Captain EPHRAIM6 MAXFIELD (Warren5, Timothy4-3-2, John1) was born at New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts, about 1798-9, a child of Warren Maxfield and his wife Ruby Peckham.[1] He died at Chilmark, Dukes County, Massachusetts, on 29 September 1872.[2] He married at Fairhaven, Bristol County, on 6 December 1821 BETSEY SHERMAN, daughter of Jabez Sherman and Betsy Collamore.[3] She was born at New Bedford on 1 June 1806 and died at Fairhaven on 27 June 1869.[4] Betsey married second at Fairhaven on 18 September 1842 HENRY C. INGRAHAM,[5] who was born at Taunton, Bristol County, on 17 September 1804 and died at Fairhaven on 1 July 1872.[6] Henry had previously married at New Bedford on 26 September 1824 PHEBE MERRY.[7]
Captain Ephraim Maxfield was called a mason on the 1850, 1860 and 1870 censuses, a farmer on the 1855 and 1865 censuses, and a "mariner" on his death record. Ephraim and Betsey were living in New Bedford in 1822 when their first son was born, and in Fairhaven about 1827-8 when their daughter was born, but Ephraim was in Chilmark by the time of the 1850 Census. He remained there until his death. Betsey was living in Fairhaven by the 1850 Census and remained there until her death.
The 1830 Census reported Ephraim Maxfield in New Bedford, a male in his thirties, with 2 males ages 5 to 9.[8] His wife and daughter are not included. As their marriage would end, perhaps by 1830 they were already living apart, and Betsey and daughter Elizabeth were living in another household.
I have not found this family in the 1840 Census; perhaps they were all living in households headed by other persons. As Betsey remarried in 1842, they must have divorced some time before that date.
Son Andrew Maxfield departed on a whaling cruise on the Endeavor for the Indian Ocean on 28 September 1845.[9] I have no further information on Andrew.
Ephraim Maxfield was reported in the 1850 Census living in Chilmark, on Matha's Vineyard, in the household of James O. Lambert, farmer:[10]
| Name | Age | Sex | Occupation | R.E. | Birthplace | Other |
| Ephraim Maxfield | 50 | M | mason | New Bedford | ||
| Benjamin F. Maxfield | 15 | M | laborer | New Bedford | school |
Ephraim may have been raising Benjamin as a son, but Benjamin was in fact (according to his marriage and death records) the son of Benjamin and Mary Maxfield, therefore a nephew to Ephraim. The senior Benjamin departed in 1849 for California during the gold rush. Betsey (Sherman) (Maxfield) Ingraham and her new blended family were reported at Fairhaven in 1850:[11]
| Line | Name | Age | Sex | Occupation | R.E. | Birthplace | Other |
| 22 | Henry C. Ingraham | 45 | M | painter | MA | ||
| 23 | Betsey Ingraham | 44 | F | MA | |||
| 24 | Frederick Ingraham | 17 | M | mariner | MA | ||
| 25 | Laura F. Ingraham | 10 | F | MA | school | ||
| 26 | Elizabeth P. Maxfield | 22 | F | MA | |||
| 27 | William Maxfield | 26 | M | mariner | MA | ||
| 28 | Andrew P. Maxfield | 24 | M | mariner | MA |
The 1855 Massachusetts State Census reported Ephraim Maxfield, 55, mason, at Chilmark, in the household of James Lambert. Also in the household was Benjamin F. Maxfield, 20, farmer.[12] Meanwhile, the Ingraham household in Fairhaven consisted of Henry Ingraham, 57, painter, Betsy Ingraham, 49, Frederick Ingraham, 23, mariner, James Ingraham, 21, mariner, Laura F. Ingraham, 16, and Betsy's mother, Betsey Sherman, 82.[13] I have not found the children in this census.
In 1860 Ephraim was reported in Chilmark in a household with James O. Lambert, farmer:[14]
| Name | Age | Sex | Occupation | R.E. | P.E. | Birthplace | |
| Ephraim Maxfield | 61 | M | mason | Mass | |||
| Benjamin Maxfield | 25 | M | mason | $ 100 | Mass |
The Ingraham household in Fairhaven consisted of:[15]
| Line | Name | Age | Sex | Occupation | R.E. | P.E. | Birthplace | Other |
| 16 | Henry Ingraham | 53 | M | painter | $100 | MA | ||
| 17 | Betsy Ingraham | 52 | F | MA | ||||
| 18 | Elizabeth Ingraham | 32 | F | tailoress | MA | |||
| 19 | Frederick Ingraham | 28 | M | mariner | MA | |||
| 20 | Laura F. Ingraham | 20 | F | MA | ||||
| 21 | Betsey Sherman | 86 | F | $4000 | $3000 | MA |
The person listed as "Elizabeth Ingraham" is probably Elizabeth Maxfield, daughter of Ephraim and Betsey. I have not found son William in this census.
The 1865 state census found Ephraim, 65 and Benjamin F., 29, at the James Lambert residence at Chilmark. Both were listed as masons.[16] The Ingraham household at Fairhaven consisted of Henry Ingraham, 59, painter, Betsey Ingraham, 56, Laura Ingraham, 23, James Ingraham, 28, mariner, Frederic Ingraham, 30, mariner, and Elizabeth Maxfield, 34, seamstress.[17]
Son William T. Maxfield, mariner, died at Chilmark in 1868 from paralysis.[18] Betsey (Sherman) (Maxfield) Ingraham died in 1869 from liver disease.[19] Henry Ingraham, painter, died in 1872 from apoplexy.[20]
The 1870 Census reported Ephraim, age 70, mason, and Benjamin, age 35, mason, still in the Lambert household.[21]
Captain Ephraim Maxfield died at Chilmark in 1872, cause of death unknown. The death record clearly states his parents and place of birth.[22]
Daughter Elizabeth Maxfield never married, and died in 1918 at Fairhaven, from arteriosclerosis, also gangrene in one leg.[23]
Ephraim and Betsey Maxfield had the following children:
1The facts of his birth are derived from his death record and his son's death record, and census records.
2Vital records of Chilmark, Massachusetts, "Deaths," v. 49, p. 8, Ephraim Maxfield, 1872; Holbrook, Jay Mack, ed., Oxford, Massachusetts; Holbrook Research Institute.
3Leonard H. Smith and Dorothy Marvelle Boyer, editors, Vital Records of the Town of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, to 1850 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1993), 65. Marriage Intentions published at New Bedford on 13 October 1821 (Vital Records of New Bedford, Massachusetts: to the Year 1850 (Boston: New England Historical and Genealogical Society, 1932. 1932, 1941), v. 2, p. 365; and at Fairhaven on 14 October 1821 (Smith, Vital Records of the Town of Fairhaven, 45).
4Jay and Delene Holbrook eds., "Massachusetts Vital and Town Records," digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 23 March 2012), Fairhaven: Death, Betsey Maxfield; Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Betsey was born at Fairhaven according to her death record and the death record of her daughter (at the time of her birth Fairhaven was part of New Bedford).
5Holbrook, "Massachusetts Vital and Town Records," digital images, Ancestry, Fairhaven: Marriage: Ingraham-Maxfield.
6Massachusetts Archives, "Vital Records of Massachusetts, 1841-1910," digital images, American Ancestors (americanancestors.org : accessed 7 May 2015), v. 247, p. 93, e. 28; Fairhaven Deaths 1872.
7Vital Records of New Bedford, Massachusetts, v. 2, p. 294.
8Fifth Census of the United States: 1830, population, New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts, roll 59, p. 309, Ephm Maxfield; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 21 September 2012); NARA microfilm publication M19, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
9"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)
10Seventh Census of the United States: 1850, population, Chilmark, Dukes County, Massachusetts, roll 309, p. 413A, household 81, James Lambert family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 3 October 2012); NARA microfilm record group M432, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
111850 Census, Fairhaven, Bristol County, Massachusetts, roll 308, p. 180A, household 336, Henry C. Ingraham family.
12Massachusetts, Secretary of the Commonwealth, 1855 Massachusetts State Census, population, Chilmark, Dukes County, Massachusetts, v. 7b, p. 323, household 5, James O. Lumbert family; digital images, American Ancestors (americanancestors.org : accessed 16 August 2022); Massachusetts State Archives, Boston, Massachusetts.
131855 Massachusetts State Census, New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts, v. 5, p. 221, household 233, Henry C. Ingraham family.
14Eighth Census of the United States: 1860, population, Chilmark, Dukes County, Massachusetts, roll 493, p. 699, household 54, James O. Lambert family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 3 November 2012); NARA microfilm record group M653; Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration.
151860 Census, Fairhaven, Bristol County, Massachusetts, p. 373, household 159, Henry Ingraham family.
16Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, 1865 Massachusetts State Census, population, Chilmark, Dukes County, Massachusetts, vol. 7a, p. 288, household 17, Ephraim Maxfield; digital images, American Ancestors (americanancestors.org : accessed 16 August 2013); Massachusetts State Archives, Boston, Massachusetts.
171865 Massachusetts State Census, , Population, Fairhaven, Bristol County, Massachusetts, v. 5, p. 220, household 215, Henry Ingraham family.
18"Vital Records of Massachusetts, 1841-1910," vol. 211, p. 153, e. 920, Chilmark Deaths, 1868, William T. Maxfield.
19Holbrook, "Massachusetts Vital and Town Records," Fairhaven: Death, Betsey Maxfield.
20"Vital Records of Massachusetts, 1841-1910," v. 247, p. 93, e. 28; Fairhaven Deaths 1872.
21Ninth Census of the United States: 1870, population, Chilmark, Dukes County, Massachusetts, roll 606, p. 680A, household 57, James Lambert family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 5 February 2013); NARA microfilm record group M593; Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration.
22Vital Records of Chilmark, Massachusetts (Holbrook) "Deaths," v. 49, p. 8, Ephraim Maxfield.
23Massachusetts, Commonwealth of, Secretary of the Commonwealth, "Vital Records of Massachusetts, 1916-1920," digital images, American Ancestors (american ancestors.org : accessed 20 January 2023), 1918 Deaths, v. 28, p. 168; Elizabeth P. Maxfield.
24"Vital Records of Massachusetts, 1841-1910," vol. 211, p. 153, e. 920, Chilmark Deaths, 1868, William T. Maxfield.
251850 Census, Fairhaven, Bristol County, Massachusetts, roll 308, p. 180A, household 336, Henry C. Ingraham family.
261850 Census, Fairhaven, Bristol County, Massachusetts, roll 308, p. 180A, household 336, Henry C. Ingraham family.
27"Vital Records of Massachusetts, 1916-1920," 1918 Deaths, v. 28, p. 168; Elizabeth P. Maxfield.
Holbrook, Jay and Delene eds. "Massachusetts Vital and Town Records." Digital images. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2012.
Massachusetts Archives. "Vital Records of Massachusetts, 1841-1910." Digital images. American Ancestors. americanancestors.org : 2015.
Massachusetts, Secretary of the Commonwealth, 1855 Massachusetts State Census, population. Digital images. American Ancestors. americanancestors.org : 2022.
________. 1865 Massachusetts State Census, population. Digital images. American Ancestors. americanancestors.org : 2013.
________. "Vital Records of Massachusetts, 1916-1920." Digital images. American Ancestors. american ancestors.org : 2023.
Smith, Leonard H. and Dorothy Marvelle Boyer, editors. Vital Records of the Town of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, to 1850. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1993.
United States Department of the Census. Fifth Census of the United States: 1830, 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.
Vital Records of Chilmark, Massachusetts. "Deaths." Holbrook, Jay Mack, ed., Oxford, Massachusetts; Holbrook Research Institute.
Vital Records of New Bedford, Massachusetts: to the Year 1850. Boston: New England Historical and Genealogical Society, 1932. 1932, 1941.
"Whaling Archives." Database. New Bedford Free Public Library. City of New Bedford, Massachusetts. https://www.newbedford-ma.gov/Library/Whaling/Whaling.html : 2014.
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