Descendants of John Maxfield
of Salisbury, Massachusetts
Second Generation

TIMOTHY² MAXFIELD (John ¹) was born at Salisbury, Essex County, Massachusetts on October 1682 a son of John Maxfield and his wife Elizabeth Hammond.^[1] He died probably at Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts, after he signed a deed on 14 July 1772 and before he was reported deceased in the record of deeds on 14 September 1773. ^[2] He first married at Dartmouth on 15 January 1707 LYDIA SHERMAN.^[3] She was born at Dartmouth on 1 February 1682/3, a daughter of Edmond Sherman. She died probably at Dartmouth sometime after the birth of a child on 16 August 1726 and before her husband's remarriage on 8 June 1741. He married second at Dartmouth on 8 January 1741 ELIZABETH SHERMAN,^[4] a daughter of William Sherman. She died probably at Dartmouth in the same interval as Timothy, signing a deed on 14 July 1772, and reported deceased in the record of deeds on 14 September 1773.

Timothy was 21 years old when his father died suddenly in Salisbury. He married at Dartmouth, Massachusetts, shortly before his mother remarried. He first purchased land at Dartmouth on 15 March 1710/1, and is called "of Dartmouth" on all later deeds, beginning on 25 December 1713. On one deed he is called a joiner, on another he is called a carpenter and joiner.

His land transactions, were as follows:

• 15 March, 1710/1: Thomas Gatchell of Dartmouth, taylor, for £ 5, sold to Timothy Maxfield 8 acres of upland in Dartmouth, not yet laid out.^[5]
• 2 November 1713: Timothy Maxfield surrendered any rights to land in Salisbury through inheritance from his honored father, to Nathaniel Maxfield and Joseph Maxfield.^[6]
• 25 December 1713: William Hart of Dartmouth for £ 20, sold to Timothy Maxfield of Dartmouth, 10 acres of upland in Dartmouth.^[7]
• 31 August 1715: William Shearman of Dartmouth for £ 2, 10 s, sold to Timothy Maxfield of Dartmouth, 2 acres of upland in Dartmouth on west side of Mill River, Aponeganset Village, below the saw mill.^[8]
• 9 October 1717: Timothy Maxfield of Dartmouth, joiner, for £ 11, sold to Adam Mott of Dartmouth, blacksmith, about 2 acres in Dartmouth, bought of William Sherman 31 Aug 1715.^[9]
• 18 August 1718: Edmond Shearman of Dartmouth, yeoman, for £ 17, sold to Timothy Maxfield of Dartmouth, yeoman, 22 acres and 95 rods of land in Dartmouth on the east side of Mill River in Aponoganset Village (except 4 acres already disposed of), land on north side of County Road, adjoining land already owned by Timothy.^[10]
• 4 October 1749: Timothy Maxfield, Sr., of Dartmouth, yeoman, for £ 100, sold to John Maxfield of Dartmouth, husbandman, land in Dartmouth on north side of county road, next to Timothy Maxfield's dwelling house, along Mill River and Mill Pond.^[11]
• 16 February 1760: Benjamin Mosher of Dartmouth, cordwainer, for £ 45, sold to Timothy Maxfield of Dartmouth, carpenter and joiner, a parcel in Dartmouth with a house, bounded by Mosher homestead, County Road, adjoining Timothy Maxfield land.^[12]
• 14 July 1772: Timothy Maxfield and Elisabeth Maxfield wife of Timothy, of Dartmouth, yeoman, for £ 120, yielded to Thomas Shearman of Dartmouth, yeoman, all rights to the estate of Elisabeth's brother Peleg Shearman of Dartmouth who died intestate; signed Timothy Maxfield (his mark) Elizabeth Maxfield (her mark); witness John Maxfield, Dorcas Maxfield.
  
• Inferior Court of Common Pleas, Taunton, 2d Tuesday of September 1773 [14 Sep]: John Maxfield appeared and made oath that Timothy Maxfield and Elizabeth Maxfield are since deceased.^[13]

According to his will, his homestead included land on both north and south sides of County Road. He wrote his will at Dartmouth on 23 March, 1770 The text of his will is given below. Timothy Maxfield and his first wife Lydia Sherman had the following children:

1. TIMOTHY³ MAXFIELD b. at Dartmouth on 12 September 1708.
2. EDMUND³ MAXFIELD b. at Dartmouth on 12 September 1708 (twin of Timothy);^[14] d. at Dartmouth on 23 November 1708.^[15]
3. ABIGAIL³ MAXFIELD b. at Dartmouth on 17 August 1710;^[16] m. at Dartmouth on 12 September 1728 BENJAMIN MOSHER^[17].
4. ELIZABETH³ MAXFIELD b. at Dartmouth on 23 August 1713;^[18] m. at Dartmouth on 23 September 1736 SAMUEL POTTER,^[19] b. at Dartmouth on 23 September 1714,^[20] child of Samuel Potter.
5. MARY³ MAXFIELD b. at Dartmouth on 22 August 1716;^[21] still living when her sister Lydia wrote her will in 1776; m. int. pub. at Dartmouth on 10 May 1745 to JOHN JENNE.^[22]
6. DORCAS³ MAXFIELD b. at Dartmouth on 30 August 1719;^[23] still living and unmarried when her sister Lydia wrote her will in 1776.
7. LYDIA³ MAXFIELD b. at Dartmouth on 27 October 1721;^[24] d. after writing will in 1776. In her will Lydia Maxfield gave to brother Timothy, sister Mary Jenne, brother John, cousins Nathaniel, Abraham, Lydia Sherman (wife of David), sister Dorcas.^[25]
8. JOHN³ MAXFIELD b. at Dartmouth on 16 August 1726.

I Timothy Maxfeld of Dartmouth in the County of Bristol in the Province of Massachusetts Bay in New England being grown into years but of a sound disposing mind and memory, Thanks be to God for it! and calling to mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die do make constitute and ordain this my last Will and Testament in the following manner and form:

My will is that all my just debts and funeral charges be well and truly paid by my Executor hereafter named---

I give and bequeath unto my true and loving wife Elizabeth Maxfeld and my two daughters Dorcas Maxfeld and Lydia Maxfeld the privilege as long as they remain single of my whole dwelling house and sufficient fire wood for one Fire cut to a suitable length and brought to the door by my son John Maxfeld and also by my said son John to keep one cow for them summer and winter, and my will is that they may take the choice of my cows that I shall leave at my decease, and if I should leave none then they may purchase one as they see cause, and my will is that my said wife and daughters shall have the privilege to gather apples out of the orchard for their own eating and the whole use of the garden as long as they remain unmarried.

I give and bequeath unto my above said wife Elisabeth Maxfield as long as she remains my widow forty weight of good beef to be paid her by my son Timothy and thirty weight of good pork to be paid her by my son John, and six bushells of good indian corn three bushells of which to be paid her by my son Timothy and the other three by my son John. I likewise give unto my said wife the sum of twenty-four Shillings lawful money twelve shillings of which to be paid her by my son Timothy, and the other twelve by my son John. All said promises to be paid to her yearly and every year of her widowhood---

And I also give unto my said wife as long as she remains my widow the use of my bedstead whereon her bed lies and the curtains that hangs about it, and my old table, and one of my trammels and all the household stuff that she brought with her when she came to live with me, and my little iron pott. It is to be understood that all the gifts and privileges that I have given to my said wife Elisabeth Maxfeld, she accepting them, is in lieu of her thirds or widow's dower and no otherwise---

I give and bequeath unto my loving daughter Dorcas Maxfeld the sum of three pounds lawful to be paid unto her by my son Timothy Maxfield---

I give and bequeath unto my loving daughter Lydia Maxfeld the sum of three pounds lawful money to be paid her by my son John Maxfield---

I also give unto my two daughters Dorcas and Lydia all my household goods that I have not already disposed of--to be equally divided between them--I also give them my loom and tackling and also all my shoe leather that shall be left at my decease and all the eatable provision (if there be any left at my decease)---

I likewise give unto my two daughters Dorcas and Lydia one yearling steer and one pig (if there be any left after my decease)---

I also give them my great Bible---

I give and bequeath unto my loving son Timothy Maxfeld all that part of my homestead farm that I have left laying on the northerly side of County Road with the buildings and fencing standing thereon to him his heirs and assigns forever--he paying out what I have ordered or shall order him---

I give and bequeath unto my loving son John Maxfeld all that part of my homestead farm laying on the southerly side of the County Road with the orchard housing and fencing standing thereon my widow and daughters to have the privilege as stated aforesaid, to him his heirs and assigns forever, he procuring provide and pay what I have ordered or shall order. I also give unto him my gun. I hereby order my said son John Maxfeld to pay my son Timothy Maxfeld the sum of twenty pounds lawful money immediately after my decease---

I give and bequeath unto my two loving sons Timothy and John Maxfeld all my stock of cattle that I have not already disposed of together with my wearing apparel to be equally divided between them---

I give and bequeath unto my loving daughter Mary Jenny the sum of six shillings lawful money and one silver spoon after my widow's decease. And I do hereby constitute ordain and appoint my trusted friend John Smith my sole Executor to this my last will and testament. And I do hereby utterly disallow revoke and disannul all other and former wills legacies bequests and Executors by me in any wise before named willed and bequeathed ratifying and confirming this and no other to be my last will and testament, In witness whereof I have hereunto set my Hand and seal this twenty-third day of March and in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy---

¹Vital Records of Salisbury, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849 (Topsfield, Massachusetts: Topsfield Historical Society, 1915), 151.
² Bristol County, Massachusetts, Deeds, 55:307; Bristol County Court House, Taunton, Massachusetts (familysearch.org, accessed 2013). Bristol County, Massachusetts, Probate Records 23:52-54; Court House, Taunton, Massachusetts.
³Vital Records of Dartmouth, Massachusetts to the Year 1850 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1929, 1929, 1930), 2:314.
⁴Leonard Elisha, "Leonard Papers," New Bedford Free Public Library, New Bedford, Massachusetts.
⁵Bristol County, Massachusetts, Deeds, 7:370.
⁶Essex County, Massachusetts, Land Records, 32:170; Essex County Courthouse, Salem, Massachusetts (familysearch.org; accessed 3 July 2013).
⁷Bristol County, Massachusetts, Deeds, 8:426-27.
⁸Ibid., 12:432
⁹Ibid., 13:556-57
¹⁰Ibid., 12:431-32
¹¹Ibid., 41:496-97
¹²Ibid., 46:143
¹³Ibid., 55:307
¹⁴Vital Records of Dartmouth, 1:157.
¹⁵Ibid., 3:48.
¹⁶Ibid., 1:157.
¹⁷Ibid., 2:312.
¹⁸Ibid., 1:157.
¹⁹Ibid., 2:313.
²⁰Ibid., 1:191.
²¹Ibid., 1:158.
²²"Leonard Papers."
²³Vital Records of Dartmouth, 1:157.
²⁴Ibid., 1:158.
²⁵"Leonard Papers." Reference to Bristol County Probate 24:97.

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

Leonard Elisha. "Leonard Papers." . New Bedford Free Public Library, New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Massachusetts. Bristol County. Deeds. Bristol County Court House, Taunton, Massachusetts (familysearch.org).

Massachusetts. Bristol County. Probate Records. Bristol County Court House, Taunton, Massachusetts.

Massachusetts. Essex County. Land Records. Essex County Courthouse, Salem, Massachusetts (familysearch.org).

Sherman David. "The Sherman Family." New England Historical Genealogical Register 24 (1870): 63-72, 155-64.

Vital Records of Dartmouth, Massachusetts to the Year 1850. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1929, 1929, 1930.

Vital Records of Salisbury, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849. Topsfield, Massachusetts: Topsfield Historical Society, 1915.