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Descendants of John Francis Barefield, Sr.

Generation No. 2

2. GEORGE² BAREFIELD (JOHN FRANCIS¹)¹ was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and died 1801 in Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. He married ? 1796 in Pine Creek, Clinton Co., Pennsylvania.

Notes for GEORGE BAREFIELD:
      George Barefield was born on September 9, 1762 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. George was the first child of John Francis Barefield, Sr. and ANna Maria Burrows who were married at Christ Church in Philadelphia on February 20, 1757. A brother, John Berfield, was born December 6, 1764 to this union while the family resided in Philadelphia.

      By 1766, when George was about four years old, teh family had moved out of Philadelphia to nearby Birmingham Township in Chester County. From 1766 until the spring of 1770, the family probably resided on Harry Gordon's Manor of Storming plantation property as tennants, farmers, and saw mill operators. As the eldest son, George most likely had a great deal of chores for a young boy. Chester County court records indicate that by May 31 1770, the family, with George at seven years of age, had loaded up and left their home in Chester County and ventured into the Pennsylvania wilderness where land opportunities were plentiful, and perhaps to an area where his father may have travelled with the British army during the French and Indian War. At least two sisters were born to the family during this time in Chester County.

      It is not known where the family relocated from 1770 until 1778. However, from several records, it appears that a brother, Stephen, was born about 1774, a brother, William, was born about 1776, and a brother, Benjamin, was born about 1778. In 1779, the tax records indicate that John, Sr. was residing in Derry Township, Cumberland County (in an area that is now Mifflin County). His father is listed in the 1779 Cumberland County Tax list with 300 acres of land and two cattle. The cattle are likely milk cows and a good indication of the younger brothers and sisters in the household. The family has not been located on any subsequent tax records in Cumberland County.

      However, George and his father, were in Cumberland County after 1779 as evidenced by the Cumberland County Militia muster rolls, which list John and George from 1780 to 1785, which qualifies as Revolutionary War service. George is listed as a Private with Captain John Taylor's Seventh COmpany of the Seventh Battalion from May 1, 1780 to May 5, 1781, and with Captain Robert Means' Scouting Party during the months of June, July, August, and October in 1782. Captain Taylor's Company was primarily recruited from settlers within Fermanagh Township, which is an area that is today known as northern Juniata County. George's name is spelled as Bairfield, Barefield, and Bearfield on these rolls.

      There is a marriage record of a George Benefield, a Revolutionary War soldier, and Mary Buchannon in Cumberland County in 1787. However, this marriage is documented as George Benfield's marriage record and not George Barefield's.

      The whereabouts of his father, mother, brothers, and sisters are not known from 1780 to 1786, excepting the militia records. Although they do not appear on any Tax Lists, George and the family were probably residing somewhere in Cumberland County. By 1787, the family had moved further north into the Pennsylvania wilderness. George is lited in teh 1787 Northumberland County Tax list in Pine Creek Township (now in Clinton County). George's father and his brother, John are also listed. None of the three have any land but John, Sr. had one horse and one cow, John, Jr. had one cow, and George had one horse. Again the cows may indicate that children were in those households. It is likely that George's brother, John married a Miss (Sarah?) Hall in 1787, and that a daughter, in 1788, and a son, in 1790, were born to this union. The son was named George after John's brother and perhaps John and George's maternal grandfather.

      It is believed that the old homeplace and farm was located at Monsey Flats, now called Old Dunnstown, across the West Branch of the Susquehanna River from present day Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. The name, Monsey, follows the name of the Monsey Indians that were still living in the area at this time. A John and George Barefield are listed in the 1788 Norhtumberland County Tax list in Lower Bald Eagle Township (now in Clinton County). George is listed with the single men, and John is residing three miles below Young Womanstown. Young Womanstown was located where Young Womans Creek empties into the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. Three miles below is present day Hyner, where Hyner Run empties into the river.

      The whereabouts of George are not known from 1789 to 1799. he is not listed in the 1789 to 1793 Tax lists or as a head of household in the First Census of teh United States taken in 1790. George is not referenced in any of the Crawford County records with other Barefields either. The next and last record of George is in the Census of the U.S. that was taken in 1800. George is listed as a head of household in Pine Township, ALlegheny County with the name spelled as Bairfield. Also listed is a female 26-45 years old (probably George's wife), a male under 10 years of age (probably son), and a female under 10 years of age (probably a baby son with the sex mistaken). From later records, a Benjamin Barefield, Sr. was born about 1797, and a John Berfield was born 1799. If these are George's children, then he probably married in 1796 and these two boys were born in the years that followed. For the purpose of this history, it is assumed that this Benjamin and John are sons of George.

      George is not listed as a head of household in any subsequent censuses nor any tax records after the 1800 Census. A John Derfield appears in the Census for 1810 in Mifflin Township, Allegheny County. It is believed that George may have passed away shortly after 1800, and that George's brother John and his wife Sarah may have been in Allegheny County at the time and that they may have helped George's widow with teh two small children. Most likely, George's widow either passed away, remarried shortly thereafter, or returned to live with her parents. Both of the small boys grew to manhood and appear with their families in the Centre County area in later censuses.

More About GEORGE BAREFIELD:
Occupation: Revolutionary War - Cumberland Co. Militia

      Children of GEORGE BAREFIELD and ? are:

6.	i.		BENJAMIN³ BAREFIELD , SR., b. 1797, Pennsylvania; d. 1860-1869, Centre Co., Pennsylvania.
7.	ii.		JOHN BERFIELD, b. March 15, 1799, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania; d. August 26, 1871, Palmer Twp., Ohio.

3. JOHN FRANCIS² BERFIELD , JR. (JOHN FRANCIS¹ BAREFIELD , SR.) was born December 06, 1764 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and died 1833 in Clearfield Co., Pennsylvania. He married SARAH HALL 1786 in Cumberland Co., Pennsylvania.

Children of JOHN BERFIELD and SARAH HALL are:

	i.		BAREFIELD³, b. 1788, Pine Creek, Pennsylvania.
8.	ii.		GEORGE BAREFIELD, b. 1790, Pine Creek Twp., Pennsylvania; d. 1840-1849, Karthaus, Pennsylvania.

4. STEPHEN² BAREFIELD (JOHN FRANCIS¹) was born 1774 in Cumberland Co., Pennsylvania, and died 1814 in Sinnemahoning, Pennsylvania. He married SUSANNAH STERLING March 07, 1797 in Pine Creek, Pennsylvania.

Notes for STEPHEN BAREFIELD:
STEPHEN BERFIELD FAMILY
By John E. Berfield, Jr.

      Stephen Berfield was probably born about 1774 in Cumberland County, PA. John Francis Barefield, Sr. and Anna Maria Burrow were most likely his parents. During the 1780s, the family settled at Muncy Flats, across the river from present day, Lock Haven. After a brief stay in Crawford County in the late 1790s, the Berfields moved back to Muncy Flats, from whence they came to Cameron County about 1810.
      According to John Jordan’s, History of Cameron County (1871), a party consisting of Edward Shippen, Mr. Allen, and John Earl’s sons, about 1810. “The first citizen whom they found within the present limits of Cameron County was Stephen Berfield, a hunter, living at the mouth of the First Fork (Sinnemahoning), in a log house. The party took dinner with Berfield, and were served with bear’s meat, Berfield having killed a fine bear that morning.”
      Stephen married Susannah Sterling, who was born about 1776 in Ireland, and was probably some relation to the Sterlings that settled in Driftwood. They raised a family of seven children as follows: (1) William born March 6, 1798 married Margaret Shafer (Scheffer), daughter of John Shafer, and settled in Lumber Township. They had one daughter, Elisabeth born June 1839 who married James Strawbridge and had eight children: Emily A. Lindy, Sarah, George A., William, Benjamin, Leroy, Laura E., and Luis. William and Margaret Berfield diedMarch 3, 1874 and May 1865 respectively; are buried at the Pine Street Cemetery in Sterling Run. (2) John born June 19, 1800, see related article. (3) Sarah born August 24, 1802, married James Wylie, Sr., a native of Scotland and raised a family of eight children; Susanna born December 25, 1824 at Driftwood, married George Chapman; William born May 6, 1829 married Kate Chapman; Mary B. born 1830 at Sterling Run, married Henry Mason; Stephen born 1831 at Driftwood; Emily born 1834 at Sinnemahoning married Ralph Johnson; James R. born 1837; John born 1841; Alpheus W. born 1843. Sarah died October 3, 1890 and is buried at the Pine Street Cemetery. (4) Josiah, born December 19, 1804 and died in the 1820s and is not known t have any descendants. (5) Jane born June 7, 1807, first married William Shaffer, son of James Shaffer. William died in 1833 at the age of 23, and Jane later married Joseph Mason, Jr. Jane died March 11, 1967 at Sinnemahoning and is buried at Pine Street Cemetery. (6) Anna Maria, Born February 3, 1810 married Reuben Miller and had three children, James Willie born April 1838, married Sara Stabley and raised nine children: Effie Mable Shurr, Annie Maria Bierly, Oliver Hays, Clara Floe Smith, Ira James, Cora Amy, Olive Beatrice, Edith Maud Filfillan, and Enoch Boyd; Sarah Jane born July 1840 married James D. Jordan in the first recorded marriage on Mason Hill and raised twelve children: Orrin H., Anna Martha, Losey, Ernestine, Leona Justine Hoy, Mary E. Carson, Victor John, Thomas U., Sara Jane Marsh, Reuben, Elizabeth Viola Barr, Louis H., Sr., and Raymond J., Sr.; Enoch Boyd who died at Atlanta in 1864. Anna Maria died October 31, 1841 at the age of 31 and is buried at the Pine Street Cemetery. (7) Mary “Aunt Polly” born September 12, 1814 married William Jordan, and raised a family of nine children: Allen born July 1833; Julia Judith born November 1836; Martha born 1838; Alvin R. born May 1841; Sally M. “Sarah” born August 1844; Ruth D. born February 1847, Elinius W. born May 1850; Anna born May 1858; and Edward A. born July 1861.
      The family presumes that Stephen Berfield died either shortly before or after the birth of Mary in 1814. No record of Stephen can be found after this date. His place of birth is also not known. Susannah died May 12, 1851 at Sterling Run and is buried at Pine Street Cemetery.

This article has also been published in the book:
A History of Cameron County - Pennsylvania
Curtis Media Corporation, Dallas, Texas
Copyright 1991

      Children of STEPHEN BAREFIELD and SUSANNAH STERLING are:

9.	i.	WILLIAM³ BAREFIELD, b. March 06, 1798, Meadville, Pennsylvania; d. March 30, 1874, Lumber Twp., Pennsylvania.
10.	ii.	JOHN BERFIELD , SR., b. June 18, 1800, Pine Creek Twp., Pennsylvania; d. January 09, 1872, Wharton, Pennsylvania.
11.	iii.	SARAH BERFIELD, b. August 24, 1802, Pine Creek, Pennsylvania; d. October 03, 1890, Sinnemahoning, Pennsylvania.
	iv.	JOSIAH BERFIELD, b. December 19, 1804, Munci Flats, Pennsylvania; d. 1820-1829, Wharton, Pennsylvania.
12.	v.	JANE BERFIELD, b. June 07, 1807, Munci Flats, Pennsylvania; d. March 11, 1867, Sinnemahoning, Pennsylvania.
13.	vi.	ANNA MARIA BERFIELD, b. February 03, 1810, Dunstable, Pennsylvania; d. October 31, 1841, Sinnemahoning, Pennsylvania.
14.	vii.	MARY BERFIELD, b. September 12, 1814, Sinnemahoning, Pennsylvania; d. August 11, 1899, Potter County, Pennsylvania.

5. BENJAMIN² BERFIELD (JOHN FRANCIS¹ BAREFIELD , SR.) was born 1778 in Clearfield Co., Pennsylvania, and died September 1840 in Stark Co., Illinois. He married MARTHA SLOAN 1803 in Crawford Co., Pennsylvania.

More About BENJAMIN BERFIELD:
Occupation: War of 1812-133 Regt. Gowdy's PA Militia

Children of BENJAMIN BERFIELD and MARTHA SLOAN are:

15.	i.	ELIZABETH³ BERFIELD, b. 1804, Summerhill, Pennsylvania; d. 1886.
16.	ii.	MARIA ANN BERFIELD, b. March 30, 1806, Cussewago, Pennsylvania; d. July 16, 1886, Yates City, Illinois.
	iii.	SARAH BERFIELD, b. 1808, Cussewago, Pennsylvania; d. WFT Est. 1839-1910, North Dakota; m. (1) ? BALL; m. (2) ADAM STAINBROOK , JR., October 09, 1834, Crawford Co., Pennsylvania.
17.	iv.	CARSON BERFIELD, b. 1810, Cussewago, Pennsylvania; d. December 06, 1873, Toulon, Illinois.
	v.	MARY ANNE BERFIELD, b. 1813, Cussewago, Pennsylvania; d. Denver, Colorado; m. MINER HEDGES.
18.	vi.	JOHN BERFIELD, b. April 24, 1814, Summerhill, Pennsylvania; d. November 17, 1903, Toulon, Illinois.
	vii.	GEORGE BERFIELD, b. 1816, Summerhill, Pennsylvania; d. September 16, 1845, Toulon, Illinois.
	viii.	MARTHA BERFIELD, b. 1820, Cussewago, Pennsylvania; d. Black River Falls, Washington; m. JOSEPH N. BENEDICT, December 24, 1841, Toulon, Illinois.
19.	ix.	WHATLEY BARRETT BURFIELD, b. November 07, 1823, Summerhill, Pennsylvania; d. May 16, 1907, Sheldon, Minnesota.

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