Palfrey Surname

Thomas Palfrey was born in 1796 in England ¹. He died in 1875 in Rushford Twp., Winnebago Co., Wisconsin ¹. He is buried in the Waukau Cemetery, Waukau, Winnebago Co., Wisconsin.

As of yet, no record has been found of Thomas or his family while in England. In fact, we have no idea where in England our family originated. Although Thomas was from England, his wife was from Wales. They were probably married in Wales in the late 1810's and had their first known child there in 1819. Not long after this, the family apparently moved to England where most of their other children were born. The names of six children are known (John, William, Eliza, Thomas, Mary, and Richard) although it is said that they had two additional daughters of whom we know nothing.

For unknown reasons, the Palfrey family decided to move away from England. Probably in the year 1829, the family left England and traveled via the Atlantic Ocean to Canada (their daughter Mary is supposed to have been born in October of 1829 while at sea). In Canada, the Palfreys lived in Quebec, but did not remain there for long. According to family history, Thomas was discontented with Canada and decided to move to the United States. Different census records indicate that the family probably moved across the border to the United States in 1832, after only 3 years in Canada. They settled in Erie County, New York, near the city of Buffalo. In the 1840 census, Thomas' oldest son John is found as the head of a household with what appear to be Thomas' younger children. It is unknown where Thomas and some of his other relatives were at the time. By the 1840's, the entire Palfrey family decided to move out west. In 1846, they left New York and traveled via the Great Lakes and arrived at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They then took a team inland where they settled at Winnebago County, Wisconsin in the fall of 1846. Thomas and his sons settled on farms near the village of Waukau, in Rushford Township, Winnebago County, Wisconsin.

Thomas' wife (whose name was probably Mary) died sometime between 1831 (when she gave birth to her youngest known child Richard) and 1850 (when she is absent from the family in the federal census). Since there is no stone for her in the Waukau Cemetery, it is assumed that she died before the family moved to Wisconsin in 1846. In addition to his children, Thomas also moved to Wisconsin with a woman named Jane Palfrey, who was about 6 years older than him. Her relationship to him is unknown, she may have been a second wife or other relative. Thomas continued to live in Winnebago County. Thomas is strangely absent from the 1870 census, although we know that he was still alive at the time. According to his tombstone, he died in the year 1875. Most likely, he was the "M R Palfrey" in an index to Winnebago County newspaper items on March 11, 1875 that he was "buried last week." Additionally, a probate record for a Thomas Palfrey is on file with the date July 12, 1875.

There is hardly anything known about Mary, the wife of Thomas Palfrey. The only yet known mention of her name comes from her son Richard's death record of 1914. Mary was most likely born in the late 1790's, in Wales. She died sometime between 1831 and 1850, but most likely before 1846.

1	John Palfrey was born on August 17, 1819 in Wales 1. He died on September 8, 1888 in Rushford Twp., Winnebago Co., Wisconsin 1. He is buried in the Waukau Cemetery, Waukau, Winnebago Co., Wisconsin. He married first to Mary Monondana Drake on October 7, 1855 in Winnebago Co., Wisconsin 2. (She was born on May 2, 1838 in New York 1 and died on November 21, 1868 Winnebago Co., Wisconsin 1. She is buried in the Waukau Cemetery, Waukau, Winnebago Co., Wisconsin.) They had the following children: William Wallace Palfey (1856-1912) md. 1st. Harriet N. Perkins [divorced] md. 2nd. Agnes Stewardson John Palfrey (1862-1868) Henry Grant Palfrey (1864-1929) md. Sally Mae Burgner He married second to Eliza Jane Kimball on October 17, 1869 in Winnebago Co., Wisconsin 2. (She was born on May 4, 1833 in Antwerp, Jefferson Co., New York 1 and died on September 17, 1915 in Rushford Twp., Winnebago Co., Wisconsin 1. She is buried in the Waukau Cemetery, Waukau, Winnebago Co., Wisconsin.) They had no children.
2	William Palfrey was born circa 1822 in England 1. He died on November 16, 1851 in Winnebago Co., Wisconsin 1. He is buried in the Waukau Cemetery, Waukau, Winnebago Co., Wisconsin. He was never married.
3	Eliza Palfrey was born on October 1825 in England 3. She died on February 24, 1907 in Rushford Twp., Winnebago Co., Wisconsin 4. She is buried in the Waukau Cemetery, Waukau, Winnebago Co., Wisconsin. She married to Oscar Wilson sometime between 1850 and 1860 in Wisconsin. (He was born circa 1822 in New Hampshire 3 and died between 1860 and 1870 in Green Lake Co., Wisconsin.) They had no children.
4	Thomas Palfrey was born in June 1827 in England 3. He died on July 14, 1907 in Waukau, Winnebago Co., Wisconsin. He is buried in the Waukau Cemetery, Waukau, Winnebago Co., Wisconsin. He was married to Cindicea Coffman on April 12, 1855 in Winnebago Co., Wisconsin 2. (She was born in February 1836 in Pennsylvania 3 and died before February 7, 1913 in Waukau, Winnebago Co., Wisconsin. She is buried in the Waukau Cemetery, Waukau, Winnebago Co., Wisconsin.) They had the following children: Jane E. Palfrey (1857-1935) md. Lester E. Chapelle Anna Gertrude Palfrey (1860-1921) md. Cecil Arthur Copeland
5	Mary Palfrey
6	Richard Palfrey was born on June 28,1831 in Quebec, Canada 1. He died on June 7, 1914 in Rushford Twp., Winnebago Co., Wisconsin 1. He is buried in the Waukau Cemetery, Waukau, Winnebago Co., Wisconsin. He married first to Mary Lowe on March 23, 1854 in Rushford Twp., Winnebago Co., Wisconsin 2. (She was born on February 5, 1837 in England and died on January 21, 1886 in Rushford Twp., Winnebago Co., Wisconsin. She is buried in the Waukau Cemetery, Waukau, Winnebago Co., Wisconsin.) They had the following children: William Henry Palfrey (1855-1933) md. Frances Adelaide Hawkes Charles Sumner Palfrey (1857-1898) md. Jennie W. Champlin Thomas L. Palfrey (1860-1887) md. Ernestine Griepentrog John Sherman Palfrey (1866-1946) md. 1st. Jennie W. Champlin, widow of Charles S. Palfrey md. 2nd. Mamie B. Laramore Ernest L. Palfrey (1871-1952) md. Zilla S. Rolph He married second to Jennie Allen on September 25, 1888 in Winnebago Co., Wisconsin. (She was born in May 1844 in Scotland 3 and died before March 7, 1919 in Winnebago Co., Wisconsin). They had no children.

Mary Palfrey was born on about October 5, 1829 ⁵, apparently on a ship at sea on the Atlantic Ocean, enroute from England to Canada. She died on January 20, 1882 in Garden City, Blue Earth Co., Minnesota ⁵. She is buried in the Garden City Cemetery, Garden City, Blue Earth Co., Minnesota.

Father: Thomas Palfrey
Mother: Mary

Although nearly all sources indicate that Mary was born in England, the 1920 census of her son Henry indicates that his mother was born "at sea." Mary spent the first few years of her life with her family in Quebec, Canada, but they did not remain there for long. In probably 1832, she moved with her family to Erie County, New York. In 1846, her family moved out west to Winnebago County, Wisconsin. Mary did not remain unmarried for long and on March 30, 1848, at the age of 18, she was married to an aspiring young New England farmer named Henry Bixby. They afterwards settled on a farm near her family near the village of Waukau in Rushford Township, Winnebago County, Wisconsin.

Mary and Henry had 6 known sons: Alvin, Herbert, Augustus, John, Henry and William. For whatever the reason, they did not remain in Wisconsin. In about 1867, they moved west and settled on a farm near the village of Garden City, in Blue Earth County, Minnesota. (Mary and her family may have lived briefly somewhere else in Minnesota before settling near Garden City). Although they farmed many goods here, it seems that their primary agricultural holdings were sheep. Mary spent the rest of her life near Garden City, Minnesota. She died there on January 20, 1882 at the age of 52.

For information on their children, see his page.

1. Tombstone Inscriptions, Waukau Cemetery, Waukau, Wisconsin
2. Marriage records, Winnebago Co., Wisconsin
3. Assorted US Federal Census records
4. Wisconsin Deaths, 1820-1907. Ancestry.com
5. Tombstone Inscriptions, Garden City Cemetery, Garden City, Minnesota