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Lineage of Joseph Sheffield and Susan Lilly of England
Updated September 17, 2009

About Our Family Research


From the 6 Thomas Sheffield family members we know came to the US from Bedfordshire on or around 1841, we have pieced together an ancestral family chart containing a list of some 2700+ individuals. The Sheffield name translated means "The open space by the River Sheaf".

Please feel free to contribute additional historical family information.

Thank You,

George Field
email: george500@yahoo.com

Erin Proctor
email: proctor37@charter.net

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WEB Site Usage Instructions
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All FAMILY TREE charts below require JAVA to view. Please download (free): http://www.java.com/en/download/

To ensure proper viewing, please type 'F' and select the intended family name from the listbox (bug)

Individual FTW tree charts have been created for major family branch members as shown below:

-Family Group Sheet*
-Outline Descendent
-Genealogical Report
-Kinship Report

These reports are stored within the 'Related Links' section. They are listed as: "CHART-Person (ReportType)"

* Additional FGS's were added for multiple marriages with descendents
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Family Trees (viewing trees requires 4.0 or later browser)
  • TREE - Milton Southwick (1800 - 1896) (634 KB)
  • TREE - Benjamin Youngs (~1815) (29 KB)
  • TREE - Family Sheffield (~1765) (1 KB)
    In May of 1841, a handful of Sheffield's made their way from Bedfordshire to London. Bound for the United States, they boarded a small sailing vessel known as the Ship Ontario leaving England and family far behind, perhaps forever. Thomas Sheffield along with his 2nd wife Ann Crump brought with them their 3 children, Elisha, Elijah & daughter Ruth. It seems a 4th child, Benjamin, did not make the journey. Thomas & Ann, both now 49 with family and belongings in tow, arrived in New York, June 22nd, 1841 after having spent perhaps a month or longer at sea. Of Thomas's first 3 children by a previous marriage, it appears that his son John came to the US by separate passage. After Thomas had spent several years in what was then Michigan territory (possibly also uppermost Houghton with son John), he and his family eventually relocated and settled in a Norwegian settlement known as Koshkonong located in south central Wisconsin territory. Largely farmers by trade, it is likely Thomas chose Koshkonong because of the thriving wheat industry and availability of wild game. Although the major Indian conflicts (see Bad Axe massacre) had ended by the early 1830's, it is clear from reading the historical accounts that the Indians were still a very real threat well into the late 1850's and beyond.It would not be long after they arrive in the US before Thomas's children married and moved on and moved often, perhaps driven by better weather or fertile farmland. A year before the war in 1860 must've been a bitter time for the family, particularly for Elijah with the death of father Thomas, Elijah's wife Ann and their young daughter Martha. Cornelia, Elijah's only surviving issue at the time, is understandably sent to live with the Brown family nearby. John Sheffield's wife Margaret also dies this same year. After Thomas's death, his wife Ann moves into Milton Southwick's home where she remains until her death nine years later, in 1869.
  • TREE - John Whitney (1621-1692) (204 KB)
    Those of you who are the descendents of Addison Youngs & Addie Blood might be interested to see who some of your famous ancestors were. One of them was born in 0006! (partial chart)
  • TREE - Jeremiah Lee (1790-) (765 KB)
  • TREE - Jonathon S. Sheffield (1812-1900) (56 KB)
    John Sheffield, born of Thomas's first marriage, does not appear on any US immigration index before or after 1841. We find him and his family per the 1850 census living in northernmost Houghton Michigan several miles from the Canadian border. As immigrants who came by way of Canada were granted unrestricted passage into the US, it seems likely that he chose this route. Sometime after 1860 (after wife Margaret's death) and before 1870, John and family relocate to Jefferson WI living in close proximity to Milton Southwick and Ruth Sheffield. Here we find John remarried to his second wife Adelaide Lee producing in all, a total of 8 children. Son Andrew of his first brood served as a Private during the Civil War and was discharged in 1865. Andrew's brother George also served as a Corporal (see notes). John & Adelaide eventually relocated to Woodbury, IA around 1890-1895 where they remained until their deaths.
  • TREE - Elisha Sheffield (1824-1907) (235 KB)
  • TREE - Elijah Sheffield (1821-1901) (12 KB)
    Sometime after 1864 (before 1880), Elijah Sheffield, new wife Rebecca & baby head west for Santa Barbara. Cornelia remains behind to live with Aunt Ruth, perhaps to finish school to become a teacher. Once settled, Elijah takes a job as a Waterman temporarily before returning back to farming. Again in 1897 tragedy strikes when Elijah and Rebecca lose their only daughter Emily, leaving Cornelia as the sole heir. In later years, Cornelia, husband Franklin Southwick & children relocate to Santa Barbara to rejoin her family. As a point of interest, Rebecca's family formed the town 'Busseyville' on their farm (visible on the 1872 map) - the site of the cemetery in which many of our ancestors and their friends are buried.
  • TREE - Ruth Sheffield (1832-1907) (12 KB)
    In 1858, Ruth Sheffield marries the brother of Franklin Southwick, Merit Zelotes Southwick. As it seems Ruth is unable to bear children, she and Merit adopt a girl Isabelle and also raise Cornelia (Elijah's daughter). Unfortunately their obituaries did not provide any indication how they came upon Isabelle. Merit worked as a farmer, living in Jefferson with Ruth until later years when they relocated to Milton Junction. Ruth dies in 1907 due to heart complications, the very same year her brother Elisha dies. Isabelle marries into the Crandall family in 1882 and has five children of her own, many of which relocated to California (San Luis Obispo).
  • TREE - James Robinson (1718 - ?) (9 KB)
  • TREE - John Davison (1779-1862) (287 KB)
 
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