Samuel Russel CHAFEE

Notes:

In the 1870 Federal Census, Samuel R. Chaffee, 25, is a bootmaker, living at Bristol, RI. His wife, Laura A., is age 26. They have two young sons, Raymond & Samuel.

In the 1880 Federal Census, the family is living at Middletown, CT, where Samuel is a saloon keeper -- probably at the Chafee Hotel.

In 1900, Samuel & Laura are living on Congregational St. in Bristol, RI, age 54, with three of their children -- Lena, Cora, & William. They have been married 34 years, according to the census figures. Samuel is a cutter in the rubber mill.

In 1910 Samuel & Laura are both age 65, still living on Congregational St., and have been married 42 years, according to census data.

In the 1930 Federal Census, Samuel is a widower, age 86, living in Bristol, Lincoln Co., ME, with his married daughter Cora Martin and family.

According to the gravestone inscription, Samuel was in Co. G Second Regt. RI Vols. The gravestone has been photographed.

Samuel married Laura Anne MUNROE 24 Apr 1867, Bristol, Bristol Co., RI. Laura (daughter of Jeremiah William MUNROE and Elizabeth BARRINGTON) was born Abt 16 Mar 1844, Bristol, Bristol; Co., RI; died 20 Oct 1911, Bristol, Bristol Co., RI; was buried , North Burial Ground, Bristol, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

In the 1920 Federal Census, Samuel A. Chafee is age 49, and is a boarder on Church St., Bristol. The census says he is married, and a laborer at the rubber company.

By 1930 Samuel has died; see notes for Sarah.

Samuel married Sarah "Sadie" E. Cheetham Abt 1897. Sarah was born 1876, MA; died 1947; was buried , North Burial Ground, Bristol, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Eva's birth record at Bristol says she is the third child born to Samuel & Laura.

Notes:

Frank's birth record is on a 3 x 5 card in a file cabinet in the Bristol Town Hall.

Frank & Mary's 50th wedding anniversary celebration was at Cousin Lida's house in Graniteville. (Lida Jenckes was Mary's niece.)

In the 1900 Federal Census, Frank & Mary "Chaffee" are living in Bristol, RI. With them are children Frank, 2, and Laura, 1.

In 1910, Frank & Mary E. "Chaffe" are living at Coventry, RI. In the household are: John 13, Frank 12, Laura 11, Ruth 9, Hattie 7, & Charles 4 months (?). Who is John? I think he may have been a child who died in infancy. Also, Hattie has already died by 1910. Perhaps the census taker listed all the children, past and present, born to the family.

In 1920, Frank P. & Mary E. Chafee are living at 357 Atlantic Ave. in the Longmeadow section of Warwick, RI. In the household are Ruth A., 19, and Charles A., 10. Frank is a foreman at the freighthouse. Daughter Ruth works as a jeweler in a factory.

In 1930 the family is at 632 Heights Ave. in the Riverview section of Warwick. Son Charles, 20, is the only one of the children still at home. Frank is a brakeman on the electric railway.

According to Frank's obituary, he moved to California only two months before he died (of metastic carcinoma). Formerly he had lived at 184 Potters Ave., Providence, RI, and had been a resident of Providence for 22 years. He was employed at the Davol Rubber Co. for 20 years.

I can remember seeing off my Great-grandfather and Great-grandmother Chafee on the train when they left Providence for California. I was just four years old.

Frank died at 1506 Imperial Ave., Jacumba, CA.

Frank married Mary Elizabeth ANDREWS 17 Jul 1896, Bristol, Bristol Co., RI. Mary (daughter of William ANDREWS and Eliza Jane EDWARDS) was born 13 Nov 1870, Lymansville, North Providence, RI; died 20 Mar 1959, Sunland, CA; was buried 23 Mar 1959, Mt. Hope Cemetery, 3751 Market St., San Diego, CA. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Harriet's birth record says she is the fifth child born to Samuel & Laura.

Harriet married DeWitt E. Bolster Abt 1899. DeWitt was born Mar 1866, NY; died Aft 1 Jan 1920. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

In the 1900 Federal Census, Lena is age 19, living at Bristol, RI, with her parents and two siblings. In the 1905 RI census she is age 24, still living with her parents at 19 Congregation St., Bristol.

Lena (Chafee) Stairs died in her 75th year at her home, 2425 21st St., Santa Monica, CA. She died at 7:02 pm on 7 July 1957.

Lena and her husband were active in the Salvation Army.

Lena married Cleve Earl Stairs Aft 1904. Cleve was born 8 May 1882, ME; died Mar 1969, CA. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Cora's birth record says she is the 9th child born to Samuel R. & Laura A. Chafee, but I believe it should say 7th.

In the 1900 Federal Census, Cora is age 17 and living at Bristol, RI, with her parents and two siblings.

In the 1905 RI census she is age 22, still living with her parents in Bristol at 19 Congregation St.

Cora and her husband moved to Pemaquid Point, Maine.

Cora married Elmer Martin Abt 1905. Elmer was born Abt 1884, ME; died Aft 1 Apr 1930. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

William is age 15 (almost 16?) in the 1900 Federal Census, living at Bristol, RI, with his parents and two older sisters. In 1910, he is still living at Bristol, but now is married to Eva and has two children.

The gravestone has his birth year as 1885.

William married Eva A. Dow 25 Dec 1904, RI. Eva was born Abt 1882, Canada; died Abt 1975. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

After Sarah (Sadie) died, her sons were brought up by their Aunt Isabelle (I called her Cousin Belle) and their grandmother Sarah (Sadie) Cheetham. The daughter was brought up by her great aunt(s)
in New Bedford, MA.

Gordon went on to become a dentist, and was our family dentist when I was growing up (1950s - 1960s). He retired some years after I was married. His daughter, Donna Morgan, graduated from high
school in my class, Warwick Vets 1969.

Sarah married Ralph M. Morgan Abt 1916. Ralph was born Abt 1898, MA. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Isabel's birth record at Bristol says she is the second child born to Samuel A. Chafee (29) & Sarah E. Cheetham (24).

Isabel, or "Cousin Belle" as we called her, raised her two nephews after her sister died. She never married, and for many years did not cut her hair. After becoming a member of the Salvation Army, she had vowed never to cut her hair, but always wore it in a braid wound around her head. When I was a child in the 1950s and later in the 1960s, we used to visit her every 4th of July. She lived in a duplex right on Hope St. in Bristol. My mom would cut a bouquet of flowers -- red, white, & blue -- from our garden early in the morning of the holiday, and we would arrive at Belle's to find chairs already set up for us on the sidewalk. After the big parade, we would have lunch inside, usually with Merton & Estelle Morgan and their son and daughter. After I was married, a few times I took my children to visit her where she was living at the time, in the Benjamin Church apartment complex for senior citizens further up on Hope St. She always wanted to give the children a little gift. One time she gave Laura a small doll, which I later used in the center of a doll birthday cake for Laura. In the early 1980s she came to stay with my parents while recovering from either surgery or a fall, and since we lived next door, we got to see her more. She came to our house for Ben's birthday party, and raved about the homemade clam chowder and clam cakes I had made.

She was just about the same age as my Grandmother Laura (Chafee) Remington. We kids always laughed when they got together, because they tried to out-talk each other, getting louder and louder, each one expressing (or pressing) her own train of thought.

We went to her last birthday party, held at the home of a relative in Bristol. Her funeral was at St. Michael's in Bristol, but at the time I didn't realize that one of our common ancestors had been the second rector there for many years back in the 1700s.

Russell married Grace Battcher Aft 1 Apr 1930. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

John is not in the Bristol births, but is listed in the 1910 census along with Hattie who had also died. Perhaps John was their name for a baby that was prematurely born.

Notes:

In the 1920 Federal Census, Frank is age 24 and living at Brooklyn, New York, working at the Kings Co. Hospital.

In the 1930 Federal Census, the family is living on Plain St. in Providence, RI. Frank, the father, is noted as "absent."

Frank left his family in Rhode Island and moved to southern California, where he became a bus driver for Greyhound Bus Co.

The birth record at Bristol says he is the first child of Frank & Mary Chafee. It may be that he was the first child who lived, since I believe there was an earlier child, perhaps a miscarriage or death in very early infancy.

Frank married Mae Agnes Johnston Abt 1920. Mae was born Abt 1893, Canada; died 1956; was buried , North Burial Ground, Bristol, RI. [Group Sheet]

Frank married Dorothy Wyman Aft 1930. Dorothy was born 22 Nov 1903; died Apr 1975, San Diego Co., CA. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

I have very happy memories of my grandmother, which is one reason why I named my older daughter after her. We would often visit her on Heath Avenue in Warwick. Once I even got to spend the night with her. The next day we walked a couple of miles to the shopping center across from Aldrich Junior High. I wanted to buy some doll clothes, but she said, "I can make those for you, Dear." And she did -- beautiful ones, for our baby dolls and grown-up dolls. She did lovely embroidery, too, which she gave as gifts in the form of pillows, table and bed linens, and framed pictures. In later years, when she moved to Ashland, MA, we would usually ride up to see her on Sunday afternoons. After I learned to drive, one summer day I borrowed my dad's car and drove up there with my cousin Barbara, and we took her to the seashore for lunch. Another time I rolled her hair up for her. In the early 1970s, Rich and I would drop in on her, and get her talking about the old days. Once she got started, the stories followed one after another. She'd get out the photographs, laugh about this or that event, and often give her opinion in no uncertain terms. More than once she said she had married too young, on her 18th birthday. But I'm glad she did, because my dad was born a little over a year later, the first of six sons. What a life! I'm sure her marriage, and her whole life, had its ups and downs. At one point their farmhouse burned down, and the family had to move into a little shanty for a while. My grandparents certainly set an example of hard work and determination for generations to follow. While I never met my grandfather, I know he was proud of his children and grandchildren. My grandmother was very much a part of our family, and I only wish she had lived to be a part of the lives of my children, too.

I have copies of Laura's birth, marriage, and death certificates, plus a copy of the page from the 1900 Census at Bristol which shows her family when Laura was one year old. Also, her gravestone has been photographed.

The birth record at Bristol says she is the second child born to Frank & Mary Chafee.

Laura married Chester Philip REMINGTON, Sr. 28 Apr 1917, Coventry, Kent Co., RI. Chester (son of John Allen REMINGTON and Angeretta Williams WHITFORD) was born 10 Feb 1894, Anthony Village, Coventry, RI; died 9 May 1948, Providence, Providence Co., RI; was buried 11 May 1948, Woodland Cemetery, Washington & Knotty Oak Sts., Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

The birth record at Bristol says she is the third child born to Frank & Mary Chafee.

Ruth married George Wesley Hubbard Jul 1922; divorced 1958. George was born Oct 1903; died 3 Mar 1997, Jefferson Co., KY. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

She was known as Hattie. She died of "nasal diptheria" at age 4 1/2.

Notes:

In 1940 the family is living at 19 Barton Ave.: Charles A. Chafee 30, Hazel M. 29, Ronald A. 3, and Austin J. 1 month; also Charles B. Lake (father-in-law) 53 and Jennie M. Lake 46. Charles is a pressman at the rubber factory.

I have pictures from Charlie & Hazel's 50th anniversary celebration.

Charles married Hazel Muriel Lake 28 Dec 1931. Hazel (daughter of Charles Burnside Lake and Jennie Margaret Dillon) was born 19 Jul 1910, Providence, RI; died Aug 1994. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

I am wondering if shoe could be Mary E. Grant 27 RI (NY/RI) in the 1930 census, single and boarding at Providence, occupation stenographer?

Mary married Harold Thomas Sylvester Abt 1922. Harold was born 29 Apr 1900, RI; died 1980; was buried , North Burial Ground, Bristol, RI. [Group Sheet]

Guy married Myra A. Unknown Abt 1929. Myra was born Abt 1909, ME. [Group Sheet]

Ralph — Estelle Unknown. [Group Sheet]

Gordon — Rita Mulligan. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

After her mother Sarah (Sadie) died, I am told Mary was brought up by her grandmother Sarah (Sadie) Cheetham's sisters in New Bedford, MA. However, in the 1930 census she is age 9 and living at Bristol with her maternal grandmother, two aunts & one uncle, and two brothers.

Mary — Mr. Moone. [Group Sheet]

Helen — John Burton Leach. John was born Abt 1916; died 25 Sep 2006. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

According to my Dad, Shirley died on the farm in Coventry, RI.

Shirley — Mr. Weaver. [Group Sheet]

Doris married Anthony T. Colaluca 25 Nov 1948. Anthony was born 15 Feb 1923; died 1 Feb 2004. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

I have two different copies of his birth certificate, one a card issued at Coventry, RI, and the other a paper from the RI Dept. of Health. I am told he was born on a Tuesday.

My dad Norman was born on the family farm off Knotty Oak Rd. in Coventry, RI. We have some pictures of the farm (see Remington section of the photo gallery, "Remington brothers together," at our web site). Tragically, the two-family farmhouse burned down when my dad was six years old. After this, his family moved into a shanty and stayed there for a while. Quoted below are some reminiscences from my dad Norman about his grandmother Angeretta (Whitford) Remington, about the big farmhouse, and about the fire there. They always believed the fire was set. The adjoining farm belonged to my dad's uncle, John Francis (we called him Uncle Fran), who kept cows there even when I was a child in the 1950s. We used to go blueberrying there, and I was afraid of being confronted face-to-face by a cow, which did actually happen once! In very recent years that property has passed out of our family, and part of it is now a new plat. One of the streets is Remington Farm Drive. On an old map, I've seen that another Remington may have owned that land adjacent to my great uncle.

About the farmhouse: "There were two front doors. The first one as one approached from the road led into a long hall way extending the width of the main section of the house. At the end was the door opening into the ell kitchen. Doors on the left were to my Grandmother's bedroom (used whenever she was with us) and to a downstairs bedroom. At a right angle to that was the door to the cellar stairs. The stairway to the upstairs rooms began near the door to the kitchen. From the right side of the hall were doors to the parlor (as it was called in those days) and the dining room.

"Grandma's bedroom windows were between the front doors. The second one was Aunt Velna's front door, which opened into a small entry, from which a door to the left led into her parlor.

"My grandmother [Angeretta] was a practical nurse, attending women about to give birth and for some time afterwards. Confinements lasted several days at that time. Between work opportunities she would be on the farm, sleeping in her room in our house, where the furnishings were hers. So my earliest memories are that she was with us from time to time. When she was there she was a great help to my mother. Later on she also worked as a housekeeper/cook. When I was in the second grade she kept house for a Mrs. Maynard (or Menard), who was legally blind. This was on Boston Street, Anthony, which is off the main street directly opposite the big mill.

"The fire destroyed the house December 27, 1924. It was discovered some time before daybreak, when my mother thought my father was trying to waken her. Later, she always said she thought it was an angel. Anyway, she smelled smoke, and woke my father. Our collie dog, Major, usually was in the kitchen overnight (no doubt, during cold weather), and he pushed open the door to the hall, again no doubt because of flames and heat. All of us were out of the house, and in my father's truck, in the big meadow across the driveway from the house, while it was still dark."

Dad enlisted at Providence, RI, on 29 Aug 1942, as a Private in the US Army. He was a resident of Providence, married, an insurance clerk with 2 years of college; height 74 inches and weight 158 lbs.

Norman married Edna Virginia BERRY 6 Sep 1941, Providence, RI. Edna (daughter of John Holland BERRY and Ellen COLEMAN) was born 25 Mar 1918, Providence, RI; died 20 Nov 2010, Warwick, Kent Co., RI; was buried 24 Nov 2010, Woodland Cemetery, Washington & Knotty Oak Sts., Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Raymond Remington is listed in the 1936 yearbook of Central High School, Providence, as the Treasurer of the club Il Circolo Giovanile.

In the 1939 Cranston City Directory, Raymond was listed as living at 67 Turner Ave. In the 1940 federal census he was age 19, living on Kilvert St., Warwick, and was a fireman at a laundry. The 1941 Cranston City Directory listed him as a station attendant at the Esso Service Station in Hillsgrove.

Ray enlisted in the US Navy on 14 Aug 1941.

After serving in the Navy, Raymond came home from the service 8 Feb 1948.

Raymond married Marie Frances Scott 15 Jul 1944, Athens, GA. Marie (daughter of James Henry Scott and Mildred Edson) was born 12 May 1919, MA; died 17 Feb 2012, MA; was buried , Edgell Grove, Framingham, MA. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

The One Consolation of a Soldier

poem written by Pvt. Russel Philip Remington on January 2, 1943
sent to his mother, Laura Russel Remington, from North Africa, during World War II
he died in combat on March 31, 1943

Dear Mom as I sit looking up into the sky tonight
all lighted with millions of stars and the silvery moonlight
My thoughts are brought closer to home and you
Because this same sky over me is over you too.
The sky covers a great span
over thousands of miles of sea from land to land
On that side is glittering New York and home
and on this side the dark African sand and me sitting alone.
There's a bitter war to be fought over here
where many fellows like me are fighting
for loved ones at home who we love so dear.
But some day we're going to win this fight
And then we too will be looking at
the other side of the sky and the moonlight.


RI Pvt 39 Inf 9 Inf Div/World War II


The following link leads to a web site which tells of the battles in Tunisia around the time Russel was killed:
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-C-Tunisia/

I believe Russel died, probably between 6 am and 12:45 pm, in an offensive commanded by General Patton and known as Benson Force. The took place in and around the El Guettar Valley, between Gafsa and Gabes, Tunisia.

Russel — . Unknown [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Elliott enlisted in the Army 2 July 1942.

Elliott married Luena Mildred Angell 24 May 1947, Rhode Island. Luena (daughter of George Frederick Angell and Mildred Lowary Anderson) was born 31 Dec 1924, Providence, RI; died 4 Jul 1999; was buried , Moshassuck Cemetery, Lonsdale Avenue, Central Falls RI. [Group Sheet]

Elliott married Jacqueline Rae Hall 8 Jul 1955, Lewiston, ME. Jacqueline (daughter of Leslie Raymond Hall and Frances Gertrude Shaw) was born 6 Dec 1927, Augusta, ME; died 2 Jul 2017, Hawaii. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

He enlisted in the US Navy 11 Aug 1944 and was released 6 June 1946.

US Navy World War II Muster Rolls list Chester's service number as 205 78 76.

His rating was S1c (Seaman 1st class) on some of the ship USS Anacosta's muster rolls, for example: quarter ending 1 Oct 1945; month ending 1 Mar 1946, sailing from Okinawa to Pearl Harbor.

On other muster rolls of the same ship, his rating was S2c (Seaman 2nd class): 25 Feb 1945, 31 Mar 1945, and 27 Apr 1945 sailing from San Pedro, CA.

Report of changes for period ending 19 June 1946 USS Saginaw Bay: Chester P. Remington, rating at date of last report: Cox (Coxswain).

Coxswain: works with canvas and handles boats; knows signaling.

Chester married Ruth H. Burlingame Abt 1948, Rhode Island. Ruth was born 16 Nov 1927, RI; died 31 Jan 2001, TX. [Group Sheet]

Chester married Lillian Eva Bennett 26 Apr 1958, Old South Church, Boston, MA. Lillian (daughter of John Alan Bennett and Mary Watson Nisbet) was born 13 Jun 1918, Riverside, RI; died 21 Jun 2002, Marblehead, Essex Co., MA. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

He enlisted in the US Navy 13 Feb 1948.

Richard married Althea Lowary Angell 1958, Great Lakes, IL; divorced 20 Mar 1990, Virginia. Althea (daughter of George Frederick Angell and Mildred Lowary Anderson) was born 17 Dec 1928, Providence, RI; died 14 May 2022, Virginia Beach, VA. [Group Sheet]

Richard married Eunice Irene Wilder 28 May 1991, Phoenix, AZ. Eunice (daughter of Paul Luther Wilder and Nellie Maude Miller) was born 24 Mar 1931, St. Petersurg, FL; died 11 Jun 2021, Virginia Beach, VA. [Group Sheet]

Ruth married George F. Bowen, Jr. 10 Jun 1946. George was born 8 Nov 1922; died 31 May 1987. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

GRANT R. HUBBARD, 86, of Fort Wayne, died on Monday, May 14, 2012, at Parkview Regional Medical Center. Born in Providence, R.I. He was a U.S. Navy World War II combat veteran. He retired from Shand & Morahand, in Evanston, Ill. and Medical Protective locally. Surviving are his children, Tracy Tweed of Fort Wayne, Richard (Jean) Hubbard of Normal, Ill. and G. Robert (Tanis) Hubbard of Aurora, Colo.; grandchildren, Meghan, Kim, Adam, Jason, Marie, Drew, Rachel, Tanner, and Cierra; great-grandchildren, Hailey and Alyssa; and siblings, Ruth Ella Bowen, Charles Hubbard, Grace Harris, Rebekah Amoroso, and Mary Lou Hubbard. He was preceded in death by his wife, A. Marguerite, in 1997; son-in-law, Robert Tweed; and brother, George H. Hubbard. Funeral service is noon Friday, May 18, 2012, at Hockemeyer & Miller Funeral Home, 6131 St. Joe Road, Fort Wayne, with calling two hours prior. Burial in Highland Park Cemetery.

Grant married A. Marguerite Schoonover 26 Mar 1949. A. died 1997. [Group Sheet]

Rebekah — Pat Amoroso. [Group Sheet]

Ronald — . Unknown [Group Sheet]

Austin — Patti Unknown. Patti was born 15 Jan 1944; died 8 May 2003, CA. [Group Sheet]

Austin married Monte June Schweitzer 2012, Las Vegas, NV. Monte was born 7 Feb 1946, Riverside, CA. [Group Sheet]

Russell — Claire Reed. [Group Sheet]

Helen married William Paiva Abt 1945. [Group Sheet]