Thomas Maxfield took over the first store at Locust Grove, Ohio, which store had been opened by Col. John Reynolds in 1815. Maxfield kept the store until 1827, when he moved to the new town of Norwich. The village of Norwich in Union Township was laid out in 1827; Thomas Maxfield kept the first store. (His Muskingum Co 417) Thomas Maxfield married ELEANOR ______. She was born at Pennsylvania about 1807 (1806/7 in 1850 census, 1807/8 in 1860 census).
Thomas Maxfield was active in Democratic party politics. In 1842 he was chair of a committee of "democracy of Muskingum County" that prepared a resolution, against a national bank (Oh St 30 Mar 1842). In 1850 a constitutional convention received a petition from Thomas Maxfield and 103 others of Muskingum County, asking that a provision be placed in the new constitution (to be submitted to vote by the people) prohibiting the legislature from passage of any law legalizing the traffic in ardent spirits (D Oh St 10 Jun 1850). In 1862 he was a delegate from Muskingum County at the Democratic convention for his congressional district (New Adv 8 Aug 1862).
The 1830 census (137:321) reported the Thomas Maxfield family at Norwich Township, Muskingum County, as follows:
| age | male | female |
| 30-39 | 2 | |
| 20-29 | 1 | 2 |
| 0-4 | 2 | 1 |
A male in his thirties (Thomas), female in her twenties (Eleanor) and male under 5 (son James) are the only persons belonging to this nuclear family. The 1850 census (718:443B) reported a much enlarged family at Union Township, Muskingum County:
| Name | Age | Sex | Occupation | R.E. | Birthplace | Other |
| Thomas Maxfield | 54 | M | merchant | $1000 | MD | |
| Eleanor Maxfield | 43 | F | PA | |||
| Elizabeth A. Maxfield | 14 | F | OH | school | ||
| Louisa Maxfield | 11 | F | OH | school | ||
| Leonidas Maxfield | 9 | F | OH | school | ||
| Aribella Maxfield | 5 | F | OH | school | ||
| Alonzo Maxfield | 3 | M | OH | |||
| Lewis H. Maxfield | 3/12 | M | OH | |||
| Mary Laundry | 13 | F | OH | |||
| James Maxfield | 18 | M | merchant | OH |
By 1860 the census (1018:1:156B) reported a smaller family at Washington Township (Lanesville Post Office), Muskingum County:
| Name | Age | Sex | Occupation | R.E. | P.E. | Birthplace | Other |
| Thomas Maxfield | 65 | M | merchant and farmer | $12,000 | $1200 | MD | |
| Ellen Maxfield | 52 | F | PA | ||||
| Arabella Maxfield | 15 | F | OH | ||||
| Alonzo Maxfield | 13 | M | OH | ||||
| Lewis H. Maxfield | 10 | M | OH | ||||
| Mary E. Thomas | 20 | F | servant | PA | |||
| Kinsey Maxfield | 59 | M | no profession | $5800 | VA |
Kinsey, Thomas' brother, was also reported with his own family.
Thomas Maxfield died at his residence near Sonora, in Muskingum County, Ohio, on 6 March 1864 (New Adv 25 Mar 1864).
Thomas and Eleanor Maxfield had the following children:
occupation: merchant; cause of death: consumption
Information on this family is found in:
Return to Maxfield Genealogy
Go to Maxfield Outline Index