Elias was the son of Elias MAXSON (also spelled MAXON) and Hannah COONS or KUHNS. The elder MAXSONs were very early settlers in Genesee County, New York. They had 12 known children: John, Hannah, Edwin, Katherine, Nancy, Lucena, Elias, George, Charles, Fanny, Joseph and Andrew.
Our subject, Elias C., was born 13 February 1820 in Town of Bennington in Genesee County. He married Joannah SMITH about 1843. I have no clues as to Joannah's family. There were SMITH families in the same area, but I have no record of their marriage or her parent's names.
Elias and Joannah were part of a large group of western New York families that moved on to Michigan. They had seven daughters, and they were born in various locations as the family made their way west:
Susannah, born in Bennington in 1845
Hannah, born in Wayne County, Michigan in 1849
Mary Jane, born in Livingston County, Michigan in 1852
Laura, born in Livingston County, Michigan in 1855
Emeline, born in Ingham County, Michigan, in 1858
Alice, born in Ingham County, Michigan, in 1861
Minerva, born in Ingham County, Michigan in 1866
Locke Township in Ingham County was the final settlement for the MAXSON family. They were a typical farm family, owning 40 acres in Section 9. Several of their daughters married young men from neighboring farms.
Joannah died in July of 1885 at only 60 years of age. Elias soon followed her in October. They are buried together in Rowley Cemetery in Locke Township. Their gravestones are a beautiful matched pair. Several of their daughters are buried nearby.
© 2014 Sally Knudsen
