Surname Saturday ~ Chapin of Springfield, Massachusetts

Devon, England
Wikimedia Commons

My immigrant Chapin ancestor is Samuel Chapin. He was one of the early settlers of Springfield, Massachusetts, found in records there by 1642, and a great deal can be found about him online. (See Wikipedia, for example.)

He was baptized in Paignton, Devon, England in 1598. He married Cicely Penny in 1623 in England and they had seven children, five born in England, one born in Roxbury, Massachusetts and the last born in Springfield.

He was prominent in Springfield, serving as Selectman, Magistrate, and Deacon. He died in Springfield in November 1675. His widow, Cicely died in February 1682.

I am descended from three of Samuel Chapin's children: Henry, born in 1630, Japhet, born in 1642 in Roxbury, and Hannah, born in 1644 in Springfield. I am descended from his son, Japhet, in two ways, so I guess you can say I descend four ways from Deacon Samuel Chapin.

Springfield, Hampden County
Wikimedia Commons

Generation 2: Henry Chapin (1630-1718) married Bethia Cooley (1643-1711) in 1664 and had six children. I descend from their youngest child.

Generation 3: Benjamin Chapin (1682-1756) married Hannah Colton (1688-1739) in 1704 and had twelve children. I descend from their second youngest child.

Generation 4: Ephraim Chapin (1729-1805) married his second cousin, once removed, Jemima Chapin (1735-1804) in 1755, whose parents were second cousins (see below for these lines). They had eight children. I descend from their second youngest child. Ephraim served in the Revolutionary War.

Generation 5: Bezaleel Chapin (1769-1812) married his third cousin, once removed, Thankful Chapin (1774-1854) in 1790 (see below for her line). They had six children and I descend from their oldest son.

Generation 6: Orramel Chapin (1791-1866) married Susan Rood (1799-????) in 1816. I have written about them before: see Moving West Part 1 and Moving West Part 2. Orramel's parents were both Chapins; three of Orramel's grandparents were Chapins, and of his eight great-grandparents, four were descended from Deacon Samuel.

Generation 7: Susan Arville Chapin (1820-1906)
Generation 8: Charles Chapin Adsit (1853-1931)
Generation 9: Elizabeth Adsit (1897-1983)
Generation 10: Charles McAlpin Pyle (1924-1993)
Generation 11: Me

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Generation 2: Japhet Chapin (1642-1712) married Abaline Cooley (1642-1710) in 1664. They had ten children and I descend from their third child.

Generation 3: Thomas Chapin (1671-1755) married Sarah Wright (1673-1770) in 1694 and had eleven children. I descend from their second child, Japhet, and their third child, Abel.

Generation 4: Japhet Chapin (1697-1786) married Thankful Dickenson (1702-1773) in 1726 and had ten children. I descend from their seventh child.

Generation 5: Simeon Chapin (1739-1799) married Lucy Doolittle (1741-1824) in 1765 and had ten children. I descend from their fifth child. Simeon served in the Revolutionary War.

Generation 6: Thankful Chapin (1774-1854) married her third cousin, once removed, Bezaleel Chapin (1769-1854) in 1790. See above for continuation of the line.

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Generation 2: Japhet Chapin (1642-1712) - see above.

Generation 3: Thomas Chapin (1671-1755) - see above.

Generation 4: Abel Chapin (1700-1772) married his second cousin, Hannah Hitchcock (1702-1778) in January 1723/24. They had six children. I descend from their fourth child.

Generation 5: Jemima Chapin (1735-1804) married her second cousin, once removed, Ephraim Chapin (1729-1805). See above for continuation of the line.

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Generation 2: Hannah Chapin (1644-1719) married John Hitchcock (1647-1712) in 1666. They had eight children. I descend from their fourth child.

Generation 3: Luke Hitchcock (1675-1752) married Elizabeth Blakman (1676-1765) in 1699. They had nine children. I descend from their second child.

Generation 4: Hannah Hitchcock (1702-1778) married her second cousin, Abel Chapin (1700-1772). See above for the continuation of the line.

I do have a particular fondness for this surname, not only because of the multiple lines, but also because I discovered a copy of the 1862 Orange Chapin genealogy on my parents' bookshelf in the late 1980's. I discovered that it had come to my dad after his mother died and had been handed down for several generations (likely starting with my second great-grandmother, Susan Arville Chapin). This started my interest in learning more about my family's history.

Much of what I know about these lines are from the following secondary sources:
Orange Chapin, The Chapin Genealogy: Containing a Very Large Proportion of the Descendants of Dea. Samuel Chapin (Northampton, Massachusetts: Metcalf & Company, 1862) which can be found at the Internet Archive.
Gilbert W. Chapin, The Chapin Book of Genealogical Data (Hartford, Connecticut: Chapin Family Association, 1924)

I have also found information in other published genealogies, Springfield, Massachusetts sources, and several articles in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register.