Grundy County IL Archives Biographies.....Redfield, Sampson H 
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Deb Haines ddhaines@gmail.com March 25, 2006, 11:51 pm

Author: Bio/Gen Record LaSalle/Grundy 1900

Sampson Henry Redfield, one of the venerable and respected pioneer-citizens of 
Mazon township, Grundy county, was born in Winchester, Worcester county, 
Massachusetts, January 9, 1814, a son of Sherman and Elsie (Warner) Redfield. 
Both the Warners and the Redfields were of the old New England Puritan stock, 
the remote founders of the families having come from England, at the time of 
the foundation of the Massachusetts colony.

William Redfin—or Redfen, as the name was first spelled in America and which 
was gradually changed to Redfield—was the founder of this family in this 
country, coming from England between 1630 and 1639 and settling on the south 
side of Charles river, about six miles from Boston, one of the first to locate 
on that side of the river. But little is known of him, however. From his son 
James the branch of Redfields with which we are concerned has descended. James 
learned the art of tanning in New London, Connecticut, serving five years from 
April 1, 1667, at which latter date he was sixteen years of age.

Theophilus, the eldest son of James, next in the line of descent to the 
relatives of our subject, learned the carpenter's trade, and probably settled 
at Killingworth, Connecticut, after becoming of age. He bought a homestead, 
which was afterward named Clinton, and is now one of the pleasantest of those 
villages which border on Long Island sound. About 1717 or the next year he 
purchased a tract of land of about a hundred and twenty acres on Chestnut 
Hill, North Killingworth, where several families of the name still reside, and 
here Theophilus passed his remaining days. He was known as Sergeant Redfield, 
was a member of a military company and of several town committees, and was a 
prominent citizen. He married Priscilla Greenel, or Greinel, who at the time 
was aged seventeen years; she was a daughter of Daniel and Lydia Greenel. The 
children were Daniel, Elizabeth, Richard, Ebenezer, Lydia, Theophilus, 
Priscilla, Peleg, George, William, Josiah, Jane and James,—thirteen in all, 
and all of whom lived to have families of their own. From this stock are 
descended nine-tenths of those bearing the name of Redfield in this country.

George Redfield, the sixth son of Theophilus, resided at Killingworth, 
Connecticut, and in 1750 married Trial Ward, of that place. She died in 1762, 
and January 8, 1767, Mr. Redfield married Abigail Stone, who died April 15, 
1769. He died at Killingworth, May 30, 1812, in his eighty-seventh year. His 
children were all by his first marriage, namely: Ambrose, born December 13, 
1750; Jeremy, August 21, 1752; Sylvanus, December 30, 1754; Seth, January 17, 
1757; Jane, December 19, 1759; and Peleg, May 14, 1762.

Seth, the fourth son of George Redfield, the next in our line, resided at 
Killingworth until about 1800, when he removed to Claremont, New Hampshire. 
December 2, 1779, he married Sarah Pierson, a daughter of Samuel and Rachel 
Pierson, of Killingworth. She died at Claremont, September 5, 1802, and he 
afterward married a widow named Parmalee, and returned to Killingworth, where 
he passed the remainder of his days. The children by his first wife were 
Truman, born at Killingworth, September 23, 1780, became a blacksmith and died 
at Guadaloupe, West Indies, in 1801: Seth, born also at Killingworth, July 17, 
1780, and died July 18, 1782; Sherman, born June 26, 1783; Sheldon, June 24, 
1785; Cleveland, October 6, 1787; Samuel Ashford, born July 23, 1790, became a 
sailor, was impressed by the British while in the Gulf of Mexico and escaped, 
and died in 1813, at Woodstock, Vermont; Anthony Chauncey, born October 7, 
1791; Sarah, January 7, 1793, died August 28, 1795; Seth, born February 10, 
1796; Marvin, February 16, 1799; and Clermont, born in 1800 and died in 1802. 
The children by the second wife were: Adeline, born at Claremont, New 
Hampshire, in 1804; William, born in 1806, moved west and became a ship-
builder at Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Sherman, the third son of Seth Redfield, and the father of our subject, was a 
gunsmith and blacksmith by trade, and married at Claremont, in 1805, Elsie 
Maria Warner, a daughter of Abijah and Elsie (Fuller) Warner, of Hartford, 
Connecticut. In 1814 he served as a musician in the war with Great Britain, 
under Captain Warren, and was in one battle. From Claremont he moved to 
Fitzwilliam, New York, afterward to Rochester, same state, and finally to 
Canton, same state, in 1820, where he died June 3, 1850, aged sixty-seven 
years. His children were Lola Almira, born April 12, 1806; Frances Maria, born 
November 3, 1808, and died October 12, 1811; Sarah, born March 27, 1811; 
Sampson Henry, born January 9, 1814; Elsie Maria, April 28, 1816; Orrin 
Sherman, October 6, 1819; and Emily, December 29, 1824. Mr. Sherman Redfield 
and wife were both members of the Methodist church. In politics he was a 
Democrat, and in his general character he was an industrious and highly 
respected citizen.

Abijah Warner was also of the old Puritan stock and a soldier in the war of 
the Revolution. He married Ellen Fuller, a daughter of John Fuller, of the old 
New England stock, who was a shoemaker by trade and also a soldier in the 
Revolutionary war. Abijah Warner was a well known tavern-keeper in Winchester 
for many years. He moved to St. Lawrence county, New York, in 1820, and passed 
his remaining days on his farm in that county, where he died in 1832, a 
prominent and respected citizen. His children were Abijah, Elsie, Betsy, 
Sampson and Nathaniel.

During our Revolutionary period the Redfield family took a prominent part in 
behalf of American independence, and the sons of George Redfield, the great-
grandfather of our subject, were noted for their patriotism. Ambrose, the 
eldest son of Seth, was a corporal in 1775, in Captain Samuel Gates' company, 
which was a part of the Sixth Regiment, serving at the siege of Boston in 
General Putnam's brigade and in several other engagements. Jeremy Redfield, 
the second son of George, was a resident of Killingworth, was a fifer in that 
war, succeeded by his brother Peleg. The last mentioned entered the 
continental army as a fifer in 1777, at the age of sixteen years and rendered 
a long continued service. There were many Redfields in the Revolutionary war 
and seven in the war of 1812.

Sampson Henry Redfield, the immediate subject of this notice, was six years 
old when his father went to Canton, New York. He received but very little 
education, there being no schools of any account in his day; but he learned 
the blacksmith's trade thoroughly with his father and afterward farming, 
having a natural love for agricultural life and being determined when young to 
become the owner of broad acres. Mr. Redfield married, in St. Lawrence county, 
New York, February 17, 1848, Mary Maria Hutchinson, who was born in Canton, 
New York, March 8, 1822, a daughter of William and Mary E. (Clark) Hutchinson. 
William Hutchinson was born in England in 1790. His father was a native of 
Ireland and his mother was an English lady. William came to America when 
young, leaving his native country on account of the severe military laws. He 
settled in Canton, New York, and there married Mary E. Clark, of New England 
Puritan stock, and bought a farm in St. Lawrence county, New York, where he 
passed all his remaining days and died in 1860, aged about seventy years. 
Politically he was a Democrat and he was an industrious, much respected man. 
His children were Mary M., Clark, Louisa, Ira and Laura.

After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Sampson H. Redfield lived near Canton, New York, 
where he bought seventy acres of land, until November, 1858, when they moved 
to Illinois. They made the journey by way of the lakes to Chicago and drove 
from there to Grundy county and settled in Mazon township on forty acres of 
land which Mr. Redfield bought, for eighteen dollars an acre, upon which there 
were some improvements, including a small frame house. He set himself 
diligently to the task of improving this farm and putting it under 
cultivation, and he was so successful that he was enabled to add to his landed 
property by judicious investment of his savings until he now owns two hundred 
acres of as good and productive land as the sun ever warmed into fertility, 
with fine and ample buildings and the best appliances of all kinds. Mrs. 
Redfield died October 28, 1880, after having been long a member of the 
Methodist church, with which Mr. Redfield has been identified for forty-five 
years. He is a Democrat in politics, a strong temperance man and a citizen of 
the highest character.

The children of Sampson Henry and Mary Maria (Hutchinson) Redfield are Mary 
E., Malvina J., and Emily E. They all received an excellent education, 
acquired largely at the High School Institute, a select school in Morris, and 
all became teachers. Mary E. has taught in the schools of Grundy county for 
ten years and has become known as an efficient and popular teacher. A lady of 
much energy and ability, she went to Dakota and taught school near Alexandria 
and took up a government land claim of one hundred and sixty acres in Douglas 
county, South Dakota, which she sold a few years later for one thousand 
dollars. She returned and is now living on the old homestead. She is a lady of 
excellent financial ability. Malvina J. married George Burnham, a farmer, and 
they had four children named Leland R., Mabel M., Amanda L. and Ida E. Mrs. 
Burnham died aged about forty-four years. She was a teacher in Grundy county 
for several years. Emily E. married Joseph E. Keepers and he farms the 
homestead. Mrs. Keepers was also a school-teacher in Grundy county.

Additional Comments:
Source:  Biographical and Genealogical Record of La Salle and Grundy County, 
Illinois, Volume 11, Chicago, 1900, p749-753

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