OHJ Archive

JOHN CHAPMAN'S LINE OF DESCENT FROM

EDWARD CHAPMAN OF IPSWICH*

Compiled by FLORENCE E. WHEELER

With an Introduction by ROBERT PRICE

Who Was Johnny Appleseed?--Introduction

Even before the death of John Chapman in 1845, the "Johnny

Appleseed" story growing out of the man's colorful life had be-

gun to break away from the roots of fact and to flower purely as a

popular myth. In the years since, the apocryphal addenda, aided

and abetted by much fiction, poetry, and uncritical biography have

become a major item in American folklore. There is little wonder

that many persons have doubted that the man ever existed at all.

But "Johnny Appleseed" was not only an actual fact but an

important one. During the past few years, carefully accumulated

evidence, still largely unpublished, tends to prove that although

the real John Chapman was very unlike the creature of the legends

and pseudo-biographies, he was quite unusual enough, quite ad-

venturous and significant enough a part of the Middle Western

frontier to warrant not only the stories that monumentalize him

but a place in documented history as well.

One of the particularly difficult problems in "Appleseed"

research has been the matter of his paternal origin. More or less

seriously recorded statements have fixed John Chapman's birth-

place variously in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania,

Maryland, and Ohio; they have given him a parentage ranging

all the way from a Calvinistic divine to a half-breed redskin. For

half a dozen years now, however, it has been definitely known that

John Chapman was born in Leominster, Massachusetts. From the

records there, his mother's lineage can be traced with comparative

ease through the vital statistics of various towns to an established

place in an old and occasionally distinguished New England family.

* Copyright, 1939, by Florence E. Wheeler.

(20)

JOHN CHAPMAN'S LINE: WHEELER 21

But Nathaniel Chapman, the father, has remained a mystery

beyond the facts of his family in Leominster, a service in the

Continental Army, and a later family by a second marriage in

Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Efforts to identify him have usually

ended with the unsupported statement, now known to be an error,

in the Daughters of the American Revolution, Lineage Book

(Washington), Vol. LX (1922), p.159, and in the Official Roster

of the Soldiers of the American Revolution buried in the State of

Ohio (Columbus, 1929), p.74, that Nathaniel Chapman was born

in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1740.

It has remained for Miss Florence E. Wheeler, librarian of

Leominster, to complete the difficult detective work which ties

Nathaniel Chapman and his son, "Johnny Appleseed", to the

descendants of Edward Chapman of Ipswich, for many years one

of the better known families that weigh down the shelves of

recorded New England genealogy. Miss Wheeler's findings con-

stitute a major contribution to current "Johnny Appleseed" re-

search. ROBERT PRICE.

Chapman Genealogy

The evidence collected in the following pages points directly

to the conclusion that John Chapman, who became the "Johnny

Appleseed" of middle western frontier history and folklore, was

a direct descendant of Edward Chapman, a grantee of the town

of Ipswich, Massachusetts, in the year 1642. The exact date of

Edward's settlement in Ipswich is uncertain, as it is given as 1642,

1643, and 1644 by different authorities. He is said to have been

an immigrant from Yorkshire, England, who reached Boston

about 1639. After settling in Ipswich he became a prosperous

miller and farmer. Although his descendants are numerous this

record notes only the direct line of descent from Edward⁽¹⁾of

Ipswich to "Johnny Appleseed", as follows:

1. EDWARD(1⁾ CHAPMAN,¹ born -----, was in Ipswich,

Massachusetts,²in 1642 and died there April 18, 1678.

He married first, MARY, daughter of Mark Symonds.

1 James Savage, Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England

(Boston, 1860-1862); Ipswich, Mass., Vital Records . . . to . . . 1849 (Salem, Mass.,

1910), II, 519.

2 All places hereafter mentioned are in Massachusetts.

22 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

She died June 10, 1658. He married, second, DOROTHY,

daughter of Richard Swan, and widow of Thomas Abbot

She, as Edward's widow, married on November 13, 1678,

for her third husband, Archelaus Woodman, of Newbury.

Children of Edward(1⁾and Mary (Symonds):

i. SIMON,(²) b. 1643; m. MARY BREWER.

ii. MARY, b. 1648; m. JOHN BARRY.

iii. NATHANIEL, b. -----; m. MARY WILBOR.

iv. SAMUEL, b. 1654; m. 1st RUTH INGALLS; 2nd PHOEBE BALCH.

2. v. JOHN, b. ------; m. REBECCA SMITH.

2. JOHN(²) CHAPMAN [Edward(l)], born -----, married

REBECCA SMITH, September 30, 1675.3 He died Novem-

ber 19, 1677.4 She married, second, FRANCIS YOUNG of

Ipswich.⁵

Child:

3. i. JOHN,(3) b. July 7, 1676.6

3. JOHN⁽³⁾CHAPMAN [John,⁽²)Edward(1)], (called SENIOR),

born at Ipswich July 7, 1676; died in Tewksbury, Octo-

ber 7, 1739, aged ⁶³y. 3m.7He married ELIZABETH

DAVIS, October 28, 1702.8 Note that here we find the

surname Davis which was later introduced as a forename

and carried down from generation to generation. Eliza-

beth (Davis), wife of John Chapman, died in Tewksbury,

September 26, 1736, aged 55y. 3m. 6d.9An error in the

printed Vital Records of Ipswich is corrected in the fol-

lowing list, which was copied from the original record of

births and baptisms:

Children:

i. MARTHA,(4) b. February 10, 1703, dau. John and Elizabeth.

ii. ELIZABETH, b. October 19, 1704, dau. John and Elizabeth.

iii. REBECCA, bp. May 10, 1713, dau. John and Elizabeth.

4. iv. JOHN, bp. 2: 12m.: 1714, son of John.

v. DAVIS, bp. 20: 11m: 1716, son of John and Elizabeth.

3 Savage, Genealogical Dictionary; Ipswich, Vital Records, II, 98.

4 Essex County, Mass., Probate Files, Docket 5,037.

5 Ipswich, Vital Records, II, 94.

6 Ibid., I, 83.

7 Tewksbury, Mass., Vital Records . . . to ... 1849 (Salem, Mass., 1912), 198.

8 Ipswich, Vital Records, II, 93.

9 Tewksbury, Vital Records, 198.

JOHN CHAPMAN'S LINE: WHEELER 23

The following, taken from the Topsfield church rec-

ords10 of baptisms, may also belong to this family:

John Chapman, his REBECCA bp. July 17, 1720.

John Chapman, his MARY bp. March, 1722/3.

A later record definitely places the family in Topsfield.

4. JoHN(⁴⁾CHAPMAN [John,(3) John,⁽²⁾Edward(1)], (called JR.

on some records) was baptized, we note from the records,

in Ipswich, on December 2, 1714; d. December 7, 1760, in

Tewksbury. He had a brother Davis on whom we later

depend for family identification. John's marriage is

recorded in Ipswich, Vital Records, p. 93, as follows:

Chapman, John Jr., of Topsfield and wid. MARTHA BODMAN, at

Topsfield, March 1, 1738/9.

The Topsfield, Vital Records, p. 129 add variety thus:

Chapman, John Jr., and MARTHA BORMAN of Ipswich, March 1,

1738/9.

The Boardman name is variously spelled, as: Bodman,

Borman, Bordman, Borland, and Boardman. The widow

MARTHA (PERLEY) BOARDMAN was the daughter of John

and Jean Perley. She was born August 24, 1704, married,

first, NATHANIEL BOARDMAN of Topsfield, April 1, 1736,

was widowed on August 26, 1736, and married, second,

JOHN(4) CHAPMAN on March 1, 1738/9. She died of

consumption, according to the Tewksbury Congregational

Church Record, on February 22, 1753, aged 48y., 5m.,

18d. The gravestone, however, records the year of death

as 1752.11

Note that from Martha (Perley) Chapman the surname

Perley was introduced as a forename and it, too, was car-

ried down through later generations. From the Perley

family12 Martha's line is traced as: Allan,(1) Samuel,⁽²⁾

John,(3) Martha.(4⁾

Two deeds in the Middlesex Registry of Deeds,13 dated

10 John H. Gould, ed., "Early Records of the Church in Topsfield," Essex Insti-

tute, Historical Collections (Salem, Mass.), XXIV (1888), 202-3.

11 Tewksbury, Vital Records, 198.

12 M. V. B. Perley, History and Genealogy of the Perley Family (Salem, Mass.,

1906), 27-8.

13 Folio 42, p. 438-9.

24 OHIO ARCHEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

December 24, 1741, prove that John Chapman, Jr., and

Davis Chapman, both of Topsfield, purchased extensive

farm property in Tewksbury "on the road from Billerica

to Borland's Farm." The fact that both items were

transferred to some one else on the date of purchase is

of no interest to us, but it is of interest to follow the

trail that leads from Topsfield to Tewksbury. There we

find the two families established according to the vital

statistics, from which we gather the following data:

Children of John(⁴⁾and Martha (Perley):14

i. PERLEY,(⁵) b. October 30, 1739; d. 1758.

ii. ELIZABETH, b. November 19, 1741.

iii. MARTHA, b. August 30, 1743 (probably died young).

5. iv. NATHANIEL, b. September 13, 1746.

Baptized nearly 4 years later, the Congregational Church record

reads: Nathaniel, son of John bp. August 26, 1750.

JOHN(4⁾CHAPMAN married, second, MRS. MARTHA

HUNT on July 5, 1756.15 Her death from dropsy is re-

corded in the Church Record as of April 27, 1786.16 Her

gravestone states "in her 64th year." Therefore she was

born about 1722. In the Hunt Genealogy¹⁷there is record

of Martha,⁽³) daughter of Samuel(2⁾of Tewksbury,

Samuel⁽¹⁾ of Ipswich, born October 15, 1722. She mar-

ried a Chapman, concerning whom there is no further in-

formation. She may or may not be the Mrs. Martha Hunt

who married John Chapman, Jr., as his second wife. The

age coincides. As she would have been considered an

elderly spinster at the age of thirty-four, it is possible

that the "Mrs." in her marriage record was merely a title

of courtesy.

Children of John(4) and Martha (Hunt):18

v. PATTY,(5) b. February 7, 1757.

vi. MARY, b. April 7, 1759.

14 Tewksbury, Vital Records, 18, 110, 198-9.

15 Ibid., 110.

16 Ibid., 198.

17 T. B. Wyman, Jr., Genealogy of the Name and Family of Hunt (Boston,

1862/3), 78.

18 Tewksbury, Vital Records, 18.

JOHN CHAPMAN'S LINE: WHEELER 25

Returning now to the death of JOHN(4) CHAPMAN we

note that although the Tewksbury church records19 in-

dicate his death from smallpox on January 23, 1761, at

the age of 46 years, 18 days, his former church in Tops-

field also records his death as:

CHAPMAN, JOHN, died of ye Small Pox, Dec. 7, 1760.20

As it seems unlikely that his death would have been

recorded while he was still living, the writer has accepted

this Topsfield earlier date believing that the Tewksbury

later date was a delayed entry. The baptismal record

also influences this choice.

In the Middlesex Probate Court records there is a

glimpse of the intimate affairs of this family in the fol-

lowing inventory of JOHN CHAPMAN'S estate, the final

accounting made by his widow, MARTHA (HUNT) CHAP-

MAN, and her bond. It is of interest to note specific men-

tion of the widow's children in the second document.

INVENTORY: JOHN CHAPMAN ESTATE21

Inventory of the estate of MR. JOHN CHAPMAN. Late of Tewksbury

. . husbandman, deceased. As it was apprised by us the subscribers we

being appointed & sworn for that purpose viz.

To about 3 acres meadow land lying in said Tewksbury and a quarter

part of a Fish place with a privilege of passing & repassing all

apprized . . . ?? 12- 0- 0

Personal Estate as Follows

To Books ?? 1- 0- 0

"Wareing Apparrill 3-16- 3

Beds, Bedding & Linen & mill'd cloth 10- 4- 2

Pewter Brass & Iron wairs 5- 9- 8

Desk Chests & Draws & other wooden ware 3- 6- 8

Yarn wool & Flax, & Leather 2-18- 0

Corn & Grane 10-10- 7

Salted meat & Fat 2-13- 4

Cider & Caskes 6-18- 6

Other Utensils of House hold Ware 0-12- 8

Husbandry Tools & Iron 3-16- 4

Bridles & Saddles 45s/4d Pilyon 8/ 2-13- 4

Hay 0- 8- 0

Cash 6- 2- 0 1/4

To a debt by Note from Mr. Jedde Ingals dated July

18, 1758 with Intrist fr the date of Sd Note 2- 4- 0

19 Ibid., 198.

20 Topsfield, Mass., Vital Records . . . to . . . 1849 (Salem, Mass., 1903), 210.

21 Middlesex, Mass., Probate Files, Lib. 36, p. 276.

26 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

For the sum of

To a Debt Due by a Note fr Mrs. Eleanor Bootman

Dated June 7, 1758 With Intrist . . . 2-11- 1 1/4

To a Debt Due by a Note from Mr. Peter Hunt Juner

Dated Feb 13, 1759 .. . 5-13- 6 1/2

4 Cows 15-10- 8

1 pr oxen 8- 0- 0

Young Cattle 10- 0- 0

24 Sheep & 17 Lambs 13- 8- 8

Horses 6-13- 4

3 Swine 1- 0- 0

Winter grane & tillage 1- 0- 0

1-4 part of a Nett & other utensills for Fishing 0-10- 0

139-14-10

TEWKSBURY May 8, 1761

Signed NATHAN BAYLEY] Committee

MIDDLESEX June 1 1761 DAVID BAYLEY ] for

DAVIS CHAPMAN] said work

June 22 1761

MARTHA CHAPMAN the administratix exhibited the foregoing

Inventory on oath.

S. DANFORTH J. PROBATE

JOHN CHAPMAN ESTATE FINAL ACCT.22

The acct of MARTHA CHAPMAN on the estate of her late husband Mr

John Chapman Late of Tewksbury in the Co . . . Deceased.

Intestate The sd acct charges her self Dr to sd estate the whole

of the personal estate as mentioned in the inventory thereof as

exhibited in the Registry of Probate in & for the County aforsd

on the 29th of June 1761 in the whole amounting (in lawful

money) to the sum of ? 133- 1- 6

And she craves allowance for the several services by her done &

the sums by her paid for sd estate in lawful money as fol-

lows (viz)

To a Journey to Cambridge with 2 Bondsmen to

take Administration with Expense in said Journey� 0-17- 2

To cash paid in Probate Office 0- 9- 2

To travil after the Committee in notifying them Re-

lating to the apprizel of Sd Estate 0- 2- 0

To Administrat-attending on Sd Com. 0- 3- 0

" Providing for Sd Com. while apprizing 0- 6- 0

To Persons hereafter named VIZ:

" paying Joseph Osgood, Physician 1-10-10

Nehemiah Abbot " 0-11-10

Funeral Charge of Deceased 1- 1- 5

Green & Russell 0-10- 8

Hannah Campbell 4- 6- 8

James Campbell 6- 0- 0

Mary Bowers 0-18- 0

Aaron Beard 0-12- 0

Abial Wineyfield 4-15- 4

Saml Abbot 5- 6- 8

22 Ibid., 198.

JOHN CHAPMAN'S LINE: WHEELER 27

William Hunt 0-12- 2

Amos Stickney 1-10-10

John Hardy 1- 6- 0

Nathan Bayley 0- 9-10

Davis Chapman 3-12- 6

Solomon Pollard 0- 3- 6

John Flint, Constable 0- 6- 2

Daniel Foss 0- 8- 0

Oliver Whitney 0- 4- 4

David Hunt 0- 3- 0

David Bayley 1- 4- 0

To the Adminisse for her care of & bringing up two of

the Deceasds Children both under 7 years of age 24- 0- 0

To ditto for her trouble in administrn hitherto 2-10- 0

To providing for the Support of the Family the first

year 10- 0- 0

Examing & allowing this Acct. & ye Vouchers etc. 0- 6- 0

Recording & Copy 0- 5- 0

?? 74-11- 1 1/2

MIDDLESEX April 2d 1764 MRS. MARTHA CHAPMAN the Administx

exhibited the foregoing acct, I having examined the Same do

allow thereof

S. DANFORTH J Pro C.

In abbreviated form Martha Chapman's bond reads

as follows23:

Know all men by these presents that we MARTHA CHAPMAN, Widow,

DAVID BALEY, yeoman, & DAVIS CHAPMAN yeoman all of Tewksbury in

the County of Middlesex . . . are holden . . . in sum of 5 hundred pounds

.. .Dated the twenty second Day of June . . . One Thousand Seven

Hundred and Sixty one . . .

The Condition of this present . . . obligation is such That if the

above bounden Martha Chapman this day admitted administratrix of the

Estate of her late husband John Chapman late of Tewksbury aforesaid

Deceased Intestate . . . signed

her

MARTHA X CHAPMAN

mark

In Precence of DAVID BAYLEY

ANDW BORDMAN DAVIS CHAPMAN

NATHAN BAYLEY

ELIZABETH and NATHANIEL, children of JOHN⁽⁴⁾

CHAPMAN by the first wife, furnish the most important

clue to the family line so far discovered. Their clue es-

tablishes the last link in the chain from EDWARD(1)

CHAPMAN of Ipswich to "JOHNNY APPLESEED." After

the death of their father, Elizabeth and Nathaniel applied

23 Ibid., Lib. 30, p. 452.

28 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

to the Court to have their "Uncle Davis Chapman" ap-

pointed as their guardian. The records follow:24

I NATHANIEL CHAPMAN of Tewksbury in the County of Middlesex

& Province of Massachusetts Bay in New England Being Four-

teen years of age Do Choose & Desire that my sd uncle Davis

Chapman may be made Guardian For me according to Law as

Witness my Hand TEWKSBURY June 13th 1761

NATHANAEL CHAPMAN

Witnesses BETTSEY BAILEY

NATHAN BAYLEY

I ELISABETH CHAPMAN of Tewksbury in the County of Middlesex

and Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England. Being

nineteen years of age Do Chose and Desire that my sd uncle

Davis Chapman may Be made Gardean for me according to law

as Wittness my Hand

ELISABETH CHAPMAN

TEWKSBURY June ye 20th 1761

In abbreviated form Davis Chapman's bond is as fol-

lows:25

DAVIS CHAPMAN, yeoman and DAVID BAYLEY yeoman both of Tewks-

bury in the Co . . . are holden sum 500 pounds . . .

Davis Chapman be guardeen unto Elizabeth and Nathaniel Chap-

man . . . both minors upward of 14 years of age children of

John Chapman late of Tewksbury . . . deceased . . .

DAVIS CHAPMAN

DAVID BAYLEY

June 22, 1761

With so many Johns and Nathaniels throughout the

Chapman family, it was almost impossible to trace this

line with any degree of certainty until these guardianship

papers provided John with a brother Davis. The unusual

name of Davis then identified the family to which

brother John belonged and thus proved the line presented.

5. NATHANIEL(5) CHAPMAN [John,(⁴⁾John,(3) John,⁽²⁾Ed-

ward(1)], born at Tewksbury, September 13, 1746; died

February 18, 1807, Salem, Ohio. The guardianship

papers close his record in Tewksbury. We next find him

a few miles away in the town of Leominster. As evi-

dence that Nathaniel of Tewksbury was also Nathaniel of

24 These applications were not recorded. They are filed in Middlesex, Probate

Court, with the recorded bond, all three as: Ser. 1, 4291. Nos. 1, 2, 3. Elizabeth's ap-

plication is entirely in her own writing.

25 Middlesex, Probate Files, Lib. 30, p. 400 (Ser. 1, 4291-1).

JOHN CHAPMAN'S LINE: WHEELER 29

Leominster, the following document lends weight. In

the Leominster Public Library there is preserved an un-

dated copy of a military return made up chiefly of

Leominster men under a Leominster captain. It is

headed:

A Return of Capt David Wilder Company of Leominster in Coll. Asa

Whitcomb Reg't. Thare Name Age Stature Com-

plection What colur thair Hare and eyes What masters

and trade and when enlisted August ye -----

Unfortunately, only the columns for age and stature

were used. Among the 68 names is that of NATHANIEL

CHAPMAN whose age is given as 28 and his stature 5:9.

By reckoning the given ages of other Leominster men

from their birth records, the date of this document points

to 1775. Nathaniel Chapman, born at Tewksbury Sep-

tember 13, 1746, would have been 28 years and about 10

months on "August ye" 1, 1775, a fact which seems to

be good evidence that Nathaniel of Tewksbury and

Nathaniel of Leominster were identical. (Later, a de-

tailed account of his military service will be presented.)

Nathaniel⁽⁵⁾ Chapman married first in Leominster.

There, in the church record is the marriage intention of

Nathaniel Chapman and ELISABETH SIMONS, both of

Leominster, August 9, 1769. The marriage was recorded

as of February 8, 1770.26 She died July 18, 1776.27

Elizabeth was daughter of James and Anna (Lawrence)

Simons, a name also spelled Simonds or Symonds. The

family line of Elizabeth Simons, mother of "Johnny

Appleseed" is summarized in a note at the end of the

present Nathaniel Chapman genealogy.

Children of Nathaniel⁽⁵⁾ and Elizabeth (Simons):28

i. ELIZABETH,⁽⁶⁾b. November 18, 1770.

6. ii. JOHN, b. September 26, 1774 ("JOHNNY APPLESEED").

iii. NATHANIEL, b. June 26, 1776.

From the Leominster church record we glean the

facts that NATHANIEL CHAPMAN and wife were taken

26 Leominster, Mass., First Congregational Church, Records, 130.

27 Leominster, Mass., Vital Records . . . to . . . 1849 (Worcester, 1911), 301.

28 Ibid, 36-7.

30 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

into full communion June 25, 1775;29 and that Eliza-

beth, and John, children of Nathaniel Chapman and

Elizabeth were baptized on the same day.30

Nathaniel⁽⁵⁾Chapman married, second, LUCY COOLEY

of Longmeadow. The event is recorded in the local

pastoral records as follows:

July 24, 1780, CAPT NATHLL CHAPMAN (Late of Leominster) & LUCY

COOLEY of this place were joind in marrige.31

Lucy Cooley was daughter of George and Mabel Cooley

of Longmeadow. Her family, which was an extensive

one, has been well recorded in the Longmeadow and

other genealogical records.

Children of Nathaniel⁽⁵⁾and Lucy (Cooley):

iv. NATHANIEL,⁽⁶⁾b. December 1781.

v. ABNER, b. July 16, 1783.

vi. PIERLY, b. March 6, 1785.

vii. LUCY, b. July 21, 1787.

viii. PATTY, b. February 26, 1790.

ix. PERSIS, b. November 15, 1793.

x. MARY, b. January 19, 1796.

xi. JONATHAN COOLEY, b. February 2, 1798.

xii. DAVIS, b. April 25, 1800.

xiii. SALLY, b. April 23, 1803.

For this record, we are indebted to Proceedings at the

Centennial Celebration of the Incorporation of the Town

of Longmeadow, prepared by R. S. Storrs (Longmeadow,

1884).32

According to the same reference Nathaniel removed

with his family from Longmeadow to the western country

in 1805. He died February 18, 1807, at Salem (Wash-

ington County), Ohio.

It is interesting to identify the family names that re-

appear among Nathaniel's children. Elizabeth was

named for his wife, perhaps also for his sister, and

grandmother (Davis); John, for his father; Nathaniel

is repeated, a fact which proves that the infant Nathaniel,

29 Leominster, Congregational Church, Records, 32.

30 Ibid, 59.

31 The Rev. Doctor Williams' Records of Baptisms, Admissions into and Dis-

missions from the Church . . . in the Town of Longmeadow; also Springfield, Mass.,

Marriage Records (in City Hall), 174.

32 "Genealogical Appendix," p. 26.

JOHN CHAPMAN'S LINE: WHEELER 31

born in Leominster, died young; Pierly is obviously a

misspelling of Perley, the maiden name of his mother, a

name also given to his brother who died young; Patty is

a pet name for Martha, his mother's name, and also that

of his stepmother; Davis, the maiden name of his

Ipswich grandmother, was also given to his uncle. These

names quite definitely link the generations, and they add

to the evidence previously presented.

After the death of his wife Elizabeth in 1776, Nathan-

iel Chapman seems to have continued in the service of

the Continental Army. Both of the following military

records undoubtedly apply to him:

CHAPMAN, NATHANIEL, Leominster. Private, Capt. John Joslin's co.

of Minute-men, Col. John Whetcomb's regt., which marched on

the alarm of April 19, 1775, to Cambridge; service, 11 days;

reported enlisted into the army; also, Capt. David Wilder's co.,

Col. Asa Whitcomb's regt.; muster roll dated Aug. 1, 1775; en-

listed April 26, 1775; service, 3 mos. 13 days; also, receipts for

wages for Aug. and Sept., 1775, dated Prospect Hill; also, com-

pany return (probably Oct., 1775).33

CHAPMAN, NATHANIEL. Captain of wheelwrights, Maj. Joseph

Eayrs's co., Col. Flower's regt. of Artillery artificers; Continental

Army pay accounts for service from March 19, 1777, to Dec. 31,

1779; also, Captain, Maj. Eyres's corps at Springfield; Continental

Army pay accounts from Jan. 1, 1780, to Sept. 30, 1780.34

6. JOHN(⁶⁾CHAPMAN [Nathaniel,⁽⁵⁾John,⁽⁴) John,(3) John,(2)

Edward(1)], (called "JOHNNY APPLESEED"), son of

Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Simons) Chapman, was born

at Leominster, according to records previously quoted, on

September 26, 1774, and he died, unmarried, in Fort

Wayne, Indiana, March 18, 1845.35

The family line of Elizabeth (Simonds) Chapman is as

follows:36

1. WILLIAM SIMONDS, SR., came in Planter, 1635, settled in

Woburn about 1644. He married JUDITH (PHIPPEN)

HAYWARD, widow of James Hayward, January 18,

33 Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War (Boston, 1896-

1908), III, 338.

34 Ibid.

35 Fort Wayne, (Ind.) Sentinel, March 22, 1845.

36 Samuel Sewall, History of Woburn, Mass. (Albany, N. Y., 1868); Woburn.

Mass., Woburn Records of Births, Deaths, and Marriages (Woburn, 1890-); Leominster

Vital Records.

32 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

1643/4. He d. June 7, 1672. Judith d. January 3,

1689/90.

2. JAMES SIMONDS, their tenth child, b. November 1, 1658; d.

September 15, 1717. He married SUSANNA, dau. of

Samuel and Ruth Blodgett, December 29, 1685. She d.

February 9, 1714/15.

3. JAMES SIMONDS, their eldest child, b. November I, 1686; d.

July 30, 1775. He married MARY, dau. of James and

Mary Fowle, June 17, 1714. She d. March 9, 1762.

(Their daughter Ruth was mother of "Count Rum-

ford.")

4. JAMES SIMONDS, their second child, b. March 10, 1717; d.

-----. He married ANNA LAWRENCE, May 12, 1740,

both of Woburn. Their death dates are unknown. They

lived in Leominster, where nine children were born be-

tween 1740 and 1760. Anna, Jeames, John, Mary, Re-

backah, Ruth, and Jacob were evidently recorded under

phonetic spelling as their family name is given as Simons.

Under Simonds, the family record continues, and there

we find Zebede, and

5. ELIZABETH (also entered as ELISABETH), dau. James and

Anna,, b. February 2, 1748/9; d. July 18, 1776, place

of burial unknown. She married NATHANIEL CHAP-

MAN, February 8, 1770, both of Leominster. She was

the mother of "JOHNNY APPLESEED."

Ohio History Journal