Alexander C. Mayfield Family

Alexander Campbell MAYFIELD was born in Greene County, IN to Reuben and his wife Charlotte (BOONE) MAYFIELD, as their 9th child. He married Winnie Tate SHORT, who was born in 1836, daughter of Milton and Winnie (TATE) SHORT. The family came to Whatcom County in March 1884 settling in an area that became Ferndale. The family members traveled by train from Indiana to San Francisco, CA, and then from San Francisco to Seattle. In Seattle, they boarded a steamer for the trip north to Whatcom county, to the mouth of the Nooksack River. From there, the family walked up the river to Ferndale, where the two sons, Reuben and Wesley, had established a store. They had been in the west earlier (1882), first in California, and then in Seattle, and were responsible for the family migrating. They were attracted by the homestead land in Whatcom County. They thought there were a lot of opportunities for people in this "new country".

The Mayfield store was located on the Nooksack River at Ferndale, very near the present bridge. The MAYFIELDs felt the need of more than just a drugstore, so they carried general merchandise, "a little bit of everything", suitable to the needs of a pioneer country town. A. C. sent to Seattle for the nicest silk dress material to be had. Winnie apparently assisted A. C. with the store, and the family residence was above the store. The business, however, was abandoned by the family shortly after A. C. was shot and instantly killed on the porch of the store, on 21 Sep 1885. Son Wesley was also shot at this time, but he eventually recovered. The shooter was John GUILDY. Reuben was running for County Auditor, and for some reason, GUILDY took an extreme dislike of him, so decided to take election matters into his own hands. Inda MAYFIELD, was 17 ½ at that time, and at the time that her father and brother were shot was hanging up the family wash, and witnessed the shootings.A. C.'s widow, Winnie MAYFIELD, eventually remarried to Wilson JONES, and lived in Ferndale until her death in 1919. Winnie was the first white woman to live at Ferndale. Both Alexander and Winnie are buried in Woodlawn Cemetery.

Children:

Ila MAYFIELD was born 28 Nov 1854 Lawrence County, IN. She married 16 Dec 1886 in Ferndale John EVANS and they continued to reside in Ferndale. John was born 10 Jul 1832 in Wales and died 29 Oct 1905. Ila died 25 Jul 1940. Both are buried in Woodlawn Cemetery.
Mary Charlotte MAYFIELD was born was born 8 Feb 1857 in Lawrence County, IN. She married 4 Mar 1879 Buenos Wheat BAILEY who also made the trip to Whatcom County with the MAYFIELD family. Buenos BAILEY was born 23 Jun 1853/4 in Lawrence County, IN and died 31 Oct 1918. He was the son of Jesse H. and Virginia (LONG) BAILEY. Mary Charlotte died 4 Feb 1939. Both are buried in Woodlawn Cemetery.
Biography of Beunos BAILEY
Reuben Newton MAYFIELD was born 13 Jun 1859 in Lawrence County, IN. He moved on to Colorado where he married and became a physician, living in a number of different places during his life; he also was a surgeon major in the Spanish-American War, with Teddy Roosevelt. Reuben died 17 Jun 1939 and is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery.
Wesley Short MAYFIELD was born in Lawrence County, IN in 1864. Wesley moved to Colorado and became an undertaker; moving back to Seattle (Ballard), where he had his business until his death. The Blaine Journal of April 7, 1887 reported "Wesley MAYFIELD of Ferndale arrived home a few days ago from Illinois, after an absence of several weeks. He was married while away, and brought his wife home with him. Mr. MAYFIELD is one of the most respectable and respected young men in Whatcom county, and the JOURNAL, with other friends extends congratulations." He died 13 Nov 1946 and is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery.
Inda Tate MAYFIELD was born 25 Feb 1868 in Lawrence County, IN and died 5 Nov 1949. On 24 Mar 1886 she married John SLATER, who was born 7 Jul 1865 in Nanaimo, B. C. where his mother was visiting, to George and Elizabeth (METCALF) SLATER. John SLATER was an official with the First National Bank of Ferndale and one of the organizers of the Association of Whatcom County Pioneers. John died 26 Jan 1932. Both are buried in Woodlawn Cemetery.
Biography of John SLATER

Submitted by Doy Gronenberg

Back to Family Index

Back to Whatcom GenWeb main page