 1870, population, Manchester, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, roll 843, p. 202B, household 172, Daniel H. Maxfield family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 8 February 2013); NARA microfilm record group M593; Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration.
²⁰Tenth Census of the United States: 1880, population, Manchester, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, enumeration district (ED) 121, roll 763, p. 8D, household 124, Daniel Maxfield family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 12 March 2013); NARA microfilm publication T9, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
²¹"Manchester, New Hampshire Directories, 1890-1893", database, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 14 August 2013).
²²Twelth Census of the United States: 1900, population, Manchester, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, enumeration district (ED) 92, roll 947, p. 9B, household 202, Daniel Maxfield family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 29 July 2013); NARA microfilm group T623; Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration.
²³New Hampshire: Births, Deaths and Marriages, index card 15107, Death, Daniel H. Maxfield, 1907.
²⁴Thirteenth Census of the United States: 1910, population, Manchester, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, enumeration district (ED) 124, roll 862, p. 6A, household 140, Sarah E. Maxfield family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 9 August 2013); NARA group T624, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
²⁵New Hampshire: Births, Deaths and Marriages, index card 15083, Death, Albert Maxfield, 1910. Born at Hookset on death record, but Wentworth in Marriage Record.
²⁶New Hampshire: Births, Deaths and Marriages, index card 9807, Marriage, Maxfield-Chase, 1861.
²⁷New Hampshire: Births, Deaths and Marriages, index card 15233, Death, Sophronia T. Maxfield, 1911.
²⁸"Delegates to the Constitutional Convention," Independent Statesman, 16 November 1876, p. 54; 19th Century U.S. Newspapers (infotrac.galegroup.com : accessed 23 September 2012).
²⁹1880 Census, Manchester, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, ED 121, roll 763, p. 11B, household 161, Albert Maxfield family.
³⁰"Manchester, New Hampshire Directories, 1890-1893."
³¹1900 Census, Manchester, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, ED 93, roll 947, p. 3A, household 54, Albert Maxfield family.
³²1910 Census, Manchester, Hilsborough County, New Hampshire, ED 125, roll 862, p. 9A, household 179, Albert Maxwell family.
³²New Hampshire: Births, Deaths and Marriages, index card 15083, Death, Albert Maxfield, 1910.
³⁴New Hampshire: Births, Deaths and Marriages, index card 15233, Death, Sophronia T. Maxfield, 1911.

French, Harry Dana. Descendants of John Maxfield of Salisbury, Mass. New Hampshire Historical Society Library, Concord, New Hampshire, about 1952.

Grafton County, New Hampshire. Probate records. "New Hampshire, County Probate Records, 1660-1973." Digital images. Family Search. familysearch.org: 2014.

Head Cemetery, Hooksett, Merimack County, New Hampshire. Find a Grave. Digital images. findagrave.com : 2012.

Independent Statesman; digital images, 19th Century U.S. Newspapers (infotrac.galegroup.com : accessed 2012).

Lane, Edmund J. "Descendants of William Lane." New England Historical and Genealogical Register 27 (1873): 176-81.

"Manchester, New Hampshire Directories, 1890-1893." Database. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2013.

New Hampshire, State of, Division of Vital Records, Concord, New Hampshire. New Hampshire: Births, Deaths and Marriages. Digital images. New England Historical and Genealogical Society. American Ancestors. americanancestors.org : 2023.

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 : 2014.

________. 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 : 2013.

________. Thirteenth Census of the United States: 1910, population. Digital images. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2013.