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. before 1855 RENSSELAER MOORMAN, b. at Michigan about 1833-4.^[13]
   Children of Martha and Rensselaer:^[14]
   1. Richard J. Moorman b. at Michigan about 1855-6.
   2. Seneca E. Moorman b. at Michigan oabout 1857-8.
   3. Robert E. Moorman b. at Michigan about July 1859.
   4. Aretus Moorman b. at Michigan about 1862-3.
   5. William Moorman b. at Michigan about 1867-8
   6. Frederick H. Moorman b. at Michigan about 1871-2.
2. ALLEN DERICK⁶ MAXFIELD b. at Onondaga Co. on 9 November 1831.
3. LUCAS G.⁶ MAXFIELD b. at Geuga County, Ohio, on 9 February 1834.
4. LAURA MALISSA⁶ MAXFIELD b. at Ohio on 20 March 1836.^[15]
5. MARY LOSINA⁶ MAXFIELD b. at Marion County, Ohio, on 15 July 1838;^[16] d. at Clare County, Michigan, on 17 August 1922;^[17] m. at Spencer, Kent County, on 25 June 1854 LUTHER HART,^[18] b. at New York on 6 May 1834, d. at Kent County on 24 June 1882.^[19] See her picture on the right.
6. HANNAH RUMINA⁶ MAXFIELD b. on 24 September 1840.^[20]
7. HARRIET⁶ MAXFIELD b. at Ohio on 17 February 1843;^[21] I have no further record since the 1860 census.
8. RACHEL JANE⁶ MAXFIELD b. at Ohio on 24 April 1845;^[22] I have no further record since the 1860 census.
9. MATTHEW NATHANIEL⁶ MAXFIELD b. at Tully on 26 December 1847.

¹Michigana (Genealogical Society of Western Michigan, Grand Rapidsd, Michigan): 28:35; "Debbie Ferguson's Family Tree for All Branches", database, Debbie Ferguson, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 30 September 2016); undocumented and unnamed family tree submitted by Debbie Ferguson.
²Michigana: 28:35; Eighth Census of the United States: 1860, population, Oakfield, Kent County, Michigan, p. 572, household 190, Elias Markly family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 5 November 2012); NARA microfilm record group M653; Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration.
³Fifth Census of the United States: 1830, population, Salina, Onondaga County, New York, p. 2, Richard 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, Hanover, Richland County, Ohio, p. 62, Richard Maxfield; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 26 September 2012); NARA microfilm publication M704, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
⁴Seventh Census of the United States: 1850, population, Tully, Marion County, Ohio, p. 59A, household 30, Elizabeth Maxfield family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 14 October 2012); NARA microfilm record group M432, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
⁵1850 Census, Tully, Marion County, Ohio, p. 59A, household 34, Matthew Kinstey family.
⁶1860 Census, Oakfield, Kent County, Michigan, p. 572, household 190, Elias Markly family.
⁷1860 Census, Byron, Kent County, Michigan, p. 7B, household 564, Rensaleer Mormon family.
⁸1860 Census, Oakfield, Kent County, Michigan, p. 573, household 196, Ambrose Wilkes family.
⁹Michigana: 24:88.
¹⁰1860 Census, Montcalm, Montcalm County, Michigan, p. 688, household 62, William D. Vider family.
¹¹"Debbie Ferguson's Family Tree for All Branches."
¹²Michigan Department of Community Health, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics, Lansing, Michigan, Michigan, Death Records, 1867-1952, Kent County, p. 73, e. 275, Martha A. P. Moorman, 1880; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 29 June 2023).
¹³1860 Census, Byron, Kent County, Michigan, p. 7B, household 564, Rensaleer Mormon family.
¹⁴1860 Census, Byron, Kent County, Michigan, p. 7B, household 564, Rensaleer Mormon family; Tenth Census of the United States: 1880, population, Byron, Kent County, Michigan, enumeration district (ED) 130, p. 152D, household 177, Renselear Moorman family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 26 March 2013); NARA microfilm publication T9, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
¹⁵"Debbie Ferguson's Family Tree for All Branches."
¹⁶Michigana: 25:112.
¹⁷Ibid; year given at: Horton Cemetery, Greenville, Kent County, Michigan, Find a Grave, digital images (findagrave.com : accessed 4 December 2012), Mary L. Hart; Created by: Anonymous, Photo added by Ron "Ozzie" Oswalt.
¹⁸Date of 1854 given in Michigana: 28:35, is not consistent with information in census records.
¹⁹Horton Cemetery, Greenville, Luther Hart; Created and photo by: Ron "Ozzie" Oswalt.
²⁰"Debbie Ferguson's Family Tree for All Branches."
²¹Ibid.
²²Ibid.

Ferguson, Debbie. "Debbie Ferguson's Family Tree for All Branches." Database. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2016.

Horton Cemetery, Greenville, Kent County, Michigan. Find a Grave. Digital images. findagrave.com : 2012.

Michigan Department of Community Health, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics, Lansing, Michigan. Michigan, Death Records, 1867-1952. Digital images. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2023.

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

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.

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