More on the Field family

Herchel Field was the son of George Oscar Field and Reuvilla A. Reynolds. George was born in 1841, so we will find him on the census as an adult, but maybe not as a child.

The United States started taking censuses in 1790, and have done one every 10 years since. The first several censuses are not very useful for genealogical research.

The 1790 through 1810 censuses gave the name of the head of each household, then a count of the free white males at least 16 years of age (to assess the country's industrial and military potential), free white males under 16 years of age, free white females, all other free persons (reported by sex and color), and slaves. The 1820 through 1840 censuses  added a count of children in each category, as well as some other basic facts, such as the number who were foreign born.

The 1850 census was a landmark in family history research. This was the first census where there was an attempt to collect information about every member of every household, including women, children, and slaves, and place of birth. No relationships to the head of household were included.

Let's see if we can find George on the 1850 census...and we can!

This is difficult to read, but we find George living in Aroostook, Maine, living with his father, mother, and 7 siblings. We see that his father was born in New Brunswick and his mother was born in England, but all of the children are born in Maine.

Where is Aroostook, Maine? Google Maps shows us that Aroostook is as far north as you can get on the east coast of the United States. Presque Isle is very near the border of New Brunswick, so it would not be unusual for a family to claim citizenship in either England or the United States, depending on which side of the river they were standing when asked.

A book published in 2006 described the early Field family in Maine. George's grandfather, also George, was an early settler here. From "Pioneer Homes of Washburn Maine":

The Field Family was one of the oldest in Aroostook, Me. George Field was born in Pensacola FL in 1778. His father died when he was young and after his mother remarried they moved to New Brunswick. In 1824 George and his wife Mary (Piles) Fields 1783 came to Aroostook with William Piles(Georges brother in law). Their land was disputed between England(Canada) and the United States. George suffered greatly from the dispute and his travails was documented by Charles Davies who interviewed George in 1828. In it George told a sad tale of his livestock and possessions repeatedly taken by the government in Canada to pay debts that George did not believe he owed. His illiteracy did not help and he was forced to move his family to Houlton ME where he could not lose any more. By 1840 they are back in Caribou ME. His presence there is an example of how false the belief that Ivory Hardison was the first American in that township.

This wonderful book is out of print; I can't even find it at thriftbooks.com. But, it gives us some real good information about the early Field family.

Still more questions with no answers. How did the orginal Fields end up in Florida?  History tells us that in 1763, the Spanish left Pensacola as a result of the Treaty of Ghent, which gave Florida to the British. Shortly after, 350 men were sent to accept the transfer of Florida to Britian. Perhaps George Fields (born in 1778) was the son of one of these sailors. I wonder if records are available as to the names of these people.

Tomorrow -- let's look at Lois's mother, Minnie May Olmstead, and her ancestry.