John Maxwell (abt. 1780)

Born about 1780 in Ireland

Descendants

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Biography

This profile is part of the Maxwell Name Study.

Extensive notes and records for the loosely gathered extended family of 'Mysterious Maxwell Cousins of St. George, New Brunswick' are attached to multiple generations of individuals tentatively organized as a "family unit" under John Maxwell at Family Search.^[1]

• The only record found for John Maxwell is found on the marriage record of his son Andrew James Maxwell in 1855.^[2] Original Image 318 of 1116.
• The only records for Ann Maxwell as a mother show her as the mother of William Maxwell in the 1850 Census at Boston, Massachusetts,^[3]and in the 1861 Census at St. George, New Brunswick. Note that the full household record is transcribed at Family Search with a link to the Census original at Archives Canada.^[4]

Research Notes

• The purpose of this lengthy note is to clarify that this is a gathering of 'Mysterious Maxwell Cousins of St. George, New Brunswick', a term that has existed since at least the 1980s among New England Genealogists. It is not a verified family, yet it seems critical to group them loosely for study purposes. DNA studies are beginning to offer new clues and beg for hard work and patience:

• The spouse of John Maxwell is not yet documented and may not be Ann. All of the early Maxwells of St. George, Charlotte, New Brunswick are gathered as a family unit for study purposes, with various family and social interactions documented consistently over their lifetimes. Multiple documents attached to all parties and their children in Family Search provide details.

• There is no information to establish a family connection to North Carolina Maxwells, a prior claim.

• DNA comparisons now cast doubt on the likelihood that Robert and William are brothers even though they shared a household in the 1891 Census, and land records showed Robert, Andrew, and William owned abutting properties totaling 600 acres.
• William's mother "Ann" was in his household in 1850 and 1861. In the US census of 1850, William and his wife Ann are in Boston, Ward 1, with two children Jane, 3, and John, 2, and William’s mother "Ann Maxwell". William, Ann, and his mother are shown as born in Ireland; the 2 children were born in NB. (They are not in St. George for the census of 1851.) They went back and forth several times with children between Boston and St George during the 1850s.
• In the census of 1861, William and Nancy are in St George, NB with children; Jane, 14, John, 13, William, 7, "Jennie" (probably Fannie), 6, and Andrew, 2. Also in the household are William Lock, 72, boarder; and "Ann Maxwell", 75, mother.
• Andrew James lived next door to Robert and William in St George all their lives. He purchased 300 acres next to Robert’s 300 acres in 1854, and sold the South half, 150 acres, to William in 1855.

• There is a close relationship between all the St George family members but we cannot yet document whether they are siblings or cousins, or other. The following points will show a number of events, origins, locations, and movements in common – listed from oldest to youngest:
  • • Margaret Maxwell married Robert Gray in 1848 at St. George. The 1851 Census shows that she arrived from Ireland in 1847, and her husband Robert in 1820. Margaret and Robert Gray share a headstone with James & Rebecca Maxwell, adjacent to Andrew James & Mary Jane Maxwell.
  • • James and Rebecca Maxwell were husband and wife, but it appears that Rebecca was earlier married to a Mr. Rutherford in Ireland and had at least one daughter with him, Kathryn L. (Rutherford) Watson, whose death record shows her as the daughter of David Rutherford and Rebecca Maxwell. The 1851 Census shows James and Rebecca arrived from Ireland in 1834.
  • • William Maxwell married Annie Edwards before 1846. Both were born in Ireland but their marriage location is unknown. Their first two children were born in St. George in 1847 and 1848. The Family was located in Boston in 1850; son William J was born and died in St. George in 1852 and 1853; son William James was born in Boston in 1854; the next seven were born in St. George.
  • • Robert Maxwell married Ellen/Ellnor Moore in Ireland and they arrived in St. George in 1845 with 3 children born in Ireland; Rebecca b. 1839, Margaret b. 1841, and Ann Sarah b. 1844.
  • • John Maxwell married Jane Fernes in Ireland about 1843 and arrived with their oldest son William John born in Ireland in 1844. They arrived in St. George about 1845; son James b 1846 at St. George; family in Boston in 1850; next two born in Boston – Andrew James 1851 and Sarah Jane 1853; next four born in St. George.
  • • Andrew James Maxwell, son of John, married Mary Jane Simpson, daughter of David, in Boston in 1855. Andrew had arrived in St. George about 1846 and was in St. George and Boston alternately until the family was large enough that he could no longer commute seasonally.

Jim Beckett 13 March 2023

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/96XT-9XZ
2. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6P1Z-5T?mode=g&i=317&cc=1469062
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-69B9-B5S?cc=1401638&wc=95R6-823%3A1031311001%2C1033183401%2C1033183402 : 9 April 2016), Massachusetts > Suffolk > Boston, ward 1 > image 90 of 241; citing NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
4. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQM1-JGS