Descendants of John Maxfield
of Salisbury, Massachusetts
Fifth Generation

MITCHELL⁵ MAXFIELD (Joshua^4-3, Joseph², John¹) was born at New Hampshire, on 1813^[1] a son of Joshua Maxfield, Jr., and his second wife Asenath Young. He died at Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, on 7 December 1886.^[2] He married about 1838 (first child born about 1839-40) HANNAH A. McCHENSEY. She was born at Washington County on 1821 and died on 1906.^[3]

Mitchell is placed here as a child of Joshua and Asenath because (1) Mitchell was reported in the 1840 census in the same community as Joshua; (2) Mitchell named a daughter Asenath, the same unusual name as Joshua's wife; (3) Mitchell does fit in to the age and sex categories of the Joshua Maxfield household in the 1820 census. This is not conclusive, but is suggestive, that Mitchell was a child of Joshua and Asenath. Hannah's full name is found on their grave marker; her county of birth is indicated on state censuses. The 1850 and 1880 censuses reported that Mitchell was born at New Hampshire, the other censuses gave his birth state as Vermont.

If we have identified Mitchell correctly as a child of Joshua and Asenath, he was born at New Hampshire, and spent the first few years of his life at Bradford, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. Joshua Maxfield, Jr., was still a resident of Bradford in 1816, but by 1820 had moved to Chester, Windsor County, Vermont. By 1840 they had all settled at Fort Ann. Mitchell remained at Fort Ann the rest of his life. Mitchell Maxfield was a shoemaker.

The 1840 census report for Mitchell Maxfield does not agree with any other information we have on this family. I include it here; perhaps someone else can explain it:^[4]

The Mitchell Maxfield family was reported in federal and state censuses at Fort Ann from 1850 through 1880. In 1860 he was called Michael Maxwell, and in 1865 Michael Maxfield, but the information on family members clearly indicates these were the family of Mitchell Maxfield. The ages of family members were reported in the censuses as follows:^[5]

Married children had a habit of coming back home. In 1865 Catherine, married, was recorded as Katherine Frost, and her child, Chester Frost, age 6, was also in the family. Aurian, married in 1865, returned to the family in 1870 as Oriann Chapman, with her husband, Abram Chapman, age 40, a stone mason born at Massachusetts. I cannot explain the absence of George in 1865 or Phila in 1870. Phila was still unmarried in 1875. George, married in 1878, became a widower in 1879, and returned home by 1880. Cora, working as a domestic servant in the home of D. O. and Fanny Briggs, of Fort Ann, in 1870,^[6] returned to the family as Cora B. Little in 1875. Asenith had married Clark Westcott in 1880, and therefore was absent from the family in that year. Mitchell, the father, was described as palsied, therefore disabled, in the 1865 and 1880 censuses. In 1870 he was called a grocer, and had no employment in the remaining census records.

Mitchell, Hannah, and Auriann are buried together at the Fort Ann Cemetery.^[7]

Fort Ann Cemetery, Fort Ann, Washington County, NY
findagrave.com

Mitchell Maxfield, Jr., married Charlotte Bentley about 1882. They had one child, who did not live long enough to appear in a census. Mitchell was described in the 1892, 1900 and 1910 censuses as a boat builder, or carpenter in a boat yard. In 1920 he was called a house carpenter, and in 1930, the year of his death, a flagman for a steam railroad. Mitchell fought in the Spanish-American War in 1898. Charlotte's mother, Mary Bentley, lived with them in 1900, born August 1836 at New York.^[8]

Mitchell Maxfield and his wife Hannah A. McChensey had the following children:^[9]

1. CATHERINE⁶ MAXFIELD b. at Washington County about 1839-40; m. before 1858 (child b. 1858/9) ________ FROST. Child of Catherine (Maxfield) Frost and her husband:
   1. Chester Frost b. at Washington County about 1858-9
2. AURIAN⁶ MAXFIELD b. at Fort Ann on 16 November 1842; d. at Ptiisfield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, on 1 December 1921;^[10] m. at Pittsfield on 1 June 1865 ABRAHAM M. CHAPMAN, b. at New Lebanon, Columbia County, New York, about 1829-30, child of Nathan C. and Polly E. Chapman.^[11]
3. PHILA A.⁶ MAXFIELD b. at Washington County about 1847-8; no record after 1875 census.
4. GEORGE O.⁶ MAXFIELD b. at Washington County on April 1850.
5. CORA BELL⁶ MAXFIELD b. at Washington County abt. 1852-3; m. before 1875 ________ LITTLE.
6. ASENATH⁶ MAXFIELD b. at Washington County on October 1855; d. at Fort Ann on 1936;^[12] m. (1) on 9 June 1878 CLARK H. WESTCOTT,^[13] b. at Pennsylvania about 1853-4; Asenath m. (2) abt. 1885-6 JOEL HARVEY b. at New York on 1843; d. at New York on 1935.^[14] Joel had m. (1) SADIE ________ b. on 1850; d. at New York on 1879.^[15] Children of Clark and Asenath:^[16]
   1. Franklin Westcott b. at New York about 1877-8.
   2. Clark Westcott b. at New York on January 1880.
   3. Claud Westcott b. at New York on July 1880.
   4. Maud A. Westcott b. at New York on October 1884.
   5. Lula Westcott b. at New York on September 1891.
   6. Raymond Westcott b. on New York on March 1895.
7. MITCHELL⁶ MAXFIELD, Jr. b. at Washington County about November 1855; d. at Fort Ann on 1 May 1930; m. about 1881-2 CHARLOTTE BENTLEY, b. at New York on 1864, d. at Fort Ann on 23 July 1931.^[17]

¹Fort Ann Cemetery, Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, Find a Grave, digital images (findagrave.com : accessed 22 December 2018), Mitchell-Hannah Maxfield; Created and photo by: Jonathan Laing.
²New York Department of Health, Albany, New York, "New York, Death Index, 1852-1956," database, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 12 September 2018), Mitchell Maxfield, no. 31102.
³Fort Ann Cemetery, Mitchell-Hannah Maxfield; Created and photo by: Jonathan Laing.
⁴Sixth Census of the United States: 1840, population, Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, p. 225, Mitchell Maxfield; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 26 September 2012); NARA microfilm publication M704, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
⁵Seventh Census of the United States: 1850, population, Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, p. 81A, household 200, Mitchell Maxfield family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 11 October 2012); NARA microfilm record group M432, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C.; New York State Census, 1855, population, Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, enumeration district (ED) 1-2, p. 29, household 115, Mitchell Maxfield family; digital images, Family Search (familysearch.org : accessed 11 September 2013); Eighth Census of the United States: 1860, population, Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, p. 756, household 549, Micheal Maxwell family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 12 November 2012); NARA microfilm record group M653; Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration; New York, State Census, 1865, population, Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, p. 3, household 27, Michel Maxfield family; digital images, Family Search (familysearch.org : accessed 6 October 2014); Ninth Census of the United States: 1870, population, Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, p. 130A, household 179, Mitchell Maxfield family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 9 February 2013); NARA microfilm record group M593; Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration; New York, State Census, 1875, population, Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, p. 36, household 328, Mitchell Maxfield; digital images, Family Search (familysearch.org : accessed 6 January 2012); New York State Library, Albany; Tenth Census of the United States: 1880, population, Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, enumeration district (ED) 134, p. 100A, household 95, Mitchell Maxfield family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 16 March 2013); NARA microfilm publication T9, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
⁶1870 Census, Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, p. 130A, household 175, D. O. Briggs family.
⁷Fort Ann Cemetery, Cora B Maxfield Fuller; Created by: Kathy Jennings Brown.
⁸New York, State Census, 1892, population, Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, p. 11, Mitchell Maxfield family; digital images, Family Search (familysearch.org : accessed 16 September 2013); Twelth Census of the United States: 1900, population, Stillwater, Saratoga County, New York, enumeration district (ED) 138, p. 19A, household 435, Mitchel Maxfield family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 11 October 2013); NARA microfilm group T623; Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration; Thirteenth Census of the United States: 1910, population, Whitehall, Washington County, New York, enumeration district (ED) 119, p. 19B, household 409, Mitchell Maxfield family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 12 October 2013); NARA group T624, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.; Fourteenth Census of the United States: 1920, population, Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, enumeration district (ED) 203, p. 4A, household 107, Mitchel Maxfield family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 22 October 2013); NARA microfilm record group T625, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.; Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930, population, Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, enumeration district (ED) 11, p. 4B, household 128, Mitchel Maxfield family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 6 November 2013); NARA record Group T626.
⁹Information on the children of Mitchell and Hannah is derived from census records listed in the previous two footnotes unless otherwise indicated.
¹⁰Claire Smith, transcriber, "Vital Records of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Deaths 1886-1941," database, GenWeb Massachusetts: Berkshire County: Pittsfield (https://sites.rootsweb.com/~maberksh/towns/pittsfield/pittsfield.htm : accessed 17 January 2023), Deaths: Aurian Maxfield Chapman.
¹¹Massachusetts Archives, "Vital Records of Massachusetts, 1841-1910," digital images, American Ancestors (americanancestors.org : accessed 27 August 2017), vol. 180, p. 63, e. 41; Pittsfield Marriages, 1865; Chapman-Maxfield.
¹²Fort Ann Cemetery, Acenith Maxfield Harvey; Created by: john komar, Photo Added by JEPrep.
¹³Mary S. Jackson and Edward F. Jackson, Marriage Notices from Washington County, New York, Newspapers, 1799-1880 (Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1995).
¹⁴Fort Ann Cemetery, Joel Harvey; Created by: john komar, Photo Added by JEPrep.
¹⁵Fort Ann Cemetery, Sadie Harvey; Created by: john komar
¹⁶Additional information on Asenath and information on her children is from 1880 Census, Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, ED 134, p. 101C, household 117, Clark Westcott family; 1900 Census, Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, ED 120, p. 2B, household 53, Joel Harvey family.
¹⁷"New York, Death Index, 1852-1956," Charlotte Maxfield, no. 45232.

Fort Ann Cemetery, Fort Ann, Washington County, New York. Find a Grave. Digital images. findagrave.com : 2018.

Jackson, Mary S. Jackson and Edward F. Marriage Notices from Washington County, New York, Newspapers, 1799-1880. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1995.

Massachusetts Archives. "Vital Records of Massachusetts, 1841-1910." Digital images. American Ancestors. americanancestors.org : 2017.

New York County Offices. New York State Census, 1855, population. Digital images. Family Search. familysearch.org : 2013.

________, New York, State Census, 1865, population. Digital images. Family Search. familysearch.org : 2014.

________. New York, State Census, 1892, population. Digital images. Family Search. familysearch.org : 2013.

New York Secretary of State. New York, State Census, 1875, population. Digital images. Family Search. familysearch.org : 2012.

New York Department of Health, Albany, New York. "New York, Death Index, 1852-1956." Database. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2018.

Smith, Claire, transcriber. "Vital Records of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Deaths 1886-1941." Database. GenWeb Massachusetts: Berkshire County: Pittsfield. https://sites.rootsweb.com/~maberksh/towns/pittsfield/pittsfield.htm : 2023.

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 : 2013.

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

________. Fourteenth Census of the United States: 1920, population. Digital images. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2013.

________. Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930, population. Digital images. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2013.