Surname Saturday: Chapin

[dee_burris]

One of the surnames on my mother's side of the family is Chapin. One of my cousins was curious about whether I'd be able to connect us to Deacon Samuel Chapin, one of the founders of Springfield, MA.





The photo above is of "The Puritan,"
and the model purportedly was Deacon Samuel Chapin.

The answer is yes. Chapin family history is very well documented, particularly for the family members and descendants who stayed in and around Springfield, Roxbury and other Massachusetts cities and towns.

Samuel Chapin was widely respected in early Massachusetts, as were his sons, daughters and their children afterward. The Chapins had their own version of a family empire in Springfield.

Here is how I descend from Samuel Chapin:
Samuel (1598-1675)
Japhat (1642-1712)
Samuel (1665-1729)
Caleb (1701-1755)
Joel (1732-1805)
Joel (1763-1803)
Joel (1800-?)
Nathaniel F (1827-1898)
Frederick (1858-1938)
Hattie Belle (Chapin) Balding (1887-1976)
Doris Geneva (Balding) Williams (1907-1998)
Judith Ann Williams (1937-2004)
Me

As luck would have it, my direct Chapin ancestors had the same pioneering spirit as Samuel, and were not content to stay in Massachusetts.

Nathaniel Foster, son of Joel, was really hard to chase down. He was born in Pennsylvania, and married Elizabeth Harris about 1853. They had 10 children that I have been able to document, including my g-g-granddad, Frederick.


Frederick and Eada Belle (Parrish) Chapin

Nathaniel and his sons were woodworkers - carpenters and furniture makers. The family lived in Olean, Cattaraugus, New York through the 1880 census, but by the 1 Mar 1885 Kansas census, they were living in Bourbon Co., KS.

Then Fred hopped on over to Vernon Co., MO to marry Eada Belle Parrish on Christmas Eve, 1885. Fred and Eada only had two children of which I am aware, Hattie Belle (my great-grandmother) and her older sister Ruth, who died before 1900.


Hattie Belle (Chapin) Balding,
probably around the time of her marriage

Hattie Belle Chapin married Victor Claude Balding on 25 Sep 1901 in Pulaski Co., AR. They raised seven children in Little Rock. Hattie's parents moved there, too and are buried in Oakland Cemetery in Little Rock.

Comments

Re: Chapins in Oneida, Madison County, NY

[dee-burris.livejournal.com]

Oh how cool...another family connection. Thanks so much for this information.

Now coming to read your blog...