I shall have occasion to mention some of these in the
body of this work.
A year ago I came across the original records of the
old Virginia Company, which was organized in 1606, and operated at
Jamestown, Virginia, during the first quarter of the century. One of the
most trusted men in this company was one George Chambers. This information
caused me to make some changes in my notes. Throughout my investigations I
have uniformly held to the theory that the Chambers families that can not
relate on this side of the Atlantic, if the facts were obtainable, would in
a few centuries unite back in England or Scotland; very few families would
hitch on beyond the English Channel.
After the sale of this book is completed, should some
one desire a copy, please write me; I shall hold the forms set up just as
long as I can, for such emergencies.
Assuring all readers that I have made an effort to
treat fairly the various patriarchs bearing the Chambers name,
I am very sincerely,
WILLIAM DAVIS CHAMBERS
CHAMBERS
HISTORY
CHAPTER I: ORIGIN
While browsing among some old Virginia records I found
the following clipping: "Virginia genealogists claim that the name Chambers
is a royal name in direct line of descent from Henry III of England. Ann
Chambers Bispham of Mt. Holly, New Jersey, left notes proving her descent to
be of this royal line." If this is true, it is quite probable that most
persons of the Chambers name did not cross the English Channel with William
the Conqueror, as claimed by some authorities, but that they trailed to the
island after Henry II's marriage to Countess Eleanor of Provence in 1272.
History tells us that "relatives of the new queen flocked into England,
expecting and obtaining high offices in Church and State, titles, and grants
of land. The queen's uncle became Archbishop of Canterbury."
Note how well the following statement from the letter
of Charles Edward Stuart Chambers fits into this theory: "Gillaume
(William) de la Chambre signed the regimen roll of Edward I (son of Henry
III) at Berwick on the Tweed in 1296, as Baillee of Peebles." No doubt
Gillaume was related in some way to the king, and for this reason he was
given a position of honor and trust in his government. Berwick at this time
was larger than London, and as the kind was planning the reorganization of
Scotland, it was a position of high honor. In 1345 the records of
Worcester, England, speak of Robert de la Chambre. The name was found early
in this century in London, Yorkshire, Kent, and even in the Ross-shire
toward the north of Scotland.
HISTORICAL SETTING
In the year 1618, under the "Five Articles of Perth,"
King James restored certain rights to the Catholics. For this reason, many
thousands of Protestants took passage for America. The real contest,
however, in this half century was between the Episcopal Church of England
and the growing Presbyterian Church. This date corresponds closely with the
growth of Jamestown and the landing of the Pilgrims and other
non-conformists. George Chambers of Virginia, and Robert Chambers of Perth
Amboy, New Jersey, came over at that time.
In 1637, Oliver Cromwell and John Hampden planned to
leave England for Ireland or America, but their passage was arrested.
Perhaps it would have been better for the Stuart Royalty to have permitted
them to peacefully withdraw from the island. In 1643, William Chambers, a
Scottish Divine, was a leader in public thought in the Isles. In 1646,
Richard Chambers headed a famous petition to Charles I. In 1650, Humphrey
Chambers received big honors as a Biblical author. In 1652, Peter Chambers
wrote a treatise on treason, and how it should be punished. George
Chambers, in 1655, wrote against judicial astrology.
After the signing of the "Westminster Confession of
Faith" in 1646, there followed in rapid succession the Cromwellian Civil
War, the Restoration of Charles II, the overthrow of King James II, and the
political and religious liberty of the reign of William, Prince of Orange.
This was a half century of religious controversy. As early as 1670 the
Quakers began to spread throughout Ireland in friendly competition with the
Catholics for supremacy. It was in the next decade that Benjamin Chambers
joined the party of William Penn on his first voyage to America.
William, Prince of Orange, came to the throne of
England in 1689. The Catholics had lost control of the island, and James II
had fled to France for help and protection. Ireland was made the fighting
ground between the Catholics and Protestants, and William, being an
excellent military leader, was the idol of his men. After his death, there
was organized in his honor a secret society bearing the name of
"Orangemen." Ireland was rent throughout with discord and bloodshed. There
were in Ireland about 800,000 Catholics, 100,000 Anglicans, and 200,000
Non-conformists, including Quakers, Presbyterians, Baptists, and other
independents. The Catholics were losing much of the land in Ulster, Antrim,
and Connaught; and even middle and southern Ireland contained a number of
Protestants. Many Scotchmen had entered Ireland for conscience' sake, but
in 1704 Parliament passed the Test Act, or Holy Communion Act, which made
the government Anglican, rather than Catholic. In 1714, the Schism Act was
passed. This act required that all who taught or in any way conducted
religious services should belong to the Anglican church. The wealthier
Independents, -- Presbyterians, Baptists, Quakers, et al -- disposed of
their property and immigrated to America, where they hoped to find religious
liberty. Many of the most devout Independents, however, were forced to
abide their time to get passage to America. But during the third of a
century following Queen Ann, thousands of Non-Conformists, "Orangemen," and
even Catholics found refuge in America from Anglican oppression. It was
during this period that the patriarchs of most of the Chambers families
first saw America.
In the pages which follow, if an immigrant is spoken of
as Irish, his ancestors were probably in the mad rush for possessions in
Ireland under Queen anne, or before her time. The name Chambers per se is
not Irish, and became so only by insulation among those who were Irish. If
he is spoken of as Scotch-Irish, his stay in Ireland was brief, or he is the
son of a Scotch father and Irish mother, or vice versa, or a descendant of
such parents. If he is spoken of as Scotch, he may have sailed to America
from and Irish port, but his blood was pure Scotch. Many Scotch immigrants
left brothers and sisters in Ireland, whose descendants became Scotch-Irish,
or perhaps, if there long enough, Irish.
FIRST SETTLERS
The Virginia Company, for the purpose of colonization
in America, was formed in 1606. Settlement was made at Jamestown in 1607.
After 1609, this company had a Governor and Council. A share of stock in
the company was twelve pounds and ten shillings, and no oath of fidelity was
required of the stockholders. A charter was granted them by King James I in
1619, an in April of that year their first general Court was held. The
following facts are taken directly from the records of this Court:
"For auditors the Court in like sort have now made
choice for the succeeding term," etc. On this committee one member was
George Chambers.
And again: "June 28, 1619."
"Auditors to be at the next Court to take their oaths
and also against that time an exact account be given of the state of the
cash and what debts is owing, that if may be, half a capital may be divided
among the adventurers." George Chambers took this oath as an auditor.
On July 7, 1620, the Court grouped the members of the
General Committee for special work as follows: "(1) For the laws of
England; (2) For the Orders for Virginia: (3) For the particular
Corporation: (4) For military discipline." George Chambers was a member of
the third group.
On July 18, 1620, George Chambers was appointed on a
special committee "to consider the fittest course for a magazine or
storehouse for tobacco." This committee was "to act with the Archbishop of
Canterbury in regard to supplies intended to be sent to the colony this
year." Also, in July 1620, George Chambers was appointed on a committee "to
confer with the Lord Mayor in regard to bringing children to America." Many
other references were made to George Chambers, but these are quite enough to
show the esteem in which he was held by the old Virginia Company.
In April Court, 1625, James Chambers was places upon a
committee; again, in 1634, he was mentioned. Also, in 1625, Thomas and John
Chambers were recognized in some way by the Virginia Court. The above were
English representatives of the Chambers family.
In 1635,
Robert Chambers, in company with others, left
his home near Stirling, Scotland, and settled at Perth Amboy, New Jersey.
Later he returned to Scotland. He is supposed to be the ancestor of many
other Americans of the Chambers name. The fact that his old home was near
Stirling identifies him as being of Scotch lineage.
Even before the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth
Rock, the Chambers name was gaining a foot-hold in Virginia. From Virginia
the name pushed westward into the newer states and up the coast even into
Nova Scotia and Quebec. These immigrants were English. In the Blue Ridge
section of North Carolina, as will be reported in succeeding chapters, most
of the settlers bearing the Chambers name were Scotch, yet on the Yadkin,
the Catawba, and along the rivers generally could be found traces of the
names among the English settlements.
In August, 1922, I attended a reunion at Brookside
Park, Indianapolis. Learning that in another part of the park a group of
Chamberses were holding their reunion, I joined them long enough to find out
that they were of English nationality, and that they had come to Indiana
from New York. My cousin, Rev. E. M. Chambers, had quite an extensive
conversation with representative men of this group and was well pleased with
the courtesies extended him. He was glad to claim them as kinsmen, even
though the tie which binds us to them is somewhat obscured by the passing
centuries.
THREE BROTHERS OF 1689
The revolution against James II broke out in England in
the fall of 1688. James II fled to France and prevailed upon the French
king to aid him in the recovery of his English throne. William Prince of
Orange, the husband of Mary (the oldest daughter of the old king), was
invited to England to resist the pretensions of the French king. This war
became a religious war, England representing Protestantism; France,
Catholicism. For more than a century the House of Orange had been ardent in
its support of the Reformation. William II was the man of the hour.
War broke out in America between the English colonies
and the French settlements lying to the North and West. The Jesuit
missionaries encouraged the Indians along the border to resist the English
advance. As a protection to the English settlers, soldiers were sent from
the Isles to America. In 1689 five companies landed at New York. Many
other companies landed at Boston, and other New England ports.
Among the soldiers who came to New York were three
brothers by the name of Chambers. These were sent to different parts as a
defense to the settlers. As the story goes (evidence collected from three
sources agree on this point), these boys did not return to England. Living
among the settlers for six or eight years, they became reconciled to the New
World and married here, one making his home in New York, one in Virginia
(perhaps West Virginia), and the third in Pennsylvania.
A part of this New York family crossed the boundary
line, and perhaps for half a century lived in Canada, leaving there at the
time of or soon after the war of 1812. In proof of his I submit the
following letter from Mrs. Luella Wolff of LaFountaine, Huntington County,
Indiana:
Joseph Chambers was born in
Canada, Feb. 29, 1792. He and his father, whose name we have lost, were
both in the war of 1812. The mother's name was Sarah. Sarah's family were
Joseph (mentioned above), Minor, Thomas Whiten, Amanda, and Sarah. Thomas
went to Peoria, Illinois; Amanda married Henry C. Andrews; Sarah died in
childhood. (Minor will be discussed later.) There came to Canada from New
Jersey a family by the name of Gibbs. Joseph Chambers married Sally Gibbs.
From Canada both the Chambers and the Gibbs families moved to Switzerland
County, Indiana, and in about 1822, removed to Bartholomew County, Indiana
and were among the early settlers of that county. Joseph Chambers was about
5 feet 8 inches tall and weighed about 190 pounds, smooth face, dark hair,
brown eyes, rather quiet joker. He died Sept. 1, 1853. His wife, Sally
Gibbs, was born Feb 8, 1794, and died at the home of Charity Carter, May 14,
1874, at the ripe old age of eighty years. Joseph and Sally were married in
Canada, March 31, 1815.
To this union were born:
Sally Ann, married William Gibbs;
born Aug. 11, 1816.
David James, born Nov. 10, 1818.
John Anson, my grandfather, born
April 1, 1820.
Cyrenus W., born Sept 13, 1823.
Benjamin S., born Dec. 25, 1825;
died March 8, 1826.
Amos (lived for years in Texas),
born March 15, 1827.
Benjamin (the 2nd Benjamin), born
Sept. 22, 1830.
Nelson, born July 11, 1832; died
Aug. 31, 1834.
Charity, married Jonathan W.
Carter; born Aug. 16, 1834.
Martha J., married John Allen
Williams; born Aug. 20, 1838.
Sally, Charity, and Martha lived
to be quite old. Most of the sons also lived to be old. On Dec. 23, 1838,
John Anson Chambers married Rachel Smith, who was born near Lawrenceburg,
Indiana, Nov. 21, 1820. The following are the names of the children born to
this union:
Sallie Ann, Mary Ellen, Charles
Lewis (my father), John P. , Minerva Jane, and William Rush."
Mrs. Wolff's letter contains much interesting
information concerning the Gibbs, the Carter, and the Simmons families which
I cannot use in this history. I hope some local historian will gather these
facts and ultimately weave them into history.
Mrs. Wolff gave no information concerning Minor
Chambers, but I have accidentally found his progeny. I shall let William L.
Chambers, Clerk of the Circuit Court at Brookville, Indiana, recite the
story of his ancestry:
Mr. William D. Chambers,
Dupont, Indiana.
Here is some of my family history, and
I wonder whether I am a descendant of any of the Chamberses you have some
history of.
Minor Chambers (my great-grandfather),
was born in Germany. When a young man he went to Canada, then to Switzerland
County, Indiana, where he died (date unknown). He had married a Miss Lee in
Switzerland County, Indiana. Their children were: Sally C., who married a
Cunningham: Palace C., who married a Fisher: Elizabeth, who married a
William Snook: Thomas W., who married Lovey Lewis -- who were my
grand-parents; and David Chambers, who married and located in Iowa as a
farmer.
The children of my grandfather were:
Margaret, died at age 22, Jacob, died at age 21; Sarah Carmine, died at age
74; Moluda Carmine, living; Mary Clark, living; William, living; Charles,
died at age of 40, has a son Charles who is living; and Lewis Calvin, living
who is my father.
Would be glad to hear from you, and
would want a book if it included my ancestry.
Yours very truly,
William L. Chambers
W. L. is quite sure that his great-grandfather was born
in Germany, then went to Canada and later to Switzerland County. As a man
by the name of Minor Chambers was born in Canada, then came with others of
his family to Switzerland County, it would seem that one historian or the
other must be wrong. I hope that this book may be helpful in straightening
out the kinks, so that the truth may appear to each. Evidently there are
many descendants of this old family scattered here and there that the
relatives know nothing about. Perhaps this book will help them get
together.
C. A. Chambers, Detroit, Michigan, was for many years
manager of the Consolidated Coal Company. He was born at Paris, Kentucky,
and his father, C. T. Chambers, at Roanoke, VA. In Pioneer times, three
brothers came to America, one settling in VA, one in N.Y. and one in PA.
CHAPTER II: OUR SCOTCH ANCESTORS
“Spero dum Spiro”
In lieu of an old debt due Admiral Penn, his son,
William Penn, in 1681 became the owner of 40,000 square miles of land in
America. He immediately advertised throughout England, Scotland, and
Ireland for men to join him on a voyage to his new possessions. His terms
were as follows:
"Those who wished to sail on board his vessel, the
"Welcome," could have land by paying one hundred pounds Sterling for 5,000
acres, and annually thereafter a shilling rent for every hundred acres.
Those who did not have money to pay in this way, could have two hundred
acres or less at the rate of a shilling per acre." (See Fisher's "The True
William Penn.")
About 1655-60 were born, south of Stirling, (perhaps
near the Clyde or Tweed in Scotland), four baby boys, who became the heads
of four great American families.
These boys -- John, Benjamin, Peter, and Alexander --
may have been brothers, but I find no evidence of it and, therefore, shall
not assume a certain relationship, but shall simply state the facts I have
at hand, leaving the reader to determine his own conclusions. Whatever
their relationship may be, it is easy to think of them as grandsons of
Robert Chambers, previously mentioned as having returned to Stirling from
Perth Amboy, New Jersey.
Benjamin raised the necessary money, and sailed on
board the "Welcome" in 1682. No doubt he was present when Penn made his
famous treaty with the Indians at Chester. Whether Benjamin bought much or
little land, will perhaps never be known, but it is established that after a
brief stay in America, perhaps two or three years, he returned to Scotland
to live.
About 1697,
John, perhaps a brother, left Scotland with
his family -- no doubt in company with Thomas Story, and settled just a
little north of Chester on the river Delaware. As the country developed, he
moved farther north, and died at Trenton, New Jersey, in 1746.
Alexander, perhaps a fourth brother, raised his family
in the hills near the Clyde or Tweed in Scotland, and was buried there.
Peter came to America early in the century, and
established a Scotch settlement in Virginia on the upper Rappahannock.
A contemporary of these four probable brothers was
James Chambers of Peebles, Scotland, in easy range with Stirling, who signed
his name in a Bible, now in the possession of Charles Edward Stuart
Chambers, head of the Chambers Journal House, Edinburgh, Scotland, in the
year 1664. There is but little doubt that James was related to these men,
but as the facts are not obtainable, the nature of this relationship will
never be known.
DESCENDANTS OF JOHN
Mention is made in certain New Jersey records of John
Chambers, who was prominent there in 1729. This John was the son of the
elder John mentioned above. Among the sons of this John Chambers were two
men known in New Jersey military history, which see later.
The following letter is from David Abbott Chambers,
attorney, of Washington, D.C.:
Washington, D.C., Jan. 22, 1904
William D. Chambers, Esq., Muncie,
Indiana
Dear Sir:
I have received from my son Laurance,
at Indianapolis, your letter to him of the 4th inst., and have also received
your letter to me of the 9th inst., about the Chambers family.
I could get interested in genealogy if
I had time for it, but I haven't.
My great great grandfather was named
David Chambers, and he was commissioned Colonel of the Third Regiment,
Hunterdon County, N.J., Militia, June 19, 1776, commissioned Colonel of the
Battalion of New Jersey State Troops, November 27, 1776; and commissioned
Colonel of the Second Regiment of Hunterdon County Militia, September 9,
1777; took part in the battle of Monmouth, June 28, 1778, and resigned, May
28, 1779.
Perhaps this Colonel David Chambers is
the same David Chambers mentioned in your letter of the 4th inst., (as the
son of David Chambers who lived in Rockbridge County, Virginia), but I have
no means of determining whether your great uncle, David Chambers, is also my
great great grandfather. My great great grandfather had a son Joseph Gaston
Chambers, and he a son David Chambers (my grandfather) and he a son David
Chambers (my father) and I am David Abbott Chambers, and have a son David
Laurance Chambers.
I enclose a sketch of the life of my
grandfather, David Chambers, written by himself.
Some years ago I had some
correspondence with the Rev. Theodore Frelinghuysen Chambers of German
Valley, N.J., who was then getting up a Chambers book. At that time he sent
me a proof of some pages of his book, which I enclose to you for your study,
and will ask you to return the same to me when you are through with it.
I am sorry I can't make my letter more
interesting and more lengthy. I shall be glad to hear from you.
If you come to Washington, please call
on me. I suppose you are in Indianapolis occasionally, and I hope you will
go and see my son, who is with the Bobbs-Merrill Company.
FOLLOWING IS A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF DAVID CHAMBERS
REFERRED TO IN THE ABOVE LETTER:
Col. David Chambers was born in the village of
Allentown, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, the 25th of November, 1780. His
mother's maiden name was Mary Woosey. His father, Joseph Gaston Chambers,
also a native of Pennsylvania, was an educated man, a graduate of Princeton
College, New Jersey, at the commencement of the revolution; and was not only
a belle-lettre scholar, but also an inventive genius -- which was evidenced
by the invention of a peculiar species of repeating gunnery, patronized by
the naval department of the U.S. government during the last war with
England; which was ready to be developed on Lake Ontario, where a large ship
was prepared for action, armed with these guns, under command of Commodore
Chauncey. Peace supervened before a battle was fought or a gun fired in
action, and the invention fell dormant. As to the utility and destructive
character of the invention, it is sufficient to state that it met the entire
approval and warm commendation of Major Gen. Jacob Brown, and Commodore
Rogers. In addition to this, J. G. C. invented a new alphabet, or an
attempt to form a complete system of letters, with a view to the more easy
and perfect spelling and pronunciation of the English language. After much
expense in founding type to print, that invention also became a nullity.
Col. David Chambers received his entire education at
the hands of his father, who adopted teaching as a pursuit. That education
was thorough in English and its various branches, together with a fair
course in the Latin and Greek languages and the German. At a very early age
he was placed in adventurous and responsible situations and employments. In
the year 1794, at the age of 14 he was employed as a confidential express,
at Williamsport in Maryland, to carry dispatches from Gen. Henry Lee of
Virginia (commandant of the Army detailed to quell the whiskey insurrection
in Western Pennsylvania) to President Washington, then at Carlisle in
Penna. He there had private conversation with the President, and General
Alexander Hamilton, then Acting Secretary of War; and received other
dispatches from Gen. Hamilton to be delivered to Gen. Lee at Cumberland in
Maryland--at the same time the General conferring pointed commendation and
encouragement on the youthful agent, to carry the dispatches with speed and
safety, and accompanying the compliment with a douceur from his purse. In
1796, after serving a term as clerk in a retail store, he was placed in the
Aurora daily newspaper office
in Philadelphia, then conducted by Benjamin Franklin
Bache (grandson of Dr. Franklin), to learn the art of printing. His
father's fortunes induced him in the fall of the same year to move west,
and, as there
was no binding agreement, the son was recalled from the
handling of type, in which he had promptly become a proficient, and placed
at the plow tail in Washington County, Western Pennsylvania, where the
inhabitants then lived in a very primitive state, enjoying but little of
conveniences, and none of the luxuries of life. Mr. Bache, in a letter to
D. C.'s father, gave a most excellent character to the apprentice, and
desired that he should continue with him; alleging that "the business was
respectable, and would increase in usefulness, and no doubt would thrive in
it." In 1801, he made a perilous trading voyage in a flat-boat loaded with
flour, down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans, then under
Spanish government. From New Orleans he returned by ship to New York,
occupying fifty-six days in passage, and suffering much privation from want
of provisions and water.
At the age of 21 he married Susannah Glass, and settled
on a fertile farm in Brooke County, Virginia, a short distance from the
present seat of Bethany College; his wife being foster sister of Miss Brown,
the first wife of Rev. Alexander Campbell, president and founder of that
institution. After pursuing agriculture in a laborious way for thirteen
years, he sold his possessions in Virginia and removed to Zanesville, Ohio,
in October, 1810 -- that place having been made the seat of the State
Government, which it retained only two years. He bought one-half of a
newspaper establishment, then a year in operation, entitled the "Muskingum
Messenger"; became its chief editor, and was appointed State printer by the
Legislature, during the two years that remained. On the return to the
legislature, temporarily, to Chillicothe, he sought and obtained the office
of Secretary of the Senate; and obtained the same appointment at the first
and second sessions of the Legislature at Columbus, the permanent seat of
government.
In 1812-13 he acted as aid to Major General Lewis Cass,
and executed various orders of that officer, in detailing organizing militia
companies for the seat of war. In 1816, at the organization of the Bank of
the United States, he was appointed by the President of the United States
one of the Commissioners to receive subscriptions to that institution in
Ohio. Having occupied at different times the offices of Mayor of the town
and clerk of the common pleas and Supreme Courts; in 1821 he was elected one
of the six representatives to which Ohio was then entitled in the 17th
Congress; his competitor being the Hon. John C. Wright, afterwards a
representative from a different district, and also a Supreme Judge. He was
never absent from his seat in Congress more than a single day during the
entire term. He voted for the resolution declaring the slave trade piracy;
and also the resolutions acknowledging the independence of the South
American Republics. Failing in a re-election from causes not worthy of
detail, in the Spring of 1823 he retired to an extensive farm he had
improved, five miles above Zanesville on the west bank of the Muskingum
river, where he continued an agricultural life, being a constant operative
up to the year 1856.
During this period he was elected by his fellow
citizens of Muskingum County to represent them in the State legislature nine
different terms; seven sessions in the house and two sessions in the Senate;
and at last term, in 1844, was elected Speaker of that body, which closed
his legislative career.
In 1850 a convention was called to frame a new
constitution for the State, and he was elected a delegate in conjunction
with Judge Richard Stillwell to represent the old County of Muskingum in
that body; who perfected a constitution at an adjourned session in the City
of Cincinnati in March, 1851, which closed Col. C.'s public official
labors. He then, in 1856, became again a resident of Zanesville, the seat
of his early labors, nearly half a century past -- a man of leisure, in good
health, 78 years of age, having eleven living children, and one dead--eight
sons and four daughters, with a numerous posterity, some of the third
generation. His stature is 5 feet 10 inches, tolerably robust make; dark
complexion and eyes; an aquiline prominent Roman nose; having a strong
voice, and fluent in speech. His present wife was Mrs. Triphenia M'Gowan, a
second marriage at the age of 66.
In early life he adopted Democratic Republican
principles, and was a zealous political disciple of the school of Thomas
Jefferson. Supported the War of 1812, together with the administration,
editorially in his newspaper. Voted for Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, J. Q.
Adams, Wm. H. Harrison, and Z. Taylor for President. Followed the wake of
H. Niles of the Baltimore Register, James Madison and Henry Clay, as men he
esteemed of incorruptible virtue, and ever worthy of honor. Belonged to the
old Whig Party--then a Republican as of old--and a sworn opponent to the
extension of slavery, and the aggressive schemes of South Oligarches.
COLONEL DAVID
Col. David (1730-1790), was a brother of Alexander, and
was a soldier of the Revolution. David married Anna Gaston.
Joseph Gaston Chambers was born in 1759, at Allentown,
PA.; married Mary Woolsey, and died June 1, 1829. There were four children
in his father's family.
Joseph Gaston, 7 children:
David (see David Abbott's
letter. Also below).
William C., probably
ancestor of W. G. Chambers of the University of PA.
No record is available of
the following children: Harriet, Mary, Charlotte, Joseph, and John.
1. David (Nov 25, 1780; Aug 8, 1864). Married Susanna
Glass in 1801. (See autobiography). Twelve children:
Maria Peters (Feb. 16, 1803;
1881), Brooke Co., W. VA.
Ann (Cox), (June 8, 1805;
May 16, 1883), Brooke Co., W.VA.
Joseph Gaston (1807; 1887),
Brooke Co., W.VA.
Susan (Carhart),(Oct.
31,1808; April,1887),Brooke Co., W.VA.
Samuel Glass (Nov.21,1810;
Apr.7,1896), Zanesville, OH.
Clara (Bosworth)(Baldwin),
June 13,1813;June 13,1902), Zanesville, OH.
David (1815;1840), father of
David Abbott, Zanesville, OH
Charles Fox (Mar.20,1823;
May 16,1898), Zanesville, OH.
Albert G. (Nov 14, 1824;
1887), Zanesville, OH.
Robert and Benjamin (Mar.
11,1826; Robert died Feb.16,1912; Benjamin died April 7, 1891), Zanesville,
OH.
Samuel
Glass married Louisa Adams; seven children: Alice married Carey Inskeep,
Ottumwa, IA, Maria Louise married John W. Edgerly, Ottumwa, IA; Edward Adams
married Lenora Tinkham, Ottumwa, Iowa; Harriet T. married J. W. Murphy,
Middletown, OH;
David married Anna Sunderland, Portland Oregon, 1923.
Horatio C. married Rosa Lee; 2 children.
Turner died when a child.
Edward Adams, four children: John E. married Elizabeth
Polk, Shelbyville, IN; Katherine married Raymond D. Sprout, Gasport, NY;
Irene M., teacher, Department of English, Ward-Belmont school, Nashville,
TN; Edith died when a child.
David, McConnellsville, OH, May 5, 1855; six children:
Mary Louisa, Samuel Sunderland, David Albert, Paul, Fred Edward, and Ruth
Anna. David formed the firm name "D. Chambers & Sons," Portland, Oregon.
The sons, Samuel, David A., and Fred E. are engaged in the optical business
with their father. Paul, born in Chicago, died in infancy. Ruth is
instructor in Physical Education at Marshfield, Oregon.
Horatio C. had two children: Helen, who died young, and
Charles E., the well known artist, who lives at Riverdale-on-Hudson, NY.
Mrs. Inskeep had seven children: Charles C., Louise,
Fred, Edmund Ambrose, Alice Carey, Theodore, and Maria.
Mrs. Edgerly had seven children: Dr. Edward Tyler,
Adine, Alice, John, Helen, George, and Denison.
While I cannot trace ancestry very far in lines not of
the Chambers name, yet I must extend to F. L. Griffin of Reed College
Portland, Oregon; Warren S. Peters, principal of the high school,
Shelbyville, IN; William Allen Wood, an Indianapolis attorney and his
accomplished daughter, Allyn Louise Wood; and to George Chambers Calvert,
Secretary of the Indiana Sons of the Revolution, my thanks for encouragement
in the preparation of this work.
Mr. William D. Chambers, Dupont,
Indiana
Dear Mr. Chambers;
I have received prospectus of your
Chambers History, "Trails of the Centuries," and believe it will make a very
interesting thing for members of the Chambers family.
Mr brother-in-law, Dr. F. L. Griffin,
after corresponding with you, requested that I send you complete record of
our branch of the family, which we have clear back to Col. David Chambers of
the Revolutionary War. You have the record, no doubt, the same as ours up
to the sons of Col. David Chambers of Ohio, and we send this record more to
give you data regarding the offspring of his son Samuel Glass Chambers,
where we tie into your record.
On page two there are a couple of
items missing on the record of the family of Edward Adams Chambers and also
Horatio C. Chambers. I have written to Miss Irene M. Chambers, daughter of
Edward Adams Chambers, to send to you at once the data which I have
requested of her, which will fill in the complete record of Edward Adams
Chambers. I have also written to Charles E. Chambers of New York, for
complete data of his family, the children of Horatio C. Chambers.
I made out the blanks for them to fill
in, and at the top of each sheet have stated that the data therein contained
refers to these two items on page two of the record which I send.
Trusting that this is the information
you desire, I am,
Very truly yours,
D.A.CHAMBERS
As has been stated, David Chambers, who fought at
Monmouth, had a brother Alexander, who also did service in the American
Revolution, holding the position of Commissary in the Army; later an
alderman. He is perhaps the father of John C. Chambers, who was born in New
Jersey in 1779. When fourteen years of age this John started out for
himself, and sailing down the Ohio from Fort Henry (now Wheeling), he
stopped near Maysville, KY, where he went to work (perhaps on the
Wheeling-Zanesville-Maysville pike, then under construction by Col. Ebenezer
Zane). He must have received a good education back in New Jersey, for in a
few years we find him practicing law at Washington, the county seat of Mason
Co., KY. He became a soldier, and in 1812-14 he fought the British and
Indians. In the battle of the Thames he was one of the famous squad of
cavalry that captured the notes and private papers of the British General
Proctor. For his dashing bravery in this battle he received honorable
mention in the notes of Gen. Harrison. We quote from Collin's Historical
Sketches of Kentucky:
"John Chambers, Esq., one of those who followed Major
Payne (1813) in his dashing pursuit against General Proctor at the battle of
the Thames, was mounted on a splendid charger. The pursuit was so hot that
Gen. Proctor was forced to abandon his carriage and take refuge in a swamp,
leaving all his baggage and his papers, public and private, in the hands of
the victors. In Gen. Harrison's official report it is stated that the first
battalion inspired confidence wherever it appeared."
In 1827, John Chambers was elected to the U. S.
Congress; retiring for six years, he was again elected in 1835; and a third
time in 1837. In 1841 he received the appointment by President Harrison as
Governor of the territory of Iowa, which he held for four years. It was
while acting Governor of Iowa that he was so much sought throughout the
northwest as an Indian Commissioner.
After the expiration of his office as Governor, he
returned to Kentucky and renewed his practice of law. In 1852 he died at
Paris, KY.
Ezekiel F. Chambers was born in Kent, MD in 1788, and
died at Charleston, MD in 1867. He was a member of Congress 1826-34; member
of Maryland Constitutional Convention 1850; Judge Maryland Court of Appeals
until 1857. He may have been a brother of John of Kentucky or of David of
Ohio. There is but little doubt that he is at least a descendant of the old
New Jersey branch.
John Story Chambers, financier and engineer, was born
at Trenton, N.J. in 1782. This name is another hint that the elder John
Chambers and Thomas Story settled together along the Delaware in 1697, as
previously stated.
Mrs. Mary Louisa Chambers Griffin of Portland, OR
traces her descent thus: David, her father, Samuel Glass, David, Joseph
Gaston, Colonel David (1730-1790).
William C. Chambers, the second son of Joseph Gaston
Chambers, born about 1782, at or near York Co., PA, crossed the mountains by
wagon, following the National Pike, and settling in Westmoreland County,
PA. Among his sons were George, John, Joseph and William. George was the
grandfather of William grant Chambers, Dean of the School of Education in
the University of Pittsburgh, PA, for so many years; more recently a
professor in the University of Pennsylvania. I have two opportunities to
connect this college man: (1) with the New Jersey line, as I have done: (2)
with the "Ship Protection, 1812" line. A single circumstance has led me to
this connection: that is, the fact that he uses simplified spelling. The
careful reader may make the same observations.
After the above had been sent to the printer, I learned
from Mary Chambers Bright that the second view is the correct one. She says
that W. G. C. is a cousin to her father.
Charles Julius Chambers, a leading American journalist
and author, long connected with the New York Herald, was born in
Belfontaine, OH in 1850. For years he was a member of the Lotos Club, New
York.
I regret that I have no picture to represent this large
family. Pictures add to the cost of the book, but usually the purchasers
like to see them.
CHAPTER III: DESCENDANTS OF BENJAMIN
As has been previously stated, one of the passengers on
"The Welcome" in 1632 was
Benjamin Chambers. After his return to Antrim,
Ireland, four of his sons (about 1726) embarked for America to live. These
sons were James, Robert, Joseph, and Benjamin. This family, being
influenced by the Westminster Confession of Faith, carried Presbyterianism
into the New World.
Landing at Philadelphia, these boys forsook the
Delaware and sailed up the Susquehanna to a point one hundred miles to the
northwest, where they established a mill with a part of their remaining
capital. This mill stood at the mouth of Fishing Creek on the eastern bank
of the Susquehanna, a few miles above where Harrisburg now stands. Learning
of the opening of the West, these brothers each entered land for himself, as
will hereinafter be stated.
James, the oldest brother, moved by way of Carlisle to
Newville, twenty-five miles inland, where he spent the remainder of his
life. Robert moved to a point at the head of Middle Spring near
Shippensburg, ten or fifteen miles southwest of his brother, James. Joseph
and Benjamin moved fifteen miles further southwest to a point afterwards
known as Chambersburg. Benjamin, the younger son, remained here, but his
brother, Joseph, returned to their former home at Harrisburg.
James had two sons, Ranold and Rowland. Ranold was
born in Antrim, Ireland, ten years before their passage, and died at the age
of 30, leaving a large grant of land in Cumberland Co., PA, to his son
James. There were other children in this family but their names have not
been learned.
James, the son of Ranold, was commander over three
companies of soldiers during the French and Indian War, and fought a hard
battle at Sideling Hill in April 1756. James had a son, John, whose home
was also in Cumberland Co., who was the father of William, who became a
Colonel in the American Revolution. William fought at Trenton and Princeton,
and died in 1809.
The second son of the elder James, Rowland, had a son,
George, and a daughter, Catharine. Her our genealogy is broken. Rowland was
also born in Antrim, Ireland, perhaps about 1720. The two brothers were
buried at Meeting House Springs on the State Road.
As a digression, it is perhaps proper to state that
there was another Rowland Chambers (1759), honored in Great Britain as an
eminent Presbyterian clergyman. He was perhaps of this family in Antrim,
hence similarity of name.
Dr. William Chestnut Chambers, son of Colonel William
Chambers, was born in 1790, and died in 1857. He was a classmate of
President Buchanan in Dickinson College, and later studied in the Medical
department of the University of Pennsylvania. He afterward became a flour
and iron manufacturer.
Talbot Wilson Chambers, S.T.D.,L.L.D., son of Dr. W.
C., was born at Carlisle, PA, in 1819. He was a graduate of Rutgers
College, and studied theology at Princeton. He was pastor of the Collegiate
Dutch Church of New York, and was regarded as one of the greatest clergymen
of the century.
Benjamin Chambers, the younger of the four brothers,
made deposition Dec. 8, 1736, that he was a millwright and that he was
twenty-eight years of age. He, therefore, was born in 1708. When eighteen
years of age he came to America, and in 1730 founded Chambersburg. In 1755
he and others built there a stone fort and stockade. In 1764 lots were laid
out and sold to settlers. In 1788 Benjamin died, leaving at and near
Chambersburg, a valuable estate. In 1803 Chambersburg was incorporated; in
1864, burned. For many years Chambersburg was known as falling Spring, and
near it were the three natural parks, Wolfe Lake, Mont Alto, and PenMar.
The notes of Rev. Theodore Frelinghuysen Chambers, the
historian of the Benjamin Chambers branch, have been and invaluable help in
the choice of material for this chapter.
Another George Chambers was born at Chambersburg, PA in
1786; died 1866. He graduated at Princeton in 1804; was a member of
Congress 1833-1837; member of the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention
1846-47; and was appointed Judge of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 1851.
Washington College conferred upon him the L.L.D. degree in 1864. He was an
author of note and wrote among other things his "Tribute to the Scotch-Irish
in America," which is still to be found in Eastern libraries."
Here is given a quotation from a letter written by Hon.
Henry A. Chambers, of Chattanooga, TN: "I have a pamphlet sketch of the
Hon. George Chambers, son of Benjamin Chambers, the founder of Chambersburg,
and from this I learn that after founding this place, Benjamin Chambers
returned to his native place in the old country, and induced a great many of
his old friends, and acquaintances to come to America." (This George was
perhaps a grandson of Benjamin).
The pamphlet to which Henry A. refers is doubtless the
one published in 1873 by the Pennsylvania Historical Society, which contains
similar facts.
Here a little and there a little and we are prepared to
write the biography of another prominent member of this family. Benjamin
Chambers was born at or near Chambersburg, PA, about 1745. He was a soldier
of the Revolution, and later a government surveyor. He carried his chain
and compass over the land where Rising Sun, Ohio County, Ind., now stands in
the spring of 1798. In 1803 he had built a double log house and moved his
family there. He sold land to settlers, most of whom came from
Pennsylvania. In October 1807, he and Lewis Davis were given a large grant
of land by the U.S. government for efficient services. On March 7, 1803, he
was commissioned Lieutenant Colonel and Commandant of the Dearborn County
Militia; on December 10th, 1805, he was commissioned Judge of Common Pleas
in and for Dearborn County (Ohio County was formed from Dearborn in 1844).
By proclamation of Gov. W. H. Harrison the first House
of Representatives of Indiana Territory convened at Vincennes, Feb. 1,
1805. It consisted of nine members, elected for a period of two years. At
this meeting five persons selected from a list of ten were appointed a
Legislative Council. The first regular session of the General Assembly was
held at Vincennes, IN, July 29, 1805. Benjamin Chambers of Dearborn County,
was elected president of the Legislative Council. The second session of the
First General Assembly convened on the last Monday of October 1806.
Benjamin Chambers was again president of the Council. He continued to hold
this position till the close of 1808, when he resigned. For many years
Judge Chambers was held in high esteem in his adopted state. We do not have
the facts concerning his declining years, but we have reasons to believe
that he removed back east before the time of his death.
(Recent letters almost definitely determine that
Cincinnati was chosen as his home after his removal from Rising Sun.)
On May 16, 1901, while passing through the town of St.
Omar, Decatur Co., I made an accidental discovery of relationship in this
branch. An interview was held with the aged John S. Chambers, the substance
of which is given below:
"My name is John Shimar Chambers. I was born at
Monmouth, NJ, in 1811. My father's name was George, and my grandfather's
name was Daniel. I remember seeing my grandfather once. My father and
family were moving from New Jersey to Ohio. We stopped in grandfather's.
He lived on land now in Chambersburg. The three brothers (three hills) were
on grandfather's place, which was then pastured largely with sheep. He
joked us about climbing to the top of a high hill for the fun of rolling
down again. Grandfather was quite wealthy, and we understand that inquiries
have been made for his heirs, but we have been too poor to employ counsel to
look after our interests there." John S. had two brothers, Joseph of
Kokomo, IN, and Daniel, who died in Ohio. It is quite probable that these
are the Joseph Chambers branch, that is descendants of the third of the four
brothers.
Isaiah Meneh Chambers was born at Mifflinsburg, PA in
1865. He is a Presbyterian clergyman of note, and resides at Merchantsville,
NJ.
CHAPTER IV: DESCENDANTS OF ALEXANDER
Little is known of
Alexander Chambers of Scotland, or
his son, Reynolds, further than they are supposed to have lived on the line
of the Clyde-Tweed Valley in Southern Scotland, and that they were not
financially able to make the voyage to America with their families, so
father and son remained in Scotland till the end came to each.
REYNOLDS
CHAMBERS
Reynolds Chambers was born about 1700. My Uncle
Alexander, in one of his letters, wrote me that he was familiarly called
"Runnels" by his grandson and great-grandsons. For ten years or more I
worked on the theory there was a kinship between the Chambers family and the
Sir Joshua Reynolds family. I still think there is a relationship, but I
find myself, with the books I have at hand, unable to prove it. As in other
families, so in our family there is a tradition of a soldier ancestor. -- a
soldier trained under the direction of that matchless leader, William Prince
of Orange, but after years of investigation, I find no such origin for my
own lineage, but I have a thought that Peter, the founder of the
Rappahannock Scotch Settlement, was that soldier.
Henry Chambers, whom succeeding events seem to prove to
be a brother of Reynolds, and three young men, Samuel, David, and James,
sons of Reynolds, and perhaps some girls of the families along with their
husbands, at different times, set sail for America. Henry was doubtless the
first to come. He may have come with the four brothers in 1726, but not
having lands assigned him, he did not reside in Penn Territory. While he is
reported to have lived in Maryland, no doubt he knew Peter, the founder of
the Rappahannock Settlement, who had preceded him to the new world.
Of the sons of Reynolds, perhaps Samuel was the oldest;
David, the second; James, the third. Samuel was born about 1720. As I see
it, Samuel is the name of the lost ancestor of the Knox County branch, also,
the ancestor of a large progeny in Tennessee and other points west. Proofs
can be best shown by reverting to his son
ALEXANDER, head of the Knox County Branch.
Note the following letter:
Lewis, P.O. Vigo Co., Ind.,
March 31, 1906.
Dear Relative:
In answer to your letter I will
say that we have lost the name of our great grandfather. I am regarded as
the historian of the Knox County Branch, but all I have been able to find
out concerning him is that he came from Ireland to Philadelphia about 1765,
leaving his oldest son, William, who had recently married, back in Ireland.
My grandfather, Alexander, was fifteen years of age when the voyage was
made, and was so delighted with the sea, that his parents thought it best to
bind him out (by indenture) to a man eighty miles inland to keep him from
becoming a sailor.
When Alexander was of age (1771)
he went back to find his parents but to his great surprise the family had
gone away. (On account of the cholera many families had left Philadelphia,
never to return). Alexander never saw his folks again. He made many
attempts to locate them, but never succeeded. When my father was about
grown, he accompanied grandfather on two long trips through Virginia,
Carolina and Georgia, and even down into Florida, making prolonged search
for his parents, but they were everywhere disappointed. Alexander married a
Miss Balden in Ohio moved to Carolina; then to Kentucky; then in 1808, to
Knox Co., Indiana. He often visited the Chamnberses at or near Gosport. The
older set (Elijah and Asa) were cousins to Grandfather. I am now 75, and am
the youngest of father's family. Now, if you ever heard of that lost boy,
you may know something about my folks. I saw William and Samuel Chambers of
Spencer, some years ago. I am sending you diagram of our family.
Yours truly,
SPIER BRUCE CHAMBERS
The fact that this family crossed the ocean as late as
1765 would seem to indicate that there is no relationship between them and
David and James, but this letter of authority removes every doubt.
Samuel (?) no doubt was prevented in some way from
leaving Ireland till he was almost fifty years of age, but his passion could
not be assuaged. He finally came. Upon his arrival in America, the first
thing he did was to secure a place for his oldest son, Alexander. Then the
scourge of 1765-67 reported in history almost depopulated Philadelphia, and
scattered this and many other families. Samuel, no doubt, learned of the
Blue Ridge home of other relatives, and sought them, and finding them, lived
among them. When search was made for them by a son and a grandson with
bridle in hand and rifle on shoulder, the fact that there was an attractive
"New Scotland" in the far west was overlooked. This accounts for the
failure. No doubt search was made for Alexander, too, after his time had
expired, but he, too, could not be found.
About the end of the century the Chambers families
along with others heard of the wonderful Ohio River Country. David's
descendants found a home in Jefferson Co., Indiana, in 1809; James, being
younger and quite strong, accompanied his sons to Owen County in 1818,
making several stops on the way; Samuel and his family had lost the spirit
of adventure, and remained south of the Ohio, perhaps in Tennessee and
Kentucky. The Madison Courier in an article on pioneer history speaks of
Samuel as David's father. This fact, along with other good and sufficient
reasons has convinced the author that Samuel was an older brother of David,
and died in Tennessee, or not far on the way to the North back in the old
century, thus causing this confusion in ancestry.
But Spier Bruce tells us in his letter that Alexander
and Elijah were cousins. If so, the two Alexanders were cousins, and the
three branches are one. Alexander of Knox County was born in Ireland in
1749 and died in Knox Co., Indiana in 1835. From current history it may be
discovered that Ellick Chambers was a soldier under the celebrated George
Rogers Clarke. The name of Ellick Chambers does not appear in "Clarke's
Grand," which was sent aside for the officers and soldiers, but the
inference is drawn that when no actual service was needed, he was always to
be found with his family. From the Pension Bureau at Washington we obtained
the following facts:
Alexander Chambers enlisted in the
Revolution in 1777; was with the Army of Virginia for three months as a
private; became First Lieutenant and was placed in charge of the wagon guard
at the battle of Germantown. Moved to Washington Co., near Jonesboro, TN
(then North Carolina) in 1779. Application for pension on file in Pension
Office--Washington Gardner, commissioner.
Very early in the first decade of the new century he
established his home near Vincennes, where he raised his family, David,
Samuel, Polly, Joseph, John, James, and Levi. (It should not be forgotten
that in 1798, another Alexander moved near Vincennes, but later returned to
Shelbyville, KY.
In the year 1906, I had the delightful pleasure of
spending Saturday and Sunday with Prof. Walter H. Woodrow and wife at the
home of this father-in-law, Albert chambers, who was a son of Benjamin, and
a grandson of Samuel, the second son of Alexander. Visiting the "Friendly
Grove Baptist Church," I was shown the tomb of Samuel Chambers, one of the
heroes of his generation. In the afternoon the Clerk's records of the
proceedings of the Maria Creek Baptist Church were read from which the
following particulars were gleaned:
Maria Baptist church, organized May
20, 1809.
During the years 1812-13 the people on
the frontier were exposed to the dangers and alarms of Indian warfare. They
lived in small forts and blockhouses scattered over the country, and at all
times wend armed whenever they went out of their forts--whether they went
into their fields to work, or to their places of meeting to worship,
prepared to fight any indians who might be prowling around, watching for an
opportunity to kill and scalp, or capture one or more they might find
unprotected. They were subject to all these hardships of pioneer life, and
to the difficulties of obtaining the necessary food and clothing for
themselves and their families. Yet, notwithstanding all these trails and
hardships, they maintained the organization of their church and, with one or
two exceptions, kept up their regular meetings. Isaac McCoy, their pastor,
trusting in God, and armed with his Bible and musket, traveled from fort to
fort, preaching to the people, encouraging the brethren and sisters, warning
sinners, and inviting them to come to Christ. And thus they passed through
the war, maintained and organization; and prospered as a church. Not one
was lost or hurt during the war, except their church clerk, William Polk,
who received a wound at the Battle of Tippecanoe, from which he soon
recovered.
In these Indian battles none were more
active than the Chambers brothers. Samuel and Joseph followed the trail and
engaged in most of the battles from Vincennes to Tippecanoe. Some of the
younger men of the next younger generation accompanied their uncles and
fathers in these wars.
In the church controversy of 1819 and
afterwards, Joseph and Samuel Chambers were counsel for the Church in favor
of the Missionary movement. Elder Daniel Parker, a member of Lamotte
Church, and sustained by that church, let the other side. In 1820, Elder
Daniel Parker published a pamphlet against missions. He regarded election
and predestination as fundamental, opposed an educational qualification for
the ministry, and regarded as unorthodox the appointment of Boards of
Missions. The Chambers brothers won."
Samuel and Joseph and many of the
younger brothers and nephews were engaged in the Indian wars of 1810-11,
following the trail from Vincennes to Tippecanoe.
During the years 1812-13 the people on
the frontier were exposed to the dangers and alarms of Indian warfare. When
leaving their forts and blockhouses, either for work or worship, they went
armed; their church organization was maintained continuously.
From 1811 to 1884 there were enrolled
upon the church records of Maria Creek Church the names of seventy-one
members bearing the Chambers name.
It is a joy to add to our roll of kinsmen this prolific
family, so long separated by only a few counties. The fact that this branch
had kept their records so well indicates that family ties are not lightly
considered by them. May they join with us in the larger brotherhood of all
men.
SPIER BRUCE'S DIAGRAM
Descendants of Alexander.
David (1776-1845)
Rachel married Spier Bruce; Margaret married Samuel
Welch; Isaac, the preacher; Joseph, Levi, John, Alexander, Christiana
married Abraham Stark; Isabella married W. W. Hollingsworth; Martin died
young; Spier Bruce and a sister -- twins.
Samuel (1783-1865); Sarah, Letha, Emmett, John,
Marshall, Benjamin, Polly, Rice, Samuel Scott, Thomas, Margaret.
Samuel was an ensign in the Knox County Militia in
1814; was made Justice of the Peace in 1814; was Lieut. of the 1st Regiment
in 1815. He fought in almost every battle with the Indians along the line
from Vincennes to Tippecanoe. (From history--Author.)
Polly married Joseph Thomas; Joseph died in 1858; Polly
married Nathan Robinson; Nancy married Edward Robinson; Alexander, Eli;
Malinda married John Ferguson; Elizabeth married Warren Heath; Levina
married David Bowers; Joseph, Albert B., Emily. (Hon Smiley N. Chambers,
for years one of the leading lawyers of Indianapolis, was the son of
Alexander.)
John: Calvin, Samuel, Benjamin, Thomas, Jane, Nancy
Ann, Sarah and Alexander--twins. (For years Benjamin was a prominent
teacher in the schools of Clay County.)
James: Patsy, Levi, Lucinda, Jesse Perry, Charles.
(Charles lived at Worthington, Indiana.)
Levi: Carey, Levi, and Tumbleson.
Judge Carl N. Chambers, of Oklahoma City, connects with
this line.
No doubt, Spier Bruce Chambers was the only relative
who possessed all the above facts. They are given to the reader just in
time to escape oblivion.
Prof. W. H. Woodrow of the Indiana State Normal School,
Terre Haute, Indiana, gave me as a reference J. B. Chambers of Olympia,
Washington. In answer to a letter, J. B. made the following observations:
I will take a copy. I belong to the
Knox County Branch as mentioned in your "prospectus." Will hand your letter
to my brother, T. E. Chambers, who has some interesting records.
There is a large family of pioneers
scattered over this coast country. These came out in the 50's and have
taken no small part in the development of the country. I have been unable
to connect them with my branch.
I am very much interested in your
success, and will gladly help you all I can.
Below is the letter received a little bit later from
the brother:
Olympia, Washington, R.F.D. No. 3
Nov. 1, 1924
Dear Mr. Chambers:
My father, Samuel Scott Chambers, died
in 1883. He had in his possession all the private papers and records of his
father so far as I know; I have them now, and can find no mention of his
ancestors. I have records showing that he was Justice of the Peace for
Lewis Township, Clay County, in the 30's and 40's.
I am told that Samuel Chambers and his
wife, who was a Thomas, came to Vincennes by pack horse from Ohio, but I do
not know the date, and that he served under William Henry Harrison in
defense of Vincennes. It is the understanding among my people that two
brothers came to this country from Ireland in an early day, and became
separated, one going south, the other going west. There are a number of
Chamberses in the West who tell the same story of their ancestors. The
oldest record I have I will enclose in this letter. After having examined
it, please return it.
Wishing you success, I am
Respectfully,
T. E. CHAMBERS
The records sent me by T. E. Chambers are as follows:
1. Samuel Chambers was appointed by Territorial
Governor Thomas Posey, as Ensign of the First Regiment of Indiana Militia.
His commission was signed by Thomas Posey and his Territorial Secretary,
John Gibson, at Jeffersonville, IN on February 3, 1814. 2. Samuel
Chambers, on June 11, 1814, at Vincennes, Indiana, took oath required of all
officers, civil and military, to carry into force the duelling law, passed
December 13, 1813, and certain other statutes.
The reader will easily observe that the Samuel
Chambers herein mentioned is a brother of Joseph Chambers, and son of
Alexander, pioneer of Know County, Indiana, previously honored in these
notes.
The smallpox epidemic at Philadelphia explains the
separation of Alexander from the rest of the family. The brother mentioned
by T. E. doubtless spent the Revolutionary War period in western North
Carolina with relatives, as stated elsewhere.
I tried to secure pictures to represent this
neighboring family, but I could not get hold of any. I hope they will
appreciate the book any way.
CHAPTER V (part 1): DAVID
David Chambers, one of the sons of Reynolds, was born
in Southern Scotland about 1725. Before he reached his majority he went via
Ireland to America. He may have remained in Ireland long enough to make his
passage money, but not long enough to become Scotch-Irish. There is but
little doubt that he sailed directly to Philadelphia with the immigrant
party of 1743, and after acquainting himself with the location of his
relatives, he went to work. Becoming interested in a German girl, he chose
her for his life companion, took her with him to the Rappahannock-Scotch
settlement, and for ten years made Orange County (after 1749, Culpeper
County), Virginia, his home.
Four of his children were born in this Scotch
settlement: John, William, Samuel, and Tetty. In 1754, or thereabouts,
David, influenced by the Indian troubles preceding the French and Indian
War, left the Rappahannock settlement, and found a place of apparent safety
in Rockbridge County, Virginia, far up the mountain side to the southwest.
Here Alexander and David were born. After the Treaty of Peace was signed
(1763), David, with his entire family, went still farther west, joining a
Scotch settlement in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, where he
remained till near the close of the century, when he went with his sons to
Boonesboro, Kentucky, his last resting place.
In North Carolina, for more than a third of a century,
David lived in Rutherford Co., near the Burke Co., border, in the same
neighborhood as James Chambers and his family, and followed the trail to
Boonesboro, KY, where, in the neighboring county of Jessamine, James and his
sons again became neighbors of David and his family.
While in North Carolina the Revolutionary War was
fought. No man could give more to its success than David. All his sons were
in it. Two of them never came back, and a third, the youngest, returned
only for a brief time, then went back east with the plan in mind ultimately
to rejoin his relatives in a new home on the Ohio.
A peculiarity of the elder David was that in his old
age he kept his head shaved, as he said, to prevent nervousness. It has
been said that his wife was a stout woman, and that during their last days
they lived with or near their eldest son, John.
JOHN
John Chambers, the oldest son of David, was born in Culpeper, Virginia, in 1748. He was said to be a very strong man. My
uncle, Alexander, says of him that he found no one who could lift against
him, and no equal in physical endurance. It is probable that he married six
or eight years before the beginning of the Revolution. In support of this
view, I submit his census report for 1790. John Chambers of Rutherford
County, North Carolina, gave to the enumerator these facts: "1 man, 4 women
and girls, 3 boys under sixteen." For David, this report: "1 man, 3
women." For Alexander, "1 man, 1 woman, 1 boy." From this report it
appears that John had six children in 1790, three girls and three boys.
Returning safe from the Revolutionary War, he remained near his parents till
the general exodus of 1799, when the several families started to the
Northwest Territory via the upper Tennessee to the Kentucky border, then,
clambering as best they could over the watershed, floated down the Kentucky
to their destination at Boonesboro, Madison County, Kentucky. Daniel Boone
had built a fort at this point in 1775, and for three years had defended it
in person.
As John's parents were getting old, it was thought best
not to attempt the rigors of a life beyond the Ohio while they were living,
so for a few years he and his sons remained at or near Boonesboro. In 1810,
John Chambers and most of his family continued their course, and settled at
a point two miles north of Paris in Jennings County, Indiana, where he
resided till his death in 1845. John was quite prosperous. My uncle
Alexander wrote me that at one time John had forty or fifty horses on his
Paris farm, besides a large amount of other property.
John had five sons -- John, Alexander, James, Samuel,
and Enoch; and one daughter, Margaret, who married Joel Earnwood, and came
with the family to Indiana, the other daughters marrying in Kentucky. All
of these children were born in North Carolina prior to 1790.
My report of the whereabouts of this family is less
direct than that of most families for the reason that there is no historian
who has the details, except in a few instances.
The Indianapolis News of Jan. 29, 1900, reported the
sixty-second marriage anniversary of Alexander Chambers and wife of
Danville, IN. This news item stated that Alexander at that time had eight
children and fifteen grandchildren, and that Mrs. W. D. Cooper of
Indianapolis was one of the children. Not being able to place him in my
notes, I wrote Alexander, giving him my descent, and requesting an answer.
I quote from Alexander's letter:
Danville, Ind., Feb. 4, 1900
Mr. W. D. Chambers, Redkey, Ind.
Dear Sir: Your letter of January
30 received, and I note with interest what you have to say touching the
family history, and in reply will say that I am a member of the same family.
My father's name was James
Chambers, the son of John Chambers of North Carolina. Avery Chambers's
father is a brother to my grandfather, whose name was John Chambers.
The names of my father's brothers
were John, Alexander, Samuel, and Enoch. My uncle, John Chambers, lived in
Decatur County, Indiana, the last time I heard from him. He had a large
family of children. My father died when I was a small boy. I was raised
with or in the same neighborhood as your grandfather, Avery, and his
brothers. Your grandfather married a lady named Blankinship, she being a
niece of my mother. My father raised six children, named Elizabeth, Jemima,
Malinda, Jane, and Mary. Mary and I are the only living children.
I might be able to give you more
information if you and I were together. However, if you care to ask for any
more information, do not hesitate to write, and I will be pleased to serve
you.
Yours truly,
ALEXANDER CHAMBERS.
I also quote from the article in the Indianapolis News:
MARRIED
SIXTY-TWO YEARS
Mr. and Mrs.
Alexander Chambers Celebrate Their
Wedding
Anniversary.
(Special to
Indianapolis News, Jan 29, 1900)
The sixty-second marriage
anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Chambers of Danville, Indiana, was
celebrated by a dinner today, at the home of their daughter, Mrs. W. D.
Cooper, Fifteenth street and College avenue. Only the intimate relatives
attended. Mr. and Mrs. Chambers were married near South Hanover, January
39, 1838. In 1841 they moved to Valparaiso, where they remained until
November, 1853, when they went to Danville. They have occupied their present
home forty years, and three of their children were born there. In his
younger day, Mr. Chambers was employed on a farm. He was reared by his
uncle, his father having died in his early youth. After going to Danville
he was associated with L. C. Cash in operating a grist, saw, and planning
mill. The plant was finally destroyed by fire, and the site is now covered
with homes.
Mr. Chambers has been connected
with the M.E. church over seventy years. For fifty years he was connected
with the official board, only recently retiring because of advanced age.
Eight children resulted from this union, of whom Mrs. W. D. Cooper, of this
city; Mrs. Kennedy of Martinsville; Mrs. Vincent Miller, of Sunnyside; Mrs.
Alice Lewis, of Mt. Vernon, N.Y.; and Mrs. James W. Dempsey, of Danville,
are living. A daughter Nannie Nave, and their two sons, Frank and Elder are
dead.
Mr. Chambers is eighty-three years
old, and Mrs. Chambers is three years his junior. They were born and reared
in Jefferson County. They have fifteen grandchildren and two
great-grandchildren.
This letter unites Alexander of Danville to our family,
but he is unable to give information concerning his [father James’]
brothers. In 1901 I was in Decatur County; stayed overnight with one
Chambers, and ate dinner with another, but could find no trace of the
descendants of John. Not until the summer of 1923 did I find the solution.
While looking up some records in the State Library at Indianapolis, I found
that William H. Chambers entered land in Bartholomew County, IN, in 1821.
This land was located near Flat Rock, on the turnpike leading from Madison
via Paris, over the Vallonia bridge, and on toward the north. William H.,
the son of John, stopped at Flat Rock; Alexander, the son of James, went
farther north. In 1920, I met Mrs. W. D. Cooper, the daughter of
Alexander. She gave me an account of their journey north. The entire
family rode in a jolt wagon. The team would often stall in the mud, then
they would get out and assist as best they could.
Near Anderson and Muncie, Ind., there is a large
Chambers family that has lost its origin. I have attended three of their
reunions, and have talked with their old men. They belong to the Christian
Church. Their ancestors came from "Hawpatch Hill," near Flat Rock. The
Chambers family was a Baptist family. Flat Rock Baptist Church was founded
in 1822; a few years later it became "New Light;" after the preaching of
Alexander Campbell it changed to "Disciples"--now "Christian." These facts
can be found in Esarey's History of Indiana, and in church records. William
H. Chambers, the son of John, and the grandson of John, of the Revolution,
is their lost ancestor. I can give no very good account of the other sons
of John except that in the "Indianapolis News" item it state
