Lena R. Chafee

Notes:

Lena's birth record at Bristol says she is the fourth child born to George & Susan.

Notes:

The name George T. B. Chafee first came to my attention in a copy of an old letter of Great Uncle Frank's which he sent to his mother, Mary Elizabeth Chafee (nee Andrews), my great-grandmother. In this letter he lists our Chafee ancestors, but without any documentation or details, save that he says this person's son invented a propeller boat which used to sail from Connecticut to New York City. This ties in somewhat with the information I found in the Bristol town records, which identify his occupation as sea captain, and his place of death as Middletown, CT. (Bristol Vol. #5, p. 139)

According to Frank's letter, the son George Austin (brother of my great-great-grandfather, Samuel Russel Chafee) was a restaurant and hotel man in Middletown, CT. He had a son Charles Austin and a daughter Grace. Around 1870 he built a propeller ship that ran between Portland, CT (across the river from Middletown, CT) and New York City. The ship was named after him: The George Austin Chafee. (Need to check out all these details!)

George T. B.'s name came to me also from an Austin family genealogist (Bonnie Austin Bigolin of Green River, WY), in an e-mail replying to my query through their web site. They have his name in their database as having been married to Harriet N. Austin, and she listed his children for me, one of whom is my gr-great-grandfather, Samuel Russel Chafee. The name Austin has since been passed down in our family in the form of the middle name of his son George and of my grandma's brother Charles, and the first name of one of Charles's sons, among others.

Also, it appears that the name Harriet has also been passed down, being the name of one of George and Harriet's daughters, the name of a granddaughter ("Hattie" who married DeWitt Bolster), and the name of a great-granddaughter -- my grandma's sister Hattie, a name which I presume was also Harriet in this generation. She died very young. My parents have her old rocking chair.

Since acquiring the above information, I have viewed and copied George and Harriet's marriage record at Bristol Town Hall, as well as other family records of birth, marriage, and death. I also have photographed their gravestone(s) at Bristol's North Burial Ground.

In addition to the above sources of information, I have transcripts from the following census records which show the various Chafee families: 1850, 1860, and 1870 for Bristol, RI; 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, and 1920 for Middletown, CT.

"The Chaffee Genealogy" by William H. Chaffee, published in 1909, says that Mr. George T. B. Chafee "served as a sutler in the Union Army during the Civil War. He was a mechanic and restaurant keeper. He had a light complexion, blue eyes, a jovial disposition, and was five feet, four inches in height. In 1883 he lived in Middletown [CT], where he died of pneumonia at the age of seventy-five in the home of his son, Stephen B. Chafee. He was buried in the family lot in Bristol."

In the front of my grandmother's old Bible there is this notation, written in her handwriting: "Lest I forget, I must write down the Chafee family motto -- 'As we journey through life, let us live by the way.' It is above the large fireplace in the Chafee Hotel in Middletown Conn. made in the masonry."

George married Susan Hathaway Hoar 3 Mar 1859, Swansea, MA. Susan was born 15 Aug 1829, Swansea, MA; died 22 Feb 1884; was buried , North Burial Ground, Bristol, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

In Lena's birth record, Susan is identified as Susan Waldron, age 43.

Notes:

These birth records were found in the vault at the Bristol Town Hall, in Vol. 4, p. 249. I have a photocopy.

According to "The Chaffee Genealogy" by William H. Chaffee, p. 276, Stephen & Deborah "were members first of the Episcopal and later of the Methodist Church. November 2, 1814, Stephen Chafee bought land of James Usher in Bristol, where he made his home. He was a country storekeeper and shipper of merchandise, and is said to have been eccentric in manner. He had a light complexion, blue eyes, and was five feet, four inches in height."

James Usher was brother to Deborah.

In the 1850 Federal Census, Stephen & Deborah Chafee are both aged 60, living in Bristol, RI. Son Cyril, aged 20, is with them. They are next door to sons Zechariah & Thomas and their families. In the 1860 Federal Census, Stephen & Deborah Chafee are both aged 70, still living at Bristol, RI.

Stephen married Deborah USHER 13 Dec 1812, Bristol, RI. Deborah (daughter of Allen USHER, Jr. and Susanna DIMAN) was born Abt 1791, Rehoboth, MA; died 19 Feb 1861, Bristol, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

They were married in St. Michael's Church.

Notes:

According to William Chaffee's history of the Chaffees, Stephen and Chloe moved to Londonderry, Vermont, around 1794. He kept a store there, and was known as a merchant and farmer. In 1805 he was injured in a fire. His wife was reported to be a good Christian woman who taught her children the truths of the Bible.

Stephen married Chloe PEARCE 25 Feb 1789, Rehoboth, MA. Chloe (daughter of Comfort PEARCE) was born Abt 1767. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

USHER Allen, at sea, 32y Sept. 21, 1796; death, Bristol.

Allen married Susanna DIMAN 29 Jul 1787. Susanna (daughter of Thomas DIMAN and Salome FOSTER) was born Between 1764 and 1768; died 15 Oct 1829; was buried , Juniper Hill Cemetery, Sherry Ave., Bristol, RI. [Group Sheet]