JOSEPH S.⁶ MAXFIELD was born at Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts on 15 October 1803 a son of David Maxfield and his wife Mary Soule.^[1] He died on 21 January 1886.^[2] He first married before 1830 PHOEBE HAIGHT. She was born at New York on 1 March 1808 and died on 4 January 1852.^[3] He second married before 1860 SALLY M. ________. She was born at New York about 1807-8^[4] and died at Columbia County, Wisconsin, on 19 June 1867.^[5]

The fifth of eight children, Joseph was 11 when his mother died and 22 when his father died.

As a young man, Joseph joined the whaling crew of the Industry, from 24 August 1825 to 1 October 1826.^[6] However he later married and evidently settled in New York, where his children were born in 1830-1, 1838-9 and 1843. Sometime between the birth of a child in 1843 and the burial of a child in 1847 this family moved to the town of Hampden, Columbia County, Wisconsin, where they were reported in the 1850 Census:^[7]

Catharine could have been a servant and the Haights could have been Phoebe's parents.

Joseph's first wife, Phoebe, died in 1852, leaving Joseph with children aged 21, about 13, 8, and 4 months.

The 1860 Census reported Joseph Maxfield in the town of Leeds, Columbia County. He was 53, a farmer, with real estate valued at $3200 and a personal estate of $400. With him were his second wife, Sally, 52, and son Joseph H., 19. Also in the household was a teacher, Sarah C. Holt, 19, and a farm laborer, John G. Parker, 22.^[8] Son Edmund Maxfield remained at Hampden, a farm laborer in the household of John and Phebe Haight, probably relatives through his mother. Joseph's second wife, Sally, died in 1867. The 1870 Census reported this family in Otsego town, Columbia County, next to son Joseph.^[9]

I have not found Joseph, senior in the 1880 Census; sons Joseph and Edmund were listed next to each other in Otsego town.^[10] Joseph senior died in 1886.

There is some confusion in these records. Joseph Maxfield married Mrs. Adah Black in 1867. I am guessing this is Joseph Jr. The 1870 Census reported the senior Joseph, 63, with Asah, 45, and Sarah Black 13, listed next to the younger Joseph, 27, and Saloisa, 26. The 1880 Census listed Joseph (the younger), 44, with wife Esther, 55, b. Ireland and daughter Sarah Black, 22, listed next to Edmund Maxfield, 37 and his wife Salome, 36. I am speculating that Esther and Asah - which sound alike - are the same person. Saloisa, in 1870, was born the same year as Salome in 1880, and could be the same person. Perhaps the census taker got confused with this family. I know I am confused.

Joseph Maxfied and his first wife Phoebe had the following children:

1. DAVID⁷ MAXFIELD b. at New York about 1830-1.^[11]
2. WILLIAM⁷ MAXFIELD b. on 20 July 1834; d. on 22 May 1847.^[12]
3. JOSEPH H.⁷ MAXFIELD b. at New York about 1838-9;^[13] m. at Columbia County on 8 September 1867 ESTHER ________ BLACK,^[14] b. at Ireland about 1824-5, d. at Otsego on 31 March 1885.^[15] Child of Esther by prior marriage:
   1. Sarah Black at Ireland about 1857-8.^[16]
4. EDMUND⁷ MAXFIELD b. at New York on 6 June 1843.
5. MARY JANE⁷ MAXFIELD b. on 25 September 1851; d. on 10 December 1854.^[17]

¹Vital Records of Dartmouth, Massachusetts: to the Year 1850 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1929,1929,1930), v. 1, p. 158.
²Otsego Cemetery, Otsego, Columbia County, Wisconsin, Find a Grave, digital images (findagrave.com : accessed 16 April 2023), Joseph-Phebe Maxfield; Created by: Bob, photo Added by Grave Walker(L Kopet).
³Ibid.
⁴Eighth Census of the United States: 1860, population, Leeds, Columbia County, Wisconsin, p. 339, household 112, Jos. Maxfield family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 17 November 2012); NARA microfilm record group M653; Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration.
⁵U.S. Gen Web Archives (http://files.usgwarchives.net), Wisconsin: Columbia County: Newspaper Obituary Index.
⁶"Whaling Archives," database, New Bedford Free Public Library, City of New Bedford, Massachusetts (https://www.newbedford-ma.gov/Library/Whaling/Whaling.html : accessed 20 January 2014)
⁷Seventh Census of the United States: 1850, population, Hampden, Columbia County, Wisconsin, p. 131B, household 244, Joseph S. Maxfield family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 17 October 2012); NARA microfilm record group M432, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
⁸1860 Census, Leeds, Columbia County, Wisconsin, p. 339, household 112, Jos. Maxfield family.
⁹Ninth Census of the United States: 1870, population, Otsego, Columbia County, Wisconsin, p. 252A, household 211, Joseph Maxfield family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 16 February 2013); NARA microfilm record group M593; Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration.
¹⁰Tenth Census of the United States: 1880, population, Otsego, Columbia County, Wisconsin, enumeration district (ED) 32, p. 207C, household 214, Joseph Maxfield family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 25 March 2013); NARA microfilm publication T9, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
¹¹1850 Census, Hampden, Columbia County, Wisconsin, p. 131B, household 244, Joseph S. Maxfield family.
¹²Otsego Cemetery, Otsego, William F. Maxfield; Created by: Bill Gransee, Photo added by Steve Seim.
¹³1850 Census, Hampden, Columbia County, Wisconsin, p. 131B, household 244, Joseph S. Maxfield family.
¹⁴Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Madison, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, Marriage Records, 1820-2004, , Maxfield-Black, 1867; database, Ancestry (: accessed 21 December 2023); ancestry.com.
¹⁵U.S. Gen Web Archives (http://files.usgwarchives.net), Wisconsin: Columbia County, Columbia Republican Newspaper. "Mrs. Maxfield" - not proven that this is correct reference.
¹⁶1870 Census, Otsego, Columbia County, Wisconsin, p. 252A, household 212, Joseph S. Maxfield family.
¹⁷Otsego Cemetery, Otsego, Mary Jane Maxfield; Created by: BillGransee, Photo added by Steve Seim.