George Washington Flowers 
 Memorial Collection 
 
 ESTABLISHED BY THE 
 
 FAMILY OF 
 
 COLONEL FLOWERS 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2015 
 
 https://archive.org/details/genealogicalhist01chap 
 

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A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 CHAPPELL, DICKIE, 
 
 AND OTHER KINDRED EAMIEIES 
 
 « 
 
 OE VIRGINIA. 
 
 COMPILED BY 
 
 E>. OM 
 
 is: A i-s OITY, IVl O . 
 
 180 S. 
 
 KANSAS CITY: 
 Tiernan-Havens Printing Co. 
 1895. 
 
tl^e memory 
 
 ©f tl]e tl]ree Scotcl] Sisters, 
 5usannal|, Saral] anb Elizabeth Dickie^ 
 Cl]is little book is respectfully 
 bebicateb. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 I '/ 
 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. Introductory — First Settlement of Virginia — 
 
 Historical, . . . . .5 
 
 II. Origin of the Chappell Famila" — Characteris- 
 tics — The Family in England — Immigration 
 TO America — The Chappells in the Colony of 
 Virginia, . . . . . IG 
 
 III. Amelia County, Virginia — The Crawleys — Sarah 
 
 Crawlea" — Jaaies Chappell of Aaielia, Son of 
 Sarah Crawley, . . . . .38 
 
 IV. John Chappell of Amelia, Son of Sarah Craw- 
 
 ley — John Chappell of Halifax — Children 
 BY His Second Marriage — The Dickie Famila^ 60 
 
 V. John Chappell of Missouri, . . .78 
 
 VI. Dickie Chappell of Kentucky — The Wade Faai- 
 
 iLY — The Coaiptons of Georgia, . . 97 
 
 VII. Robert, Jaaies and Saaiuel, Sons of John and 
 Prudence Chappell — Williaai, the Tennessee 
 Branch, . . . . .118 
 
 VIII. Joseph Chappell, the Georgia Branch — Robert 
 
 Chappell, the North Carolina Branch, . 137 
 
 IX. The Two South Carolina Branches of the Chap- 
 pell Faaiily — R oBERr, THE Iaiaiigrant of 1770, 
 
 AND Thoaias, the Iaiaiigrant of 1750, . 160 
 
 X. The Garlingtons of South Carolina — The Pate 
 
 Faaiily of Virgina, . . . .177 
 
 XI. The Adaais Faaiila", . . . .187 
 
 Conclusion, ...... 208 
 
HISTORY OF THE CHAPPELL FAMILY. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Introductory — First Settlement of Viroinia — Historical. 
 
 ^Vlience came you ? How few American families can truly 
 answer this question ! With many it seems a matter of little im- 
 portance, but if nothing more, it is certainly gratifying to be able 
 to trace one’s lineage from generation to generation, down a long 
 line of descent, and especially is this so, when, through this long 
 line, no stain is found on the family name, and no reason to blush 
 for the memory of those who have gone before us. 
 
 I have been asked how I came to write this family history ? 
 In the summer of 1892 I visited my uncle. Major John B. Adams, 
 who lives in a distant part of the State, and my sister, Mrs. Sarah 
 D. Lenoir. Both of these relatives had passed tlie usual limit of 
 years allotted to man. Our conversations, very naturally, were of 
 the past, and of tliose who had long since “gone over to the great be 
 yond.” In my conversations, with my uncle especially, he told me 
 of the early history of the Adams family, as it had been told him 
 by his father. He also told me much relating to the early history 
 of the Chappells in Virginia, for he had known many of the older 
 members of that family, and had himself married a Chappell. He 
 recalled many early family traditions, now forgotten, except by 
 himself. I was impressed witli the importance, not only to the 
 present, but to future generations, of preserving these facts and 
 traditions before they were forever lost, that they might be handed 
 down to those who should come after us — the descendants of these 
 old families. I had known but little of the history of ray family 
 
6 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTOEY OF THE 
 
 and had given the subject no thought or attention. My father and 
 mother had been dead many years and what had been told me by 
 them had been forgotten. 
 
 In this country and in the fast age in which we live, where 
 there are no hereditary titles, no entailment of fortunes, but little 
 attention is paid to family lineage, and no written history is pre- 
 served. It is not necessary, as in the older countries of Europe, 
 where society is organized differently. We are born into the 
 world, live out our days, pass away, and are forgotten in a few 
 generations. This is a sad reflection. The feeling of family 
 pride, and a reverence and love for our family names and tradi- 
 tions, which should exist in the breast of every one descended from 
 an honorable ancestry, does not prevail in this as it does in the 
 older countries. 
 
 I knew of relatives living in other states — the Wades in Vir- 
 ginia, the Comptons of Georgia and the Chappells of Kentucky. I 
 had never seen them, but knew they were my kindred. I corres- 
 ponded with some of them, for the purpose of getting all the facts 
 obtainable in relation to the early history of the family. I found 
 all anxious to co-operate with me and to contribute what informa- 
 tion they had for the purpose in view. I also came across old let- 
 ters, preserved for years, and old family Bibles containing records, 
 yellow with age, and telling of lives long since passed away. 
 
 After obtaining all the facts thus to be obtained, as I believed, 
 I compiled and published in January, 1893, a little pamphlet, con- 
 taining the result of my investigations. This I distributed among 
 my relatives as far as I knew their names and residences. I found 
 the distribution of this little book had the effect of awakening a 
 feeling of kindred and causing a renewal of affectionate remem- 
 brance in branches of the family separated for years and living, 
 many of them, in distant states. So many years had elapsed that 
 the different branches of the family had entirely lost sight of each 
 other. The pamphlet seemed to bring us all closer together, to 
 revive a family pride in the ancestral name, and to awaken in our 
 veins the clannish blood of our Scotch ancestors. 
 
 Among those I came in correspondence with were, Hon. 
 J. Chappell Compton, of Selma, Ala., and Mr. Robert L. Traylor^ 
 of Richmond, Va. , both related to these old families, and both 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHEP KINDRED FAMILIES. 7 
 
 educated and accomplished gentlemen. These seemed, especially, 
 to appreciate the effort I was making for the common interest of 
 all, and have not only encouraged me, hut have done all in their 
 power to aid me in my work, without which I might have aban- 
 doned the task — a task, which, at times, has seemed overwhelming 
 with insurmountable difficulties. With one in the East and the 
 other in the South, their co-operation has been invaluable. I 
 desire, also, to thank other members of the families for assistance 
 and information, among whom are D. T. Chappell of Kansas City, 
 Wm. B. Chappell, of Tenn., Mrs. Abigail Hart, of Fayette, Mo., 
 Mrs. Fanny Oliver, of Rockford, Texas, Samuel L. Adams, of N. 
 C., Mrs. Mary S. Pointer, of Halifax Co., Va., Henry Adams, of 
 Texas, Capt. E. A. Garlington, U. S. Army, Mrs. R. W. Simpson, 
 of S. C., Mr. T. C. Garlington, of Ala., M. D. Garlington, of 
 Dallas, Texas, George Chappell, of Charlotte Co., Va., Thos. J. 
 Chappell, of Columbus, Ga., Dr. J. T. Chappell, of Dublin, Ga., 
 and many others. From these and other kindred I have obtained 
 a good part of the traditional information, letters and old manu- 
 scripts, which have enabled me to write this history. All have 
 shown a willingness to aid me, and on behalf, not only of myself, 
 but of the descendants of these old Virginian families, I desire to 
 express my gratitude to them. 
 
 After the publication of the pamphlet, I very naturally dis- 
 covered several important errors, as the information it contained 
 had been obtained solely from tradition. I also gained from sub- 
 sequent correspondence a vast amount of additional information — 
 much of it relating to the early history of our ancestors — not 
 referred to in the pamphlet. All of this seemed too valuable to be 
 lost. 
 
 I have treated each of the families referred to in these pages, 
 as different branches of the same family, for they are so related by 
 ties of consanguinity or intermarriage, that the^^ may be properly 
 so considered. In September, 1893, with the determination of 
 re-writing our family history, making it full and complete, and 
 going to the very bottom of the task I had undertaken, I visited 
 Virginia, the old country from which our ancestors came. I went 
 to the eastern part of the State, followed their footsteps from the 
 mouth of James River, where they landed, on coming to Amer- 
 
8 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 ica, in 1635 ; thence to Snrry and Sussex comities ; on to Charles 
 City county, in 1661 ; across the river to Prince George and Din- 
 widdle, in 1720, and from there to Amelia, in 1746. From there 
 the path led to that grand old connty^ — ^Halifax — at the close of the 
 Revolutionary War, 1782 ; and from Halifax, at the beginning of 
 the nineteenth century, across the Cumberland and Alleghany 
 mountains to Georgia, Tennessee, the Mississippi Valley and on to 
 Texas, the ultima thule of American civilization. I traveled, in 
 three days, over the same ground and over the same route which 
 they were two centuries and more in traversing. I followed the 
 same course over the Blue Ridge and Alleghanies, down to Chatta- 
 nooga and Nashville ; then on to Western Kentucky, passing over 
 the same county road in Christian county that my father had 
 passed over in 1835, on his first trip to Missouri. I saw in Amelia, 
 Prince Edward and Halifax counties in Virginia, the same red 
 clay hills, and the same old field pines, that had been described to 
 me in my childhood. I visited the Virginia home of my parents 
 and stood by the graves of my forefathers. What tender recollec- 
 tions were awakened by these scenes of the dear ones long since 
 passed away. I found, in my father’s old home, in Halifax county, 
 on a pane of glass, my mother’s name, cut there indelibly, when 
 she was a bride, sixty years ago. 
 
 I went to the county seats of Amelia and other counties, the 
 former homes of our ancestors, and delved among the old records, 
 yellow with age and covered with the dust of two centuries. Took 
 from shelves old books and papers placed there a hundred years 
 before I was born, moth eaten and decayed ; examined old deeds, 
 wills, settlements of estates and marriage bonds, signed by those 
 who are dead and gone, many, many years ago. I gathered a date 
 here, a name there, hunted for a missing link until I found it, fol- 
 lowed up one clew after another until I had gathered the facts — 
 indisputable facts — as given in these pages. In addition to this 
 source of information, I visited, in person, many old people, 
 especially in Amelia and Halifax, and learned from them all the 
 traditions of the family to be obtained. I found several, now four 
 score years old, who remembered the older members of the family 
 and who related to me many very interesting incidents of these old 
 people, their characters, customs and peculiarities. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 9 
 
 111 the city of Richmond I was so fortunate as to obtain the 
 assistance of Mr. R. A. Brock, historian and antiquarian, and the 
 most accomplished genealogist in Virginia, to whom I am greatly 
 indebted, especially for the family history in the colonial days of 
 Virginia. Mr. Brock was, for many years prior to 1893, secretary 
 of the Virginia Historical Society, and edited the eleven volumes 
 of invaluable “ Collections,” and is at present secretary of the 
 “ Southern Historical Society.” In addition to an extensive col- 
 lection of rare and valuable printed volumes, manuscripts, jour- 
 nals, documents and letters, he possesses, as the fruits of a life- 
 time’s gleanings, eight large folio volumes of minute manuscript, 
 genealogical memoranda, embracing unpublished information of 
 nearly every family name of consequence, identified with Virginia 
 for the last three centuries, the equivalent of many thousand printed 
 pages. The names of the earlier Chappells are frequently men- 
 tioned in these pages. 
 
 The result of my researches may be found in this little book. 
 I am not unmindful of the fact that the paramount virtue of the 
 historian is truthfulness. I have attempted to write the truth, and 
 the story of the lives of these old people, as given here, is not 
 overdrawn ; it is the true and unvarnished history of these old 
 Southern families, from the first settlement of the colony of Vir- 
 ginia to the present time, a period that embraces the most import- 
 ant epoch in the history of the civilized world, and the most im- 
 portant event — the transplanting of the Anglo-Saxon race from 
 the old to the new world. 
 
 Errors may be found in the names given, they can not be 
 avoided in the multitude, but the data, as taken from the records 
 of Virginia, are indisputable, and the traditions, as given, are 
 believed to be reliable. On account of the many branches, I have 
 been compelled to curtail the scope of the work as much as possi- 
 ble, and even as it is, it is much more voluminous than I antici- 
 pated. I trust, however, that it will be found to contain the gene- 
 alogy complete, or as nearly so as can be ascertained, of each 
 branch of the family. 
 
 The work accomplished has required patience, perseverance 
 and a vast amount of correspondence and labor, but it has been 
 with me, a labor of love — love for the name “ Chappell ” — and 
 
10 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 love for my kindred, wherever they may be. In another genera- 
 tion, from the ravages of time alone, the data obtained, especially 
 from the old records of Virginia, would, in all probability, have 
 been lost to us forever, and if no other good is accomplished, I 
 trust this history will serve to rescue from oblivion, and perpetu- 
 ate the names and sacred memories of those noble old men and 
 women who have long since passed to another world, but who 
 have transmitted to us, their descendants, sound bodies and minds, 
 and have left us as a heritage that which is above all else in value — 
 names without tarnish or reproach. 
 
 FIRST SETTLEMENT OF VIRGINIA, 1607. 
 
 As the first settlement of the Chappell family, and some of the 
 others mentioned in this history, was contemporaneous with the 
 establishment of the first English colony in Virginia, a brief re- 
 view of the history of that colony will be necessary to fix the dates 
 referred to in the mind of the reader, and may not prove uninter- 
 esting. 
 
 It was ninety-twm years after the discovery of America by 
 Columbus, and almost as long after the first voyage of John Cabot, 
 the English discoverer to the coast of Virginia, before any attempt 
 was made by the English to gain a foot-hold in the New World. 
 In 1584, Sir Walter Raleigh, acting under a charter granted by 
 Queen Elizabeth, attempted to establish a colony on Roanoke 
 Island, off the coast of North Carolina. The first attempt having 
 failed, he again, in 1585 and 1586, brought over additional colo- 
 nists. The last of these adventurers having been massacred by the 
 Indians, and Sir Walter Raleigh having bankrupted himself in his 
 venture, the attempt was abandoned, and the close of the sixteenth 
 century found no English settlement in America. 
 
 No further attempt was made by the English to establish a 
 colony until 1606. In that year a charter was granted a company 
 called the “London Company,” by King James. On the 16th of 
 April, 1607, after a voyage of four months in crossing the Atlantic, 
 they landed at the mouth of James River, and ascended that stream 
 fifty miles to a low peninsula, and there on the 13th of May, 1607, 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHEK KIKDPED FAMILIES. 
 
 11 
 
 founded the first permanent Engdish settlement in America, calling 
 the place Jamestown, after their sovereign.* 
 
 The selection of the location of the town was unfortunate. It 
 was a low, flat, sickly country, and the colonists were a shiftless 
 set, unused to hardship and labor, and were composed mostly of 
 the youuger sons of the nobility. In the first year nearly one-half 
 of them died. For ten or twelve years the existence of the colony 
 was uncertain, and several times the enterprise came near being 
 abandoned ; in fact, it was not until 1619, that the colony was con- 
 sidered on a Arm basis and the experiment a success. 
 
 Three great staples were found by the English among the 
 Indians ; corn, potatoes and tobacco ; the last was destined soon to 
 revolutionize the commerce of the world. The cultivation of 
 it Avas commenced in 1612. The land and climate were found 
 especially adapted to the plant. As a luxury it soon began 
 to be used, not only in England, but all over the ciAnlized world ; 
 there soon grew to be a demand for all that could be raised, at re- 
 munerative prices ; in fact, it soon took the place of money itself, 
 as the currency of the country. As a result, the Virginia planter 
 grew rich rapidly, and needed all the labor that could be obtained 
 to cultiA^ate the great staple. 
 
 Thus matters progressed in the colony until 1619. By that 
 time the venture was on a Arm basis and eA^erything was in a 
 flourishing condition. It became evident, hoAveA^er, that some- 
 thing was lacking to make it a permanency ; that something was 
 Avoman. Up to that time there were no women in the colony, and 
 the happiness, contentment and in fact the perpetuity of the colony 
 itself, demanded that the men should hav^e Avives. 
 
 To remedy this state of affairs the London Company during 
 that year sent over ninety young Avomen. Each man Avas to be 
 permitted to select a wife by paying her passage, Avhich was fixed 
 at 120 pounds of tobacco. As tobacco was at that time selling at 
 three shillings per pound, equal to seAxnty-five cents in the pres- 
 ent currency, the cost Avas, therefore, 890 for a AA'ife. History 
 tells us the voung men Avere all at the wharf anxioush' awaiting 
 the arrival of the ship, and that those Avho had the 120 pounds of 
 tobacco obtained wives. As this importation occurred sixteen 
 
 * Xothing remains of this old town to-day except the ruins. 
 
12 
 
 A genp:alogical history of the 
 
 years before the immigration of oar forefathers, it can not be said 
 that oiir grandmothers were bought and paid for in tobacco. It 
 was not long, however, before many young women came over of 
 their own accord, and managed to pay their own passage. 
 
 The year 1619 w^as a memorable one in the history of the 
 colony of Virginia. The great profit of tobacco planting had 
 caused a tremendous demand for labor. In the colonial records of 
 this year ^ve find the following entry : “About the last of 
 
 August came in a Dutch man-of-war and sold us twenty negars.” 
 This was the beginning of African slavery in the English colony 
 of America. 
 
 The importation of slaves from the western coast of Africa to 
 the West India islands began in the sixteenth century ;* and in 
 the latter part of the seventeenth the importation to the colonies 
 of Virginia was considered the most profitable part of British 
 commerce, as well as that of New England. At that time every 
 leading nation of Europe traded in negro slaves. No one con- 
 demned the traffic, and the king of England himself derived a 
 large part of his revenue from this source. This trade, however, 
 did not reach its greatest proportions until the first half of the 
 eighteenth century. At this time the planter who wished to sup- 
 ply his ])lantation went to the Atlantic seaports, there met the 
 slave ships and bought such slaves as he wished to buy. f 
 
 The slaves imported were of two distinct classes or tribes, 
 and differed very materially in their physiognomies. This differ- 
 ence can yet be distinctly seen among their descendants, especially 
 among the negroes of the Black Belt of the South. There were 
 the “Congo negroes,” with features approaching the European ; 
 thin nose, high cheek bone and thin lips ; they were much more 
 intelligent than the others, and when trained became intelligent 
 and valuable slaves. They Avere from the banks of the Congo 
 river, in the interior of Central Africa. The other type had 
 thick lips, black flat noses and projecting jaws. These were from 
 the coast of Guinea and were called “Guinea negroes”; they were 
 far inferior to the other tribe in point of intelligence, but pos- 
 sessed great powers of endurance, and from their docility and 
 tractability were more valuable as plantation slaves. The great 
 
 * 156 - 3 . 
 
 t See old manuscript, third chapter. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHEK KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 13 
 
 masses of both classes, however, were pagans and in a condition 
 of the grossest barbarism, but little superior in intelligence to 
 wild animals. The value of negro men, as shown by the appraise- 
 ments of estates, in my possession, in Virginia at this period (the 
 middle of the eighteenth century), was from £50 to £70, or in 
 the present currency from 8250 to 8350, and of women from 8150 
 to 8200. 
 
 The colonists of Virginia were agriculturists, engaged exclu- 
 sively in the cultivation of tobacco. They were not a maritime 
 people, but their neighbors up at Plymouth Rock were, and were 
 ship-owners and ship-builders, and although far more pious and 
 religious than their Southern brethren, had no conscientious 
 scruples in engaging in the slave trade and in kidnapping “negars” 
 in Africa, bringing them to America, and selling them to the 
 planters of Virginia to cultivate tobacco. 
 
 Our ancestors were slaveholders from their first settlement in 
 Virginia — 1635 — until the red tide of war which swept over the 
 Southland ended at Appomattox, and made freemen of four 
 million slaves. I have no apology to offer for them, nor do they 
 need any. They and their descendants have always been a law 
 abiding people. The laws of England protected and fostered 
 slavery in the colony of Virginia ; the constitution of the United 
 States recognized the institution and protected the rights of the 
 slaveholder in his property. While aware that perhaps the 
 younger generation, those born since the great civil war, look 
 upon the institution of slavery as having been morally wrong, it is 
 because they little understand the institution as it existed in 
 the South ; they know nothing of the regard, solicitude and affec- 
 tion of the master for his inherited slave, or the slave for his mas- 
 ter. Born on the same plantation, accustomed to enjoy the same 
 sports in childhood, there was a feeling of mutual attachment and 
 affection that the world outside of the South has never understood. 
 It has been truly said : 
 
 “Had the African been left like the Indian in his native 
 wilds, his would have been the fate of the Indian ; but by the 
 mysterious providence of God the African was bound to the car of 
 the Anglo-American, who has borne him along with him in his 
 upward course, protecting his weakness and providing for his 
 
14 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 wants. Accordingly he has grown with our growth and strength- 
 ened with our strength until he is numbered by millions instead of 
 scores. In the meantime the black man has been trained in the 
 habits, manners and arts of civilization, has been taught the 
 Christian religion, and has been gradually rising in intellectual 
 and moral order, until he is far above his race in his native 
 country.” 
 
 “In these facts we see the traces of an all- wise Providence. 
 Africa gave Virginia a savage and a slave, Virginia gave back a 
 civilized man and a Christian.” 
 
 It is not necessary to discuss this subject further. The 
 arbitrament of the sword which struck the shackles from the 
 negro and made him a free man, forever settled the question of 
 negro slavery in America. It left the black man still in his native 
 South, where he is destined to remain. His freedom, however, 
 has left unsettled the race question, one of vital interest to both 
 the white and black man. What will be the hnal result of this 
 God only knows and the future can only reveal. 
 
 For a long time after the introduction of slavery into the 
 colonies the increase in the negro population was very slow. As 
 late as 1673 — a half a century — we lind the population of the 
 entire colony only 40,000 souls. Of these 32,000 were white 
 freemen, 6,000 indentured white servants and 2,000 negro slaves. 
 Many white people were sent over from England to be bound out, 
 or really sold, to the planters for a certain luimber of years. 
 Some of these were poor young men, and having no means to pay 
 their transportation, bound themselves out for a number of years 
 to pay their passage, either to the London Company or to the 
 ship captains, and their time was sold to the planters. In other 
 cases poor children were picked up in the streets of London and 
 sent over ; others again were kidnapped by scoundrels and shipped 
 off on board the vessels and sold as servants. Later on, prisoners, 
 taken in English battles, were sent over and sold. Virginia was 
 never a penal colony, as has been charged, although at one time a 
 ship load of criminals was actually sent over. But the remon- 
 strance from the colonists was so strong that no further attempt 
 was made to unload this undesirable class on the young colony. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 15 
 
 The people thus sent over were called apprentices, indentured 
 servants and redemptionists, and the period of time for , which they 
 were compelled to work for their masters was from five to ten 
 years. Many of the more industrious bought their time, and in 
 after years themselves became planters and respected citizens. 
 
 In 1620 the annual product of tobacco on the plantations was 
 only 40,000 pounds, and at the price it was then selling — three 
 shillings, or about seventy-five cents per pound, in our currency — 
 the crop yielded 830,000. The value of the tobacco crop raised 
 in the United States in 1892 was more than 850,000,000, and this 
 at an average price of seven cents per pound. As the amount of 
 tobacco produced by each farm hand is about 1,000 pounds, and 
 was worth in 1620 8750, it is not strange that these old planters, 
 with negroes bought at 8300 each, and redemptionists (white ser- 
 vants), whose services were paid for at the rate of 830 to 850 per 
 year, soon became wealthy. 
 
 The condition of the colonists continued to improve from 
 1619 to 1635. The latter year is one memorable in the history of 
 the Chappell family, for it was in this year that our first ancestor 
 set foot on American soil — twenty- eight years after the first set- 
 tlement of America by the Anglo-Saxon race, and of the first set- 
 tlement of the colony of Virginia. Certainly we have the right 
 to claim the distinction of having descended from one of the 
 “first families of Virginia,” first at least in point of time. 
 
16 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Origin of the Chappell Family — Characteristics — The 
 
 Family in England — Immigration to America in 1635 — 
 
 The Chappells in the Colony of Virginia. 
 
 There has long been an impression that the Chappell family 
 was of French extraction, and it has been supposed that we w^ere 
 descended from the Huguenots, who left France during the 
 reign of Louis XIV, to escape religious persecution, and came to 
 this country in great numbers, locating in Georgia, the Carolinas, 
 and some finding homes in Virginia. That this has been an 
 erroneous belief there can be no question, for this immigration 
 began in 1685, fully fifty years after our forefathers came over 
 and settled in Virginia. It is possible that the impression that 
 we were of French descent came from the name itself. The name 
 “Chappie” and “Chappelle” — with a final “e” — are French names, 
 and mean a church or place of worship, as does the English word 
 “Chapel,” but the name “Chappell,” spelled as we spell it, and as 
 it has been spelled for nearly four centuries, is an English name, 
 and the people from whom we are descended were of pure English 
 stock, with no intermixture with the blood of any other nation- 
 ality. In proof of this fact incontrovertible evidence in abundance 
 will be found in these pages. And there is but little doubt that 
 every man in the United States bearing the name, and spelling it 
 as we do, is of the same original stock in the mother country, 
 however remote may be that connection or difficult now to trace. 
 
 The name “Chappell” was not an uncommon one in England 
 as far back as the sixteenth century ; nor is it an uncommon one 
 to-day. The family was numerously represented between 1500 
 and 1600 in Northamptonshire, Rutland and Nottinghamshire. 
 No attempt, however, has been made to trace the family history 
 across the water, nor to connect the family in the New World 
 with that in England. It is not improbable that our ancestors 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHEE KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 17 
 
 went originally to England from France, but if so, it is more 
 probable that they went over with William the Conqueror from 
 Normandy in 1066, or they may have been of that rough and 
 sturdy band of invaders who came from the north — the Saxons — 
 in the fifth century, and overran the country and conquered the 
 Britons. All theories on this subject are only surmises and con- 
 jecture, for as a matter of fact all that we now know, or will ever 
 know, is that we are all descended from an old English stock of 
 people who were well represented in that country as far back as 
 four centuries ago, or at the time that this country was discovered 
 by Columbus. 
 
 In consideration of the feelings and social pride of the 
 younger generations of the family, I regret in the interest of the 
 truth of history to be compelled to explode the favorite theory of 
 a French extraction. But our forefathers were not among the 
 followers of Henry of Navarre ; we can not claim a final “e” to the 
 name, nor to accent it on the last syllable ; nor that there is a 
 drop of French blood in our veins. 
 
 Neither can we claim any connection with the nobility of 
 England, for if we ever had any hereditary title or coat-of-arms 
 it is not now known. We sprang from the plain yeomanry of 
 England, that great middle class, which in morality, intelligence 
 and true manhood is far superior to the effete aristocracy, whose 
 minds and bodies have become enfeebled by centuries of idleness, 
 dissipation and debauchery. 
 
 From its earliest settlement in the tide- water part of Vir- 
 ginia, ours has been distinctively a Southern family. Wherever 
 its sturdy sons have found homes, in the wider fields open to civ- 
 ilization, it has been in that part of the country south of Mason 
 and Dixon’s line, or in the border states. But few members of 
 the family, and certainly no branch, has ever permanently located 
 in the Northern states. They have been generally a family of 
 pioneers, never remaining in one locality more than two or three 
 generations, but with commendable energy and enterprise pushing 
 South and West, as the tide of emigration flowed, and as newer and 
 more fertile countries were opened to settlement. 
 
 They have been a brave, patriotic and chivalric people, ever 
 ready to bear their just part in the hardships and requirements of 
 
18 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 the governments under which they have lived, and ever ready to 
 respond to the call to arms, when necessary to defend the rights 
 of their country. 
 
 From the long lapse of time, we necessarily know but little 
 of the traditions of our ancestors previous to the Revolutionary 
 War. History tells us of the continuous conflicts with the Indians 
 in Virginia from the days of Powhattan to the time of the Revolu- 
 tion, and even after that time. Doubtless our ancestors, as loyal 
 citizens, took part in these Indian wars, as the red man was 
 driven back to make way for his pale-faced brother. One of our 
 forefathers, (Thomas Chappell,) was an Indian trader in Petersburg, 
 Va., in 1725. Among the household effects belonging to my 
 great-grandfather (John Chappell of Amelia county), inventoried 
 at his death in 1774, was a small armory of guns and bayonets; as 
 this was before the Revolution, the presence of these bayonets 
 would indicate that the guns were used for war, and not solely for 
 that of the sportsman. I found in the company roll of Captain 
 Robert McKenzie’s company of Virginia the name of Edward 
 Chappell, a soldier in the Indian and French war, previous to the 
 Revolution. No date is given and no clue to his identity, except 
 that he was 23 years old and from Henrico county, Va. 
 
 In the great struggle for American Independence in 1776, our 
 ancestors took a prominent part and furnished their full quota to 
 the armies of the colonists. There were John and James Chap- 
 pell, ( brothers,) of Amelia, Robert of Dinwiddie, Capt. Robin 
 Chappell, ( a brother of my grandfather,) Benjamin Chappell, of 
 Dinwiddie, whose connection with the family is not positively 
 known, Samuel Chappell of North Carolina and Major Hix and his 
 brother Laban, of South Carolina. All of whom are known to 
 have been in the army. In the Adams family there was “ Uncle 
 Billy Adams,” as he was called, my grandfather Adams’ oldest 
 brother, and John Adams, a younger brother ; both of whom were 
 soldiers of the Revolution. Coming down to the second war with 
 Great Britain, in 1812, there will be found the names of several 
 members of the family who took up arms in that conflict, some of 
 whom were killed in battle. 
 
 I would be glad to forever blot from my mind every sad mem- 
 ory connected with the next conflict in which our kindred were 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 19 
 
 participants. I refer to the great civil war of 1861, the culmina- 
 tion of the “ Irrepressible Conflict,” which, like a small cloud in 
 the horizon, had been gathering and gradually approaching for so 
 many years. Born in the South, a part of its history from the very 
 beginning of American civilization, with their traditions, interests 
 and associations and all that men hold most dear, identifled with 
 that section, it is not surprising, that when the cloud burst, our 
 family, without an exception, as far as I know, sympathized with 
 the land of their nativity, and, where practicable, bared their 
 breasts to the storm, and drew their swords in defense of their 
 homes and firesides. It would not be possible to mention here the 
 names of all the members of these old families who entered the 
 ranks of the Confederate States Army, — they were numbered by 
 the hundreds; nor even the names of those who laid down their 
 lives on the battlefields of that terrible conflict. The entry, “killed 
 in the C. S. Army,” will become a familiar one to the reader who 
 peruses this little volume to the end. The names of these honored 
 and brave young men will be found, many of them, on these 
 pages, — they, wTose bodies fill unknown graves on the battlefields 
 around Richmond, and of the Army of Northern Virginia. There 
 were branches of the family, especially in Virginia, Georgia and 
 South Carolina, that became annihilated, every male member capa- 
 ble of bearing arms, being killed. One half the members of the 
 first company raised in Laurens county. South Carolina, it is said, 
 were descendants of our venerated relative, Susannah Dickie. 
 The loyalty of the women of the family to the Southern Cause, their 
 bravery, fortitude and self-sacrificing devotion, can never be ap- 
 preciated or understood by their descendants. 
 
 Physically, ours has been a strong and robust race. For more 
 than two centuries a family of pioneers, always in the front rank 
 of advancing civilization, driving back the Indians, clearing new 
 farms, then moving further west, they have lived an out-of-door 
 life, and in many cases, doubtless, lives of hardship and privation. 
 But whether engaged in planting tobacco in Virginia, Kentucky 
 and Missouri, or cotton in Georgia, Tennessee and South 
 Carolina, or in ranching on the prairies of Texas, we find them 
 living in the country. Agriculture has been, from the first settle- 
 
20 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 merit of tbe family in Amei’ica, the favorite pursuit, and the culti- 
 vation of tobacco the great specialty. For generation after gener- 
 ation, in the olden times, and in fact, from 1635 to 1860, it seems 
 to have been the custom to engage for a livlihood, in tobacco 
 planting — always a pi-ofitable crop. By the time the father had 
 lived out his days, he had accumulated an estate in lands and ne- 
 groes sufficient to give to each child a farm and a few negroes, 
 adequate for a start in life. The son began life the same way, lived 
 the life his father had lived, died, and left to each of his children 
 a plantation and negroes. The old wills in my possession, copied 
 from the records in Virginia — and I have many of them — estab- 
 lish this as having been the almost universal custom. They doubt- 
 less lived industrious, frugal lives, never becoming very rich, but 
 always lived well and died leaving valuable estates. There was 
 no speculation and no bankruptcy among them. This has been the 
 history of the family for six or seven generations. The ideal life 
 in the South in ante-helluyn days, was that of the planter, and the 
 Virginian planter was a born gentleman. 
 
 In the colonial days and even at a subsequent period, there 
 were few professional men in Virginia ; there were fewer still 
 among the older generations of Chappells. In later generations, 
 and especially since the civil war, many have entered the profes- 
 sions and have arisen to prominence in the legislative halls of the 
 different states in which they have lived ; others have entered the 
 more complicated and difficult channels of commerce and finance; 
 especially has this been true of the branches that have intermarried 
 with the Dickies; for the Scotch, to which nationality this family 
 belonged, have always been a commercial race, and the descendants 
 of the Chappell-Dickie marriages have, in many instances, become 
 successful business men, distinguished for their energy, integrity 
 and intelligence. 
 
 The family has been remarkable for the longevity of its mem- 
 bers. Many have lived out their “ three score years and ten ” and 
 not a few lived to become octagenarians. I think there are but 
 few families that have had among their numbers so many very old- 
 people. Naturally a strong and robust race, the family has been 
 a prolific one, and their descendants are now numbered by the 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 21 
 
 hundreds, if not tbousauds. It is certainly very clear that they 
 have obeyed one well known Scriptural injunction. 
 
 As I have known the Chappells, there are two distinct physical 
 types. One is tall and spare, having dark hair, eyes and complex- 
 ions, and never, even in old age, becoming corpulent. It possesses 
 a wonderful amount of energy, industry and physical endurance, 
 and is a splendid type of man and womanhood. Its members are 
 cjenerallv lono- lived. The other has fair skins, blue eves and light 
 hair. It is equally as intelligent as the former, and its members 
 equally as handsome, but it has not the same energy and powers of 
 endurance, nor has it the longevity or strong physique. I have 
 imagined the former to be the true Chappell type, of English blood, 
 and that those who are blondes derive their fair skins, blue eyes 
 and light hair from the intermixture of the blood of some other 
 nationality ; in the Missouri and Tennessee branches, I have no 
 doubt it has been transmitted from our Scotch ancestry, for I have 
 seen brothers and sisters, of full blood, of the two directly oppo- 
 site types. There is probably nothing in the entire realm of science 
 more interesting to the observant man than the laws of heredity. 
 That we inherit not only the physical characteristics, but the men- 
 tal and moral traits of our progenitors, there can be no question. 
 
 The family has been remarkable, not only for its longevity, 
 but for its healthfulness and freedom from hereditary disease and 
 infirmities of mind or body. So far as I have been able to learn, 
 there has been no insanity, imbecility, deformity or idiocy in any 
 branch of the family, nor have there been any of those hereditary 
 misfortunes which are a curse to humanity and follow down one 
 generation after another, entailing sorrow and misery on children 
 of unfortunate parents. 
 
 Physically and mentally a strong, robust people, morally they 
 have been fully up to the standard of Southern families — the 
 highest type of moral and religious citizenship. There have been 
 been no criminals among us, and in all of my researches, in every 
 branch of the family, and I refer not alone to the Chappells but to 
 the other families related by marriage or blood, I have heard of no 
 case of any man’s having committed a crime, or woman having 
 strayed from the path of virtue. Black sheep there may have been, 
 but if so, their names have been stricken from the family records, 
 
22 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 and they have been forgotten, as they deserved to be. No man 
 has yet brought disgrace on his family' name. Many have sulfered 
 the misfortunes of poverty ; especially has this been true during 
 and since the war. Of the South, and in the South, it has been 
 the fate of many to sulfer the ills that befell that unfortunate sec- 
 tion, but the family escutcheon has been preserved untarnished, 
 and the family name without reproach. Many of the family have 
 been wild in their youth, dissipated and reckless; perhaps excep- 
 tionally so, but this is a misfortune growing out of the peculiar 
 social relations of the South. After ‘‘sowing a liberal crop of 
 wild oats,” they have “generally rounded to,” and become moral, 
 upright citizens, and frequently zealous Christians, for in every 
 branch of the family there has always prevailed a strong religious 
 tendency underlying sometimes what seems reckless lives, which 
 develops sooner or later ; for there are no infidels or atheists 
 among our members. Perhaps no family of the number has had 
 so many zealous Christian men and women as has ours. 
 
 The family has been a religious one since its first settlement 
 in the colony of Virginia. During the colonial period, there was but 
 one recognized religious faith or church ; this w^as the Established 
 Church of England. Our forefathers were zealous members of that 
 churchj and their names are numerously found in the parish registers 
 of the old counties. In the original Register of Albemarle Parish 
 ( Surry and Sussex counties ) yet jireserved in the Virginia Histor- 
 ical Society, are found the names of James, Elizabeth, John, Re- 
 becca, Robert, Samuel and Thomas Chappell, and many others, 
 who were, doubtless, members of this Parish, the dates of these 
 entries of marriages, births and deaths, extend from 1739 to 1772. 
 At the close of the Revolutionary W'ar, the Methodist Church 
 first established a foothold in America; this was about 1790. Our 
 ancestors at once adopted this as the denomination representing 
 their religious faith, and it seems to have been the favorite church 
 in most branches of the family to this day, although many have 
 become connected wdth other Protestant denominations. 
 
 In every generation w^e have been a God-fearing, religious 
 people, with brains and energy enough to take care of ourselves 
 in any emergency. This has been the history of the family as I 
 have learned it, not only from tradition, but from the facts as 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHER KIKDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 23 
 
 shown by the old records, yet preserved in Virginia. It is a 
 history of which we may all feel proud and which should deter- 
 mine every son aud daughter to live an upright, honest and honor- 
 able life, that the name, so long without reproach, may be thus 
 transmitted to posterity. 
 
 IMMIGRATION TO AMERICA. 
 
 During the seventeenth and a part of the eighteenth centuries 
 a record was kept, under the direction of the government, at all 
 ports of entry on the English seacoast, of emigrants to the colonies 
 in America ; and every English subject, before embarking, was 
 required to take the oath of allegiance to the King and the Estab- 
 lished Church. These records have been preserved, and from them 
 has been compiled, by John C. Hotten, a list of emigrants to 
 America from 1607 to 1700. In this list appears the names of 
 seven persons named “ Chappell,” who sailed from England 
 between 1634 and 1685. Their names appear in the following 
 order : 
 
 1. “George Chappell, embarked on March 16, 1634, in the 
 barque ‘ Joseph White,’ having taken the oath of allegiance. He 
 sailed for the colony in Xew England.” 
 
 2. “ Capt. John Chappell, of London, commander of the ship 
 ‘ Speedwell,’ sailed May* 28, 1635, from Southampton, with 60 
 passengers — 49 men and 11 women — for the colony of Virginia.” 
 
 3. “ Thomas Chappell, age 23, sailed on the ship ‘ America,’ 
 June 23, 1635, Captain William Barker, from Gravesend, Eng- 
 land, for the colony of Virginia. Took the oath of allegiance to 
 the King and Established Church.” 
 
 4. “John Chappell, aged 38, sailed on the ship ‘Assur- 
 ance,’ July 24, 1635, from England to the Colony in Virginia.” 
 
 5. “John Chappell, of Petherton (rebel), transported as a 
 military prisoner January 9, 1685, from England to the Island of 
 Barbadoes.” The records show that he was released in February 
 of the same year and embarked from the Island of Barbadoes for 
 America, but to what port is not stated. If the reader will ex- 
 
 * Spelled, originally, “Mai.” 
 
24 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OP THE 
 
 amine a map be will see, in the South Atlantic Ocean, not far 
 from the coast of Brazil, in the Carribean Sea, and east of the 
 Antilles, a small dot, marked “ Island of Barbadoes.” This was 
 a British penal colony at that time, and it was to this island, so 
 far away from friends and country, that our namesake was ban- 
 ished. He was, doubtless, engaged in one of the domestic wars, 
 many of which occurred in England during this period. As usual 
 with the Chappells, he was a “ rebel.” 
 
 We have besides these, accounts of one Jonah Chappell, who 
 sailed from England in 1668, and of one Joshua Chappell, wlio 
 sailed in 1678. Both of these, however, are said to have died 
 before reaching the coast of America. 
 
 In my researches I have found no less than three different and 
 distinct families of Chappells in this country, who spell the name 
 as we do, but who are believed to be in no way related to or de- 
 scended from our Virginia family ; although all are of English 
 descent, and doubtless of the same stock, originally, as that from 
 which we sprang. Besides these, there are three or four families, 
 of whom I have account, of French extraction ; these, however, 
 are an entirely distinct people, and spell the name differently from 
 the way we spell ours. 
 
 First, there is the New England family of Chappells, whose 
 ancestor may have been George Chappell, who came to the 
 Northern colony in 1634. I have a copy of their genealogy, fur- 
 nished me by J. Chappell Clark, of Indianola, Iowa. Their tra- 
 dition is that their ancestors went from France to Wales, from 
 there to England and from the latter country came to America at 
 the beginning of the 17th century. Their genealogy goes back 
 to 1710 and we find in it many old New England names, such as 
 Caleb, Joshua, Julius, Amos and Roger, but nowhere are found 
 our family names, John, Robert, Thomas and Samuel. Many of 
 this family were soldiers in the Revolutionary War. They settled 
 originally in Massachusetts and Connecticut.* The family is one 
 of the oldest in the New England States, of great respectability, 
 and has produced many men of prominence and worth in this 
 
 * For genealogical matter as to the Northern family of Chappells, the reader is referred to 
 Savage’s Genealogical Dictionary, vol. 1, p. 363; Loomis’s General Female Branches, pp. 816- 
 817: Hinman’s Connecticut Settlers, pp. 546-548; Hines’ New London, Conn., p. 1.50 and 
 Caulkin’s History of Connecticut, p. 32.5. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHEE KINDEED FAMILIES. 
 
 25 
 
 country, several of whom I have known personally. While there 
 is hut little doubt that the New England and Virginia families 
 sprang from the same ancestry, and that their forefathers came to 
 America about the same time, a long residence of 260 years in this 
 country has separated them widely in their habits, customs and 
 methods of thought. One is a typical New England family, the 
 other a typical Southern, but each represents the best type of 
 their respective sections. 
 
 There is another family of Chappells who originally located 
 in Maryland, and some of whose descendants now reside in Balti- 
 more. Like the Virginia branch it is an old Southern family and 
 its immigrant ancestor was born in London in 1791, and came to 
 this country and settled in Maryland at the beginning of this cen- 
 tury. As early as 1850, two members of this family, John T. and 
 William H. Chappell, immigrated to Missouri and located in St. 
 Louis. The former died in 1874, the latter is still living in 
 Chicago. He has a brother, Edwin F., living in St. Louis, and 
 had another brother — Philip S. — now dead, who was a banker in 
 Baltimore. John T. Chappell had a brother William who was a 
 colonel in the Confederate army, and was killed at the battle of 
 Prairie Grove, Ark. He left a son, W. G. Chappell, who now 
 lives in St Louis. 
 
 The other family of Chappells, to whom I have referred, is 
 connected with a Georgia family of French extraction, who spell 
 the name “Chappie.” They are represented by Hon. Robert 
 Chappie of Athens, Ga., and as their history is rather romantic I 
 wdll give it in the language of Mr. Chappie. He says : 
 
 “My great' grandfather was a soldier of Napoleon Bonaparte, 
 and a Frenchman. His name was Henry de la Chappie. He was 
 captured at the battle of Waterloo and thrown into an English 
 prison at Dartmore, in the county of Devonshire. After peace 
 was declared he was released and became acquainted in the same 
 town with an English family named “Chappell.” A son of his, 
 whose name was William, and who was my grandfather, married 
 a daughter of this family, whose name was Mildred Chappell. 
 They lived to be verv old, and had twenty-one children, eighteen 
 of whom lived to maturity. My grandfather was in the battle 
 of Trafalgar with Nelson, and was wounded in that engagement. 
 
 -3 
 
26 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 My father, whose name was John, emioratecl to America and 
 settled in Georgia in 1853, and died in 1872. I had a brother 
 Thomas who emigrated to California and died there. 
 
 “Now to return to the English family of Chappells, my rela- 
 tives on my grandmother’s side. Two sons removed to London 
 and five came to this country. Of the latter, two located in Balti- 
 more, two in Strausburgh, Va., and one in Petersburg. I have but 
 one son. Dr. John A. Chappie of Atlanta, Ga.” 
 
 A monument should be erected to the memory of this good 
 old woman, Mildred Chappell, for she certainly did her part to 
 perpetuate her name, not only in the old but also in the new 
 world. Napoleon was once asked by Madame De Stael whom he 
 considered the greatest woman that ever lived. His reply was : 
 ‘‘She who has borne the most children !” By this test she would 
 certainly have ranked with the greatest of her sex. 
 
 There is still another family of “Chappies” who formerly lived 
 in Georgia, and some of whom may still reside in that state. 
 Their immigrant ancestor, whose name is unknown, is said to 
 have been a French soldier, and to have come to Georgia at an 
 early day from South America. He had a son who lived and 
 died in that state many years ago, Dr. Newton Chappie. Hon. 
 F. N. Judson, a prominent member of the St. Louis bar, is a 
 grandson of Dr. Newton Chappie. 
 
 There are other families of “Chappies” and “Chapelles” of 
 whom I have heard, but it is unnecessary to refer to them. One 
 was a distinguished and prominent Catholic bishop, who lived 
 some years ago in Santa Fe, N. M. It is evident that those who 
 spell the name “Chappie” are of French descent, and those who 
 spell it “Chappell” are of English origin. 
 
 The history of the Chappell family of Virginia, from whom 
 all are descended whose histories or genealogies are given here, is 
 somewhat clouded with doubt and uncertainty for the first eighty- 
 five years after the immigration of our first ancestor, (1635 to 1720). 
 This period may properly be called the “dark age” in our family 
 history. It is a well known historical fact, that the eastern part 
 of the Commonwealth of Virginia, where our ancestors lived pre- 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AXD OTHEE KIXDEED FAMILIES. 2 i 
 
 vious to 1746, has been three times devastated and ravished by in- 
 vadiuo- armies : first in 1776 ; then in 1812 ; and again in 1861. 
 During these terrible conflicts all kinds of property were 
 destroyed, and even the old court houses, many of tliem built in 
 the colonial days, did not escape the red torch of the wanton de- 
 strover. With them were burned the records, and in many cases 
 not a vestige was left of these old treasures, which would be val- 
 uable now for their antiquity if for nothing else. 
 
 Hence it is that only a few fragments can now be found of the 
 recorded history of our forefathers during this early period. An 
 old will here, an old deed there, snatched from the flames or re- 
 covered from those who had purloined them ; the land books at 
 Richmond, which fortunately are preserved entire from 1619 to 
 the present time, and the parish registers of some of the older 
 counties, are all that are left us, from which may be gleaned the 
 early history of our ancestors in Virginia. 
 
 From this unsatisfactory evidence, or rather from the absence 
 of reliable data, it is impossible to establish with any degree of 
 absolute certainty the line of descent from one generation to an- 
 other of any branch of the family during this period. The genea- 
 logical descent as adopted here is believed by those who have 
 given the subject much thought and the closest investigation, to 
 be correct. It is certainly the most plausible. 
 
 Our ancestors, on coming to America in 1635, settled near 
 Jamestown, at the mouth of James River. They continued to 
 reside in the tide-water part of the state, in the counties of War- 
 wick, Surry, Sussex, Charles City, Prince George and Dinwiddie, 
 all of which adjoin one to another, gradually moving back from 
 the sea-coast, as the country became settled, until 1746, when 
 those from whom we are descended removed from Prince George 
 to Amelia county. Many of the other branches continued to re- 
 main in the eastern part of the state, and some emigrated to 
 Georgia and the Carolinas, years before the American Revolution. 
 
 The name Chappell is not unknown in English history. In 
 the first part of the seventeenth century one William Chappell 
 was Bishop* of Cork, Ireland. He was born in 1582, published a 
 
 ^ Bishop of the Church of Euglaud. 
 
28 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTOEY OF THE 
 
 book called “Method us Concionaiidi” in 1648, and died May 13, 
 1649. He lived at Nottinghamshire, and was at one time John 
 Milton’s tutor at Cambridge. He had a younger brother whose 
 name was John, who died before him and was buried at Mans- 
 held and ieft a family. The father of these sons was named 
 Robert Chappell. From these well known family names, and from 
 the dates, it is not improbable that Captain John Chappell of the 
 ship ‘‘Speedwell,” was the John Chappell, son of Robert. 
 
 Captain John Chappell, who, there is good reason to believe, 
 was our hrst ancestor to set foot on the soil of America, was no 
 ordinary man. That he was a man of intelligence, energy, cour- 
 age and a skillful navigator there can be no question ; none other 
 would have been entrusted with the lives of his passengers on so 
 perilous a voyage, for there were no charts in that day to guide 
 the daring mariner across the trackless Atlantic. We know 
 nothing of the old skipper except that he sailed from Southamp- 
 ton for the mouth of James River and cleared on May 28, 1635. 
 His vessel, however, has a place in history. In the history of the 
 early settlement of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock in 1620 we 
 find the following account : 
 
 “The Pilgrims sailed from Delfshaven, Holland, the last of 
 July, 1620, in the ‘Speedwell’ for Southampton, England, where 
 the Mayflower was waiting. On August 5, both vessels sailed 
 for America with about 120 passengers.* Twice the ‘Speedwell’ 
 put back in a leaky condition. Finally, on September 16, the 
 Mayflower sailed alone from Plymouth, England, on her mem- 
 orable voyage.” 
 
 I regret that we have no description of this ship, but we have 
 of other vessels sailing in the same trade at the same time, and 
 doubtless similar in construction and size. She was probably 
 about ninety feet over all, twenty-five foot beam, and ninety tons 
 displacement, a lubberly, clumsy schooner or brig, not uulike in 
 appearance to the Spanish caravels, seen in Chicago in 1893, and 
 which were counterparts of the ships in which Columbus crossed 
 the Atlantic. ^ 
 
 * This would give sixty people to each ship, the same number that shipped on her in her 
 voyage to Virginia in 1635. 
 
29 
 
 CHAPPELL, DICKIE AXD OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 History records no other voyage made to the colony of Vir- 
 ginia by Captain Chappell, nor is there auy evidence that he ever 
 permanently settled in America. He probably returned to 
 England and died there. 
 
 Thomas Chappell, who has been referred to as having sailed 
 for the colony of Virginia on June 23, 1635, is believed to have 
 been the son of the old sea captain and our first ancestor to settle 
 permanently in this country. He was but 23 years old, and must have 
 been a daring young adventurer to have embarked on so perilous 
 a voyage. He settled at the mouth of James River, and the first 
 and only account we find of him in the colony is in the records, 
 partly preserved, of Charles City county, which was one 
 of the original shires of the colony and was organized in 1634. 
 The court house was burned, but a part of the records were saved, 
 and among them this old fragment, which, from its antiquity, 
 aside from the fact of its being the first Chappell record in Amer- 
 ica, is interesting. I transcribe it verbatim. The language is of 
 the olden time, many of the words now obsolete, and ‘Ve*’ used 
 for ‘4he*h 
 
 ‘‘Att a Cor’t holden at AVestover April 9, 1661, Thomas 
 Chappell acknowledgeth in Cor’t to have received of James 
 Wallis who married ye relict of Lt. John Banister dec’d, one 
 Legacy given by ye said Banister to ye said Chappell’s child by 
 will and discharged by ye said Wallis fully from ye bond. Being 
 three cows and one heyfor. It is ordered by ye Co’t. that Thomas 
 Chappell give bond to ye Co’t for ye cattle bequeathed to his 
 child by ye last will and testament of Lt. John Banister and by 
 him received for her use, being three cows and one heyfor.’* 
 
 “order Book p. 271” 
 
 Thomas Chappell's wife may have been, and probably was, the 
 sister of Lieutenant Banister. 
 
 Reckoning Captain John Chappell as our first ancestor, and 
 Thomas as the second, we come now to what is supposed to 
 have been the third generation in the colony. The data referring 
 to them has been obtained from the land books preserved in the 
 City of Richmond, and show the entries of land. They are tran- 
 scribed as follows : 
 
30 
 
 A GENEA.LOGICAL HISTORY OE THE 
 
 Robert Chappell, patented 100 acres land, January 26, 1663. 
 
 Book 5, p. 24. 
 
 Samuel Chappell, patented 78 acres, July 4, 1664. 
 
 Book 5, p. 24. 
 
 Thomas Chappell, patented 80 acres, October 20, 1665. 
 
 Book 5, p. 520. 
 
 These lands were probal)ly located in Warwick or Charles 
 City counties. They were entered by “head rights,” so called, a 
 grant to immigrants in consideration of their settlement in the 
 colony ; they were transferable, as a land warrant is to-day, and 
 the purchaser had the right to locate them on any vacant public 
 domain. Robert, Samuel and Thomas were doubtless the sons of 
 Thomas Chappell of Charles City county, they were at the time 
 young men, just beginning life, and poor, and entered these tracts 
 of land for homes. That they were not immigrants is evident from 
 the fact that their names do not appear on Hotten’s list. There 
 were but two Chappells at that time in the colony, John and 
 Thomas, and the name Thomas among the three, would indicate 
 that they were the sons of Thomas of Charles City county, the 
 immigrant of 1635. Thomas, the father, was 23 years old when 
 he came over. He was therefore born in 1612, and hence was 
 51 years old when the sons first entered land in 1663. 
 
 It is a remarkable fact, and ivill become a})parent to the 
 reader, that these three names have been transmitted from one 
 generation to another in the different branches of our family to the 
 present day. To my mind, this of itself is persuasive evidence, if 
 we had no other, that the line of descent, which has been indi- 
 cated here, and accepted as correct, is the proper deduction, and 
 that every member of the Southern family of Chappells is a de- 
 scendant of one of these three brothers. Of these, Samuel is sup- 
 posed to have been the ancestor of the brandies whose histories 
 are written here, and is supposed to have been the father of two 
 sons of Avhom we have records in the land books. These were 
 named Samuel and Thomas. This Thomas Cliappell of the fourth 
 generation was probably the ancestor of our line. 
 
 Thomas Chappell, the third of the name in America and of 
 the fourth generation, was probably born aliout 1665, and hence 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 31 
 
 was 30 years old when he began to enter land as appears below. 
 He lived in Charles City county, and became a large land owner. 
 His brother Samuel also entered land about the same time. These 
 entries were as follows : 
 
 Thomas Chappell, patented 423 acres land April 20, 1694. 
 
 Book 8, p. 371. 
 
 Thomas Chappell, patented 994 acres, April 25, 1701. 
 
 Book 9, p. 335. 
 
 Samuel Chappell, patented 218 acres land, October 29, 1696. 
 
 Book 9, p. 43. 
 
 The entry of Thomas Chappell of 994 acres, the records show 
 was by locating twenty head rights. 
 
 There also appears the following entry : 
 
 Zachariah Chappell, entered 175 acres, April 6, 1684. 
 
 We have no cine as to who Zachariah was or what became of 
 him. The name has never appeared before or since in any branch 
 of the Chappell family. Our ancestor undoubtedly lived in 
 Charles City county from about 1680 to perhaps 1720, but we find 
 no other record of him. 
 
 The fifth generation is represented by three brothers of whom 
 we have evidence from the records. They were Thomas, Samuel 
 and Robert. These are the same names we had in the third gen- 
 eration, but not in the same order. They were the sons of Thomas 
 of the fourth generation. These brothers were probably born 
 about 1690 in Charles City county, but removed across the James 
 River between 1715 and 1720 and located in Prince George. “ 
 
 We are beginning now to emerge from the obscurity of the 
 “ dark age ” in our family history, and, with the dawning of the 
 eighteenth century, the rays of light of a new era are beginning to 
 brighten our genealogical pathway, which becomes plainer and 
 more easily followed ; for, with this generation we find the first 
 connection of the records with our family traditions as they have 
 come down to us from our fathers — the one confirmed by the 
 other. 
 
 Thomas Chappell was the great- great- grandfather of the gen- 
 eration to which I belong and of my branch, and most of the 
 
 * Prince George formed from Charles City county in 1702. 
 
32 A GENEALOGICAL HISTOKY OF THE 
 
 Other branches whose histories are found in these pages. He was 
 from about 1720, to the time of his death, (which occurred about 
 1740,) a merchant and Indian trader in the city of Petersburg, 
 Va.,* and accumulated a fortune, leaving a good estate to his 
 children. Among his assets, bequeathed to his son John, was a 
 pair of money scales, inventoried with other property at the 
 latter’s death, in 1775. f 
 
 There is a well authenticated tradition in relation to this old 
 merchant that has come down to us through four generations, and 
 which, in the interest of the truth of history, should be recorded, 
 although it may give offense to the over fastidious members of the 
 younger generation. 
 
 At an early period in the colony of Virginia, people liked 
 their toddies,” as they do to-day. They manufactured their own 
 apple and peach brandy at home, but there was no whisky in that 
 country at that time, and the common beverage, universally used 
 was Jamaica rum, which was manufactured in the West Indies, and 
 distilled from molasses. Our old ancestor, on one occasion, it is 
 said, ordered a cask of rum from his correspondent on the Island 
 of Jamaica. The cask was received in due course of time and 
 placed ‘‘ on tap.” It was a good article, and the old gentleman 
 and his friends drank freely of it. When the cask began to get 
 empty, however, they discovered an unpleasant taste, and an 
 aroma not altogether pleasing to the olfactories. It was deter- 
 mined, at last, to knock the head in and ascertain what was the 
 matter. On opening it they were astonished to find the 
 body of a little old Frenchman, pretty well pickled. It is said 
 the old merchant at once wrote to his correspondent, from whom 
 he had purchased the rum, for an explanation, and was informed 
 that a wealthy French planter had died while on a visit to his 
 plantation on the Island of Jamaica, and his friends, 
 desiring to ship his remains back to France, and there 
 being no way to embalm the body, determined to immerse it in a 
 ©ask of rum and ship the cask, there being sufficient alcohol in the 
 rum, of course, to preserve the body. The order for a cask came 
 from Petersburg at the same time, and both casks being exactly 
 
 * Peteraburg is located on the county line between Prince George and Dinwiddie counties, 
 t See inventory of -John Chappell, of Amelia. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 33 
 
 alike, the merchant had made a mistake in marking them and the 
 cask intended for Petersburg was shipped to France, and the one 
 intended for France, and containing the Frenchman, was marked 
 and shipped to “ Thomas Chappell, Petersburg, V a.” 
 
 It is possible that some of our young kinspeople, who insist 
 on being of French descent, and who pronounce the name with the 
 accent on the last syllable, imbibed their French predilection from 
 old Tommy Chappell’s cask of rum. 
 
 Thomas Chappell married Sarah, the daughter of James Jones, 
 about 1710, and there were born to. them six children, who will be 
 referred to in the next chapter. In the Surry county records was 
 found the following item : “In 1722, Thomas Chappell sold to 
 
 William Cocke, 640 acres of land, located in Surry county.” The 
 records also show that Thomas, at that time, liyed in Prince 
 George county, and that this land had been patented by .James 
 Jones and deyised by him to Thomas Chappell in his will. 
 
 On the death of Thomas Chappell, which occurred about 1740, 
 his widow married William Crawley. They and her children by 
 her first husband, some of the children of Samuel Chappell, and 
 other members of the family, among whom were some of the 
 Crawley s, remoyed to Amelia county, still further west, about 
 1745 or 1746. The history of these will be found in another 
 chapter. The recorded eyidence we haye of Thomas Chap})ell, is 
 corroborated by an old manuscript, now in my possession, which 
 was found in Virginia, and which was written by his great-grand- 
 son, James Chappell, of Amelia.* 
 
 Samuel Chappell, brother of Thomas of Petersburg, and son 
 of Thomas of Charles City county, remoyed to Prince George, 
 probably with his brother. We haye no tradition of him and only 
 the following record. His will was filed in Surry county, for he 
 was a large land owner, and while he liyed in Prince George, 
 owned land in Surry and also in North Carolina. His wife was 
 named Elizabeth and they had children, among whom were two 
 sons, John and Joseph, and a daughter. Joseph became the pro- 
 genitor of the Georgia branch ; all of these will be referred to in 
 another chapter. We also find record of one Benjamin Chappell, 
 of Dinwiddle county, who was a soldier in the Revolution of ’76, 
 
 * See manuscript in Chapter III. 
 
34 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 and is supposed to have been the son of Samuel. The tradition 
 handed down to us in the manuscript referred to, is that Samuel 
 Chappell also left a good estate to his children. 
 
 We have greatly to lament the entire loss of the records in 
 both Prince George and Dinwiddle counties ; had they been pre- 
 served, doubtless we should not now be compelled to grope in the 
 darkness to recover the history of our family from 1700 to 1745. 
 
 Robert was another son of Thomas of Charles City, and a 
 brother of Thomas and Samuel Chappell. The only record found 
 of him was in the old parish register of Bristol parish, embracing 
 Prince George and Dinwiddle counties. The entries are as follows: 
 “ Ann, daughter of Robert and Mary Chappell, was born Feb’y 8, 
 1721.” “Absalom, son of Robert and Elizabeth Chappell, w^as 
 born May 6, 1729.” Robert, son of Robert and Elizabeth Chaj 3 - 
 
 pell, was born April 2, 1732.” These are the only Chappell 
 records found in the old register. Thomas and Samuel may not 
 have been members of this parish. Elizabeth was, probably, the 
 second wife of Robert. We have no further account of this 
 branch in Virginia, and there is reason to believe that Robert Jr., 
 born in 1732, emigrated to South Carolina and there established 
 a South Carolina branch. He will again be referred to in connec- 
 tion with the history of that branch. 
 
 In reviewing this chapter it will be observed that there are 
 several members of the family unaccounted for. We have no 
 knowledge as to what became of them or their descendants. 
 
 First, there is the immigrant, John Chappell, aged 38, who 
 came over on the “Assurance,” in July, 1635. Nothing is known 
 of him; he may or may not have been related to Thomas, the im- 
 migrant. Then there is John Chappell, the “rebel,” who re-em- 
 barked from the Island of Barbadoes, in 1685. He came to 
 America, if at all, too late to have become the ancestor of the Vir- 
 ginia family.* We know, almost of a certainty, that we are de- 
 scended from Thomas, Samuel and Robert, whose names appear 
 on the land books from 1663-1665. 
 
 Then of the three brothers, we have no dehnite record, during 
 the early period of Robert or Thomas, nor lias any attempt been 
 made to trace their descent. Again, in the fourth generation, 
 
 * There is no evidence that he came to Virginia. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 35 
 
 there were two brothers living in Charles City county named 
 Thomas and Samuel, sons of Samuel of 1665. They were prob- 
 ably born about 1665. Both patented lands, as shown by the 
 records, from 1694 to 1701. Thomas was our ancestor. What 
 became of Samuel or his descendants, is not known. Of course, 
 some of these may have died without issue, but there may have 
 been others of whom no record is found. The most irreparable 
 loss sustained by us in the destruction of the records of Virginia, 
 was that of the loss of the wills of our ancestors. In these were 
 given the names of their wives and children, and they furnish the 
 only correct and reliable data from which the descent from one 
 ojeneration to another can be obtained. 
 
 As far back as the year 1700, there was, at least, one other 
 family of Chappells in Virginia from whom we are not descended, 
 although, from their family names, they were, doubtless, a branch 
 of the same family, and, perhaps, descended from John, the im- 
 migrant ( 1635 ) or from Robert or Thomas ( 1663-1665.) I think 
 the latter the most probable. A family of Chappells lived in Surry 
 and Sussex from 1700 to 1772. They could not, from these dates, 
 have been our ancestors, or the ancestors of any branch referred to 
 in this history. The land records show that one James Chappell, 
 called in his patents “James Chappell, Gentleman,” entered large 
 tracts of land in Surry county between 1700 and 1730, also that 
 James Chappell of Sussex, probably his son, also made entries 
 from 1730 to 1750. These two counties are adjoining. 
 
 The original register of Albemarle parish ( Surry and Sussex 
 counties) is yet preserved in the library of the Virginia Historical 
 Society. This register was kept by William Willie, a minister of 
 the Established Church. The following notes have been abstracted 
 therefrom and doubtless refer to the family of James Chappell, 
 Gentleman, of Surry, who died February 12, 1769: 
 
 “Children born to .James and Elizabeth Chappell : Ann, Dec. 
 22, 1739. Lucretia, Eeb’y 10, 1742. Howell, July 30, 1744. 
 Henry, March 5, 1751, John, March 8, 1755, Rebecca in 1760. 
 
 Robert, son of Samuel and Elizabeth Chappell, born Sep. 
 24, 1742. 
 
 Christopher, son of Samuel Chappell Jr. and Mary, born Sept. 
 15, 1744. 
 
36 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 Children of John and Mary Chappell : Howell, born Feb’y 
 27, 1759. John, born Aug. 19,1763. Thomas, born January 17, 
 1772. James, son of Howell and Rebecca Chappell, born Feb’y 
 12, 1767.” 
 
 Elizabeth died June 11, 1762. James Chappell Sr., died Feb- 
 ruary 12, 1769. Samuel Chappell, January 2, 1765. 
 
 The following are mentioned as serving as god-fathers and 
 god-mothers. Sarah, in 1741. John, in 1753. James Jr., in 
 1744. Amy, in 1751. Thomas, 1755. Samuel, Jr., 1745 and Re- 
 becca in 1747. 
 
 There are many families of the name now living in Virginia, 
 and perhaps others living in the different Southern States, who 
 are, doubtless, descended from some one of the original settlers 
 referred to, or others whose names are not now known. The 
 directory of the city of Richmond, gives the names of not less 
 than ten or twelve Chappells ; the state directory of Virginia as 
 many more. There are others, of whom we have trace, living in 
 Surry, Sussex, Southampton, Dinwiddie and other counties in the 
 eastern part of the State. No effort has been made to trace the 
 connection of any of these with the original trunk, although they 
 are, doubtless, from the same colonial ancestry. To attempt to 
 trace the genealogy of each would be an endless task and far 
 beyond the scope of this undertaking. 
 
 We have a record of two of the older Chappells, both old 
 bachelors, that may be worth mentioning. Their connection with 
 the family, however, is not known to me. In Greenville county, 
 Va., was found the will of one John Chappell, who seems to have 
 been wealthy. He died in 1808. His will was dated December 
 4, 1807. In it he manumits his slaves, and devises his plantation 
 “ to the poor of the county, forever.” His personalty was directed 
 to be sold and after the payment of his just debts, the residue was 
 directed to be given to Stephen Chappell and Francis Roberts, 
 formerly Francis Chappell, “ if they come after it.” The present 
 county farm, with the poor-house thereon, is the identical property 
 so benevolently devised in the will of this old man, nearly a cen- 
 tury ago. May it ever remain a monument to his memory with 
 “the poor of the county, forever.” 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHEE KIKDPED FAMILIES. 
 
 37 
 
 There died in Bedford county, near Lynchburg, Ya., in 1891, 
 another very eccentric and wealthy old man, named Abner Chap- 
 pell. He lived to be eighty years old and devised his estate to his 
 overseer. His will was contested by his relatives, and, after being, 
 tried in the lower courts, the case was carried to the Appellate 
 Court of the Eastern District of Virginia. The decision of the 
 lower court was there reversed and the estate given to the legal 
 heirs. The evidence is voluminous, and the case, an interesting 
 one, is reported in the Southern Law Journal. 
 
 V 
 
38 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Amelia County, Virginia — The Crawleys — Sarah Crawley — 
 
 James Chappell of Amelia, son of Sarah Crawley. 
 
 It was on the afternoon of a beautiful October day in 1893, 
 that I stepped from a car of the Richmond & Danville Railroad 
 to the platform, at the old and dilapidated village of Amelia Court 
 House. The town was of some commercial importance a century 
 and a half ago, but like many of the old county seats in this part 
 of the State, has long since lost its prestige. The houses have 
 gone to ruin and decay, and the architecture is of the last cen- 
 tury. And yet Amelia county was, at one time, one of the most 
 fertile and wealthy counties in the grand old Commonwealth, the 
 seat of learning and refinement ; her women the most beautiful, 
 and her men the most chivalrous of all the Southland. 
 
 The old court house w^as pointed out to me in which I found 
 in Col. Coleman, the clerk, who has held the office continuously for 
 half a century, a perfect type of the old Virginia gentleman. On 
 making known the purpose of my visit, carte-blanchew 2 i^ given me 
 to examine the records at my leisure. Fortunately for us the 
 records in Amelia, unlike those in Prince George, Dinwiddie and 
 other counties in the eastern part of the state, have escaped the 
 torch of the invader. Had they been destroyed, this history 
 would not have been written, for they furnish the connecting link 
 between the present and the dim past, and the first complete and 
 authentic account of our ancestors. They cover a period extend- 
 ing from 1746 to the close of the Revolution, and, in fact, these 
 records, wdth those in Halifax and other counties, give an un- 
 broken record, with scarcely a missing name or date, of the differ- 
 ent branches of the family to the present time. 
 
 Amelia Court House is an historic village. It was here that 
 General Lee, in his memorable retreat from Richmond, intended 
 to make his last stand, and fight his final battle, in his effort to 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AXD OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 39 
 
 retrieve the waning fortunes of the Confederacy. Here he awaited 
 his commissary trains. They failed to arrive, and being sorely 
 pressed by the Federal forces, he was compelled to continue his 
 retreat on to Appomattox, where the surrender occurred on April 
 9th, 1865. Col. Coleman narrated to me the following incident 
 which accounts for the preservation of the old court house and its 
 records, and which deserves to be recorded in history as a just and 
 worthy act of a brave man. He said : 
 
 “On the afternoon of the 5th of April, 1865, the main body 
 of the Confederate army had retreated. The women, children 
 and a few old men, unable to bear arms, were thus left to the 
 mercy of the enemy. An officer with flowing auburn hair rode up 
 in front of the court bouse and inquired for the clerk. I was 
 pointed out to him. He said : ‘ Go into your office, sir ! Open 
 
 the doors and remain there. I will place a guard around this 
 building and it shall not be destroyed.’ This gallant and consid- 
 erate officer was General Custer, whose sad and unfortunate death 
 occurred in 1876 at the hands of the Indians in the battle of the 
 Big Horn in Montana, a battle that will ever remain memorable 
 from the fact that of the entire command engaged uot a single 
 white man escaped, and all details of the bloody massacre known 
 were obtained from the Indians themselves. Custer died as he 
 had lived, a brave and chivalrous soldier. Had there been more 
 of his type, Virginia Avould have been the scene of fewer acts of 
 vandalism, and the old records of the state, relics of colonial days, 
 entitled to be spared as something sacred, would have been 
 preserved. 
 
 It is a well known historical fact that on this memorable re- 
 treat from Amelia Court House to Appomattox, the only rations 
 issued to the Confederate troops were two ears of corn to each 
 man per day. This they shelled and parched in the ashes of their 
 camp-fires as they Mvouaced, placing it in their haversacks to be 
 eaten as they fell back. Thus they retreated, fighting doggedly 
 until exhausted and half starved, the inevitable surrender came. 
 The history of the civilized world furnishes no parallel to the 
 fortitude, courage and patience displayed by this forlorn hope of 
 a dying nation. And these men — these soldiers of the Confederate 
 Army of Northern Virginia — were the descendants of the cavaliers 
 
40 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 of the colony ; the same people from whom we sprang — the purest 
 type of the Anglo-American race. Their grandfathers, a century 
 before, had thrown olf the British yoke and cemented with their 
 blood the foundation of the greatest nation the world has ever 
 seen. One war was called a “revolution,” the other has gone 
 down into history as a “rebellion;” the soldiers of one were called 
 “patriots,” of the other “rebels.” The ditference being that one 
 succeeded — the other failed. 
 
 On the roster of the remnant of the Confederate army that 
 surrendered at Appomattox are found the names of four of our 
 kindred, brave and heroic young fellows, who sheathed their 
 swords when all was over. They were : 
 
 Thos. A. Chappell, Capt. Pickett’s Guards. 
 
 G. D. Chappell, 1st Lieut. Co. K, 12th Va. Infantry. 
 
 G. B. Chappell, private Co. H, 13th Reg. Beals’ Cavalry. 
 
 M. C. Chappell, private Co. F, 52nd N. C. Regiment. 
 
 Amelia county was organized in 1734, the first court was held 
 on May 9, 1735, and the first clerk was Edward Booker. The 
 name Booker will be recognized — it is still a family name in 
 branches of both the Chappell and Adams families. 
 
 These old record books were themselves a curiosity, and are 
 worthy of a description. They were manufactured in England a 
 hundred and sixty years ago, but are yet in a fair state of preser- 
 vation. The paper is what is termed “glazed ledger,” and was 
 manufactured of the finest linen fabric, smooth and heavy, and the 
 pages without ruling. The binding is of calf, and is exceedingly 
 heavy, and of the most substantial workmanship. Evidently they 
 were made to last, and there were no trusts in the book manufac- 
 turing business when they were made. The books were neatly 
 kept, the penmanship superb and the lettering in English script. 
 
 These records tell a strange story of the civilization of the 
 period in which our forefathers lived. They show that in the 
 early history of Amelia county the currency used, if it may be so 
 called, was tobacco, which was the great staple of the country. 
 All revenue, fines, salaries and judgments of courts were paid in 
 tobacco, a certain number of pounds constituting the unit of value. 
 The pages of the books are yellow with age, but on them, and on 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE A!SD OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 41 
 
 the shelves of the building were found the wills of the Chappells, 
 Comptons, Crawleys, and those of many others whose names had 
 been familiar to me in my native state — Missouri. I also found 
 their deeds, marriage bonds and licenses, and the settlements of 
 their estates. 
 
 It is a singular coincidence that in opening the will book, the 
 first name to attract my attcDtion was that of ‘‘William Crawley.” 
 
 I paused ! The name had been a familiar one to me. For a 
 quarter of a century I had known a gentleman in Missouri who, 
 from his name, I had felt instinctively was a kinsman. I had met 
 him often in Democratic state conventions, and at the State Cap- 
 ital. We had frequently spoken of our probable relationship, but 
 neither knew enough of his lineage to trace any connection, 
 although we believed that the same blood flowed through our 
 veins. Here then was the evidence of the relationship. This 
 gentleman is Hon. John Chappell Crawley of Keytesville, Mo., an 
 eminent lawyer, a well known politician and a man of prominence 
 and high social position in the State. We are each lineal de- 
 scendants of Sarah, wife of William Crawley, who will be referred 
 to again. His father bestowed on him the name “John Chappell,” 
 a family name, in compliment no doubt to my grandfather, .John 
 Chappell of Halifax county, Va., and my friend. Col. Crawley, es- 
 teems it so highly that it has been perpetuated in his son and 
 grandson. 
 
 The date of this old will, being the first recorded, has been 
 effaced, but it was probably probated about 1750. Xothing is 
 known of the nativity of William Crawley ; he was doubtless an 
 old man when he died, probably a septuagenarian. That he Avas a 
 man of prominence and wealth we have both traditional* and re- 
 corded evidence. He was probably born in Charles City county 
 about 1680. He became a large land owner in both Prince George 
 and Amelia counties, as is shown by the following records, ab- 
 stracted from the land books at Richmond : 
 
 Yol. 15, p. 89 — June 30, 1733, William Crawley entered land 
 on the south side of Otterdam creek in Prince George county. 
 
 On July 20, 1733, Vol. 15, p. 98, he again entered lands in 
 Prince George. The records show that he owned over four thou- 
 
 "^See James Chappell manuscript. 
 —4 
 
42 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 sand acres of land in Prince George at this time, 1733-1734. On 
 Ang. 25, 1746, Vol. 24, p. 389, the records show that William 
 Crawley and William Watson entered a large tract of land on the 
 upper side of Buck Creek in Amelia county. Again the same 
 parties entered a tract of 377 acres in Amelia in 1746. This lat- 
 ter date (1746) may therefore be presumed to be the year of his 
 removal, and that of his family and the Chappells, from Prince 
 George to Amelia county. The date also agrees with deeds and 
 other records found in Amelia. 
 
 William Crawley married Sarah, the widow of Thomas Chap- 
 pell of Petersburg, the old merchant. This marriage must have 
 occurred between 1730 and 1740. But one child was born of the 
 union, a son, whose name also was William. It seems that quite 
 a colony emigrated with William Crawley to Amelia county. 
 There were the children of Mrs. Crawley by her first husband, 
 some of whom were grown and married. Besides these there 
 were her two nephews and a niece, the orphan children of Samuel 
 Chappell, who will again be referred to. There were also some 
 of the Crawleys, among others one named John. There were 
 probably many other relatives and friends whose names are now 
 unknown to us ; for it seems that when these old people moved 
 farther back as the Indians gave way and the country was opened 
 to civilization, large colonies went together. Such was the case 
 when another generation of these same people, in 1780 to 1785, 
 removed to Halifax county, Va., and again when a still later gen- 
 eration emigrated from the latter county to Callaway county, Mo., 
 between 1835 and 1840. In fact, in the southern part of Callaway 
 county, one-half the early inhabitants were from Halifax 
 county, Ya. 
 
 There have been several marriages between the Chappells and 
 Crawleys. The young daughter of Samuel Chappell referred to, 
 married a Crawley, it is believed.* Elizabeth, the widow of 
 William Chappell of Halifax, married Thomas Hull Crawley about 
 1810, probably a son of William Crawley, Jr. Elizabeth Chap- 
 pell, Jr., a daughter of William Chappell, married Kennar Craw- 
 ley, son of Thomas Hull Crawley. A daughter of Thomas Hull 
 Crawley, named Nancy, married Joseph Garlington, son of 
 
 See old manuscript. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 43 
 
 Edwin Garlington and Susannah Dickie, related to the Chap- 
 pells. Still another daughter of Kennar Crawley married a rela- 
 tive of the Chappell family — a Gresham — and emigrated to 'Holt 
 county, Mo., and died there several years ago. The most of these 
 will again be referred to in the history of their respective 
 branches. 
 
 William Crawley, Jr., son of William Crawley and Sarah, 
 probably lived out his days and died in Amelia county. He lived 
 while in Amelia on Deep Creek. He left sons who emigrated to 
 Halifax county at the close of the Revolution with their Chappell 
 kindred, and their names were frequently found in searching the 
 records of that county. Several of their descendants, all indus- 
 trious, honest and well-to-do farmers, yet live near Black Walnut, 
 on the south side of Dan River, in the ancestral neighborhood in 
 Halifax county. They have the reputation of being the best 
 tobacco raisers in that county. 
 
 There is preserved in Amelia county, and now in possession 
 of H. Clay Chappell, an old powder gourd that once belonged to 
 William Crawley. It is a relic of a by-gone age, and on it is 
 plainly cut the name and date : 
 
 “ William Crawley, 1760.” 
 
 It probably belonged to William Crawley, Jr., as the father, 
 William Crawley, Sr., died before 1760, as is established by the 
 will of his widow (Sarah), which will be found at the close of this 
 chapter. 
 
 SARAH CRAWLEY. 
 
 If I was called on to select one name from the many hun- 
 dreds mentioned in these pages which should be revered and 
 honored, it would be that of Sarah Crawley ; for aside from the 
 fact that she was undoubtedly a woman of intelligence, strong 
 a:ffection and great courage, she was the very first of our ancestors 
 of whom we have a well defined and satisfactory history. 
 
 The older Chappells seem to have been an industrious, ener- 
 getic and frugal people, and all at their deaths left estates. I have 
 
44 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 the will of Mrs. Crawley, and those of every succeeding genera- 
 tion in my line down to the present time. These wills furnish in- 
 contestable evidence of the names, dates, and in many cases inter- 
 marriages, of the different generations. 
 
 Sarah Crawley was born, probably, in Charles City county, 
 about 1690. As has been stated in a previous chapter, she was 
 the daughter of James Jones. She first married Thomas Chappell 
 about 1710, and lived in Petersburg, Va., where her husband was 
 an Indian trader and merchant, until his death, which occurred 
 about 1730 to 1740. She then married William Crawley, who has 
 been referred to. She died in Amelia county (having removed 
 from Prince George county,) in January, 1761, at an advanced 
 age. Reckoning from the age of her son, John Chappell, whose 
 age we know, she must have been about 70 years old at the time 
 of her death. 
 
 Her will was written Dec. 11, 1759, and probated Jan. 22, 
 1761. Her two sons, John and James Chappell, were named as 
 her executors. The estate was small, probably the “widow’s 
 dower.” She had, it seems, given most of her property to her 
 children before making her will. She also seems to have been 
 living with her son-in-law, William Neal, at the time of her death, 
 and very thoughtfully provides that “If my son-in-law, William 
 Neal, have any demand against my estate, I desire it may be ac- 
 counted for with him in the legacy bequeathed his wife.” She 
 possibly anticipated the presentation of a board bill for allowance 
 after her death. As a matter of curiosity I transcribe the will 
 verbatim. 
 
 WILL OF SARAH CRAWLEY. 
 
 “In the name of God, Amen. The eleventh day of December, 
 A. D. 1759, I, Sarah Crawley, of the parish of Raleigh and county 
 of Amelia, being, through the mercy of God, in health and of 
 sound and disposing memory, do make and ordain this my last 
 will and testament. 
 
 Imprimus, I give to my son, Robert Chappell, forty shillings, 
 to be paid by my executors. Item, I give to my daughter, Mary 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AXD OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 45 
 
 Morgan, forty shillings, current money. I give to my daughter, 
 Sarah Burton, forty shillings. Item, I give to my son, William 
 Crawley, one chest of drawers which he now has in his possession. 
 Item, I desire that my daughters, Mary Morgan and Ann 
 ]Sieal, divide my wearing clothes equally between themselves. 
 
 Item, I give to my daughter, Ann Xeal, my saddle, pewter, 
 bed and furniture, which I now have at my son-in-laAv’s, William 
 Xeal, together with the use of one negro girl, named Kancy, and 
 her increase, during her natural life; and if my son-in-law, M'illiam 
 Neal, have any demand against my estate I desire it may be ac- 
 counted for with him in the legacy bequeathed his wife, and not 
 to come out of any other part of my estate for the satisfaction 
 thereof. 
 
 All of the above legacies are given in addition to what I have 
 already given my said children. 
 
 Item, I give to my granddaughter, Mary Neal, one small trunk. 
 Item, My desire is that after the death of my daughter, Ann Neal, 
 the negro girl Nancy, and her increase, be equally divided among 
 my four grandchildren, viz : Joel, John, Mary and Elizabeth 
 
 Neal, which I give to them and their heirs forever. Item, I give 
 to my son, James Chappell, one negro man, named Hampton, he 
 paying his brother, John Chappell, the sum of thirty pounds cur- 
 rent money.* Item, I give my stock of all kinds, together with 
 all my other estate, not heretofore mentioned, to be equally 
 divided between my sons, John and James Chappell, which I give 
 to them and their heirs forever. 
 
 Lastly, I constitute and appoint my sous, John Chappell and 
 James Chappell, executors of this my last will and testament, re- 
 voking all former wills by me made, either by word of mouth or in 
 writing ; ratifying and confirming this, and no other, to be my 
 last will and testament. 
 
 In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my 
 seal, the day and year above written. 
 
 Sarah Crawley, [seal.] 
 
 Sealed, published and delivered in presence of 
 John Ford. 
 
 John Ford, Jr.” 
 
 * The value of Hamptou as fixed would be $285. 
 
46 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 “At a court held for Amelia county, the 22nd day of January, 
 1761, this will was proven by the oaths of John Ford and John 
 Ford Jr., the witnesses thereto sworn to, and ordered to be re- 
 corded. And the executors therein named, John Chappell and 
 James Chappell, having entered into and acknowledged bond, with 
 John Ford as their security, as the law directs, were granted 
 certificates of Probate. 
 
 [seal.] Teste: Griffin Peachy, County Clerk.” 
 
 Sarah Crawley had, by her first husband, as shown by her will, 
 six children ; John, James and Robert Chappell, and Mary Mor- 
 gan, Sarah Burton and Ann Neal. All of these were married, un- 
 less Robert was single. Whether he was married or not at this 
 time, is not positively known. By her last husband, William 
 Crawley, she had but one child, a son, also named William, 
 doubtless the child of her old age. 
 
 These sons each became the progenitor of a separate branch, 
 whose histories will be given hereafter. Nothing further is known 
 of the daughters. 
 
 JAMES CHAPPELL OF AMELIA, SON OF SARAH 
 CRAWLEY. 
 
 James Chappell was born in 1722, probably in Prince George 
 county, Va., and removed from that county to Amelia, with his 
 mother, brothers, sisters and other members of the family, as has 
 been stated, in 1745 or 1746. He was twenty-four years old at 
 that time, and married. The maiden name of his wife was Susan 
 Hudson ; she died, and on November 17, 1767, he married Phoebe, 
 daughter of John Archer. By his first marriage he had ten ' 
 children, and by the last, two. The names of the former were as 
 follows, and their births, in the order named : William, John and 
 
 James ( twins ), Martha, Sarah, Elizabeth, Ann, Miles, Abner and 
 Robert ; and of the latter, Dorothy and Caty. All of these were 
 living at his death, and are mentioned in his will, except William. 
 James Chappell, like his brother John, was wealthy. They 
 were the sons of Mrs. Crawley by her first husband, Thomas 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 47 
 
 Chappell of Petersburg, Va., and from their father, it is said, 
 they inherited their wealth. It is probable they were also indebted 
 to him for unusual adv^antages in education and early business 
 training, for they were, undoubtedly, good business men, and 
 these were advantages not often obtained at that early day. 
 
 James Chappell died in October, 1776, the beginning of the 
 Revolutionary War ; he was a tobacco planter, owned several 
 plantations and many slaves, and among other possessions was a 
 valuable water mill. It is said he contracted a fever from the mill 
 race, which caused his death. He was 54 years old when he died, 
 and left a will, a copy of which I have. I have also a copy of the 
 appraisment of his estate. These documents are too lengthy to be 
 transcribed here. The will is drawn with great skill and care and 
 is a model instrument of its kind, and covers five sheets of legal 
 cap. His personal estate, as shown by the appraisement, amounted 
 to about £5,000 or $25,000, in our currency. He made an equal 
 distribution of his property, giving to each child a tract of land 
 and several negroes; he also provided for his widow’s dower, as 
 follows : 
 
 “I lend to my beloved wife, Phoebe Chappell, during her natural 
 life, that part of my plantation where I now live, lying above 
 Taylor’s Branch,” also certain negroes and “stock.” Not railroad 
 or bank stock, but cattle, hogs, sheep, and horses. He also gave 
 
 her his furniture, etc., as follo^vs : “All of my iron pots, pot- 
 hooks, pot-racks, knives and forks, peioter and earthen-ware, 
 
 two feather beds, two walnut tables, etc.,” and further directs 
 
 his executors to purchase for her and each of his girls, a new side- 
 saddle. “I desire her grain shall be ground in my mill as long as 
 she lives or the mill stands.” The meaning of the word lend^ as 
 used here, is fully explained in the sketch of his brother John ; it 
 simply meant a dower or lifetime estate. 
 
 I found a strange clause in this old will, w’hich I was, for a 
 time, at a loss to understand. It was this : “If my wife abide 
 
 by this, my will, I give to my two youngest children, Dorothy and 
 Caty and to their heirs, as follows,” (describes certain lands and 
 negroes), “but, if my wife do not abide by this, my will, I give 
 my said daughters, Dorothy and Caty, five shillings each.” The 
 purpose of the old gentleman was, no doubt, to prevent his young 
 
48 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 widow from repudiating the will, and claiming a dower, which 
 might have been, considering the number of children, an un- 
 just part of his estate. As the two little girls named were her own 
 children, and the others were the children by his first marriage, 
 the provision of the will was, doubtless, a wise one, especially as 
 he had devised his property equally among all of his children, 
 making no distinction between those of the first and second mar- 
 riages. As had been the custom in the family, the two oldest 
 sons, John and James, were left executors, without bond. The 
 will was signed September 14, and probated October 24th, 1776. 
 
 As but little is known of the children of James Chappell, or 
 their descendants, other than his two sons, John and James, the 
 history, as far as it is known, of his younger children, will be 
 given first, and that of the two twin brothers, at the close of this 
 chapter. 
 
 1. Martha, married Thomas Hewlett, Feb’y 15, 1769. 
 
 2. Sarah, married John Clay, Jr., Oct. 14, 1769. Nothing 
 further known of either of these. 
 
 3. Elizabeth, married Henry Cox, July 29, 1775. They had 
 a son. Judge James Cox, of Chesterfield county, who became a 
 senator and otherwise a prominent man ; one of his daughters is 
 now the wife of General T. M. Logan, Vice-President and Manager 
 of the corporation controlling the Richmond & Danville Railroad. 
 Henry Cox’s second wife was Mary Traylor, 1784-1850, daughter 
 of Archer Traylor, son of Joseph, son of William, 1674-1753. 
 
 4. Ann, married Wm. Winfree, April 5, 1780. The husband 
 was killed by lightning, and the widow married Samuel Clark. A 
 son of this couple — Wiley Winfree — became a member of the 
 House of Delegates of Virginia, and was a well known and prom- 
 inent man in the state. 
 
 5. William was the eldest son. We learn from tradition 
 that he was thrown from a horse, when a young man, and 
 killed. 
 
 6. Miles was the fourth son. He married Sarah Mann, 
 April 24, 1782, died soon after and left a will (on file in Amelia 
 county), dated Oct. 10, 1784, bequeathing his property to his 
 father-in-law, Cain Mann, and to his wife, Sarah Chappell, 7iee 
 Mann. He left a good estate but no children. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AXD OTHEK KIKDKED FAMILIES. 
 
 49 
 
 7. Abner, the fifth son, married Susannah Moore, Sep- 
 tember 4, 1786. They had a large family and mored to Tennessee 
 at an early day, I think about 1808. His wife died and he mar- 
 ried a second time, in that state. Three of his sons, William, 
 Wiley and Robert, remained in Virginia. Wiley was apprenticed 
 to a cabinet maker by the name of Dejarnette in Petersburg. He 
 and his brother Robert removed to Halifax county, where on Jan- 
 uary 12, 1829, he married Harriet Posey. Robert married in 
 Halifax, his first cousin, Susannah Hudson Chappell, daughter of 
 James Chappell of Halifax. This James was the son of the James 
 referred to at the head of this chapter, who was the son of Sarah 
 Crawley. There were two James Chappells, first cousins, who 
 removed to Halifax county from Amelia at the close of the Rev- 
 olution, and both were grandsons of Mrs. Crawley. Robert’s 
 marriage occurred January 29, 1824. They were the parents of 
 Captain John A. Chappell, killed in the C. S. Army at the battle 
 of Winchester. It is not known what became of William, the 
 other brother, nor have we any information of Abner Chappell 
 after his removal to Tennessee, or of his descendants. 
 
 8. Robert, the sixth and youngest son, married Peggy, 
 daughter of Amos Williamson in Amelia, March 4, 1791, and 
 removed to Halifax and died there July 20, 1806 ; it is said from 
 the effects of extracting a tooth. He left a will, on record in Hal- 
 ifax ; he had no children, but bequeathed his property to his wife 
 during her life, and after her death to his two nephews, named 
 for him, Robert son of Abner, and Robert son of James. 
 
 The dates given in this chapter, as in most others in this his- 
 tory, are taken from the records, and hence there can be no mis- 
 take as to their correctness. Traditions are not always to be re- 
 lied on ; they sometimes serve as indices, to point out where more 
 definite information may be found. 
 
 9. Dorothy, was the oldest of the two little girls by the 
 second marriage. I found no record of her marriage in Amelia 
 county, but learn from tradition that she married a man named 
 Watkins, and emigrated to Tennessee. 
 
 10. “ Caty,” so spelled in her father’s will, was the youngest 
 child of James and Phoebe Chappell. She was not more than five or 
 six years old at the time of his death, but grew to womanhood. 
 
50 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 and on July 27 , 17^, married Peter Jones in Amelia county. 
 Early in the nineteenth century, about 1808, they emigrated 
 to Tennessee, and with them went Caty’s mother, who by the 
 way never remarried, as she was still a widow at that time. 
 Abner Chappell and his family went with them. There was born 
 to them, a son, James Chappell Jones, who became a very 
 distinguished man in the early days of Tennessee ; distinguished 
 not only as a statesman, but as a financier and business man of 
 great ability. He was several times a presidential elector, was a 
 member of the legislature, 1837-1839, \vas elected governor of 
 Tennessee, 1841, and re-elected in 1843, defeating James K. Polk. 
 He was born in Davidson county, Tennessee, April 20, 
 1809, but lived most of his life in Wilson county. Removed 
 
 to Memphis in 1850, was the first president and promoter of the 
 Memphis and Charleston R. R., was elected to the United States 
 senate in 1852 and died in Memphis October 29, 1859. 
 
 JAMES CHAPPELL. 
 
 James, the son of James and Susan Hudson Chappell, and 
 his twin brother, John, were born in Amelia county in 1755. 
 They were the grandsons of Sarah Crawley by her first husband, 
 Thomas Chappell. The reader will have to be exceedingly care- 
 ful if he desires to keep these different individual members of the 
 same family, and of the same names, distinct and separate in his 
 mind. There were no middle names in Virginia at that period, 
 and in fact it does not seem to have occurred to these old people 
 that they could distinguish their children by giving them middle 
 names until the beginning of the nineteenth century. At the 
 period referred to, 1760 to 1780, there were no less that four John 
 Chappells, three James and two Roberts in Amelia county. 
 There were the two old men, John and James, who were brothers, 
 each had a son John and a son James, and there was also a John, 
 son of Samuel. The frequent occurrence and multiplicity of these 
 family names in the records, rendered it difficult to trace different 
 individuals, and to distinguish one from another. I am satisfied 
 that had it ever occurred to these old people that one of their 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 51 
 
 descendants from the far West, a country then unheard of, would in 
 a hundred and fifty years be engaged in poring over the old 
 records of Amelia county, for the purpose of tracing their gene- 
 alogy, they would have adopted some better plan of distinguish- 
 ing their offspring. 
 
 .James Chappell removed to Halifax county at the close of the 
 Revolutionary war, with his relatives and friends. His brother, 
 John, remained in Amelia. Both of these brothers were soldiers 
 of the Revolution, and I was told in Amelia that there are yet 
 preserved in the family an old powder-horn, a razor case, and other 
 relics, carried by them through the war. 
 
 After removing to Halifax, he married Lucy Woodson; 
 which occurred on January 14, 1790. She died January 
 
 31, 1816, and he died .January 2, 1826, aged 71 years. The chil- 
 dren of this marriage, living to maturity, were as follows, and the 
 order of their births as named : 
 
 1. Lucy Ransom, born December 5, 1791, married John 
 Britton, a Baptist minister. Xo further information. 
 
 2. Xancy Davenport, bornXovember 7, 1793, married Rich- 
 ard Oliver. Issue ; Lucy, Betty and Sarah. Lucy married 
 
 Pool of Xorth Carolina. Bettie married Garlington ; their 
 
 descendants now live at Snapping Shoals, Ga. 
 
 3. John Woodson, born April 25, 1797, married Minerva 
 Hendricks. Only one child living. Captain John H. Chappell, 
 who was a gallant officer in the Confederate Army. He was born 
 September, 1842, is a handsome man and in appearance the typical 
 Southern soldier. I spent several hours with him at his home. 
 He is a widower and has four children, whose names are Anna, 
 .John, Georgia and Lizzie. James O. Chappell, a brother of 
 John H., wms also a captain in the C. S. Army. He recently died 
 and left a widow and children. These brothers lived near Moun- 
 tain Road, in the Xorthern part of Halifax county. 
 
 4. Susannah Hudson, born Xovember 8. 1799, married her 
 cousin, Robert A. Chappell, son of Abner, of Amelia, .January 29, 
 1824. They had only one child, a son, and separated. This son 
 was John Abner Chappell. Xo divorce was sought or obtained. 
 As both were Chappells it is probable that ‘^Greek met Greek.” 
 There have been few, in fact very few, divorces in the family, and 
 
52 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 it is Strange that most of these, so far as I am informed, have 
 been where relations of blood have married. The moral taught to 
 
 o 
 
 the younger generation is, don’t marry your cousin. 
 
 This son, John Abner Chappell, was a young merchant in 
 Halifax county at the breaking out of the war of 1861, became a 
 captain of cavalry in the 3rd Virginia regiment, C. S. Army, and 
 was killed while leading a charge at the battle of Winchester, Va. 
 The following graphic account of his death is taken from a speech 
 made by a comrade at Black Walnut Church, May 30, 1893, where 
 the few lemaining members of his command, now all veterans, 
 met to decorate his grave, over which a handsome monument has 
 been erected. He lies buried by the side of his mother. 
 
 “We were ordered to capture a battery of artillery belonging 
 to the enemy. What terrible odds confronted our little command! 
 Revolvers were returned and sabers drawn. Every man was in 
 the saddle. That short command, of only two words, was given 
 in clear ringing tones, but the most terrible in the English 
 language — ‘‘Charge saber.” In this memorable charge, Capt. 
 
 John A. Chappell led our command. It can only be compared to 
 the charge at Balaklava. I rode by his side and will never forget 
 his appearance as he straightened himself in his stirrups, his tall, 
 spare, handsome figure reaching far above his comrades — with the 
 bright steel of his drawn saber glittering in the sunlight — his teeth 
 clinched, and every feature fixed with silent determination. It 
 was his last charge. In the midst of the terrible confiict, in a per- 
 fect hail of shell and shot, and when almost at the mouth of the 
 enemy’s guns, a ball struck him in the center of his breast, and he 
 fell senseless to the ground. We rode on, captured the battery and 
 won a victory, but it was a victory dearly bought. Many brave 
 men gave up their lives that day, but among them all, there was 
 no braver or more gallant hero than our noble young commander — 
 Captain John Abner Chappell.” 
 
 Among those who stood by the grave of Capt. Chappell, on 
 the 30th of May, 1893, was a lady of refined appearance, but of 
 sad and gentle face. Her eye w^as no longer bright, nor her hair 
 the color of the raven’s wing. This lady w'as the affianced bride 
 of John Abner Chappell. For a third of a century she had been true 
 to the memory of her young soldier lover, and had awaited in vain 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 53 
 
 for the return of “him who never came”. Capt. John Abner 
 Chappell was raised and educated by his uncle, Major James Miles 
 Chappell. 
 
 5. Thomas Abner Chappell, born May 20, 1801, married 
 Miss Farmer. He became a well known surveyor in Halifax 
 county and died in 1891, aged 90. Issue, Mary, William, James, 
 Elizabeth, and perhaps others whose names I have not been able 
 to obtain. 
 
 6. Major James Miles Chappell, born 1807, married Mary 
 Pate (see Pate genealogy). Removed to Alabama in 1856. Had 
 three sons and three daughters. The former were Powhatan, 
 Samuel and Robert, all of whom were killed in the Confederate 
 States army, leaving the name extinct in this branch. The 
 daughters were, Elizabeth, Susan and Lucy. Elizabeth married 
 Wm. Sciirlock of Texas, and Lucy, Dr Powell. For the purpose 
 of abbreviating as much as possible this history, I have intentionally 
 omitted the names of those dying before maturity and without 
 issue. 
 
 JOHN CHAPPELL. 
 
 John, the second son of James and Susan (Hudson) Chappell, 
 as has been said, was the twin brother of James, whose history has 
 just been given. Unlike other members of the family, he re- 
 mained in Amelia couuty, and in this and adjoining counties, most 
 of his descendants yet live. James was born in 1755 and was 
 twice married. First to Dorothy Ford on October 23, 1788, and 
 the second time to Elizabeth, the daughter of Charles Craddock, 
 on April 2, 1800. He died in September, 1825, at the age of 70 
 years, and it is a singular coincidence that his brother James died 
 wdthin a few months of the same time. He and his brother were 
 both soldiers in the Continental Army. After peace was declared 
 he settled down on a plantation given him by his father, and 
 became, like his ancestors, a tobacco planter, and amassed a for- 
 tune. A further account of him will be found in the old manu- 
 script, written by his son, and added at the close of this chapter. 
 But one child was born to John Chappell by his first marriage. 
 
54 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 which lived to maturity. Her name was Martha. She married 
 Dr. Wm. Vaughn. I have no further account of her. By the 
 second marriage the following children were born and their births 
 were in the order named: James, William H., Elizabeth, Richard 
 G., Charles E. and John Abner. 
 
 1. James, born in 1801, married Louisa Seay, in 1825, and 
 died in 1880, aged 79 years. He was a wealthy planter and lived 
 and died in Amelia county. He was the author of the old manu- 
 script referred to, and if for no other reason, he should ever be 
 held in grateful remembrance, for thus preserving the traditions 
 of the family. 
 
 The issue of this marriage were: 
 
 I. Capt. Alpheus Montgomery, married Mary Seay, issue, 
 Montgomery, Charles, Richard, Herbert, George and 
 Mary. 
 
 In 1883, in traveling through Western Texas, I stopped at 
 Wichita Falls, then a frontier village and the terminus of the rail- 
 road. At the railroad eating house I found, waiting on the table, 
 a young lad, about twenty years old, and learned from him that 
 his name was Chappell, and that he was from Amelia county, Vir- 
 ginia; also that he had a brother who was superintending the 
 kitchen department of the same house. Both of these young men 
 were handsome, intelligent young fellows, and looked tidy and 
 neat in their white aprons. They told me that they had drifted 
 westward until, becoming financially stranded, they had accepted 
 the first honorable position offered, and like true men, were not 
 ashamed to earn an honest dollar. I believed then that these boys 
 were of the same stock as myself, but of course could trace no re- 
 lationship. I felt an interest in them, however, and in my semi- 
 annual trips through the country, never failed to enquire about 
 them. In a few years I found they had discarded their white 
 aprons, and that one was the superintendent of a large cattle 
 ranch and could “rope a steer” or “brand a maverick” with the 
 most expert cowboy; the other was the local agent of the same 
 railroad by which he had formerly been employed in an humble 
 capacity. Both were on the high road to success in life, and I felt 
 more than ever convinced that they were of the same old Virginia 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHER KIXDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 00 
 
 family as myself. These boys were Herbert and George Chappell, 
 mentioned above. Their father lives near Jetersville, in Amelia 
 county, is a veteran Confederate soldier, and has been, for thirty 
 years, a great sufferer from a wound received in the war. 
 
 II. Henry Clay is the second son of .James and Louisa 
 (Seay) Chappell. He married Amanda Branch, in 
 Halifax county. They had one son, who died. Hen- 
 ry Clay lives near Jetersville, was a soldier in the 
 Confederate States army and connected with the 
 famous Libby Prison. 
 
 III. Sarah Elizabeth was the only daughter of James 
 Chappell. Has been married twice (I) to James O. 
 Vaughn (1843), (II) to Edwin Flippin. She bore the 
 following children: Louisa Rebecca, Virginia Book- 
 er, Henry Clay, Lanen William, (killed in C. S. 
 Army,) Iva and Eva, (twins.) I was kindly enter- 
 tained by Mrs. Flippin, in Amelia county and greatly 
 enjoyed the generous hospitality of herself and 
 beautiful twin daughters. She is 60 years old, 
 tall and spare, and has an abundant suit of jet 
 black hair, in which there is not a single silver thread. 
 She is a typical Chappell of the English type, as I 
 have known them all over the South and West, and 
 no truer or better women ever lived. 
 
 2. Dr. AVilliam H. Chappell, was the second son of John and 
 Elizabeth. Here we have the first instance of a double name in 
 the family. The old people had learned at last, how to dis- 
 tinguish their children. He was born in 1803, married Susan 
 Jordan of Person county, X. C., in 1845. Issue, William, Henry, 
 Mary and Edmonia. All of these live in Buckingham county, 
 Va. * 
 
 3. Elizabeth, married Rev. John Johns. They had no 
 children living to maturity. 
 
 4. Richard Granville, was the third son. Married Mary E. 
 Bell, of Charlotte, in 1831. Issue : 
 
 I. George, married Mary W. Foster ; issue, Ada, Rich- 
 ard, Henry, Mary, Sarah, Ida, Annie, George and 
 Bessie. 
 
56 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 II. William, killed in Confederate States army. 
 
 III. John, married Emma E. Allen. 
 
 ly. Daniel, unmarried. 
 
 V. Henry Clay, married Ann M. Smith. 
 
 VI. Washington, married (I) Cheatham, (II) Scott. 
 
 VII. Thomas, dead. 
 
 VIII. Charles, married Fanny Wood. 
 
 IX. Sallie, married James A. Allen. 
 
 X. Bettie, unmarried. 
 
 All eight of these brothers were soldiers in the Confederate 
 army ; the youngest, when only 16 years old. They were repre- 
 sented in each arm of the service — infantry, cavalry and artillery. 
 Four of them, viz. William, John, Washington and Clay, were in 
 Pickett’s memorable charge on Cemetery Heights, at Gettysburg, 
 in 1863, and three out of the four were seriously wounded. 
 William was one of the very few who actually entered the Federal 
 entrenchments. Brave fellow that he was, he received there the 
 wound that ended his young life. History records no more daring 
 feat in warfare than this desperate charge. Balaklava and Ther- 
 mopylae stand out alone on the pages of history as the equal in 
 valor and courage. All of these children of Richard Granville 
 Chappell, live in Charlotte and Prince Edward. 
 
 5. Charles Edward, son of John Chappell, married twice ; 
 (I) Anna B. Harwood, in 1832, of Prince Edward ; (II) Melissa 
 Watkins, of Cumberland county. No children by the first mar- 
 riage are living. By the second there are the following : 
 
 I. Charles, married Mary Holt. 
 
 II. Wiley, married Elizabeth Yarbrough. 
 
 III. Richard, unmarried. 
 
 IV. Edmonia, unmarried. All live in Prince Edward 
 county. 
 
 6. John Abner, is the only child now living of John and 
 Elizabeth Chappell. He was born December 5, 1820, married 
 twice ; (I) Virginia Haskins (1853) ; (II) Lyconia Yarbrough 
 (1888.) Issue, by first marriage, one child, Alice, who married 
 James Wingo. By second marriage, one child, Helen, born in 
 1893. In John Abner Chappell, we have the remarkable instance 
 of a man with two, and only two, children ; one aged 39 years 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 57 
 
 and the other, twelve months, and the latter born when he was 73 
 years old. He is an old Confederate veteran who lives in Rich- 
 mond, Va., and is a man of much more than ordinary intelligence, 
 of unusual physical vigor, and, for his years, his memory is good 
 and his mind unclouded. 
 
 We are indebted to John Abner Chappell, of Richmond, 
 George Chappell, of Charlotte and Clay Chappell and Mrs. Flip- 
 pin, of Amelia, as well as Capt. John H. Chappell, of Halifax, for 
 much of the information given in this chapter. The Chappells in 
 Amelia, Charlotte, Prince Edward and adjoining counties, (and 
 there are many of them,) are, I believe, all descendants of James 
 Chappell of Amelia county ; certainly, they are all descendants of 
 the original Virginia family. They are generally farmers and yet 
 follow the specialty of raising line tobacco. They own their own 
 homes, and are a well-to-do, industrious, intelligent and honest 
 people, of the very best class of old Virginian citizenship, than 
 which there is none better. For a century and a half, the name, 
 Chappell, has been a prominent one in Amelia county, and in all 
 that long period, no man, of the name, has ever committed a crime 
 or violated the law. I found the name there an honored one, and 
 without stain or reproach. In the great Civil War of 1861, so far 
 as I could learn, every man, of military age, and even many of those 
 exempt from duty, took up arms and enlisted in the Confederate 
 army. The record of the names of those who perished on the 
 battlefield, as given in these pages, attests their loyalty to their 
 native state more forcibly than words can express. 
 
 I have referred to an old manuscript in my possession, ob- 
 tained in Virginia, which was written by James Chappell, the 
 grandson of James, son of Sarah Crawley. There is no date to it, 
 but it is yellow with age, and was, evidently, written many years 
 ago. In this paper are recorded the traditions and early history 
 of the family, as learned by the writer from his father, and which 
 had been transmitted from father to son. There are some errors 
 in it, when compared with the records of Amelia and Halifax 
 counties, but it is in most respects correct, and serves to corrob- 
 orate the data found in the archives of these counties. For this 
 reason, and as a curiosity, I have seen proper to transcribe it, ver- 
 batim^ believing it will prove of interest to the reader. The errors 
 
 5 - 
 
58 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 will be noted by foot notes, and the words enclosed in parenthesis 
 are my own, and are explanatory. 
 
 THE OLD MANUSCRIPT. 
 
 “ My great-grandfather (Thomas Chappell) was an * * * § English- 
 man, and a merchant in Petersburg, Virginia. At his death, his 
 widow (Sarah) married a Crawley, (William) and they lived on 
 Deep creek, in this county (Amelia). They brought with them 
 (from Prince George county,) three Chappell children, two fboys 
 and a girl. My grandfather (James) married Susan Hudson, and 
 raised a large family ; six sons : William, John, James, Miles, 
 Robert and Abner. John and James were twins. Of the Jthree 
 daughters, Betsy married Hall Cox, Nancy married Winfree, 
 
 (William) and married Tom Howlett. Winfree was killed 
 
 by lightning and his widow married Samuel Clark. Judge James 
 Cox, (of Chesterfield county,) son of Hall, was a State Senator, 
 and Wiley, son of Winfree, was a member of the House of Dele- 
 gates. William Chappell, my uncle, was killed when a young 
 man, by being thrown by a horse, against a tree. Robert died 
 from the effects of extracting a tooth. He left his fortune to his 
 two nephews — namesakes — Robert, son of Abner, and Robert, son 
 of James. 
 
 Miles§ died early in life. No particulars known. My grand- 
 father’s last wife was a Miss Archer. They had two daughters. 
 He died at the age of 54, having not a defective tooth in his head. 
 My grandfather’s brother || (John,) married and had a family. 
 Only two sons now remembered by name. They were Samuel and 
 James. James moved to Tennessee, (and afterwards to Texas, 
 and founded Chappell Hill, in Washington county,) and raised a 
 family. One of his sons came back to visit us 25 years ago ; his 
 name was Humphrey. Sam married and died early in life, in this 
 
 * This is, of course, a mistake, but corroborates the statement that the family is of 
 English descent. 
 
 t These two boys were John and Joseph, sons of Samuel Chappell. 
 
 $ There were four daughters, Martha, Sarah, Elizabeth and Ann. The latter married 
 Wm. Winfree and Martha married Thos. Howlett. 
 
 § Miles, married in 1782, and died in 1784, (Amelia records.) 
 
 II John was the great-grandfather of my generation and branch. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 59 
 
 county. His daughter married a gentleman named Backus, who, 
 at one time, kept the “Amelia Springs,” (a famous pleasure resort 
 still in Amelia county,) and afterwards removed to the western 
 part of the state and kept a house of entertainment there. 
 
 My grandfather’s (James) sister married a Crawley and raised 
 a family* They inherited a large fortune. The names of three 
 (of their) boys only are remembered. They were Ben, David and 
 John. 
 
 One of the daughters of my grandfather by the Archer wife 
 (Caty) married Peter Piper Jones. When the emigration fever to 
 Tennessee was up, all went to that state (1808), Jones and his 
 family and Abner and his family, my grandmother among them. 
 James Chappell Jones at one time governor of Tennessee, and 
 widely known as a senator in congress from that state, was a son 
 of Peter Piper. The other daughter of my grandfather married a 
 Watkins of Tennessee. Abner Chappell carried a large family to 
 Tennessee, some of them married, leaving one son, William, in 
 Virginia. The youngest son, Wiley, was left with his relatives, 
 being an infant ; he was afterwards bound to a cabinet-maker 
 named Dejarnette, in Petersburg, and after serving his time re- 
 moved and settled in Halifax. My father (John) married a Miss 
 Craddock, and spent his life on the plantation (in Amelia) given 
 him by his father (James). Janies Chappell (my uncle) moved to 
 the south of Dan river in Halifax county, married a Miss Wood- 
 son and had a large family. He served through the whole of the 
 Revolutionary war as a regular. My father also served in the 
 militia. My grandfather (James) was a very prosperous man, 
 leaving at the time of his death live or six plantations and a line 
 mill, built by himself. Pie probably lost his life by fever origin- 
 ating in the mill-pond. He bought a number of Africans 
 (negroes) from a slave ship, on the coast of Virginia, judging of 
 their ages and health by their teeth, as we do horses. He was a 
 zealous Church of England man. His immediate descendants be- 
 came Methodists (1790 to 1800).” “James Chappell.” 
 
 * A mistake as shown by the will of his mother, Mrs. Crawley, I think the niece of Mrs. 
 Crawley is referred to, who was the daughter of Samuel Chappell and a sister of John 
 and Joseph. 
 
60 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 John Chappell of Amelia, Son of Sarah Crawley — John 
 
 Chappell of Halifax — Children by His Second Mar- 
 
 RiAGE — T he Dickie Family. 
 
 The John Chappell referred to in this chapter was my great- 
 grandfather. He was the brother of Robert and James, whose 
 histories are given elsewhere, and the son of Thomas of Peters- 
 burg, Virginia, and his wife Sarah, who after his death married 
 William Crawley, and with her children and other relatives re- 
 moved from Prince George to Amelia county. From the fact that 
 there were several John Chappells living about this time in Vir- 
 ginia, it is necessary to be explicit in distinguishing them, 
 although it may appear to be an unnecessary repetition. It is to 
 be regretted that the information that we have of our ancestor 
 has been obtained solely from the records. No tradition pre- 
 served in the family gives any account of him, and I have been 
 able to find his name but once outside of the records, and that 
 was in an old family Bible. 
 
 John Chappell was born in Prince George county, Virginia, 
 about 1720, and was 26 years old when he, with the family, re- 
 moved to Amelia county in 1746. He was married at that time, 
 and his wife was named Prudence. Her maiden name is un- 
 known to her descendants, for, as has been stated, the records of 
 Prince George county were destroyed, and with them the wills 
 and marriage bonds of our ancestors. She was doubtless greatly 
 beloved and respected, for the name Prudence became a family 
 name, and has been transmitted in every succeeding generation. 
 It is an old-fashioned English name. She died in Amelia in 
 March 1778, three years after the death of her husband, and left 
 an estate, which was administered on by her sons John and 
 Robert. I found the settlements of this estate in the records of 
 that county. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHER KIKDEED FAMILIES. 
 
 61 
 
 John Chappell died in Amelia county, Virginia, in April, 
 1775, at the age of 55 years. He left a large estate in lands and 
 negroes, the most of which he doubtless inherited from his father. 
 He seems to have been a successful business man of more than 
 usual intelligence. The wealth and business attainments of the 
 two brothers, John and James Chappell, establishes the fact that 
 their opportunities in early education and training were far super- 
 ior to most men of that day. Their father, the old merchant, 
 evidently was himself a superior business man, and not only edu- 
 cated his boys, but gave them unusual advantages in other respects. 
 
 I found in Amelia county the will of our ancestor, of which I 
 have a copy. It was written September 1, 1774, and filed for pro- 
 bate April 27, 1775. His oldest son, Robert Chappell, and his 
 half brother, William Crawley, were his executors, and the will 
 was witnessed by Archer Johnson, William Booth and William 
 Moore. In this will his children are mentioned, and their ages were 
 doubtless in the order in which they are named. They were Robert, 
 John, James, William, Samuel and Prudence. Each child was left a 
 tract of land and seven or eight negroes. Besides the will I have also 
 a copy of the inventory of this estate, filed by the executors. Both 
 are curiosities when compared with such documents of the present 
 day. I would be glad to transcribe them entire did space permit. 
 
 In the will the old gentleman, true to the natural instincts of 
 his race, provides, first, for the payment of his just debts. Second, 
 for his beloved wife Prudence by lending her, during her life, the 
 plantation on which he lived and ten negroes named as follows : 
 “ Spark, Phillis, Collar, Abram, Jack, Bob, Dilly, Jenny, Anthony 
 and Sucky; a part of his horses, cattle, hogs and sheep, his 
 feather beds, kitchen and household furniture, consisting of 
 chairs, tables, pot-racks, pot-hooks, iron and earthen-ware and 
 pewter, knives, spoons and forks.” The inventory shows that the 
 chairs, tables, etc., were of home manufacture, and there seems to 
 have been no such article as queensware in the house. All articles 
 of table ware at that period were made of pewter, an alloy con- 
 sisting of tin and lead, with the brightness of one and the dura- 
 bility of the other. This pewter ware was, of course, valuable at 
 that time, and was bequeathed in these old wills as heirlooms — 
 as silverware is now. 
 
62 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 The appraisers of the estate were David Crawley, Abram 
 Green and Archer Johnson, and their appraisement was filed May 
 25, 1775, and covered several sheets of paper. It is too lengthy 
 to be transcribed entire, but I have copied an extract from it, 
 showing the value of different kinds of property at the beginning 
 of the Revolutionary war, that these values may be compared 
 with those of the ^^resent time. The valuation was, of course, in 
 sterling money, that being the currency at that time, but I have 
 reduced the values to dollars and cents. 
 
 Extract from the Inventory of John Chappell, Filed in 
 Amelia County Virginia, May 25, 1775. 
 
 NEGROES. 
 
 Collar 
 
 Abram 
 
 Jack 
 
 Dilly 
 
 Phillis 
 
 1 Gray Horse 
 
 1 Sorrel Mare 
 
 1 Yoke Oxen . . , . 
 
 Cattle, per head 
 
 Sheep, per head 
 
 Hogs, per head ' 
 
 4 Feather Beds 
 
 1 Writing Desk 
 
 1 Black Walnut Table 
 
 1 Pine Table 
 
 9 Rush Bottom Chairs 
 
 5 Deer Skins 
 
 3 Hides of Leather 
 
 10 Reap Hooks 
 
 3 Guns and Bayonets, each 
 
 3 Guns, each 
 
 1 Parcel Pewter Ware 
 
 8 Knives and Forks 
 
 1 Mortar and Pestle 
 
 1 Spinning Wheel 
 
 1 Loom 
 
 1 Gig 
 
 2 Men’s Saddles 
 
 1 Pair Money Scales and Weights 
 1 Looking Glass 
 
 £. S. d. DOLLARS. 
 
 75 00 0 363 00 
 
 70 00 0 338 00 
 
 35 00 0 169 00 
 
 25 00 0 121 00 
 
 40 00 0 193 00 
 
 5 00 0 24 20 
 
 25 00 0 121 00 
 
 7 00 0 33 88 
 
 2 5 0 10 90 
 
 6 0 1 44 
 
 7 6 1 82 
 
 36 00 0 143.56 each.. 174 24 
 
 5 6 0 25 64 
 
 2 00 0 9 68 
 
 15 0 3 60 
 
 1 5 0 6 04 
 
 1 5 7c each 34 
 
 3 7 6 16 32 
 
 6 3 1 50 
 
 2 00 0 28 85 
 
 1 5 0 18 12 
 
 2 3 6 10 52 
 
 12 6 3 00 
 
 5 0 1 20 
 
 2 00 0 . 9 70 
 
 4 00 0 19 40 
 
 5 00 0 24 25 
 
 1 5 0 each 12 08 
 
 12 00 
 
 2 40 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 63 
 
 The total value of the estate, not including the negroes 
 and lands, amounted to £800 10s 6d, equal in our present cur- 
 rency to 13,874.64. There were about forty negroes included in 
 the inventory and several plantations. 
 
 The will is a model instrument from a legal point of view, 
 and was skillfully drawn in quaint language. Some of the words 
 are now obsolete, and many others sound strange to the modern 
 ear. Evidently the testator intended to do exact justice by his 
 wife and children, as after his wife’s death the property loaned 
 her was directed to be equally divided between their children. 
 The word loaned was simply used to express a dower, or life-time 
 interest, in the estate. This use of it seems strange to us now, but 
 I found it used in the same sense in many old wills written in Vir- 
 ginia at this period. The will also provided for the education and 
 maintenance of the two minor sons, William and Samuel. 
 
 It will be observed that in giving names to his children our 
 great-grandfather followed the custom that had prevailed even then 
 in the family for 140 years, and which has continued to the pres- 
 ent generation. He gave each of his six children family names. 
 John was named after himself, and the only daughter. Prudence, 
 was named for her mother ; Robert and James were named for 
 his brothers ; all of these had been family names for generations. 
 William was named for his half brother, William Crawley, and 
 the youngest, Samuel, for his uncle. These favorite family 
 names were limited in number, they were John, James, Robert, 
 Thomas, Samuel and William. In tracing the family history I 
 found the same names connected with the name ‘‘Chappell” in Eng- 
 land in the sixteenth century. May they continue to be perpetu- 
 ated in generations yet unborn ! 
 
 JOHN CHAPPELL OF HALIFAX. 
 
 The name John seems to have been the favorite one ’of all 
 others in the Chappell family from their first settlement in Vir- 
 ginia to the present time, and is found in every branch. It is in 
 fact ^ound so often as to be confusing, and for the purpose of dis- 
 tinguishing different individuals of the same name, I have added 
 the name of the county or state in which they lived. 
 
64 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 The John Cbappell now referred to was my grandfather. 
 He was the second son of John and Prudence Chappell of Amelia 
 county, Va., and was born in that county in 1752, and removed to 
 Halifax county with the colony that removed there from Amelia 
 at the close of the Revolutionary war, and which included his 
 brothers and Crawley relatives. Whether he was in the army or 
 not is not positively known. There was a John Chappell — a ser- 
 geant — in Captain Thomas White’s company, which was enlisted 
 in that part of Virginia, as shown by the records, but whether it 
 was he or his cousin of the same name cannot now be determined. 
 His cousins, John and James Chappell, and brother Robert, were 
 certainly soldiers in that war. There was also another Robert, of 
 whom we have an account, and one Benjamin Chappell of Din- 
 widdle, in the army ; but they can not be fully identified. Ben- 
 jamin is supposed to have been a son of Samuel of Prince George, 
 and a brother of John and Joseph, the latter the progenitor of the 
 Georgia Chappells. 
 
 Halifax county was organized in 1752 from Lunenburg 
 county. The latter had been taken from Brunswick in 1746, 
 which last had been formed in 1721 from Isle of Wight and Surry 
 counties. Halifax lies southwest from Amelia about seventy-five 
 miles. It was a new country at the close of the Revolution, and 
 the land was fertile and especially adapted then, as it is to-day, to 
 the production of the finest quality of tobacco. It was not strange 
 then that the young Chappell brothers with their kindred and 
 friends, among whom were the Crawleys, the Pates, Comptons 
 and others, sought homes in a newer county. There seems to 
 have been quite an exodus from Amelia to Halifax county about 
 this time. I found in Amelia among the old records, 
 many names familiar to me in my boyhood in Callaway county. 
 Mo. There were the Bookers, Watkins, Tuckers, Olivers, 
 Wades, Links and Keelings, besides many others. These same 
 names I also ran across in my researches in Halifax county. It 
 was like reading the epitaphs on the tombstones in an old grave- 
 yard. The descendants of these same people — and no better cit- 
 izens ever lived — yet reside in Callaway county. Mo., their fore- 
 fathers having been of the colony that immigrated to Missouri 
 from 1835 to 1840. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 65 
 
 I have been able to obtain but little of the history of my 
 grandfather’s life, save that gleaned from the records of Halifax 
 county, for he died nearly a century ago. The only traditions 
 preserved I have obtained from my cousin, Mrs. Johnston of 
 Georgia (his granddaughter), and Mr. Henry Adams of Texas. 
 The former, who is a daughter of my aunt, Susan Compton, says 
 that she remembers, when a girl, hearing her mother say that she 
 and her sister (Mrs. Sarah Wade), were accustomed to visit their 
 uncle, Edwin Garlington, and that their father’s plantation was 
 on the south side of Dan river, and their uncle lived on the oppo- 
 site side. Mr. Henry Adams, now a very old man, says that his 
 father was a near neighbor and friend of my grandfather’s, and 
 often spoke of him as a prominent man in the county, and that he 
 was a man of fine business attainments and wealth. These old 
 traditions may seem trivial and scarcely worth recording, but they 
 are all that we have of our ancestor, who no doubt in his day and 
 generation was a man of prominence, influence and excellent busi- 
 ness habits ; these facts are well established by the records of 
 Halifax county, Virginia. 
 
 My grandfather inherited from his father, as shown by the 
 will of the latter, considerable property, in lands and negroes. He 
 became a tobacco planter, on his removal to Halifax county, and 
 located on lands adjoining those of his brothers Robert and Will- 
 iam, in the neighborhood south of Dan river, near Black Walnut. 
 The land record books of Halifax show that on March 12, 1781, 
 he bought from Stephen Easley a large tract of land on the south 
 side of Dan river, for which he paid £8,125, in current money of 
 Virginia. This would be equal to $39,325.00 in our present 
 currency. This tract of land was described by the boundaries of 
 adjoining tracts, as was the custom at that time. My grandfather 
 improved this tract of land, and continued to live on it until his 
 death ; it was near the farm afterwards owned by my father, and 
 which he sold to Isaac Palmer, on removing to Missouri, in 1836. 
 
 Many of these old Virginia mansions, built, some of them, in 
 the last century, are yet to be seen. The architecture seems 
 strange, when compared with that of modern dwellings. They 
 were substantially built, and comfort and durability were consulted 
 more in their structure than ornament. 
 
66 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 The first story or basement, it might properly be called, was 
 of brick, and contained two or more rooms with low ceilings. In 
 these were stored winter vegetables, fruits, cider, and that indis- 
 pensable beverage in all well regulated old Virginia families — the 
 barrel of apple brandy. Above the basement, the building was 
 one and a half stories, of frame, making the house two and a half 
 stories high, for the basement was really one story and above 
 ground. The first story, above the brick part, contained the din- 
 ing room, parlors, pantry, etc., and the half story — with dormer 
 windows — the bed rooms. The rooms had exceedingly large fire- 
 places, small windows and very high mantels. Between the lower 
 rooms was a wide hall, and in front of the house, a portico or 
 veranda. The out houses, including the kitchen — for this was 
 never in the main building — smoke house, weaving room, milk 
 house, etc., were situated at convenient distances in the yard. The 
 row of cabins, for the negro servants, was located at some distance, 
 but convenient to the mansion. 
 
 Many of these happy homes in Virginia, once the abode of 
 wealth and refinement, have gone to ruin, and one can not see 
 them without recalling in imagination the happy days that have 
 been spent within their walls in “ye olden time.” Alas! days that 
 are never more to return, for the ideal life of independence 
 and happiness was that of the Virginia planter of the last 
 century. 
 
 Our grandfather seems to have been a prudent man, and to 
 have purchased this valuable tract of land for a home, for the 
 deed was made on March 12, and three days after, on March 15, 
 1781, he led to the matrimonial altar his bride, the Scotch lass 
 Sarah Dickie, daughter of John Dickie. As a matter of curiosity 
 I give below the bond and marriage license, verbatim et literatim. 
 I have the originals in the handwriting of the parties. 
 
 “March 15, 1781. 
 
 Sir : You are hereby required to grant a license for the 
 
 Marriage of Jno. Chappell and my daughter Sarah Dickie as there 
 are no objections. Your Hble. Servant, 
 
 John Dickie, Sr. 
 
 To Mr. H. Goar, Clerk.” 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED EAMILIES. 
 
 67 
 
 As required by law, John Chappell, the prospective groom, 
 then entered into the following bond ; 
 
 “Know all men by these presents, that we, Jno. Chappell and 
 Moses Johnson, of the county of Halifax, are held and firmly 
 bound unto his excellency, Thomas Jefferson, Esq., gov- 
 ernor of the commonwealth of Virginia, or his successor in office, 
 for the time being, in the sum of Fifty Pounds, current money of 
 Virginia, to which payment, well to be made, we bind ourselves, 
 heirs, etc., jointly, severally and firmly, by these presents. Sealed 
 with our seals and dated this 15th day of March, A. D., 1781. 
 
 'Whereas^ There is a marriage depending and by God’s per- 
 mission suddenly intended to be solemnized between Jno. Chap- 
 pell and Sarah Dickie of this county aforesaid. Now the condi- 
 tions of the above obligation is such that if there be no lawful 
 cause to obstruct the said intended marriage, then the above ob- 
 ligation to be void, else to remain in full force. 
 
 John Chappell, [ss.] 
 Moses Johnson, [ss.] 
 
 H. Goar, Clerk, [ss.]” 
 
 The records show several other purchases and sales of lands 
 by John Chappell in Halifax county, as follows : On August 19, 
 
 1779, John Chappell of Halifax sold to John Irby of Charlotte 
 157 acres of land for £450 — 12,178 in present currency. Nov. 4, 
 1783, William Traylor gave bond for £2,000 to make a deed to a 
 tract of land sold to John Chappell, of 350 acres. John Dickie 
 and Edwin Garlington are witnesses to this document. On July 
 15, 1785, John Chappell sold to Charles Olds of Amelia, for |150 
 specie, a tract of land on Banister river. 
 
 My grandfather was twice married. By his first wife, Sarah 
 Dickie, the following children were born : 
 
 Dickie, born March 28, 1782. 
 
 Sarah, born April 7, 1785. 
 
 Susannah, born December 12, 1786. 
 
 John, born September 1, 1788. 
 
 Sarah, the mother of these children, died in 1790; a further 
 account of her will be found in the history of the Dickie 
 family. 
 
68 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 In 1792 my grandfather married a second time, the maiden 
 name of his wife was Ann, but the name of her family is unknown 
 to me. As no marriage bond was found in the Halifax county 
 records the marriage probably occurred in some adjoining county. 
 By this marriage the following children were born, and their births 
 were in the order named, Polly, Patsy, Nancy, Samuel, Prudence, 
 Robert and William. All of these children lived to be grown 
 and married. It will be observed that four of my grandfather’s 
 sons, viz., Robert, Samuel, William and John, bore the well- 
 known family names, the same names that had been perpetuated 
 in every previous generation. 
 
 It had been the almost invariable rule in Virginia, especially 
 had it been the custom in our family, among those who had prop- 
 erty, to devise it at death, by will. Our ancestor, for some reason, 
 departed from this custom, and instead of making a will, on the 
 20th of March, 1807, executed what is termed a “deed of gift,” 
 giving all of his property, both real and personal, embracing a 
 large estate in lands and negroes, to the children by his first and 
 second marriages equally, first providing for the widow’s dower. 
 I have in my possession a copy of this instrument. It is a well 
 written legal document and is witnessed by Wm. Murry, John 
 Walsh, James Hill and John Adams, the last of whom was the 
 brother of my maternal grandfather — Philip Adams. It seems 
 that this legal document was presented at the first term of court 
 after its execution, and recorded, as shown by the following en- 
 dorsement : 
 
 ‘‘At a court held for Halifax county, April 27, 1807, the 
 within Deed of Gift was proven by the oaths of three witnesses 
 thereto subscribed, to be the act and deed of the within named 
 John Chappell, party thereto, and ordered to be recorded. 
 
 Teste : John Wimbush, 
 
 [ss.] Clerk.” 
 
 While the deed was recorded within a few days after its ex- 
 ecution, my grandfather did not die until five years afterwards, or 
 until July, 1812. This method of disposing of an estate was an un- 
 usual one ; what the object was is not now known to his descend- 
 ants ; that it was for some good purpose is to be presumed ; that 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 69 
 
 it was a fair and equitable arrangement is evident, for there was 
 no discrimination between his children. 
 
 Within a short time after my grandfather’s death, to- wit : 
 on July 17, 1812, my father, John Chappell, his youngest son by 
 his first marriage, and Richard E. Bennett were granted letters of 
 administration on the personal estate. They settled up the estate 
 and made their final settlement in 1817. I observed in looking 
 over these settlements that the first (made in 1813) was in Eng- 
 lish currency (pounds, shillings and pence), the last was made in 
 dollars and cents. The change from the former system of cur- 
 rency to the present must have occurred just at this time. 
 
 CHILDREN OF JOHN CHAPPELL BY HIS SECOND 
 
 MARRIAGE. 
 
 I have been able to obtain but little information of the chil- 
 dren of our grandfather by his second wife. They were all born 
 between 1794 and 1807, and on coming to maturity all married 
 and emigrated to Tennessee or Kentucky. The information I 
 have been able to obtain is given below, and their names will be 
 given in the order of their ages. 
 
 1. Polly, married — — McCarty, and among other children 
 had one daughter named Nancy, who married Samuel Banks. 
 They lived in Davidson county, Tenn., in 1835, afterwards emi- 
 grated to Lafayette county. Mo., and about 1859 returned to 
 Tennessee. Samuel Banks was a very wealthy man and owned a 
 great many slaves. He had a large family, among whom were 
 three sons, Marvin, William and Frank, whom I knew personally ; 
 the two latter were my classmates at the University of Missouri. 
 They were unusually handsome and intelligent young men, and 
 no family in Missouri ever occupied a higher social position than 
 that of Samuel Banks. William, who became a physician, is 
 dead. Marvin lives near Columbia, Mo., and Frank in Nashville, 
 Tenn. 
 
 2. Patsy, married and removed to Tennessee. I do not 
 know the name of the man whom she married or what became of 
 her. 
 
70 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 3. Nancy, married a man named Uree, and removed to 
 Tennessee. Nothing further is known of her. 
 
 4. Samuel, married and emigrated to Christian county, Ky. 
 He was a great hunter and by instinct a pioneer, and spent his 
 life on the frontier. He died in Ballard county, Ky., and left a 
 family there. 
 
 5. Prudence, married Richard W. Bugg. They settled in 
 Trigg county, Ky., where he died ; his widow and children removed 
 to Ballard county, in that state. His oldest son was Z. W. Bugg, 
 who became a prominent lawyer in that county, and had a son John 
 Bugg, now a member of the bar of Bardwell, Carlisle county, Ky. 
 
 6. Robert, married in Virginia, and about 1830 emigrated 
 to Todd county, Ky., and from there removed to Owen county. 
 He married Elizabeth Brown, and there were horn to them several 
 children, among whom was a son, Robert, the father of Dr. Wil- 
 liam E. Chappell, a prominent and successful young physician 
 of Kansas City, Mo. It is said other members of the family 
 removed to Indiana and settled near Lebanon. 
 
 7. William was the youngest son. He emigrated to Mis- 
 souri about 1830, and married Sarah, the daughter of Major 
 Horner, of Randolph county, by whom he had one child, a daugh- 
 ter named Mary. He visited my father in Callaway county in 1851, 
 and I remember him as a tall, handsome man. He had been of a 
 roving disposition, had traveled a great deal, seen much of the 
 world and was an entertaining conversationalist. Fortune threw 
 my cousin Mary and I much together in after years. She married 
 Logan D. Dameron,with whom I became associated in business and 
 who was my life-long friend. He became a well known business 
 man and capitalist of St. Louis, and was at one time manager of the 
 St. Louis Christian Advocate. My cousin was a beautiful woman, 
 and possessed a cultivated mind, a refined nature and a devout 
 Christian character, which endeared her to all who knew her. 
 There was but one child born of this union, a son — Edward C. 
 Dameron — now a successful business man of St. Louis, and 
 perhaps the wealthiest member of any branch of the family now 
 living. He married Miss Tootle. Logan D. Dameron died in 
 1892, and it was for him that my only son was named. His wife 
 died in 1865. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHER KIXDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 71 
 
 It is a siagular fact, and illustrates how numerous and scat- 
 tered have become the different branches of our famiiy, that there 
 are living to-day in the city of St. Louis representatives of five sep- 
 arate and distinct branches, unknown to each other, but all of 
 whom are lineal descendants of John and Prudence Chappell of 
 Amelia county in the colony of Virginia. They are Mrs. Amanda 
 Shobe, of the Wade branch; Mrs. Alice Davis, wife of Judge 
 Alex. Davis, of the Missouri branch ; Edward C. Dameron, Rev. 
 Edwin B. Chappell and Rev. Dr. Robert A. Holland. All of 
 these are of the tenth generation of the Chappell family in Amer- 
 ica, and of the fifth generation in direct line from John Chappell 
 of Amelia. They are therefore his great-great-grandchildren. 
 
 We have in Dr. Robert A. Holland an illustration of the per- 
 petuation of our family names. His name — Robert — a favorite 
 one, has come down to him from his forefathers for twelve gener- 
 ations, in fact from Robert Chappell of England — the first of the 
 Chappells of whom we have authentic knowledge, and who lived 
 about 1550 — 350 years ago. There is but little doubt that his 
 name has been transmitted from generation to generation through 
 this long period. 
 
 THE DICKIE FAMILY. 
 
 The Dickies were Scotch people, and the first information we 
 have of them is taken from the land records of Virginia, yet pre- 
 served in the Capitol at Richmond. Michael, James and John 
 Dickie, brothers no doubt, received grants of land from the crown 
 between 1746 and 1760. The latter, John, was our ancestor, and 
 was the great-grandfather of the generation and line of Chappells 
 from which I am descended, as also of the Garlington family. 
 
 The land patented to John Dickie was on Moorefield creek, 
 in Lunenburg county, Virginia, from which Halifax was formed 
 in 1752. There are good reasons to believe that his brothers also 
 located in the same county, but no search of the records was made 
 either in Halifax or Amelia counties for their names. On October 
 17, 1786, Robert Dickie, perhaps a nephew of John, for he was 
 not a son, married Rebecca Coleman French, in Amelia. In the 
 Halifax records was found the marriage of John Terry Colquitt 
 
72 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 to Ailsie Dickie on July 26, 1786. She was probably a niece of 
 John Dickie, and named after her aunt. A daughter of this 
 couple married James Garlington, and there is good ground for 
 the belief that United States Senator Colquitt of Georgia* was a 
 descendant of John T. Colquitt. The records also show the mar- 
 riage of John Tucker to Ailsie Chappell on October 7, 1809. She 
 was probably another relative of Ailsie Dickie. We find these 
 names, but who is there can now tell who they were ? 
 
 The name Ailsie is peculiarly a Scotch name, and a very un- 
 common one. John Dickie was married to her before coming to 
 Halifax county, probably in Scotland. Her maiden name or his- 
 tory is unknown to her descendants. 
 
 John Dickie was born about 1720. He was a young man 
 when he immigrated to America, about 30 or 35 years old. He 
 died in Halifax county in June, 1785, aged 65 ; his wife died 
 within a year.f While he left a large estate, contrary to the 
 usual custom, he left no will. His oldest son, John, was granted 
 letters of administration on July 5, 1785, and filed his inventory 
 on the 21st of July. The personal property, exclusive of slaves 
 and lands (and there were 32 negroes), inventoried £1,010 19s 6d, 
 or about |5,000. Included in the inventory were twelve 
 hogsheads of tobacco, and the sale bill shows that this tobacco 
 sold at from £13 to £20 per hogshead, or about |65 to $100, which 
 would be six to eight cents per pound. 
 
 The land record books of Halifax county show many trans- 
 actions in real estate made by John Dickie, and that he was a large 
 landholder at the time of his death. The largest transaction ob- 
 served was a sale on October 1, 1778. of 542 acres to his son John, 
 for £3,000, an amount equal to about $15,000 in the present cur- 
 rency. The final settlement of his estate was made in 1792, and 
 in this settlement the names and ages of all of his sons, daughters 
 and sons-in-law, excepting the age of John, are given. These 
 children were : 
 
 Susannah, married Edwin Garlington. 
 
 Sarah, married John Chappell. 
 
 Elizabeth, married William Chappell. 
 
 John and William, sons. 
 
 * Died in 1894. 
 
 t She was 59 years old and was born in 1724. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 73 
 
 Susannah was born January 12, 1755, married Edwin Gar- 
 lington November 13, 1774, and died in Halifax county, Virginia, 
 December 3, 1795, aged 40 years. An account of her and her de- 
 scendants is given in the Garlington history. 
 
 Sarah was the second daughter; she was born in 1760, mar- 
 ried John Chappell, my grandfather, March 15, 1781, and died in 
 Halifax county in 1790, aged 30 years. For a further account of 
 her and her descendants, refer to the history of John Chappell of 
 Halifax. 
 
 Elizabeth was the youngest of the “three Scotch sisters.” She 
 was born Nov. 27, 1765, and was twice married. First to William 
 Chappell, son of John and Prudence, who became the progen- 
 itor of the Tennessee branch her second husband was Thomas 
 Hull Crawley. She lived for many years near Black Walnut in 
 Halifax county, and removed in 1832, at the aged of 68 years, ta 
 Tennessee with her son, where she died June 3, 1844, aged 79. 
 
 John Dickie, Jr., was the oldest son of his parents, and 
 doubtless possessed superior business attainments, for he became 
 a successful and wealthy man. The year of his birth is unknown. 
 He was twice married ; no record was found in Halifax county of 
 his first marriage, nor is the name of his first wife now known ta 
 his descendants, so far as I can learn. The Halifax records show 
 his marriage to his second wife, whose name was Patsy Vaughn, 
 on April 3, 1788. By his first wife the following children were 
 born, whose ages were in the order named: William, John and 
 
 Sarah. By the second wife ten children were born, whose names 
 were as follows (their ages, however, may not have been in the 
 order in which they are named): Craddock, Willis, Nancy, Susan- 
 nah, Mary, Parthena, Malinda, Martha, Mourning and Thomas. 
 There was also a young son, James, Avho was thrown from ahorse 
 and killed, t Between 1800 and 1810, John Dickie removed with 
 his family to South Carolina and located in Spartan sburg district 
 (now county), and there improved a fine plantation, where he lived 
 out his days. He died in 1813, and his wife died soon thereafter. 
 She is said to have been a “large, fleshy woman with a very pretty 
 face.” His nephew, John Garlington, became his administrator 
 
 * See history of the Tennessee branch, 
 t James was a son by the first marriage. 
 —6 
 
74 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OP THE 
 
 and made a final settlement of the estate in 1817. From these set- 
 tlements, yet preserved, and now in the possession of Mrs. R. W. 
 Simpson of Pendleton, S. C., the names of his children have been 
 obtained. The children of the first marriage remained in Halifax 
 <?ounty, and did not remove to South Carolina with their 
 father. 
 
 1. William, was the oldest child. On November 22, 1816, 
 he married Patsy, or Martha, daughter of Robert Chappell,* 
 son of John and Prudence, and who was the oldest brother of 
 John and William. In 1817 he receipted to John Garlington for 
 his interest in his father’s estate. We have trace of him again in 
 February, 1828, when he visited his relatives in South Carolina. 
 There were three children born of this marriage. They were all 
 daughters, and their names were Ann Prudence, Mary Robert, and 
 Ursula Hamblet. All of these are long since dead, and I learned 
 in Halifax county that there are now living only two descendants 
 of these daughters ; they are James and William Olds of Halifax. 
 There were no sons to perpetuate the name “Dickie” in this branch. 
 William Dickie lived to be about 80 years old. He was prob- 
 ably born about 1780, and died about 1860, in Halifax county, 
 Va. , and is well remembered by persons yet living. He is said to 
 have been a very just and upright man, and much respected in the 
 community in which he lived. 
 
 2. John was the second son. He married Mary Parker in 
 
 Halifax county in 1808, and is referred to in his brother William’s 
 letter to Jordan Compton, written November 10, 1828, in which 
 he says : “John Dickie has ten children, and has lately moved to 
 
 Forked Deer.”* This is the name of a river in the western part of 
 Tennessee, flowing through Dyer county and emptying into the 
 Mississippi river above Memphis, and there was a “settlement” on 
 it at an early day called the “Forked Deer settlement.” 
 After a diligent investigation, I have been able to find no evi- 
 dence that John Dickie, or any of his descendants, ever lived in 
 that part of the state, and certainly a man with ten children 
 should have left some trace of his name. My impression is he 
 removed in 1828 from Virginia, probably to Tennessee, and from 
 there to Alabama, for Mrs. Simpson has in her possession two 
 
 * See history of Robert Chappell of Halifax, 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KIKDRED EAAIILIES. 
 
 ( 0 
 
 letters written by Willis Dickie, in September, 1849, in which 
 he refers to his brother John, and says, ‘‘he is soon to remove to 
 Texas.*’ These letters were written at Talladega, Ala. There 
 is a family of Dickies living in the northern part of Texas, who 
 are descendants of our ancestor, .John Dickie, Sr. They are also 
 probably the descendants of his grandson, the John Dickie 
 referred to. 
 
 3. Sallie, m. Claiborn Rice.- They were living in Halifax 
 county in 1817. Nothing further is known of them. 
 
 4. Xancy, m. William Crymes. Issue : John, George, Will- 
 iam, Thomas, Eliza, Martha, and Mary Ann. Martha m. .J. L. 
 Westmoreland, who is yet living at 86 years old, at Locust, S. C. , 
 a remarkably well preserved man. 
 
 5. Susannah, m. Starling L. Westmoreland. Issue : .John, 
 William, Ransom, Mary, Martha, Rachel and Xancy. 
 
 6. Malinda, m. William Ford. Issue : Martha, Xancy and 
 John. 
 
 7. Craddock, m. Cassandra Ford. Issue : .John, William, 
 Washington and Edward. This branch emigrated to Alabama in 
 1841. 
 
 8. Thomas, m. and died, leaving one child. 
 
 9. Mary, m. Edward Hix. Issue : Edward, Preston, .Jesse 
 
 and Martha, who married Wilkes of Charlotte, S. C. Preston 
 
 lives in the city of Xew York. 
 
 10. Parthena, m. Robert Sanders. Issue : two sons. 
 
 11. Patsy, m. Clough Meng. Xo issue. 
 
 12. Willis, m. Margaret Crooks. Issue : .John, Willis, 
 Eliza and Martha. The family removed to Texas, where the 
 father died near Austin. 
 
 13. Mourning, m. Hosea Lindsey. Issue : Andrew, John, 
 George, Thomas, Ephraim, Martha, Susan, Mary, Margaret and 
 Xancy. The family removed to Asheville, X. C. 
 
 All of the children of John Dickie of South Carolina are 
 dead, but many of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren are 
 living ; most of whom live in Spartansburg, Laurens and ad- 
 joining counties in the northwest part of the state. 
 
 John and Ailsie Dickie, had a younger son whose name was 
 William. He is mentioned in the settlement of his father’s 
 
76 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 estate, but I have been able to find no trace of him or his descend- 
 ants. It is believed that he married and removed to Person 
 county, N. C. The name “Dickie” is often found on the tomb- 
 stones in the old cemeteries in that county, but there are none of 
 the name now living there, and these old monuments are the silent 
 witnesses ; and bear the only evidence of their former existence — 
 the line is perhaps extinct. 
 
 The name “Dickie” has ever been held in high esteem by the 
 descendants of the Chappell-Dickie families, and there has been no 
 branch that has not perpetuated it, until it has become so 
 blended with that of “Chappell,” that the two are inseparable. 
 There has been a “Dickie Chappell” in every generation 
 and every branch of this line for more than a century. 
 Like the name Dickie, the given names of the “three Scotch 
 sisters,” Susannah, Sarah and Elizabeth, to whose sacred memory 
 this book has been dedicated, have been revered and transmitted 
 to their children and their children’s children to the present time. 
 When a child I had a sister, who was very dear to me, who bore 
 the name “Susannah.” She was called “Sue,” my father alone 
 declining to adopt the abbreviation. I thought it then an odd, 
 old-fashioned name, and wondered why it was given her. My 
 father and sister have long since passed away, but I can under- 
 stand now the strong attachment my father must have had for the 
 names and traditions of his family, when he named his favorite 
 daughter “Susannah.” These noble old women were true wives 
 and mothers, and each bore her husband a large family of chil- 
 dren. Their descendants are now numbered by hundreds, and 
 are scattered all over the Southern and Western states. They have 
 been a law-abiding people, an honor to their ancestors and race, 
 and wherever they are found they come fully up to the standard 
 of the highest type of American citizenship. 
 
 There is but little doubt that to the traits of character inher- 
 ited from our old Scotch ancestor, John Dickie, we are chiefly in- 
 debted for whatever of energy, industry and thrift we, his de- 
 scendants, possess. The Scotch, as a nation, have been proverbial 
 for thrift, integrity and energy, and none have stood higher in 
 the commercial history of the world. The descendants of John 
 Dickie seem to have inherited these national traits in a marked 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 i i 
 
 degree, for wherever their lot has been cast, they have been and 
 are a commercial class, and as merchants, bankers, financiers and 
 business men, have in every generation and every branch, devel- 
 oped superior ability, resulting, generally, in successful lives. 
 
78 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 JOHN CHAPPELL, OF MISSOURI. 
 
 The John Chappell, whose history is written in this chapter, 
 was my father, and was of the third generation, in succession, of 
 the name. He was the son of John and Sarah (Dickie) Chappell, 
 and was born in Halifax county, Va., September 1, 1788. I have 
 learned but little of the history of his life until he attained his 
 majority. His mother had died in his early childhood, and his 
 father soon thereafter marrying a second time, he never knew a 
 mother’s love or care, for he was the youngest child by his father’s 
 first marriage. He but seldom referred to this period, in his long 
 and eventful life. It was, perhaps, not the most pleasant, for in 
 early youth he began to fight life’s battle alone. 
 
 The facilities for acquiring an education in Virginia at this 
 early period were very meager, indeed ; there were but few 
 colleges or universities in the country, and they were accessible 
 only to the sons of the very rich. My father’s early education was 
 limited, but he possessed, naturally, a strong mind, was ambitious, 
 resolute and full of youthful energy, and soon, by dint of his own 
 exertions, made up the deficiencies of his early education. His 
 mind was of a mathematical turn, and naturally he gave his atten- 
 tion to studies in that direction, and became, early in life, a pro- 
 fessional land surveyor and civil engineer ; he also early developed 
 into a very successful and intelligent business man. 
 
 From my own observations in life, I have been taught to believe 
 that to be thrown early on one’s own resources develops those traits 
 of character which go to make up the successful man, and hence 
 this is not always a misfortune, although it may seem to be so at 
 the time. The greatest men the world has produced have had 
 meager or no opportunities in their early youth. 
 
 Physically, my father was of medium size. He weighed 
 about 160 pounds and carried not an ounce of surplus fiesh. His 
 height was 5 feet 10 inches. He had black hair, a dark complexion 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 79 
 
 and blue eyes. He possessed great energy and industry, had 
 inherited a strong constitution, was temperate in his habits, led 
 always an active life and was careful of his health ; hence was 
 never known to be sick a day until his last illness. He was quiet 
 and peaceable in disposition, but quick of temper, and a man of 
 unquestioned nerve and personal courage. He possessed a large 
 fund of humor and had fine social qualities, enjoyed the society of 
 his friends, and no one, more than he, enjoyed a good joke or 
 an amusing anecdote. 
 
 He was self-reliant and very methodical in his habits, and never 
 left anything incomplete. It was his custom to investigate fully 
 and thoroughly weigh every business proposition before acting upon 
 it. When his plans of action were matured, he would use every 
 effort to carry them out, and generally succeeded. On his death- 
 bed he called me to him, and said : “My son, I am going to die ; 
 you will have grave responsibilities resting on you. Get all the 
 advice you can ; thoroughly inform yourself ; then be governed by 
 your own judgment.” I have found this good advice. 
 
 When a boy, he became a clerk in a country store in Virginia, 
 thus developing, early, a taste for commercial pursuits, inherited, 
 perhaps, from his Scotch mother. He, in after years, became him- 
 self, a merchant in both Virginia and Missouri. This predilec- 
 tion for a commercial life is referred to elsewhere as being well 
 defined among the descendants of the Dickies, many of whom 
 became commercial men — bankers or merchants. He, however, 
 did not long continue a clerk, but soon began business on his own 
 account, and became a dealer and trader in fine horses between 
 Virginia and Tennessee, the latter then a new country. He located 
 in Smith county, Tennessee, in 1810, where some of his relatives 
 had preceded him, and remained there two years, returning to 
 Halifax county, Virginia, on the death of his father in 1812, for 
 the purpose of settling up his estate, of which he was administra- 
 tor. 
 
 On November 10th, 1814, he married Mary, daughter of 
 Mathew Pate, a wealthy planter of Halifax county, who is referred 
 to in the history of the Pate family. The children born of this 
 marriage, who lived to maturity, were Ann B., Sarah D., John 
 A., Granville T. and Mary Susannah, whose births were in the 
 
80 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 order named, and a sketch of the life of each of whom is given in 
 this chapter. 
 
 In 1817 he became engaged in general merchandising in Hali- 
 fax county, under the firm name of “John Chappell & Co.” ; who 
 his partner was, I do not know, but the merchant’s license is still 
 a matter of record in that county. We next find him a tobacco 
 planter, located on a plantation in the same neighborhood, with his 
 relatives, on the south side of Dan river, in Halifax, where he con- 
 tinued to reside until his removal to Missouri, in 1836. I visited 
 this old home during my recent trip to Virginia, and have de- 
 scribed it on another page ; it has gone greatly to decay, but still 
 bears evidence of having once been a fine farm and splendid 
 home. 
 
 About 1820 he was elected county surveyor of Halifax county, 
 and continued in that office for several years ; subsequently, he 
 became Commissioner of Revenue, in the same county. These 
 positions gave him an extensive acquaintance and prominence in 
 the county, and he is yet remembered by many of the older citi- 
 zens, whom I met, as an exceedingly bright business man, and 
 upright and honest in his dealings with others. His work and 
 calculations as surveyor are preserved in the old county, and Capt. 
 French, the present surveyor, showed me some of his maps and 
 surveys, and told me, that in all the time he had been in office, 
 he. had never found an error in reviewing the work done by 
 him. 
 
 I have referred elsewhere to a special characteristic of the 
 Chappells — their superior penmanship. My father was, I think, 
 the neatest and best penman I ever knew. He wrote a small, del- 
 icate hand, almost feminine in appearance, but every letter was 
 perfectly formed, and his writing resembled the finest steel en- 
 graving. It is said by those living, and I have also heard him 
 say, that in his younger days, when his eyesight was perfect, he 
 had written the Lord’s prayer complete, on a piece of paper the 
 size of an ordinary thumb nail. When a boy I was taught by him 
 the use of the compass and table of logarithms, and have many of 
 his old plats, maps and calculations, all showing the most pains- 
 taking accuracy and neatness of execution. The knowledge of the 
 walue of land, and how to judge of its soil by the growth of 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 81 
 
 timber, acquired as a surveyor, doubtless became of great benefit to 
 him in after years, when on removing to Missouri he became a 
 large land owner. 
 
 On the death of his first wife he married my mother — Mary 
 F. Adams, the daughter of Philip Adams, a well-to-do planter of 
 Prince Edward county, Virginia. Their marriage occurred on 
 September 21, 1836.* The children born of this union were as 
 follows ; Philip E., Henry AV., Fanny Wood, and Martha V., a 
 biographical sketch of each of whom will be found at the close of 
 this chapter. Besides these there were two little girls, Lucy and 
 Emma, who died in infancy. 
 
 Within a few months after my father’s second marriage he 
 removed to Missouri, where some of his relatives and many of his 
 old Halifax friends and neighbors had preceded him, and located 
 in Callaway county on the bank of the Missouri river two miles 
 above Jefferson City, the capital of the State. Here he bought a large 
 tract of land in the Missouri river bottom — land as rich as the 
 valley of the Nile. He probably knew how to appreciate rich 
 soil, having so long cultivated the sterile lands of old Virginia, 
 and often said that his principal object in removing to Missouri, 
 was that his negroes might not be required to labor so hard to 
 make a living. 
 
 There were no railroads west of the Alleghany mountains 
 at that time, and the long and tedious journey was made in wag- 
 ons as far as Wheeling, in West Virginia, and thence down the 
 Ohio and up the Mississippi and Missouri rivers by steamboat. 
 On arriving at his new home my father undertook the herculean 
 task of clearing and improving a plantation in the river bottom. 
 He had about forty negroes, among whom were some strong young 
 men ; still, as I look back now at the task he undertook, at the age 
 of 48, I can but admire his courage and energy. I do not think 
 the present generation possesses these qualities to the same extent 
 as did the early pioneers of Missouri. 
 
 The Missouri river bottoms at that time were covered with a 
 dense forest of timber, there were no saw mills, and the lumber 
 required to build houses was cut from the logs wdth a whip-saw. 
 He proceeded at once to clear the land and build houses, among 
 
 * See biographical sketch in Adams history. 
 
82 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 which was a dwelling, negro cabins and tobacco barns. The 
 dwelling was of the most substantial character, and stood for fifty 
 years as sound as it was the day it was finished. 
 
 Like all old Virginians, he had but one idea connected with 
 farming — tobacco planting, and this was his principal crop as long 
 as he lived. He continued to reside on this farm until 1844, when 
 he sold it, the great flood of that year having damaged the soil by 
 depositing a strata of sand. He then bought another farm 
 directly opposite Jefferson City, where he built a large and sub- 
 stantial residence, in which he continued to live until his death, 
 which occurred on March 16, 1860, at the age of 72 years. His 
 remains rest in the family cemetery in Callaway county. Mo., on 
 the farm of my uncle. Major John B. Adams. 
 
 ANN B. CHAPPELL. 
 
 Ann Brewer was the oldest child of John Chappell, and was 
 born in Halifax county, Va., October 23, 1815. 
 
 I came across the will of one Ann Brewer (widow), in the 
 records of Amelia county. It was dated September 27, 1765. 
 It is probable that this old lady was a relative for whom my 
 sister was named. My sister is remembered by those in Vir- 
 ginia yet living. It is said that she wore the first silk dress ever 
 seen at “Black Walnut Church,” a great curiosity at that time. 
 She is said to have been in her youth a beautiful woman, in fact 
 she was very fine looking in middle life, as I remember her. She 
 was tall, slender, a decided brunette, and had the finest suit of heavy 
 black hair I ever saw. She was a splendid housekeeper, a 
 woman of great energy, and was jovial and fun- loving in 
 disposition. 
 
 In 1835 she married Dr. John H. Edwards of Person county. 
 North Carolina, and soon thereafter removed to Jefferson City, 
 Mo., where she continued to reside until her death, in 1864. There 
 were born to this couple the following children, who lived to 
 maturity : 
 
 1. Mary Campbell, married Judge Alex. Davis in 1859. She 
 only lived a few years and died, leaving a son, James C. Davis, a 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 83 
 
 Tneiiiber of the legal profession, who is fast rising to prominence. 
 He married Guy Hammett. They reside in St. Joseph, Mo., 
 and have one child, which is of the twelfth generation in 
 America. 
 
 2. Margaret Pate, born in 1837, married Frank P. Dixon, 
 and removed several years since to Childress, Texas, where they 
 now live. They have several children, some of whom are mar- 
 ried, and all of whom are intelligent and industrious young 
 people. 
 
 3. John, is the oldest son living. He is an old bachelor and 
 resides in St. Louis. 
 
 4. Thomas Reed, the second son, was a bright, handsome 
 young man, and a general favorite. He was a lawyer by profes- 
 sion, and removed, when quite young, to Montana, and located 
 in Bozeman, where he rose rapidly in prominence. He was 
 elected a member of the senate, but died soon after, far away 
 from home and relativ'es. 
 
 5. Alice, the third daughter, married Judge Alex. Davis, 
 after the death of his first wife. He is a prominent and wealthy 
 lawyer of St. Louis, now retired from active practice. Mrs. Davis 
 is a brunette, and a woman of unusual good sense and kindness 
 of heart. She is a great favorite with her relatives and friends, 
 and a devoted Christian wife and mother. The issue of this mar- 
 riage, now living, are two sons and a daughter, Sidney, Walter 
 and Harriet. Sidney is a newly-fledged member of the St. 
 Louis bar, and is destined to make his mark in his profession. 
 Walter and Harriet are both bright children, but not yet 
 grown. 
 
 6. Walter, the third son, is a farmer and wheat raiser near 
 Childress, Texas, where he has made his home for several years. 
 He, too, is an old bachelor. 
 
 7. Ernest, is the youngest member of the family, and is a busi- 
 ness man of fine attainments. He is a manufacturer in St. Louis, 
 where he has by his own energy built up a large and remunerative 
 business, and employs more than a hundred operatives. Strange 
 to say, he is the only Yankee manufacturer in the family, and has 
 gone entirely out of the line of his ancestors. Ernest is happily 
 married to a Miss Thompson, and they have two children. 
 
84 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 SARAH D. CHAPPELL. 
 
 Sarah Dnisilla was named for her grandmother, Drusilla 
 Pate, and was born in Halifax county, Va., January 1, 1821, and 
 with her sister Ann was educated in Danville, Va. She married 
 Dr. Wm. B. Lenoir on February 22, 1844.* There were born of 
 this marriage three sons and a daughter. The sons are Walter 
 C., William and John, all of whom are old bachelors, and live 
 with their mother on their farm near Columbia, Mo., where they 
 have lived happily for many years. They are in comfortable cir- 
 cumstances, and the boys are upright, moral and industrious young 
 men. Mary Ellen, the daughter, married Geo. W. Allison, a law- 
 yer and banker of McPherson, Kan., where they reside. They 
 have one son, George, a bright little fellow about six years old. 
 
 My sister, Mrs. Lenoir, is a most remarkable woman. Phys- 
 ically she differs from the other children of my father by his 
 first marriage, being a perfect blonde. In this she resembles her 
 Scotch ancestry — the Dickies. She is a small woman, but has 
 always led an active life, and has been blessed with a good consti- 
 tution and good health. But she is remarkable, not for her per- 
 sonal appearance, but for her cultivated intellect. She has been a 
 hard student and bookworm all her life, and has thereby acquired 
 a rich fund of knowledge. There are but few subjects, whether 
 scientific, religious or historical, with which she is not perfectly 
 familiar. She is the only learned and literary Chappell I have 
 ever known, and had she been a man, with the same mind and am- 
 bition, it is difficult to tell to what eminence in the world she 
 might not have attained. She is now 73 years old, is the eldest 
 member of our father’s family living, and is greatly respected and 
 beloved by all of her relatives. 
 
 JOHN A. CHAPPELL. 
 
 John Anderson was born May 17, 1823, and was the oldest 
 son of John Chappell by his first marriage. He was the fourth 
 
 * Dr. Wm. B. Lenoir was a grandson of Gen. Wm. Lenoir, a distinguished officer in the 
 Revolutionary army from North Carolina. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 85- 
 
 John Chappell in succession in onr branch, and being the oldest 
 son, the traditions of the family were observed in bestowing on 
 him the favorite name. He was educated at Bonne Femme Col- 
 lege in Boone county. Mo., and died there on January 24, 1842, at 
 the age of 19. He was, perhaps, the handsomest Chappell in our 
 branch of the family, was tall, well formed, had dark hair and 
 black eyes, and was an exceedingly fine-looking and popular 
 young man. His death in early manhood cast a shadow over our 
 household which continued for many a day. 
 
 GRANVILLE T. CHAPPELL. 
 
 Granville Thomas was the youngest son of my father by his 
 first wife. He was born on January 5, 1825. It will be observed 
 that he bore the old family name — Thomas. The name 
 “Granville,” has never been borne by but one other Chappell, 
 I think, who was Richard Granville Chappell of Charlotte 
 county, Va. 
 
 My brother was educated at St. Charles College, Mo. My 
 father, having, no doubt, in his own life felt the disadvantages re- 
 sulting from the want of early educational opportunities, deter- 
 mined to spare no pains or expense in giving to each of his chil- 
 dren, from the oldest to the youngest, the advantages of the best 
 schools in the country. My brother had just completed his edu- 
 cation when the breaking out of the “California fever,” as it was 
 called, induced him to go to the Pacific coast, which he did in 
 1849. He only lived a few months, and died on October 28, 1850, 
 far away from home and friends, and was buried by the side of 
 his young comrade and kinsman, Benjamin Palmer, son of Isaac 
 Palmer, in what is now an unknown grave. There is no stone to 
 mark the last resting place of these two young men. 
 
 “No name to bid us know 
 Who rests below; 
 
 No word of death or birth, 
 
 Only the grass’s wave 
 Over a mound of earth, 
 
 Over a nameless grave.” 
 
86 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 MARY SUSANNAH CHAPPELL. 
 
 Mary Susan, or Susannah, as it is written in the family Bible, 
 was the youngest child of our father by his first marriage. She 
 was born November 10, 1830, and on September 29, 1852, mar- 
 ried Judge John H. Moore, a cousin of my wife’s. She was of 
 medium size; and rather a brunette, had dark brown hair, blue 
 eyes, and a lovely, sweet face. I never knew a more universally 
 popular or beloved young woman than she ; for with a refined 
 character, full of Christian graces and benevolence, she possessed 
 a well cultivated intellect. Judge Moore was a California pioneer, 
 a lawyer, and had formerly lived in Callaway county. Mo. On 
 their marriage they made the long and dangerous voyage to Cali- 
 fornia via Panama, but reached their destination safely. She 
 was destined, however, to live but a few years, and died at their 
 home in San Jose, on September 27, 1858, leaving one son, named 
 Howell C. Moore, who is also, by profession, a lawyer. He has 
 never married. 
 
 It is a suprising fact, that of my father’s eleven grandsons, 
 living to maturity, only three have married, one is dead and 
 seven are old bachelors. Of the three who are married but one 
 bears the name ‘‘Chappell.” It is to be hoped that with the tenth 
 generation, the name may not, in the Missouri branch, as it has in 
 some others, become extinct. 
 
 PHIL. E. CHAPPELL. 
 
 Philip Edward Chappell, the author of this family history, 
 was born in Callaway county. Mo., August 18, 1837, near the little 
 village of Barkersville, about ten miles from Jefferson City, where 
 the family resided a short time before removing to the farm bought 
 by my father, already mentioned. My earliest recollections are of 
 our home life on this farm, and as these were the pioneer days of 
 Missouri, a short description of life at that time in the West may 
 not be uninteresting. 
 
 My father made no mistake in buying land and selecting his 
 future home ; the soil of this farm is as fertile and as productive 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 87 
 
 to-day as it was sixty years ago, and has constantly risen in value 
 until it is one of the most valuable in the state. In fact, in the 
 United States there can be found no more fertile lands than those 
 of the Missouri and Mississippi river bottoms. 
 
 The early settlers of Missouri were an independent, hospit- 
 able and social class. They were comparatively independent of 
 the outside world, for almost everything needed for the table, as 
 well as wearing apparel, was produced on the farm. The wants 
 of the people were few and easily supplied. The woods abounded 
 with game of all kinds, and with wild fruits of many varieties. 
 Our clothing, especially that worn by the servants, was manufac- 
 tured from wool, flax, and sometimes cotton, grown on the farm. 
 Shoes were made from leather tanned in the neighborhood tan- 
 yard, and by the plantation negro shoemaker or the itinerant cob- 
 bler. Lands were cheap and exceedingly fertile, every man owned 
 his own home, and but little labor was required to produce suf- 
 ficient food for his family. There were no very wealthy people, 
 
 and no abject poverty. The genus tramp had not put in his ap- 
 pearance, unless the few marauding Indians, who passed through 
 the country could be so called. It is true that money was scarce, 
 fortunes were not acquired rapidly, and in fact the only source of 
 revenue for the Virginia immigrant was derived from the annual 
 sale of his tobacco, which was shipped to St. Louis in hogsheads, 
 by boat, and sold or exported to Europe. But there was not much 
 need for money, except to enter government land, and there was 
 not the strife and anxiety to acquire riches then that prevails 
 now. Such was the life we lived in Missouri, in my boyhood. 
 
 I remained on the farm, working some, hunting, trapping — 
 for we were all sportsmen in those days — and going to school in 
 the old log school-house near by, in the winter, until I was fifteen 
 years old, when I was sent off to college. I remained away 
 four years, a part of the time at the Kemper school, at Boonville, 
 and the last two years at the University of Missouri, returning 
 home at nineteen. 
 
 I never took kindly to farm life, it was too plodding, and my 
 ambition was in a different direction, for I inherited a commercial 
 taste that manifested itself early in life. I was born and raised on 
 the banks of the Missouri river, floated little bark boats on its 
 
88 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 waters, as a child, learned to swim in it, as a boy, and the daily 
 sight of the magnificent steamers plying that stream, in my youth, 
 early created a desire to become a steamboatman, a taste that has 
 continued with me through life, and has led to my connection 
 with different boat lines and other enterprises, on the Missouri and 
 other western rivers. 
 
 I began life as a steamboatman and continued on the river 
 until 1860, when my father’s old age and declining health called 
 me home to assist in the management of his estate. He died in a 
 few months after my return, and I was left by his will, the exec- 
 utor of his estate and the protector of my mother and younger 
 sisters. 
 
 On July 3, 1861, I married Teresa Ellen, daughter of Col. 
 Meredith R. Tarlton,* a farmer and near neighbor. My wife was 
 born in Callaway county. Mo., Feb. 27, 1842, and we had known 
 each other from childhood. She is a blonde, below the medium 
 size, has auburn hair, blue eyes, a fair complexion, has been 
 blessed with good health, and is a woman of unusual energy. 
 She is amiable in disposition, charitable and kind to those around 
 her, and has ever been a true and affectionate wife and helpmate. 
 She is a zealous member of the Southern Methodist church. 
 
 I continued to reside in Callaway county, where I was en- 
 gaged, a part of the time, at Cedar City (a town laid off on a part 
 of my father’s homestead), in merchandising, trading and farming, 
 until 1869. During this period occurred the Civil War. Some 
 men, in reckoning the years of their lives, omit the four years, 
 from 1861 to 1865. Perhaps it is well enough to do so, and blot 
 them from memory forever, for “ pen cannot picture or tongue 
 tell ” the terrible scenes of strife, carnage and rapine witnessed 
 and endured by those living in a border state, a section of the 
 country in which the hand of father was raised against son and 
 brother against brother. 
 
 * The Tarltons are of English extraction. Their immigrant ancestor came to America 
 at an early day and settled in Maryland, from whence Jeremiah Tarlton, the father of 
 Col. M. R. Tarlton, emigrated, at the beginning of the present century, to Kentucky, 
 and settled in Scott county. He raised a family of five sons, whose names were Al- 
 fred, Ralph, Llewellin, John and Meredith. Col. Meredith R. Tarlton was small in 
 stature— his weight did not exceed 125 pounds— but a braver, more noble, generous 
 or kind-hearted man, never lived. He was a typical Kentucky Colonel— the noblest of 
 mankind. He married Mary Elizabeth, daughter of John Locke, in 1836, and died in 
 1880. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHEK KIXDRED FAMILIES. 89 
 
 Mv principal crop, while farming, was tobacco — tbe old family 
 staple. Daring 1869, I raised a large crop, and, at the State Fair, 
 held in St. Louis, was awarded tbe first premium for the best hogs- 
 head of shipping leaf, raised in the state. I would remark here, 
 that the art of raising and curing fine tobacco, had not been lost 
 in the family. But this was the last hogshead of tobacco raised 
 by any of the family in Missouri — the time had come to make a 
 change. Tobacco had been, for a period of 235 years — from the 
 landing: of our first ancestor, at the mouth of James River in Viv- 
 ginia, (1635) — the great family staple ; it had been cultivated from 
 generation to generation, and had been the principal source of 
 revenue and wealth ; many members of previous generations had 
 grown rich from its culture. But the crop could no longer be 
 raised profitably under the changed system of labor. Slavery, by 
 the fate of war and the mutable changes of time, had been 
 abolished ; there was no other labor in the country suitable to 
 the cultivation of the crop, and the “colored brother” could no 
 longer be depended on in the tobacco field. I accepted the situa- 
 tion, sold my farm, and determined to make a living in some other 
 way. 
 
 Od September 1, 1869, I was offered the presidency of the 
 ‘‘ Jefferson City Savings Association,” the oldest bank in Jeffer- 
 son City. I accepted the position, and, in the spring of 1870, 
 closed out my interests on the farm, and removed to Jefferson 
 City, giving my entire time to the bank. This bank became a 
 great success, and was afterwards changed into the “Exchange 
 Bank,” one of the oldest and most solid institutions in the state. 
 I still retain my interest and identification with it. 
 
 In 1880, I was elected State Treasurer of Missouri, being the 
 regular nominee of the Democratic party.* After remaining in 
 the treasurer’s office four years, I removed, in 1885, to Kansas 
 City, Mo., and became connected with the Citizens Rational 
 Bank. This is one of the most fiourishing financial institutions in 
 the state, and has gone safely through every storm to which it has 
 been subjected. I remained at the head of this bank until Janu- 
 ary, 1892, when I resigned the presidency that I might be enabled 
 to give my undivided attention to my personal affairs, and take a 
 
 My majority was, 54,000, 
 
^0 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OE THE 
 
 long needed rest, to which I thought I was entitled, after close 
 attention to business for a third, of a century. I still, however, 
 retain my connection with the bank, and can always be found 
 close to the helm when the clouds begin to lower and a financial 
 storm is threatening. 
 
 While a strong partisan and Democrat all my life, I could not 
 well hold any other political faith, coming from such an ancestry 
 as I do; I have never been an active politician or office seeker, but 
 have always taken an earnest interest in public affairs, as every 
 good citizen should, and have done all in my power to promote the 
 interests of my party. For thirty-five years I have been a hard 
 working business man, plodding and methodical in my habits and 
 possessing the usual amount of energy, enterprise and industry 
 which has characterized our race. My early training was in com- 
 mercial pursuits, my inherited instinct, perhaps, was in that direc- 
 tion, and whatever ambition I have had in life, has been to achieve 
 a reputation as an intelligent, honorable business man. 
 
 I have, however, without interfering with my regular occupa- 
 tion, held the following official positions : 
 
 In 1870, I was elected a member of the city council of Jeffer- 
 son City, Mo. 
 
 In 1872, was elected mayor of Jefferson City, without oppo- 
 sition. 
 
 From 1873 to 1880, was a member of the Board of Managers 
 of* the State Insane Asylum, having first been appointed by Gov- 
 ernor Hardin and re-appointed by Governor Phelps. 
 
 From 1881 to 1885, inclusive, was State Treasurer of Missouri 
 and also ex-officio^ one of the Inspectors of the Missouri State 
 Penitentiary. 
 
 In 1889, after my removal to Kansas City, was appointed, by 
 the mayor, a member of the first Board of Public Works of that 
 city, and assisted, under the new charter, in formulating and put- 
 ting into operation, the system of public improvements which has 
 resulted in building up one of the most remarkable cities in the 
 United States. I have held, in my business life, many other 
 positions of responsibility and trust, but the above have been 
 the most important, and all have been in the line of business 
 offices. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 91 
 
 PHIL. E. CHAPPELL’S DESCENDANTS. 
 
 The following children have been born to Phil. E. and Teresa 
 E. Chappell ; 
 
 Claudia E., born Nov. 26, 1862. 
 
 Logan B., born Nov. 4, 1864. 
 
 Jlary L., born Nov. 27, 1867. 
 
 John T., born Feb. 23, 1873. 
 
 Alice D., born Nov. 5, 1874. 
 
 1. Claudia Emma, was educated at Monticello Seminary, 
 and married Horace H. Leonard November 4, 1884. Horace only 
 lived a few weeks and died January 9, 1885. On November 23, 
 1887, she married Louis C. Krauthoff, a member of the bar of 
 Kansas City. Mr. Krauthoff stands in the front rank of his pro- 
 fession ; he has been a member of the Legislature, president of 
 the Bar Association of the state, and is prominent in the councils 
 of the Democratic party. One child, a son, was born of this 
 union — Philip Chappell — a bright little fellow, who represents in 
 my line the eleventh generation of the family in America. Little 
 Phil, was born March 15, 1890, and is therefore five years old. 
 
 Claudia was of medium size, of stately carriage, fine form, 
 and was in all respects an attractive woman. She was nearly a 
 brunette in complexion, had dark brown hair, and the large, round 
 eye peculiar to the family. She possessed a well-cultivated mind, 
 unusual self-confidence, superior business qualities and withal was 
 a benevolent, kind, Christian woman. There are but few persons 
 who began life under more favorable auspices. Surrounded by 
 her friends and relatives, with a good home and an alfectionate 
 husband, the world looked bright, indeed, to her. But it was God’s 
 will that she should be taken from us, and her young life went out 
 like a fiash. She died of heart failure, at Sweet Springs, July 26, 
 1891. Her death was indeed sad, and caused us the greatest 
 sorrow of our lives, a sorrow that time may assuage but can never 
 cure. 
 
 “Above at last, life’s trials past, 
 
 We’ll meet our loved once more. 
 
 Whose feet have trod the paths of God — 
 
 Not lost, but gone before.” 
 
92 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 2. Logan Ballantine Chappell is the only son, and the only 
 male representative of the name in his generation and branch of 
 the family, in Missouri. He married Rena Corder, a most esti- 
 mable lady, daughter of Nathan Corder of Waverly, Mo., on 
 March 17, 1890. But one child has been born of the union — 
 Teresa Tarlton — born March 9, 1891. She is a healthy and prom- 
 ising little girl. Logan resembles his Adams kindred in personal 
 appearance, as I have known them. He is a large, athletic man, 
 nearly six feet tall, and weighs about 200 pounds ; has a fair, ruddy 
 complexion, light hair and blue eyes. He possesses, however, in 
 his personal character many of the Chappell traits. He has energy, 
 industry and excellent business judgment ; is honest and upright 
 in his dealings, and is a man of few words. He has inherited es- 
 pecially one characteristic of my father, a fixedness of purpose 
 and unswerving determination to accomplish whatever is under- 
 taken. He is a steward in the Southern Methodist church. 
 
 Logan is a farmer and stock raiser, and owns a fine farm near 
 Mt. Leonard, in Saline county, not far from Kansas City. The 
 county is one of the best in the state, and the soil is practically in- 
 exhaustible. The crops raised are blue-grass, wheat and corn, and 
 of the latter cereal, one hundred bushels to the acre is not an un- 
 usual yield. An abundance of blue-grass and corn are prerequisite 
 in the production of good beef, and this part of Missouri produces 
 the best beef in the world. The cattle selected are high-grade. 
 Shorthorn, Galloway or Hereford steers, and w^hen fully matured, 
 at three years old, they weigh from 1,500 to 1,600 pounds, and 
 are frequently sold at six cents per pound, gross. They are gener- 
 ally shipped to England in vessels with padded stalls, prepared for 
 that purpose, are called “export cattle,” and in the English market 
 command the highest price of any beef cattle raised in the world. 
 
 3. Mary Locke is our oldest daughter. She was also edu- 
 cated at Monticello, has some local reputation as an artist, 
 and is an excellent musician. She has brown eyes, fair complex- 
 ion, brown hair, and is of medium size. Mary has alway been 
 popular with her young friends, and gives much of her time to 
 work in her church. On April 17, 1894, she married Hal Gay- 
 lord. Mr. Gaylord is a journalist by profession, and is the busi- 
 ness manager of one of the largest daily papers in Kansas City. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AXD OTHER KINDRED EAMILIES. 
 
 93 
 
 4. John Tarlton was the second son. In him the traditions 
 of our family were observed, and he was given the favorite family 
 name — the fifth John in succession in our line. He was a fair- 
 haired, blue-eyed boy, but lived to be only six years old, and 
 died May 1, 1879. With the passing of his young life went out 
 the brightest hopes and ambitions of my life. He was a bright, 
 manly boy, bore the family name — John Chappell — and in some 
 way, my family pride aud ambition were centered in him. Had 
 he lived, he no doubt would have become an honor to his race and 
 name. 
 
 5. Alice Davis, named for our favorite niece, Mrs. Alice 
 Davis, is yet a school girl, and is at Monticello Seminary, where 
 her sisters were educated. She is petite in form and small for her 
 age, but is bright and pretty, and bids fair to become an intelli- 
 gent and refined young woman. Being the youngest, she is natur- 
 ally the favorite. 
 
 HENRY W. CHAPPELL. 
 
 Henry Wirter Chappell was born in Callaway county. Mo., 
 March 17, 1840, and removed during the war of ’61 to California. 
 In personal appearance he was a very handsome man, a blonde and 
 of fine figure and elegant manners. He was exceedingly affable, 
 courteous and pleasant, and was a general favorite with all who 
 knew him ; a whole-souled, honest, honorable man, despising a 
 small or mean act with perfect horror. He was the perfect type 
 of a high-strung, impetuous Southern gentleman. 
 
 He was married in California on March 9, 1863, to Fanny 
 McCoy, daughter of Major McCoy, a California pioneer, and died 
 on March 17, 1882. There are two children, now living, born of 
 this union ; the oldest, McCoy Chappell, an intelligent, moral and 
 upright young man, who is by profession a dentist, lives in San 
 Francisco ; the other is a daughter named Mary, a pretty, inter- 
 esting and accomplished young girl, just budding into womanhood. 
 Fanny married a second time ; her husband is Judge A. Fitzger- 
 ald, a judge of one of the superior courts of the State of Xevada, 
 and the family reside at Eureka, in that State. Judge Fitzgerald 
 is a brother of Bishop Fitzgerald of the M. E. Church, South. 
 
94 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 FANNY WOOD CHAPPELL. 
 
 Fanny was born November 28, 1844, and was married to J. 
 L. Smith, at Jefferson City, Mo., June 2, 1863. She is below the 
 medium size, is very nearly a brunette, and has dark hair and blue 
 eyes. She possesses great energy, excellent business qualities, and, 
 in fact, has all the business traits of character which distinguished 
 our father. She is, without any exception, the best business 
 woman I have ever known, and had she been a man, would have 
 made her mark in the commercial world. 
 
 Judge Smith was educated at the Missouri University, and we 
 were classmates and room-mates. On leaving college he located in 
 Jefferson City, where he studied law and was admitted to the bar. 
 When quite young he was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Cole 
 county. He rose rapidly in his profession and became attorney for 
 the Missouri Pacific railroad, and a leading member of the bar 
 of the State. In 1876, he was elected Attorney General, being 
 the nominee of the Democratic party. In 1888, was elected 
 one of the judges of the Missouri Court of Appeals, for the 
 western district of the state. In 1892, he was re-elected to 
 the same office, for a period of twelve years, receiving the 
 nomination of his party without opposition. His official posi- 
 tion required his removal to Kansas City, where he now 
 resides. 
 
 Judge Smith, my sister, my wife, and I, were all raised as 
 children together ; we have been together all of our lives, first in 
 Callaway county, then in Jefferson City and now in Kansas City, 
 where our residences are close together, and we have been as one 
 family for nearly a half century. 
 
 There has been born to this couple but one child. Clay Ewing 
 Smith, who is now in his 29th year. He is a well educated and 
 handsome young man, has dark hair, bright black eyes and a fine 
 form ; he is moral and upright in his dealings, is kind hearted, and 
 a general favorite with all of his acquaintances. He is engaged 
 in the wholesale drug business in Kansas City. He married Miss 
 Nellie Brooker a very bright, beautiful and amiable young woman, 
 and they have a promising future before them. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 95 > 
 
 MARTHA V. CHAPPELL. 
 
 Martha Virginia, is the youngest member of oiir father’s 
 family, and was born July 17, 1853. She is also the youngest 
 descendant now living, in our generation, of either of the three 
 Dickie sisters. Of the four children born to John and Sarah 
 (Dickie) Chappell, viz.: Dickie, Sarah, Susannah and John, there 
 are of their children only the following now living : of Dickie 
 Chappell’s children, only one, John W. Chappell, of Kentucky * 
 of Sarah Wade’s, only one, Mrs. Fanny Oliver, of Texas ; of Susan- 
 nah Compton’s, only two, J. Reese Compton and Mrs. Catharine 
 Johnston, of Georgia, and of John Chappell’s family, only the 
 following : Mrs. Sarah D. Lenoir, Mrs. Fanny W. Smith, Mrs. 
 Martha V. Ewing and I. Of a once numerous offspring, these are 
 all that are left. 
 
 Mattie is like her sister, Mrs. Smith, very nearly a brunette, 
 but bears a marked resemblance to our mother, and was considered 
 a very beautiful woman when young, and is still quite attractive. 
 She is Avell educated, intelligent, witty, entertaining in conversa- 
 tion, and very social and fond of congenial society. 
 
 She married Henry W. Ewing, of Jefferson City, in 1879. 
 Her husband has been a prominent Democratic politician in 
 Missouri for many years, and probably has as extensive an 
 acquaintance among public men as any one in the state. He is 
 now about forty years old, and is a handsome and polished gen- 
 tleman. For twelve years, he was clerk of the Supreme Court 
 of the State, his father. Judge E. B. Ewing, having been, for 
 many years, on the Supreme Bench. For the last ten years he 
 has held the lucrative office of public printer, and is also editor and 
 proprietor of the Jefferson City Tribune, the Democratic state 
 organ. 
 
 To this couple four ckildren have been born. The oldest, 
 Mary, is the pet of the entire family. She is about thirteen years 
 old, but is far advanced for her age. There are two little boys. 
 Clay and Jack. Both are bright little fellows, and will, no doubt, 
 become useful men. The youngest, a little girl, is an infant, 
 named Dorothy ; named, perhaps, after old James Chappell’s 
 
96 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTOEY OF THE 
 
 daughter of Amelia county, Va., (1776) whose will maybe found 
 on a previous page, and in which his two daughters, Dorothy and 
 Caty, are threatened to be cut off with five shillings, in case their 
 mother, Phoebe, “does not abide by this, my will.” I have never 
 heard of any other Dorothy, except these two, in the Chappell 
 family. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 97 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Dickie Chappell, of Kentucky — The Wade Family — The 
 Comptons, of Georgia. 
 
 Dickie Chappell was the oldest child of John Chappell, of 
 Halifax county, Virginia, by his first wife, Sarah Dickie. He was 
 born in that county, March 28, 1782, emigrated to Kentucky, 
 and settled in Christian county in 1801, where he married Susan 
 McCarty, on June 22, 1810. She was born August 15, 1794 and 
 died August 10, 1855. He continued to reside in Kentucky until 
 1853, when he removed toWashington county, Texas, and located 
 near Chappell Hill.* There was born to this couple the following 
 children: Ursula, P., Elizabeth E., Richard H., John W., Ed- 
 
 ward M., and Thomas W. 
 
 URSULA P. 
 
 Ursula, married Hiram Thomson and removed to Chappell 
 Hill, Texas, in 1850. They had two sons, Alexander B. and 
 Charles. Alexander was a fine looking young man, when I met 
 him, in 1865. He was a gallant officer in the Confederate Army, 
 and participated in the naval engagement near Galveston, in which 
 the United States war-ship “Harriet Lane” was sunk. He died 
 soon after the close of the war. Charles is still living in Texas. 
 
 ELIZABETH. 
 
 Elizabeth married Thomas McCarty, lived in Christian 
 county, and died in 1891, leaving two children, Edward and 
 Elizabeth ; the latter married D. L. Grinter. They live in Cadiz, 
 Kentucky. 
 
 * Chappell Hill was named for the pioneer, James Chappell, and laid out by him, about 
 1840 . 
 
98 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 RICHARD H. 
 
 Richard was a physician ; never married. Died, Septem- 
 ber 10, 1852. Age, 23. 
 
 JOHN W. CHAPPELL. 
 
 John Wesley Chappell was born March 19, 1824, and is now 
 70 years old. He lives in Cadiz, Kentucky, where he has spent nearly 
 a half century in merchandising and banking, and is now president 
 of the bank of Cadiz. He is a most excellent business man, upright 
 in his dealings and industrious in his habits, and is the best pre- 
 served man of his age I have ever known. He is six feet tall, 
 weighs 200 pounds, is as straight and as athletic as most men of 
 50, and as a combination, physically, intellectually, and morally, 
 has few equals. In his long life, given to commercial pursuits, he 
 has accumulated a handsome fortune, and now lives to enjoy it, 
 blessed with every comfort for which well-to-do Kentuckians are 
 proverbial. He is surrounded by his children and grandchildren, 
 who idolize him, and is indeed, a patriarch, honored and respected 
 in the community in which he has lived so long. I visited these 
 relatives recently, and was the recipient of their kind hospitality. 
 I never met a happier family, nor one in which the father was 
 held in higher esteem and affection. They are zealous members 
 of the Southern Methodist Church. 
 
 John W. Chappell married Sarah E. Jefferson, of Gallatin, 
 Tennessee. She was born August 28, 1828. There were born to 
 them the following children : 
 
 1. Emma F., b. January 31, 1848 ; m. R. W. Major, who 
 died in 1892, leaving the following children : Charles Dickie, 
 Elizabeth McCarty, Robert Wade, John Wesley and Winnie Davis; 
 the last name “gives aAvay” the politics of the family, for she was 
 named after the “Daughter of the Confederacy.” 
 
 2. Thomas Dickie, b. Oct. 6, 1850 ; d. July 10, 1876 ; never 
 married. 
 
 3. Martha Susan, b. January 21, 1853, ni. John C. Dabney, 
 d. January 25, 1886. Left four children, Ethel, Albert, Florence 
 and Mattie. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AXD OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 99 
 
 4. John Jefferson, b. Dec. 16, 1855, m. Ida Cooper, March 6, 
 1884 ; they have two children, James and *Sarah. Both are 
 promising children and bear old fashioned Chappell names. 
 
 5. Mary Elizabeth, b. May 31, 1858, m. James E. Gill of 
 Clarksville, Tenn., where they now live. They have five children : 
 Chappell, Mary, Sarah, James and Xellie. 
 
 6. Florence, b. Sept. 21, 1861, m. X. C. Headley, May 9, 
 1888 ; they have one child, a little boy, Edward. 
 
 7. Edward McCarty, b. Oct. 15, 1864; d. Aug. 30, 1890. 
 Xever married. 
 
 8. Charles A., b. Xov. 20, 1868, m. Mattie Wilson. 
 
 All of these children and grand-children, except Mrs. Gill and 
 her family, live in Cadiz, Kentucky. They are all good looking, re- 
 fined and well educated people. The two sons, John J. and Charles 
 A., with their brother-in-law, Mr. Headley, have succeeded to 
 their father’s mercantile business and are conducting a general 
 store, under the name of “Chappell Bros. & Headley.” They 
 are splendid young business men. 
 
 Florence liv^es with her father, and with a daughter’s devotion 
 does everything in her power to add to his happiness ; she is a 
 most amiable and lovely woman, a brunette, of petite figure, but 
 is energetic, and a most excellent housekeeper ; to her many other 
 good qualities and accomplishments is added that of a sincere 
 Christian mother and wife. 
 
 EDWARD M. CHAPPELL. 
 
 The third son of Dickie Chappell was born in Kentucky, but 
 removed, about 1852, to Washington county, Texas, where he 
 married Hester Jackson. They had no children. He died in 
 June, 1883. His widow still surviv^es him and makes her home in 
 Birmingham, Ala. Edward was decidedly the handsomest 
 Chappell I have ever known, and the family has produced some 
 fine looking men. I met him in 1865 ; he was tall, spare in 
 person, had a dark complexion, bright, black eyes and black hair — 
 a very Apollo in appearance. He was then in the prime of man- 
 hood, and was extensively engaged in business. He died wealthy, 
 leaving no child to perpetuate his name or inherit his fortune. 
 
 * Since deceased. 
 
100 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 THOMAS W. CHAPPELL. 
 
 Thomas removed with his brother Edward to Texas in 1852, 
 and there married twice ; first a Miss Atkinson, by whom he 
 had two children, Dickie and Elizabeth. The former is dead; the 
 latter married John J. Jefferson, a merchant of Cadiz, Ky. Lizzie 
 is a blonde, and a very beautiful woman ; in character and 
 person she resembles her father, who was a noble, whole-souled, 
 manly man. Thomas Chappell’s second wife was a Miss Sallis ; 
 by her he had two children, who are now living ; they are Edna 
 and John L. Both reside in Washington county, Texas. 
 
 I visited my uncle and his sons in November, 1865, at 
 their home in Texas, and my recollections of the former are 
 very distinct. He was a man of commanding appearance, fully 
 six feet tall, spare and erect ; his skin dark, eyes blue, face cleanly 
 shaven, as w^as customary then, and his countenance kind and 
 benevolent. My uncle bore a very striking resemblance to my 
 father, and, in fact, in his appearance, manners and habits, con- 
 stantly reminded me of him, for my father had then been dead 
 several years. He had the same nervous activity and energy that 
 had characterized him. 
 
 The life of this grand old man, Dickie Chappell, deserves 
 more than a passing notice, and it is fit that I, the only son of his 
 only brother, w^hom he loved so well, should, sixty years after they 
 last parted, pay this tribute to his memory. 
 
 Born just as this nation had thrown off the yoke of Great 
 Britain and gained its independence (1782), he lived through 
 eighteen years of the last century and seventy of this. How many 
 changes he saw, and what w’onderful progress he witnessed in the 
 development of civilization and the advancement of the new world ! 
 Born in Virginia, he did not wait to attain his majority, but with 
 inborn energy and love for adventure — a natural pioneer — he left 
 his home at 19 and made his way to the wilds of Kentucky, a 
 country then just opened to civilization, and located in Christian 
 county, in the western part of the state. After arriving at his 
 new home he taught school for awhile, but soon purchased a tract 
 of 800 acres of as fine land as can be found in that country. He 
 made no mistake in selecting a home, for a more beautiful or 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 101 
 
 fertile country can be found no where. He soon improved this 
 farm, built houses, had negroes sufficient to cultivate it, and 
 resumed his old occupation, tobacco planting ; a crop for which 
 the soil and climate were especially adapted. This part of Ken- 
 tucky, and the adjoining portion of Tennessee, is to-day the most 
 productive tobacco belt in the United States. This farm was his 
 home for fifty years. 
 
 I have before me an old letter written in Halifax county, Va., 
 on January 4, 1835, by my father (John Chappell) to his brother 
 and sister, Jordan and Susannah Compton, of Georgia, in which he 
 refers to a visit he had recently made to his brother Dickie 
 while on his first trip from Virginia to Missouri ; a journey which 
 he made on horseback in company with his friend, Edward Bruce 
 of Halifax, and which required three months of constant travel. 
 He wrote: ‘T returned from Missouri by brother Dickie’s, in 
 Kentucky. He has five or six children, owns a splendid planta- 
 tion, makes large crops every year, and is, perhaps, as happy a 
 man as can be found in a thousand.” 
 
 Again in another letter, written in 1855, referring to his 
 brother, he said: “Brother Dickie has lately moved to Texas. He 
 is, as you know, a very old man, and was so well fixed in Ken- 
 tucky, that I think he made a mistake in moving. He has a good 
 estate and is a mighty good man. He moved, I think, to be with 
 his children. I judge, from a letter received from him, that he is 
 not well satisfied, and I fear he will never be happy again.” A 
 very strong attachment existed between these two brothers and a 
 constant correspondence was kept up between them as long as they 
 both lived. 
 
 After the death of his wife, my uncle divided the most of his 
 estate between his children, and the last fifteen years of his life 
 were spent in reading his Bible and other religious works, for a 
 more sincere and devoted Christian never lived. On July 1, 1870, 
 at the age of 88 years, he passed away, without disease and with- 
 out pain. Like a child falling asleep, his soul took its flight, 
 serenely trusting in that God who had tenderly watched over him 
 for so many years. It was well that he wffio had gone through 
 such varied scenes of strife, conflict and trial should thus fall 
 asleep ; it was a fitting close to the life of this grand good man ; 
 
102 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 a life full of good deeds, of simple habits and unsullied honesty. 
 No shadow rests on the memory of Dickie Chappell. The light 
 of day shone clear through his character ; there was nothing to 
 disguise, nothing to conceal. Nature does not produce such a 
 man in every generation. May his grave be kept green and his 
 memory ever cherished by his descendants. 
 
 I can not close this sketch of the life of this noble old 
 man without narrating the following, as told me by his son, 
 illustrating the Christian piety of his character. He says : 
 “For many years before removing from Kentucky, it was his daily 
 habit, after walking or riding over the plantation, to retire to a 
 piece of woodland secluded and out of sight of passers-by, and 
 there, kneeling by the side of a certain log, solitary and alone, to 
 offer his daily prayer. He would then rise from his knees, mount 
 his horse and ride to the house.” 
 
 THE WADE FAMILY. 
 
 I know but little of the history of the Wade family previous 
 to the time of Richard Wade, who married Sarah Chappell, and 
 in fact nothing as to their traditions. 
 
 The family removed to Halifax county, from the older set- 
 tled part of Virginia, probably at the close of the Revolutionary 
 War, and found homes there. Richard Wade was born in May, 
 1782, married Sarah Chappell, the second child and oldest daughter 
 of John and Sarah Chappell, nee Dickie, on September 4, 1806, 
 and died February 1, 1842, aged 60. She was born April 7, 1785, 
 and died in April, 1874, aged 89 years. 
 
 This good old couple lived out their days and died near Black 
 Walnut in Halifax county. They raised nine children, all of 
 whom married, and whose names were as follows : 
 
 1. William Henry, b. November 27, 1807. On becoming of 
 age he left home with his younger brother, John, and removed to 
 Tennessee. They were bridge builders and contractors, and built 
 the bridge across the Tennessee river at Muscle Shoals. From 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KIXDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 103 
 
 Tennessee they removed to Florence, Ala., where they located 
 permanently, and accumulated fortunes. It is believed that their 
 descendants yet live near Florence. 
 
 2. Susan Rebecca, b. February 8, 1809, m. Saurin Stanford, 
 
 September 13, 1827 ; their children were as follows : William, 
 
 Sarah, Mary, Richard, Adaline, Emma, and Fanny. All of these 
 lived to maturity, married and have families. They live in Orange 
 county. North Carolina. I received some time since an interest- 
 ing letter from Richard Stanford of Mt. Tirzah, N. C. , from 
 which I make the following extract : “I was a soldier in the 
 
 Confederate army ; started out in ’61 and was with Lee at Appo- 
 mattox. I kissed my sweetheart when I left home, and kissed 
 her again in ’65, and have been kissing her ever since. We mar- 
 ried, and started out to raise a family of giants. You can see 
 how well we have succeeded. Clem, our oldest son, is 6 feet 7 
 inches tall, and weighs 230 pounds ; Ralph is 6 feet ; James is 6 
 feet 4 inches, and weighs 190 pounds — he is not yet 21 ; Leland is 
 6 feet and weighs 180 pounds — he is 16 years old ; Walter, the 
 youngest, is 14, and bids fair to be as large as his brothers. They 
 are all well-formed, athletic men.” The wife of Richard Stanford 
 was Miss Louisiana Townsend. 
 
 3. Mary, b. November 8, 1810, m. Yancy Moore, December 
 20, 1827, and emigrated to West Tennessee. There were born to 
 them thirteen children — seven boys and six girls. Most of the 
 boys became successful merchants, and were well-to-do people. 
 Their descendants yet live in Tennessee, but I regret that I have 
 been unable to obtain any further information of them. 
 
 4. John Dickie, b. January 8, 1813. All that is known of 
 him has been said in connection with his brother William. He 
 died many years ago near Florence, Ala., and left a family and a 
 large estate. 
 
 5. Sarah Elizabeth, b. February 18, 1816, m. Jefferson War- 
 ren, December 26, 1833. They emigrated to Warren county, Ken- 
 tucky, where most of their descendants now live. They had nine 
 children, named as follows : Ann, Banks, AYilliam, Mary, Mar- 
 garet, Jennie, Amanda, George, and Philip. William returned to 
 Halifax county, Ya., and now lives at South Boston. Some of 
 the others live in Logan county, Ky. 
 
104 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 6. George Ellis, was born March 4, 1818 ; removed, on be- 
 coming of age, to Tennessee, but returned to Halifax county, and 
 on November 13, 1844, married Mary, daughter of Isaac Palmer. 
 Soon after his marriage, about 1853, he removed with his father- 
 in-law to Missouri, and located in Cole county, near Jefferson 
 City. There were born of this marriage seven children, named as 
 follows : Sarah, Margaret, Thomas, Joseph, Ernest, Mary and 
 Virginia. Sarah married Irvine Oliver, and there were born to them 
 two boys. The oldest was named after the writer — Philip Chap- 
 pell Oliver — and is now a bright, promising young man. Mar- 
 garet married George Noland. Thomas lives at Nevada, Mo., 
 Ernest in Oklahoma, and the others reside near the old home in 
 Cole county. George E. Wade died many years ago. His widow, 
 a most estimable lady, died in 1894. 
 
 7. Richard A. was born January 17, 1820, m. Margaret E. 
 Adams, daughter of Richard Adams (referred to in the Adams 
 history), on February 26, 1842. They resided in Halifax county 
 until the close of the last war, when they removed to Lamar 
 county, Texas, where he died August 23, 1893. There were born 
 to these parents nine children, who lived to maturity, named as 
 follows : Sarah, Martha, Mary, John, Absalom, Thomas, Richard, 
 George and Maggie Chappell. These are all industrious, well-to-do 
 people,most of them are farmers, and all live in Lamar Co., Texas. 
 
 8. Francis Eliza, or Fanny as she was called, was born March 
 11, 1826. She married Isaac Oliver, December 15,1847, in Halifax 
 county, and emigrated, about 1853, to Callaway county. Mo. She 
 now lives with her brother Richard’s family, in Lamar county, 
 Texas. She bears a strong family resemblance to the Chappells as 
 I have known them ; is tall, dark skinned, and has blue eyes and 
 black hair. She is an intelligent lady and well educated for the 
 times in which she was raised ; is energetic and industrious, and is 
 a zealous Southern Methodist. She has three children now living, 
 the oldest, Walter, is married, lives in Idaho, and is a successful 
 business man ; Amanda, a daughter, married a Mr. Shobe and 
 lives in St. Louis. Sidney, the youngest son, is single, and is a 
 business man, living in Memphis, Tenn. 
 
 9. Amanda Chappell, the youngest daughter, was born 
 October 6, 1827, married John R. Adams, son of Richard, August 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 10^ 
 
 22,1849. They never left Halifax county. There were born to 
 this couple two children, Luther C., who married Laura Bradshaw, 
 and Sarah Chappell, who married George Oliver ; both of these 
 children of John R. Adams reside in the old neighborhood in 
 Halifax, and are industrious, wmrthy people, and each have children. 
 Amanda C. Adams died October 5, 1853. (See Chapter XI.) 
 
 Tlie name “Sarah Wade” will long be remembered by her 
 descendants and relatives, and her virtues constitute her most 
 enduring monument. Her children, as they grew to manhood and 
 womanhood, married and sought in the more fertile lands of the 
 South and West new homes; for they were generally farmers and 
 planters. But she never left the old neighborhood in which she was 
 raised and in which she continued to reside for nearly a century. 
 I visited her old home — the house to which her husband had taken 
 her when a bride. It was built in 1801 — the date of its con- 
 struction is indellibly chiseled on the chimney. It is an old house 
 now, quaintly built, with large fire-places, high mantels and 
 exceedingly small windows, but it is still in a fair state of preser- 
 vation and w^as substantially built. The nails used ivere hand 
 made, by a country blacksmith. For a third of a century she lived 
 a wddow, but such was her industry and good management that she 
 not only raised a large family but accumulated a good estate, which 
 she left to her children. 
 
 After visiting the house I went to the old family cemetery 
 near by, which w^as surrounded by a cluster of cedar trees, and 
 stood beside the grave of my venerable aunt ; she who had been 
 not only a sister, but a mother, to my father in his orphanage. I 
 shall never forget the scene, for it was a beautiful Sabbath evening^ 
 in October, and the sun was setting clear and bright in the West. 
 In the circle which stood around the grave were the grand-children 
 and great-grand-children of this good woman. She who for so long 
 a time had lived the life of a Christian, devoted to her children, and 
 considering no sacrifice too great to be made for them. It is said 
 our good deeds live after us. Certainly if ever one lived for a 
 good purpose in this world, and died leaving a good example for 
 her children, it was Sarah Wade. Her descendants are numerous 
 now, and have found homes all over the Southern and Western 
 states, but wherever they may be found they are honest, industrious- 
 8 - 
 
106 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 and law-abiding citizens, and have brought no reproach to the 
 memory of their honored ancestress or their family name. 
 
 While in the old neighborhood in Halifax county I visited 
 “Black Walnut church,” and nearby the old “Bold spring” — names 
 which will be familiar to many of my readers. The church is now 
 a dilapidated building, fast going to decay and ruin, but the spring 
 is still there, just as it was a hundred years ago, and from its 
 depths bubbles the cold, lucid waters which flow oil in a beautiful 
 stream. What thoughts arose in my mind as I stood on this sacred 
 ground ? The appearance of nature is now as it was then. The 
 hills and forests are there, the spring from which they drank is 
 there, but the Adams, the Wades, the Garlingtons, the Comptons 
 the Chappells — those whose memories are so dear to us, and who 
 met under the shades of these grand old pines to worship God at 
 this old country church in the long, long ago, — where are they ? 
 Not one is left. 
 
 “Historic ground, thou boldest sacred dust, 
 
 But memory greets with reverential kiss, 
 
 No spot, in all the world, so dear as this.” 
 
 THE COMPTON FAMILY. 
 
 Susan, or Susannah as the name was originally called, was the 
 second daughter and third child of John and Sarah Chappell, nee 
 Dickie, of Halifax county, Va., and was born in that county 
 December 12, 1786, and married Jordan Compton, the fourth 
 child and second son of John and Ann (Cross) Compton of Din- 
 widdle county, Va., May 10, 1807. 
 
 They immediately emigrated to Oglethorpe county, Ga., with 
 the family of John Compton, and after residing there a year 
 removed to Monticello, the county seat of Randolph county, now 
 Jasper county, Ga. After a residence there of a year, during 
 which he was clerk of the Superior court of the county, they 
 removed to their plantation, six miles west of that town, and there 
 spent the remainder of their lives. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 107 
 
 The Comptons are an old family of Virginia, and were a 
 numerous one in the latter half of the eighteenth century. In 
 examining the county records in that state I frequently came across 
 the name, sometimes spelled “Cumpton.” Among others I found 
 in the Amelia records the will of one John Compton, filed for 
 probate August 22, 1771, in which his children are named. He 
 left a large estate, consisting of lands and negroes. His wife, 
 Rachael, and son, Richard, were named in the will as his executors. 
 The name was often found in the Halifax county records and I have 
 furnished Major J. C. Compton, of Selma, Ala., a memorandum of 
 the information obtained in Virginia ; doubtless a more thorough 
 examination would yield much in addition to that casually jotted 
 down by me. 
 
 Susan Compton was slightly above the average height, was 
 slender in figure and had black hair and dark eyes. In her man- 
 ners she was reserved and self-possessed ; she had a calm temper, 
 with uncommon tact, patience, perseverance and industry, and a 
 strong will ; she was pious, without demonstration, and loved her 
 husband and children devotedly. 
 
 Her husband was an officer in command of a company of horse, 
 on the coast of Georgia, in the war of 1812, with Great Britain, 
 and in his absence she managed his affairs with marked success. 
 Their home was one of the most noted and hospitable in that 
 country. Both of them were members of the Baptist church for 
 fifty years. 
 
 Jordan Compton died May 30, 1864, at the age of 82 years, 
 and Susan Compton died Dec. 14, 1874, at the age of 88 years. 
 The longevity of these four children of John and Sarah Chappell, 
 is remarkable. Sarah Wade, the oldest sister, died at the age of 
 89 years, and in the same year in which her sister died. 
 Dickie Chappell, died July 1st, 1870, aged 88 years, and John 
 Chappell, the youngest son, died March 16, 1860, aged 72 years — 
 the average life of the brothers and sisters was 84 years. 
 
 Twelve children were born to Jordan and Susan Compton ; 
 three of whom, Chappell Dickie, Sarah Dickie, and James Law- 
 rence, died in childhood or in early life. Their other children 
 were: Eliza, Pleasant M., Susan C., Elizabeth, Rhoda, Emily, 
 Jordan Reese, Frances and Catherine. 
 
108 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 ELIZA COMPTON. 
 
 Eliza was born May 31, 1809, and married Woody Dozier. 
 They resided many years in Alabama and removed to Arkansas, 
 where they died. She died July 10, 1850. They had ten children 
 of whom the following survive : 
 
 1. Mary C., born 1829 ; m. Robert J. Bickerstaff, January 
 30, 1848. Issue now living are : 
 
 I. Herschel, b. 1848 ; m. Lonada Spivey. Live in Lee 
 county, Ark., and have 8 children. 
 
 II. Robertson, b. 1858 ; m. Maggie Sanders. Have 3 
 children. Is a merchant at Mariana, Ark. 
 
 III. Lillian, b. 1863 ; m. John Sims (1883.) They have 2 
 
 children. Live in Lee county. 
 
 IV. Andrew, b. 1865 ; m., and has one child. Merchant 
 
 at Mariana, Ark. 
 
 2. Sarah Frances, b. Aug. 4, 1835 ; m. Geo. W. Webb, a 
 merchant at Opelika, Ala. He died at Sardiss, Miss., 1877. Issue, 
 one child, Clara A. Her mother m. (II) E. P. Sutton, March 7, 
 1893, of Panola, Va. 
 
 3. Emily, b. July 17, 1837, m. Rev. Robert P. Davant, Jan- 
 nary 28, 1858. He was a distinguished officer in the Confederate 
 States army ; has been a teacher and a minister of the Baptist 
 church, and now has charge of the church at Wharton, Texas. 
 They have the following children : 
 
 I. Martha E., b. Nov. 12, 1858; m. M. W. Prewett, of 
 Forrest City, Ark., Apr. 5, 1876 ; d. March 26, 1884. 
 Have three sons living. 
 
 II. Robert Chester, b. January 24, 1861 ; m. Elizabeth 
 English, Dec. 6, 1887. 
 
 III. Charles Reese, b. Feb’y 11, 1867 ; resides at Beau- 
 
 mont, Texas. 
 
 IV. Emma V., b. June 5, 1871 ; m. Elisha Embree, of 
 Belton, Texas, Dec. 27, 1893. 
 
 Philip O., b. July 25, 1879 ; resides at Wharton, 
 Texas ; an employee of a bank. 
 
 V. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED EAMILIES. 
 
 109 
 
 4. Jason G. Dozier, was born May, 1839 ; m. Rose Elder, 
 1860 ; died in 1871, from the effects of a wound received as a Con- 
 federate soldier, at the battle of Murfreesboro (Stone River), Tenn. 
 He was a successful farmer. Has two sons and a daughter living 
 in Lee county. Ark. 
 
 5. Ann C., b. June 26, 1841; m. Rev. W. H. Paslay, a 
 Baptist minister, in Arkansas. They have three children : 
 
 I. William H. , b. March 21, 1876. 
 
 II. Woody D., b. May 20, 1879. 
 
 III. Robert E., b. Eeb’y 8, 1881. 
 
 6. James J., born July 1, 1843 ; m. Isora Crabb, 1868. Issue, 
 5 children, names unknown. Is a farmer in Lee county. Ark. 
 
 7. Elizabeth Malone, b. 1845 ; m. Andrew C. Wood of Eor- 
 rest City, Ark., where he is a prominent man and a successful 
 planter. Has held many important offices in St. Erancis county. 
 Ark. Issue ; 
 
 I. George P., b. Oct. 10, 1870 ; is a graduate of Ken- 
 tucky University. 
 
 II. Andrew C., b. Nov. 20, 1877. 
 
 HI. Anna L., b. Oct. 31, 1874 ; graduated at Normal Col- 
 lege of Winchester, and married Brooking Adkins, 
 of Liberty, Mo. 
 
 The tracing of genealogies becomes intensly interesting and 
 sometimes leads to strange discoveries. The town of Liberty is only 
 ten miles from Kansas City. On learning that my young relative, 
 whom I had never seen, lived there, I availed myself of the first 
 opportunity to call on her and make her acquaintance. I found 
 her a beautiful and intelligent young woman, and happily married 
 to a very worthy young man. It is a strange coincidence that 
 there are now living in Kansas City and the vicinity, five rep- 
 resentatives of distinct branches of the Chappell family. None of 
 these are closely related, but the descent of each can be distinctly 
 traced to the original parent stock in Virginia. 
 
 8. Eliza A., was the youngest daughter of Woody and Eliza 
 Dozier. She was born June 28, 1850 ; m. George W. Henderson 
 in 1870. He was a prosperous farmer, and died in 1878. They 
 have two children, George E., and Eliza P. They all live at 
 Brinkley, Ark. 
 
110 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 PLEASANT M. COMPTON. 
 
 Pleasant Madison, was born Sept. 13, 1810, and married Lydia 
 R. Devereaux, the only child of James and Letitia (Hall) Dever- 
 ©aux, of Bordentown, N. J. Letitia (Hall) Devereaux was the 
 daughter of Isaac and Rebecca (Harrison) Hall. Rebecca Harri- 
 son was the daughter of Benjamin Harrison, who was a member 
 of the well known Harrison family of Virginia. The Halls and 
 Harrisons were from Maryland and Virginia, respectively. James 
 Devereaux was of English descent. Pleasant Compton, on reach- 
 ing his maturity, removed to the county of Butts, Ga., where he 
 located in the town of Jackson and engaged in a mercantile busi- 
 ness. While representing his county, as a Whig, in the Georgia 
 Legislature, in 1840, he was elected by that body Surveyor Gen- 
 eral of the state, an important and lucrative office. He then re- 
 moved to Milledgeville, the capital of the state. He held this 
 office for ten years. His excellent business qualifications and 
 habits, high character and genial manners, made him one of the 
 best known public men of the state. He was afterwards, for more 
 than thirty years, an active business man of Milledgeville, and 
 died March 19th, 1890, nearly 80 years old. He left a large estate. 
 Of the eight children born to Pleasant M. Compton and Lydia, 
 seven lived to maturity. They were as follows : 
 
 J. C. COMPTON. 
 
 Jordan Chappell Compton, the eldest child, was born Dec. 25,. 
 1839. He was educated at the celebrated Quaker school at Alex- 
 andria, Va., and at Oglethorpe University, Ga.; was a law student 
 when the war began, and went immediately into the Confederate 
 Army ; was in the Army of Northern Virginia until after the 
 series of battles before Richmond, in 1862 ; was then transferred 
 to the Western Army and was on the staff of Major General Henry 
 Heth during the Kentucky campaign. After the battle of Mur- 
 freesboro, Tenn., he was ordered to Vicksburg, and during the siege 
 of that city was the artillery officer in charge of all the ammuni- 
 tion belonging to the besieged army, a place of great responsibility 
 
CHAPPELL, DI( KIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 Ill 
 
 and peril. He was afterwards the second officer in command of 
 the Selma arsenal, the largest in the Confederate States. 
 
 On the 20th of April, 1865, he married Miss Ada Norris, 
 daughter of William J. Norris, president of the Commercial Bank 
 of Alabama, located at Selma ; was admitted to the bar, and has 
 been actively engaged in general practice to the present time. 
 
 Major Compton has, notwithstanding his active practice in 
 his profession, found time to take a hand occasionally in politics,, 
 as every good citizen should. In 1884 he was a delegate to the 
 National Democratic convention in Chicago. In 1886, was elected 
 without opposition to the state senate, and was re-elected in 1890 ; 
 during the sessions of 1888-89, 90-91 was chairman of the Judiciary 
 committee of the senate ; at the session of 1892 was unanimously 
 elected president of the senate, and now holds that office. He has 
 two children. 
 
 I. William Norris, b. March 16, 1868. Is a graduate 
 of the State University, and is now a book-keeper in 
 the Commercial Bank of Selma, Ala. He is an 
 excellent young business man, and has a promising 
 future. 
 
 II. Louise, was born April 26, 1874. She is quite a 
 pretty and accomplished young lady. 
 
 J. Chappell Compton is a very handsome man, is five feet ten 
 inches tall, and weighs 180 pounds ; he has dark blue eyes, and 
 hair once black, but now streaked with gray ; has a florid com- 
 plexion and a smoothly-shaven face, beaming with kindness. I 
 have never had the pleasure of knowing my kinsman personally, 
 but have had an extensive correspondence with him, and have re- 
 ceived much valuable information and encouragement in the prep- 
 aration of this work. The descendants of my aunt, Susan Comp- 
 ton, should feel under obligations to him for the pains he has 
 taken to gather the names, dates, etc., of the different branches of 
 the family as given in this sketch. 
 
 2. Charles W., was the second child ; he was born May 20, 
 1844. Left college to enter the Confederate army, where he 
 greatly distinguished himself. He married Emma Bass, Decem- 
 ber 17, 1868, was a successful merchant until his death, which 
 occurred March 30, 1884. He had three children, viz : 
 
112 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 I. Hansell W., b. December 5, 1869, is a merchant at 
 Milledgeville, Ga. 
 
 II. Lilly Beall, b. January 5, 1872, m. Dr. Richard 
 Hutchings, September 6, 1893. Dr. Hutchings is a 
 Georgian, is an accomplished physician, and is now 
 a surgeon at the State Hospital at Ogdensburg, 
 New York. 
 
 III. James Chappell, the youngest son, was born in 1878 
 and died in 1882. 
 
 3. Lyman Hall, b. October 24, 1846 ; educated at the Georgia 
 Miliary Institute ; is a merchant at Milledgeville ; unm. 
 
 4. Mary Letitia, b. November 25, 1850, m. Col. Bushrod W. 
 Frobel of Virginia, November 25, 1868. Col. Frobel was an ac- 
 complished gentleman, had served as an officer in the U. S. Navy, 
 and in the Engineer Corps of the U. S. Army. Pie was a colonel 
 of engineers in the Confederate Army, and greatly distinguished 
 himself in the Army of Northern Virginia, and in the Atlantic 
 campaign. He was, after the war, vice president and general 
 manager of the Macon and Covington railroad. He died in 1886, 
 left a large estate and two children. 
 
 I. Lilly, b. February 18, 1870, m. Lemuel L. Alston, 
 October 22, 1890, d. December 29, 1891. She was 
 a beautiful and an accomplished woman. 
 
 II. Ada Marshall, b. March 9, 1872, m. James H. Horah 
 of Salisbury, N. C., July 5, 1893. Mr. Horah is a 
 lawyer, and resides at Williamsport, Pa. 
 
 5. Laura Bethune, b. December 15, 1853, m. Otto Miller, a 
 -successful merchant. He died in 1878, and his widow lives in 
 Milledgeville, Ga. Issue : 
 
 I. Henrietta, b. March 8, 1875. 
 
 II. Pleasant Compton, b. October 4, 1876. 
 
 6. Anna Belle, b. August 25, 1857, m. (2) — (1) Dr. H. B. 
 Lee, (2) Edgar S. Chambless, January 27, 1891. They reside at 
 Los Angeles, Cal., and have no children. 
 
 7. Guy David, b. March 11, 1860, m. Ida Richards, May 27, 
 1891. Issue: one son, Guy Richards, b. November 20, 1893. 
 He is a graduate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons at 
 Baltimore, and is now practicing his profession at Perry, 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 113 
 
 Oklahoma. I have had the pleasure of meeting my kinsman — Dr. 
 Compton. He is a large man, fully six feet tall, and weighs 
 200 pounds ; has light hair, blue eyes and a very fair com- 
 plexion, and is an accomplished and refined gentleman — a typ- 
 ical Southerner in appearance and manners. 
 
 SUSAN C. COMPTON. 
 
 Susan Caroline was the third child of Jordan and Susan 
 Compton. She was born July 12, 1816, married Andrew R. 
 Bickerstaff on January 17, 1838. They removed to Tallapoosa 
 county, Ala., where they lived out their lives. He died August 6, 
 1862. She died April 8, 1888, aged 71. Mr. Bickerstaff was a 
 man of high character and great energy, and was wealthy before 
 1861 ; owning the large plantation on which he resided, and 
 many slaves. There were born of this marriage the following 
 children : 
 
 1. Mary, b. Nov. 6, 1838, ra. Geo. W. Webb, November, 
 1859. She died July 3, 1865, leaving one child, Fanny, now liv- 
 ing at Waverly, Ala. 
 
 2. Susan, b. Dec. 2, 1840, m. John W. Russell, d. Dec. 16, 
 1889. No children. 
 
 3. Robert Jordan, b. Dec. 19, 1842. He was killed in the 
 Confederate Army, in the battle of Seven Pines, near Richmond, 
 July 1, 1862. 
 
 4. Fannie, b. June 8, 1845, resides at Waverly, Ala., with 
 ber sister. 
 
 5. Cordelia, b. Nov. 10, 1847, m. Seaborn Holstun, Feb. 6, 
 1868. Issue: 
 
 I. Arthur W., b. Nov. 13, 1868. 
 
 II. Pleasant Reese, b. Feb. 6, 1872. 
 
 III. Claude, b. March 12, 1874. 
 
 IV. Maude, b. July 4, 1876. 
 
 V. Bessie, b. April 18, 1883. 
 
 6. Elizabeth, b. Nov. 11,1852, d. Nov. 20, 1869. 
 
 7. Andrew Chappell, b. Sept. 23, 1854, has never married, 
 and resides on his plantation near Waverly, Ala. 
 
114 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 ELIZABETH COMPTON. 
 
 Elizabeth was the fourth child of Jordan Compton. She was 
 born May 22, 1819, married Floyd Malone and died June 
 10, 1864. She was a beautiful woman, with black eyes and hair 
 and a clear olive complexion. Floyd Malone was a man of prom- 
 inence, was very wealthy, and resided on a fine plantation in 
 Jasper county, Ga. They left the following issue : 
 
 1. William Henry m. Mattie Kimball. Issue : Leonidas, 
 Mary, Hattie, Susan, Blanton, Bessie, Henry and David. 
 
 2. Frank J. m. Jennie Lane. Issue : Cora, Mary, Lucy, 
 Georgia, Ella, Fanny, Jesse, Ruth, John, Floyd, Thomas and 
 Grover. From the latter name it is presumed there are some young 
 Democrats in the family. 
 
 3. Lucy m. Frank D. McDowell, a very successful merchant 
 and farmer. Issue : Michael, William, Benjamin, Elizabeth and 
 Frederick. All of the above live on their farms near Monti- 
 cello, Ga. 
 
 4. Stephen F. m. India Freeman. Issue : Lois, Minnie and 
 Bryant. 
 
 5. Elizabeth C. m. Capt. W. J. M. Preston, a successful and 
 prominent citizen of Jasper county, Ga. Capt. Preston is a man 
 of ability, has represented his county in the legislature and has 
 held other important positions. They have no children. 
 
 RHODA COMPTON. 
 
 Rhoda was the fifth child of her parents. She was born Jan- 
 uary 12, 1824, married Robt. Greer, and died January 24, 1850. 
 Issue : 
 
 1. Susan P. m. Capt. Leonidas Lane. They reside at the 
 old Compton homestead, near Monticello. Issue : Annie, Lucy, 
 Bertha, Peal, Lee, Compton, James, Guy and Ralph. 
 
 2. Robert J. m. Hattie McDowell. They reside on their 
 plantation on the Ocmulgee river, in Jasper county, Ga., and have 
 been very successful. Issue : Bessie, Julius, Troy, Olivia, Mattie 
 and Jasper. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 115 
 
 EMILY COMPTON. 
 
 Emily was the sixth child of Jordan and Susan Compton. She 
 was born October 5, 1825, married Charles A. Nutting, and died 
 August 6, 1852. She was a beautiful and an accomplished woman. 
 Mr. Nutting was the joint owner, with another, of a large 
 cotton mill near the Compton homestead, which was destroyed by 
 the Federal army in 1864. He was president of the City Bank of 
 Macon and owned large mining interests in Colorado. He greatly 
 distinguished himself in the Georgia Legislature during the recon- 
 struction period and afterwards, in assisting, by wise legislation, 
 in placing the state on a solid financial basis. He became one of 
 the wealthiest men of the state. Two children were born of this 
 marriage. 
 
 1. Ellen, who died when 12 years old. 
 
 2. Annie, b. July 11, 1848, m. Benjamin P. Walker, of 
 Charleston, S. C., April 28, 1869. 
 
 Mr. Walker has been a successful merchant of Macon, Ga. ; 
 now resides at Thomasville. They have three children. 
 
 I. Cora Compton, b. March 5, 1870. 
 
 II. Benjamin P., Jr., b. October 10, 1872. 
 
 III. Charles Nutting, b. March 3, 1875. 
 
 JORDAN REESE COMPTON. 
 
 Jordan Reese was born July 28, 1828. He has never married ; 
 is quite wealthy, and makes his home at Monticello, Ga., but 
 spends much of his time in Atlanta. He has retired from 
 business, is a man of high character, and much esteemed, and is 
 the only male descendant now living of Susannah Compton of his 
 generation. 
 
 FRANCES COMPTON. 
 
 Frances was the eighth child ; she was born June 23, 1831, 
 and married Wm. K. Pope. She died August 23, 1850, leaving 
 one child, Charles W. Pope, who married Mary Hunter; they reside 
 on their farm near Monticello, Ga., and have the following children: 
 Fannie, Charles, Kirby, Lucy, Pauline, Corinne and Glover. 
 
116 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CATHARINE COMPTON. 
 
 Catharine, the youngest child of Jordan and Susan Comp- 
 ton, was born March 30, 1833, and married Stephen Johnston. 
 They resided on their line plantation in Jasper county, Ga., until 
 a few years ago, when they removed to Monticello. They have 
 two children. 
 
 1. Imogene, who married George W. Persons, a gentleman 
 of high character and worth ; they reside at Monticello, and Mr. 
 Persons is a merchant and planter. They have the following 
 children : Ernest, Fannie, Imogene, Clarence, Clifford and James. 
 
 I have had some correspondence with Mrs. Persons. She is 
 an accomplished, educated and refined Southern lady, and like 
 many other noble women of the family, reveres the memory of her 
 ancestors, and treasures their traditions. 
 
 2. Reese L. Johnston was born September 17, 1854, married 
 Ella McDowell, and died in 1891, leaving two children, Chappell 
 Johnston, aged 14, and Emma, aged 11 years. 
 
 Mrs. Catharine Johnston is now about 60 years old. She has 
 been a widow since 1887, and is spoken of as being an amiable, 
 pious and an intelligent woman. She and her brother Reese are 
 the only surviving children of Jordan and Susan Compton, nee 
 Chappell. 
 
 It will be observed that among the descendants of Jordan and 
 Susan Compton, by blood and marriage, were many successful and 
 jirominent men. Among these were Floyd Malone, Andrew R. 
 Bickerstaff, Chas. A. Nutting, J. R. Compton and Stephen N. 
 Johnston. These were all recognized as wealthy men, as the word 
 was used in 1860 ; those who were engaged in planting were of the 
 very best type of the Southern planter and slave owner. The 
 descendants of the family, as far as known, who are farmers and 
 planters, own their farms and plantations, and are a well-to-do, 
 thrifty race, industrious and energetic. The family are intelligent, 
 and all of the younger members are being educated at the best 
 schools and colleges in the country, and several are preparing for 
 professional courses. 
 
 Physically the Comptons, like the other descendants of John 
 Chappell and Sarah Dickie, the Dickie and John Chappell and 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHER KIXDEED FAMILIES. 
 
 117 
 
 Wade families, are of two distinct types ; many of them are 
 brunettes, with black hair and black eyes, and some of the females 
 are remarkably handsome women ; others are of the blonde 
 type, and entirely different in appearance, as much so as if there 
 were no relationship. I have from a personal acquaintance 
 observed this marked difference in every branch of the family, and 
 have referred elsewhere to this peculiarity. The description of 
 the Dickie sisters, that has come down to us, is that they were 
 blondes, and many of their descendants have been of the same 
 physical type. 
 
 The Comptons are strong and vigorous men and women, and 
 as will be observed, the family has been a prolific one. It is said 
 there has been no insanity, imbecility or deformity in any branch. 
 It seems strange that no child that was given the good old Scotch 
 name “Dickie” lived to maturity, the name “Chappell,” however, 
 has been perpetuated in every branch to the present generation. 
 Many of the Comptons yet live in Georgia ; others have 
 immigrated to Alabama, Arkansas and Texas. Among the different 
 branches of the Chappell family there are perhaps none superior in 
 intelligence, refinement and culture to the descendants of Jordan 
 and Susannah Compton. 
 
118 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Robert, James and Samuel, Sons of John and Prudence 
 
 Chappell — William, the Tennessee Branch. 
 
 Robert Chappell, or “Captain Robin Chappell,” as he was 
 '"ailed, for he was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, was the 
 Idest son of John and Prudence Chappell, of Amelia county, Va., 
 and was probably born about the time that his father and grand- 
 mother, Sarah Crawley, removed to that county from Prince 
 George (1746). He married Mary Tucker in Amelia. The date 
 of this marriage is unknown, but it was probably about 1776. At 
 the close of the Revolution he removed to Halifax with his 
 brothers and other relatives, and the first account we have of him 
 there was on March 10, 1782, when he bought a tract of land, 
 doubtless for a home. 
 
 Seven children were born to this couple, three sons and four 
 daughters ; their births were in the order named. They were 
 Joel, Robert, John, Nancy, Ursula, Prudence and Martha. 
 
 1. Joel Chappell married Tabitha Light December 5, 1800. 
 They had nine children, whose names were as follows : William, 
 John, Robert, Mary, Anna, Winfred, Ursula, Martha and Tabitha. 
 Joel Chappell removed with his family to Madison county, Tenn., 
 where his children married, and where their descendants, it is sup- 
 posed, yet live. Of these children, William died a bachelor ; John 
 married and had four children ; the name of his wife is unknown. 
 Robert married a Miss Congo. Mary married John Phelps ; they 
 had no children. Winfred married Paul O. Anderson ; they had 
 nine children. Tabitha married James Hinton. The other three 
 daughters died young and never married. 
 
 2. Robert Chappell was the second son of Robert. He 
 married Joanna Light. She was born December 24, 1783, and 
 died November 17, 1850, and her husband died July 20, 1859, at 
 the ripe old age of 80 years. There were seven children born of 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 119 
 
 this marriage, one son and six daughters ; their names were : 
 Thomas, Martisha, Octavia, Jannetta, Ossa, Helen and Artamesha. 
 Of these Thomas died an old bachelor ; Jannetta married Edwin S. 
 Hunt ; they emigrated to Graves county, Ky., and had one child, 
 who married James Lockridge. Ossa married John L. Tucker, 
 and emigrated to Carroll county, Tenn.; they had four children. 
 Of the other four daughters, none were ever married, and Helen is 
 the only one now living. She is now an elderly maiden lady, and 
 it is from her that most of the information in relation to this 
 branch has been obtained, although the dates are taken from the 
 records of Halifax county. She lives on her own plantation, where 
 she has lived for many years, near Meadville, in the northern part 
 of Halifax county.* 
 
 3. John died in 1825, an old bachelor, and left a will, which 
 is on file in Halifax county. His estate consisted principally of 
 negroes. He was the youngest son, and died four years before his 
 father. 
 
 ^ 4. Nancy m. Dr. Richard Holland July 3, 1800. Issue : 
 
 Four children ; only two of whom (Robert Chappell and Mary) 
 
 lived to maturity. Mary, m. Martin, of Smith county, Tenn. 
 
 She has a granddaughter, Ella Martin, now living, who is the wife 
 of Anthony C^min^etti, a member of Congress from Jackson, Cal. 
 In 1809 Dr. Holland and his family emigrated to Wilson county, 
 Tenn., and settled near Lebanon. Robert, the son, was born in 
 Halifax county, Ya., June 11, 1801, graduated in medicine at 
 Transylvania University of Lexington, Ky., about 1822. He was 
 married three times, but had no children living to maturity, except 
 by his second wife. Her name was Elizabeth Lewis Turner. This 
 marriage occurred in 1843, at Lexington, Ky. Dr. Robert Chap- 
 pell Holland practiced his profession for some years in Nashville, 
 Tenn., but removed to Louisville, Ky., and died there April 24, 
 1880, at the age of 79. There were born of his second marriage 
 three sons, whose births were in the order named : 
 
 I. Robert Afton, b. June 1, 1844. Became a minister 
 of the M. E. Church, South, and was, at the age of 
 18, chaplain of John Morgan’s Confederate cavalry. 
 In 1873 was ordained a priest in the Episcopal 
 
 *MiBS Helen Chappell died November 16, 1894, aged 78. 
 
120 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 Church, and has attained great prominence. He is 
 now the well known Rector of St. George’s church 
 in St. Louis. He m. Theodosia Healy Everett in 
 1864. Issue : Mary, Robert, Theodosia, Thomas, 
 James and Enid. His wife died December, 1893. 
 
 II. Henry L., b. September 10, 1847, m. Annie M. Ware. 
 No issue. Is a merchant in Chicago. 
 
 III. James W., b. April 24, 1849. Is a distinguished 
 physician and now a professor and dean of Jefferson 
 Medical College, Philadelphia. Married Mary B. 
 Rupert. Issue : Rupert, Lucy and Leicester. They 
 have lived in Philadelphia for many years. 
 
 5. Ursula m. Joel Tucker October 17, 1800. They had 
 but one child — Patsy. She is referred to in the old letter men- 
 tioned elsewhere, written in 1828, by Wm. Dickie, in which it is 
 said, “Patsy Tucker is living with her grandfather Chappell.” 
 
 6. Prudence married Robert Tucker on January 12, 1821. 
 They had no children. 
 
 7. Martha, the youngest child, married William Dickie, the 
 oldest son of John Dickie, Jr., who emigrated to South Carolina, 
 and who was, therefore, the grandson of John Dickie, Sr., and Ailsie, 
 his wife. (See Dickie genealogy.) This marriage occurred Novem- 
 ber 22, 1816. They had three children, all daughters. They are 
 referred to in the Dickie history. 
 
 The family of Robert Chappell was not a prolific one, and 
 unless there are descendants of the two sons of Joel Chappell, who 
 emigrated to Tennessee, now living, the name “Chappell” is in 
 this branch extinct. Capt. Robert Chappell died in July, 1829, 
 at the age of 83. He left an estate and a will, and in his will the 
 names of his children and some of his grandchildren are men- 
 tioned. It was written February 7, 1826, but was not probated 
 until July, 1829. 
 
 I have referred in the Dickie history (Chapter IV.) to an old 
 letter (now in my possession) written by Wm. Dickie to Jordan 
 Compton, and dated November 10, 1828, from which a good deal 
 of valuable information has been obtained in relation to the family 
 in Halifax county at that time. In this letter the writer refers to 
 his father-in-law, Capt. Robin Chappell, and says : “Father Chappell 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHER KIKDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 121 
 
 has a cancer on his hand ; he has had it cut out, hut it is no 
 better, and I expect it will kill him. I fear it is in the blood.” 
 The cancer referred to did kill the old gentleman within a year, 
 but it was not “in the blood,” for there has been no case of cancer 
 in the family from that day to this, that I have ever heard of. 
 Certainly it was not “in the blood.” 
 
 I would be glad to publish this old letter entire, as a 
 curiosity, did the scope of this little book permit ; but as it 
 is I fear my readers will become weary of constant repetition of 
 the names and dates of the Chappell family. 
 
 JAMES CHAPPELL, SON OF JOHN AND PRUDENCE 
 CHAPPELL-THE TEXAS BRANCH. 
 
 If I were called on to select from the many names mentioned 
 in this history the one representing the most courageous and hardy 
 pioneer, 1 would select that of James Chappell, for there is a 
 tinge of daring romance in his eventful life that we find in no 
 other of the earlier pioneers of the family. 
 
 James was the third son of John and Prudence Chappell of 
 Amelia county, Virginia, the history of whose lives has been 
 given in the fourth chapter, and was born in that county about 
 1754. His name is mentioned in his fathers will, a part of which 
 is transcribed in that chapter. Several of the younger generation 
 of Chappells, on the breaking out of the Revolution, entered the- 
 army in Virginia, but from the fact that the male names of the 
 family at that time were limited to about a half dozen, among 
 which were James and John, and that there were several persons 
 bearing these names, it is now almost impossible to distinguish 
 them, and to ascertain which of them were in the army. It is not 
 improbable that there was more than one of the same name who 
 bore arms in that war. This difficulty of distinguishing those 
 of the same name, and of the same generation, has been fre- 
 quently referred to. 
 
 James Chappell, with his brothers, Robert, John and Will- 
 iam, his relatives — the Crawleys — and his cousin, another James 
 Chappell, removed from Amelia to Halifax county, about the close 
 of the Revolution. In searching the records of Halifax countv 
 
 9 — 
 
122 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 his name was found several times. In 1780 he bought a tract of 
 land on the south side of Dan river, adjoining the farms of his 
 brothers, and there established a home.* On March 12, 1781, he 
 and his brother William witnessed a deed made to their brother 
 John Chappell, and on July 1, 1785, he and Robert witnessed a 
 deed made by John to Charles Olds. On June 22, 1781, he mar- 
 ried Martha, daughter of Richard Wooding. f They continued to 
 reside on their farm in that county until the early part of the 
 nineteenth century, when they joined the great tide of emigration 
 that began to flow from Virginia to West Tennessee, and removed 
 there and located, it is believed, in Maury or an adjoining county. 
 Here he lived until about 1835 to 1840, when, with the restless de- 
 sire of the early pioneer for more “elbow room,” he again emigrated 
 West, continued his journey to the Brazos River, and located 
 in what is now Washington county in the State of Texas, but what 
 was then the Republic of Texas, and the ultima thule of Amer- 
 ican civilization. He there laid off and founded the town of 
 Chappell Hill, named for him, where he continued to reside until 
 he passed over to join that great silent majority, whose realm is 
 bounded by the sides of the grave. J 
 
 It is diflicult now to conceive of a more perilous undertaking 
 than the journey made by James Chappell at that early day, from 
 Tennessee to Texas ; for the latter country was not a half century 
 -ago what it is now. It was then a vast wilderness, inhabited 
 alone by wild beasts, and the wilder and more dangerous savage. 
 Beyond the Mississippi, and for a greater part of the distance, 
 there was no human habitation, and no sound was heard by day 
 save the bellowing of the buffalo, nor by night save the howling of 
 the coyote. Tradition says this journey was not a pleasure trip, 
 
 * Ills cousin, James Chappell, son of James of Amelia, who married Lucy Woodson, 
 located on Banister river, in the northern part of the county, 
 t This marriage license is still on file in the clerk’s office in Halifax county, Virginia. 
 
 $ In 1820, Moses Austin, by permission of the Mexican government, established an 
 American colony on the Brazos river, where Washington and Austin counties are 
 now located. He died in 1823, and the command of the colony fell to his son, Colonel 
 Stephen F. Austin. Constant disturbances between the colonists and the Mexicans 
 resulted in the Revolution of 1836, which will ever remain memorable in history, from 
 the massacre of the Americans at Goliad and the Alamo. San Jacinto soon followed, 
 and with this great victory achieved by General Sam Houston, came the independence 
 of the Republic in 1837, followed in 1845 by the admission of the State of Texas into 
 the union. It was to this colony on the Brazos, that James Chappell, his sons and 
 grandsons emigrated. It may be worth mentioning that General Mirabeau 
 B. Lamar was the second president of the republic, and it was his sister— Loretto— 
 who married Absalom H. Chappell of the Georgia branch in 1842. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 123 
 
 but that the emigrants were in constant dread of the Indians, and 
 were frequently attacked by them. In these engagements it is 
 also said that the wife of James Chappell, although then an old 
 woman, displayed unusual nerve and personal courage, and made 
 a “full hand” in fighting the redskins — she loaded the guns while 
 her husband and sons did the shooting. 
 
 The names of but two of the children of James and Martha 
 Chappell are known. There were probably others, but if so, 
 their names have been lost. The two referred to were both sons, 
 and were named Robert Wooding and Humphrey. Robert Wood- 
 ing, or “Wooding Chappell,” as he was called, who was the elder, 
 attained considerable prominence after his removal to Texas, and 
 is yet remembered by the older members of the family. The 
 family Bible that once belonged to him has been preserved, and 
 from it the following record of his family has been obtained : 
 “Robert Wooding Chappell was born in Halifax county, Virginia, 
 May 14, 1782, and married Mary (whose surname is unknown), in 
 1803. She was born Oct. 25, 1784.” There were born of this 
 union the following children, on the dates given : Charlotte, Nov. 
 8, 1804; John G., Feb. 17, 1806; Elizabeth, July 17, 1807; 
 William, August 27, 1808 ; Mary, Dec. 2, 1810 ; Robert, June 6, 
 1812 ; James, Nov. 10, 1813 ; Nimrod, August 29, 1815, and 
 George, Dec. 12, 1816. These are all long since dead, and of their 
 generation there remains but one — Harriet — the widow of William, 
 now a very old lady. I have not been able to obtain any infor- 
 mation of the descendants of Wooding Chappell, except those of 
 his son, John G. He married and had children, among whom was 
 a son, named for his grandfather, Robert Wooding. Robert Wood- 
 ing, Jr., married, and his widow now lives near Brenham, in Wash- 
 ington county, Texas. They had two sons, one of whom is John 
 H. Chappell, a young member of the bar of Brenham. 
 
 Humphrey Chappell, the son of James Chappell, was younger 
 than his brother Wooding. An account of his marriage was 
 found in the Halifax records. On July 3, 1823, he married Lucy 
 Irby. He did not emigrate to Texas with his father, but it is said 
 removed to Arkansas, and settled in that state. About 1835 he 
 returned to Tennessee on a visit to his father, and cousins, the 
 sons of William Chappell of the Tennessee branch, who had 
 
124 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 emigrated from Virginia to Maury county. It seems that he ex- 
 tended this visit to Amelia county, Va., for in the old manuscript 
 of James Chappell, so often referred to, he mentions a visit about 
 this time from Humphrey Chappell, son of James, who was the 
 son of John and Prudence of Amelia. Humphrey seems not to 
 have returned to Arkansas to live, for in 1838 he removed to 
 Muhlenburgh county, Ky., and soon thereafter married a Miss 
 January, who became his second wife. He is, doubtless, long 
 since dead, and if he left any descendants they are probably in 
 that part of Kentucky. 
 
 I regret that the account I have given of the Texas branch of 
 the family is not more complete, but after a faithful effort, and 
 much correspondence, I have been able to obtain no facts in 
 addition to those given. The “grim reaper” has played sad 
 havoc with this branch of the Chappell family, and of all the 
 descendants of James Chappell, if there be any left, excepting 
 John H. and his brother, their names and residences are 
 unknown.* The data from which this sketch has been compiled 
 was obtained from W. B. Chappell, of Flatwoods, Tenn. ; John H. 
 Chappell, Brenham, Texas, the manuscript of James Chappell, and 
 the records of Halifax county, Va. 
 
 SAMUEL, YOUNGEST SON OF JOHN AND PRUDENCE 
 CHAPPELL, OF AMELIA COUNTY, VA. 
 
 Samuel, the youngest son of his parents, was born in Amelia 
 county, Va., in 1760, and was therefore 15 years old when his 
 father died, in April, 1775. In his father’s will a special legacy 
 was bequeathed to be used for his education, and maintenance 
 until he became of age. He did not leave Amelia county with his 
 brothers when they removed to Halifax, but on May 25, 1786, we 
 find in the records of Amelia that he married Martha Perkinson. 
 Only one other record was found referring to him. On March 14, 
 1787, he signed, as surety, the marriage bond of one Hezekiah 
 Tucker, who married Amy Tucker. 
 
 I was for some time, in tracing the history of Samuel Chap- 
 pell, unable to ascertain what became of him. The Amelia records 
 
 ^ There is living in Mineola, Texas, a merchant, named J. G. Chappell, who is 
 probably a descendant of James Chappell. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHEPv KIKDEED FAMILIES. 
 
 125 
 
 gave no further clue : his name was not found in the Halifax 
 records, and I became satisfied that he never removed to that 
 county. It was not until I received the manuscript containing the 
 early traditions of the family, from Virginia, that the question 
 was solved. From this manuscript, so invaluable to us, the fol- 
 lowing information has been obtained : “Samuel married and died 
 early in life, in this county (Amelia). His daughter married a 
 gentleman named ‘Backus,’ who, at one time, kept the Amelia 
 Springs,* and afterwards removed to the western part of the state 
 and kept a house of entertainment there.” This is absolutely all 
 we know of Samuel Chappell. The name “Backus” is suggestive 
 — it was an appropriate name for a tavern-keeper. 
 
 PRUDENCE CHAPPELL. 
 
 By referring to the will of John Chappell, of Amelia (Chapter 
 IV), it will be observed that he had five sons and one daughter, 
 the name of the latter was Prudence. She was doubtless named 
 for her mother — a name than which thei’e is none more beautiful. 
 This name has been a favorite one in our family, and in some of 
 the branches has been transmitted to the present generation. We 
 know nothing of her history or what became of her, either from 
 tradition or the records, for after a diligent search her name was 
 not to be found in the records of Amelia county. She either died 
 before marriage, or, if married, the bond and license have been 
 lost. Her history will never be known to her kindred. 
 
 WILLIAM CHAPPELL, THE TENNESSEE BRANCH. 
 
 “William Chappell, son of John and Prudence Chappell, was 
 born in Amelia county, Va., on the 15th day of May, 1758.” It 
 wms this record, found accidentally in an old family Bible, that 
 had once belonged to Mrs. Xancy H. Reynolds, the former widow 
 of Alexander Chappell, that first suggested the compilation of this 
 family history. 
 
 The old Bible was a small volume, yellow with age, and torn 
 from neglect and rough usage, for it had for years been thrown 
 
 * A summer resort yet in Amelia county, Va. 
 
126 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 aside, after its owner’s death, with other old books, as worthless. 
 Doubtless the good Christian woman, to whom it had belonged, 
 knew its history and its value, for it had been in the family for 
 more than a hundred years, and had once belonged to her hus- 
 band’s father — William Chappell — the progenitor of the Tennessee 
 branch. From the pages of this little volume there was emitted a 
 ray of light that radiated towards the East, and, like a halo, rested 
 over the dome of the old and dilapidated court house of Amelia 
 county, Va. The reflection from this ray shown on the archives 
 stored away in the old building for generations, and covered with 
 the dust of a century and a half, and bid us search there for more 
 light; for on these shelves were stored the wills, the marriage 
 licenses, the deeds and conveyances, and the settlements of the 
 estates of our ancestors, whose names and histories had been lost 
 to their posterity. 
 
 William was next to the youngest son of his parents, and wa& 
 but a few days of 17 years old when his father died, in Amelia 
 county, in April, 1775, just a year before the beginning of the 
 American Revolution. Provision was made in his father’s will 
 for the maintenance and education of himself and his younger 
 brother, Samuel. He accompanied his brothers, Robert, John 
 and James, and other relatives, when they removed to Halifax 
 county about 1780, and the first account we find of him there w^as 
 his marriage. The records show that on Thursday, November 6, 
 1783, he married the “Scotch lass,” Elizabeth Dickie, daughter of 
 John and Ailsie Dickie. He soon bought a tract of land and 
 established a home on the south side of Dan river, in the extreme 
 southern part of the county, adjoining the plantations of his 
 brothers, where he continued to live until his death, which 
 occurred on May 18, 1799, at the early age of 41 years. 
 
 The name of William Chappell was frequently found in the 
 records of Halifax county, for he seems to have been an energetic, 
 prosperous and highly esteemed citizen, and had accumulated a 
 good estate. He left a will dated November 1, 1798, which was 
 probated June 24, 1799, and in this will his children are named as 
 follows: David Crawley, Sarah, William, Dickie, John Watkins, 
 Elizabeth and Alexander. The births of these were in the order 
 named, and they were all young at the time of their father’s 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHER KIKDRED FAMILIES. 127 
 
 death. David Crawley and John Watkins died in Virginia, before 
 arriving at maturity ; the others all lived to be married, and in 
 after years emigrated to Tennessee. 
 
 The witnesses to this wTll were William Dickie, Sr., (a 
 brother-in-law) and Xancy Chappell, a niece.* His brothers, 
 John and Robert, and brother-in-law, Edwdn Garlington, were 
 appointed in the wdll his executors, and also guardians of his- 
 children. The inventory of the estate, exclusive of land and 
 negroes, amounted to £898 4s 7d, or $4,347.50 in the present cur- 
 rency. On February 22, 1802, Elizabeth Chappell, his widow, 
 receipted to the executors for her portion of the estate. The wit- 
 nesses were William Dickie, Sr., David Crawley Chappell and 
 Conway and William Garlington — the two latter were the sons of 
 Edwin Garlington,! and hence her nephews. 
 
 It will be observed that there is a double relationship between 
 the descendants of John and William Chappell, they having mar- 
 ried sisters, who were the daughters of John Dickie. This close 
 relationship has, perhaps, led to more than the usual feeling of 
 friendship and aifection between the families ; an affection which 
 has continued for a century, and which still continues unimpaired 
 and unbroken to this day. My grandfather (John Chappell) was 
 executor of the estate of his brother and guardian of his chil- 
 dren. My father (John Chappell of Missouri) was the guardian 
 of Alexander I. Chappell, a grandson of William, Sr. I was the 
 administrator of the estate of AVilliam S. Chappell, another 
 grandson, and became, in the next generation, the guardian of 
 Chappell Rickey, the grandson of William S. Chappell, and the 
 great-great-grandson of William Chappell, Sr. This confidence,, 
 which has been reposed in succeeding generations, has never been 
 betrayed, and has served to cement still closer the ties of kinship. 
 
 Elizabeth Chappell, the widow of William, some years after 
 his death, married Thomas Hull Crawley, who was a widower, 
 and probably a grandson of Sarah Crawley, and therefore related 
 to the Chappells. But one child was born of this marriage, a son 
 named Thomas, who died quite young. I do not know the date 
 of this marriage or the time of Thomas H. Crawley's death, but for 
 
 ^Daughter of Robert Chappell. 
 
 + See Garlington and Dickie histories Chapters X. and IV. 
 
128 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 some years after my father’s first marriage (1814) they were his 
 nearest neighbors and most intimate friends, and are yet remem- 
 bered by my sister, Mrs. Sarah D. Lenoir. They lived near Black 
 Walnut, and I spent a night in the old home, which was an elegant 
 house in its day, and is yet in a fair state of preservation. It is 
 now occupied and owned by Mrs. Mary S. Pointer, a descendant 
 of the Chappells, and is called “Residence.” 
 
 In 1832, as has been stated on a previous page, Elizabeth 
 Crawley, called by her relatives “Aunt Betsy Crawley,” removed 
 with her youngest son, Alexander Chappell, to Maury county, 
 Tenn., whence all of her children had preceded her. She died at 
 the home of her son William, on June 3, 1844, having lived to be 
 almost an octogenarian. She is remembered by those yet living, 
 and from the description we have of her, she must have been a 
 woman of strong character, great energy, and excellent good sense. 
 I think in her personal appearance she must have differed from 
 her sister, Susannah Garlington, for she was rather above me- 
 dium height, and of spare form ; wTereas, in the description 
 handed down to us, Susannah Garlington, nee Dickie, is described 
 as having been a decided blonde, “and large in person.” 
 
 1720 — 1895, one hundred and seventy-five years, and yet the 
 lives of three persons — John Chappell of Amelia, Elizabeth 
 (Chappell) Crawley (his daughter-in-law) and her grandson, Will- 
 iam B. Chappell of Tennessee, now living at the age of 70 — span 
 this long period. W. B. Chappell distinctly remembers his 
 grandmother ; she may have known her husband’s father. What 
 a remarkable instance of longevity ! 
 
 SARAH CHAPPELL. 
 
 Sarah w^as the oldest child of William and Elizabeth Chap- 
 pell, and was born in Halifax county, Va., on March 18, 1786. 
 She married Nathaniel Strange, as shown by the marriage license, 
 on April 7, 1803, in the old county. In 1832 they emigrated from 
 Virginia to Maury county, Tenn., wdth her brother, Alexander 
 Chappell, and there she lived out her days. There were born of 
 this marriage seven children, five daughters and two sons ; their 
 names were, Elizabeth, Martha, Mary, Rebecca Frances, Thomas 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 129 
 
 and James. They all married except Elizabeth, and all are now 
 dead except James, who was the youngest. He now lives in 
 Maury county at the age of 68 years. James married a Miss 
 Bunch, and has three children living, all girls. I have not been 
 able to obtain their names, nor, in fact, any further information 
 of the descendants of Sarah Strange. She died in 1859, aged 73 
 years. 
 
 WILLIAM CHAPPELL, JR. 
 
 William was the oldest son of William and Elizabeth Chap- 
 pell, and was born in Halifax county, Ya., July 29, 1788. On 
 June 25, 1812, he married Sarah L. Palmer, in Halifax county, 
 Ya., who was a sister of Isaac Palmer, referred to in the Wade 
 history. She was born May 9, 1798, and died Oct. 17, 1852. In 
 1817 AYilliam Chappell emigrated to Tennessee, first located in 
 Sumner county, from there removed to Wilson county, and in 
 1828 settled in Maury county, where he became a prosperous cot- 
 ton planter and lived out his days. Physically, he was of medium 
 stature, and never weighed over 145 pounds, but possessed great 
 energy and industry, and was a man of the most exemplary habits 
 and the strictest integrity. He was a zealous Christian and a de- 
 voted churchman — what was called in old times a ‘‘shouting: 
 Methodist.” He lived to be 85 years old, and passed away Nov. 
 21, 1873. 
 
 There were born to William and Sarah Chappell seven chil- 
 dren who lived to maturity, four sons and three daughters. Their 
 names were as follows : Parthena, Thomas Dickie, Anna O., 
 
 William B., Alexander, Sarah and Newton. 
 
 1. Parthena, b. in Yirginia, July 8, 1815, m. Charles M. 
 Irvine (1831). Issue : 
 
 I. Ann, m. Thomas Yestal. Issue : One daughter. 
 
 II. Laura, m. Wisner. Issue : Two. 
 
 III. Fanny, m. McMerivous. No issue. 
 
 lY. George, m. Sarah A. Sedberry. 
 
 Y. John, unm. 
 
 YI. Charles, m. Miss Dortch. 
 
 YII. William, m. Miss AYarren. 
 
130 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 VIII. James, emigrated to Texas. 
 
 2. Thomas Dickie, m. Mary A. Lockridge (1840). Issue : 
 
 I. Dickie, m. unknown. Emigrated to Arkansas. 
 
 II. Susan, m. John C. Whitaker. Issue : Six. 
 
 III. Fanny, m. Jas. P. Hall. Issue : Two daughters. 
 
 IV. Mary, m. H. H. Culp. Issue : Seven. 
 
 V. Nimrod, m. Sarah Culp. Removed to Arkansas. 
 
 VI. Ella, m. R. M. McLemon. Issue : Five. 
 
 VII. Robert, m. Martha Thomasson. Issue : Five. 
 
 3. Anna O., m. Jno. J. Dobbin (1841). Issue : 
 
 I. Josephine, m. Dr. Davidson. 
 
 II. William A. is a physician in Memphis, Tenn. 
 
 III. James Pitts, unm., is a merchant in New Orleans. 
 
 IV. Ann, m. Wm. Howard, Hazlehurst, Miss. 
 
 V. Laura, m. Campbell. 
 
 VI. Blake, unm., merchant. New Orleans. 
 
 4. William B., b. May 22, 1828, resides at Flatwoods, 
 Tenn., m. (2) — (1) Elizabeth Whitaker, who died in 1868. Issue : 
 
 I. Edwin B., m. Jennie Headlee. Issue ; Four. 
 
 II. Sarah Palmer, m. Knox Gillham. Issue : Five. 
 
 III. William W., m. Belle Duncan. Issue : Two. 
 
 IV. Anna M., m. H. A. Grimes. Issue : Four. 
 
 All of the above children of William B. Chappell live in 
 Maury county, Tenn., except Edwin B., who is a distinguished 
 minister of the M. E. Church, South, and is now stationed in St. 
 Louis. 
 
 William B. Chappell married a second time in 1869. The 
 name of his second wife was Mary Z. Gillham, and there have 
 been born to them the following children, now living, all of whom 
 are unmarried ; Charles P., Ewin S., Julia B., Ashley C. and 
 Clovis G. 
 
 The father of this family is a man of far more than ordinary 
 intelligence and possesses a well educated mind and a remarkable 
 memory — a memory in which is stored more of the traditions of 
 the early Chappells than in that of any other member of the family 
 now living. He has furnished me much valuable data, not only of 
 the Tennessee branch, but of others. He also possesses, in a 
 marked degree, the hereditary talent of the family that I have 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 131 
 
 referred to elsewhere — that of penmanship — and is by far the best 
 penman I have ever known of his age. He is a worthy scion of 
 an honored ancestry, and is a man of great energy, strict integrity 
 and is a consistent Christian gentleman. 
 
 5. Alexander, b. January 23, 1834, m. (2) — (1) Maggie Bul- 
 lock ; only issue living, Mrs. Harris, who has three daughters. 
 She is a widow ; (2) Belle Dooley. Issue : 
 
 I. Florence m. Charles Haycraft. Issue: Two daughters. 
 
 Live in Florida. 
 
 II. Edward C., d. in California (1893). 
 
 III. Kate D., m. Fleming. Issue : 2. 
 
 IV. Jennie, d. 1894. 
 
 V. Clifford, unm. 
 
 6. Sarah P., b. November 16, 1835, m. (2) — (1) Dr. W. B. 
 Barfield ; no living issue ; (2) Rev. J. H. Raulhac, a prominent 
 and distinguished minister of the Christian church. They live in 
 Union City, Tenn. 
 
 7. Newton, b. July 31, 1841, m. (2) — (1) Mary D. Whitaker. 
 Issue : five children ; (2) Laura Whitaker, in 1884. Removed to 
 Texas, where he still lives. Nothing further known. 
 
 The descendants of William Chappell, Jr., reside mostly in 
 Maury and adjoining counties in Tennessee. As will be seen, 
 however, many have removed to other parts of the state, and some 
 have emigrated to the States of Texas and Arkansas. 
 
 DICKIE CHAPPELL. 
 
 The “three Scotch Sisters,” daughters of John Dickie, were 
 certainly proud of their name, as they no doubt had a right to be^ 
 and were determined to perpetuate it among their descendants. 
 The name “Dickie” is to be found in every branch and generation 
 among their descendants, and is to this day a common one and the 
 favorite of all other names in the Chappell and Garlington fam- 
 ilies. May it long continue to be so honored. 
 
 Dickie, the second son of William and Elizabeth Chappell, 
 living to maturity, was born in Halifax county, Va., February 19, 
 1790. He was twice married ; first to Mary Hobson, whose mother 
 was a Miss Pate. She died early in life, leaving one son, Henry 
 
132 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 Pate Chappell. Dickie Chappell, after a few years, married 
 Susannah Pate Tinsley, a daugliter of Nathaniel Tinsley, who 
 was a cousin of his first wife, for Hobson and Tinsley each mar- 
 ried sisters of Mathew Pate. By this marriage six children were 
 born, whose names were as follows : Dickie Tinsley, Fanny, 
 
 Louise, Susannah Dickie, Jennie and Sarah. 
 
 The father of this family emigrated to Maury county, Tenn., 
 about 1820, and settled near his brother, who had preceded him. 
 He bought a plantation on Duck river, provided a fine home and 
 became a prosperous and very wealthy cotton planter. He was a 
 large man, weighing over 200 pounds, had dark skin, hair and 
 eyes, and was energetic and industrious. He lived on his 
 plantation until his death, which occurred February 26, 1856, 
 at the age of 66 years. His wife died in the same year, on 
 December 6. 
 
 1. Dickie Tinsley was the only son of his parents, and w'as 
 born February 12, 1836. He married Sarah E. Cartwright on 
 February 19, 1856. She was b. February 6, 1836, and died in 
 Kansas City, Mo., December 9, 1893. Issue; 
 
 I. Susannah T., b. June 24, 1857, m. Rev. A. R. Farris. 
 
 Issue : Five children. 
 
 II. Ellen E., b. February 13, 1860, m. C. A. Shepherd. 
 
 Issue : Three children. 
 
 III. Albert Dickie, b. January 14, 1862, m. Sophia Reed. 
 
 Issue : Two children. 
 
 IV. Nettie P., b. December 29, 1864, m. E. H. Gill. 
 
 Issue : One son. 
 
 Dickie T. Chappell is a large man, of florid complexion, and 
 is of a pleasant and jovial disposition. He has an intelligent and 
 well educated mind, and is a fine specimen of the old time 
 Southern gentleman. He formally lived in Columbia, Tenn., but 
 removed to Kansas City in 1886, where he now resides with his 
 ehildren. 
 
 2. Fanny Elizabeth m. Rev. R. G. Irvine in October, 1845. 
 Issue now living : Ewing Chappell, Robert, Thomas and Florence. 
 The three first named live in Columbia, Tenn., and the latter in 
 Denver, Col. None are married. The mother died February 4, 
 1880, and the father May 19, 1893. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AXD OTHER KIXDEED FAMILIES. 
 
 133 
 
 3. Louise m. Geo. W. Skinner in 1814 and died in 1845. Xo 
 issue. 
 
 4. Susannah Dickie, b. May 17, 1825, m. James G. Voor- 
 heis July 20, 1843, and d. April 30, 1892. Issue now living ; 
 
 I. Garrett Dickie, ni. Augusta Strozzi. Issue : Six. 
 
 II. Saacie Pate, m. J. L. Maxwell. Issue ; Two. 
 
 III. Milton T., m. Mary L. Brown. Issue ; Four. 
 
 IV. James Chappell, unm. 
 
 V. Joe Lane, m. Loura Zuccarello. Issue : Two. 
 
 VI. Susan H., unm. 
 
 All of the above live in and near Columbia, Tenn., and James 
 C. Voorheis is a prominent member of the legal profession, and 
 lives in Columbia. 
 
 5. Jennie, b. October 27, 1827, m. W. R. Cason October 19, 
 
 1813, and d. April 10, 1846. Only issue, one son, J. D. Cason, 
 who m. Sallie M. Xeeley. Issue : Five children ; William, 
 
 Samuel, Bertha, Lizzie and Robert. All live in Maury county, 
 Tenn. 
 
 6. Sarah, m. (2) — (1) B. C. Sedberry, who was killed in the 
 C. S. army. Issue : Five daughters. 
 
 I. Susan, m. C. T. Riddle. Issue : Six. 
 
 II. Nannie, m. E. D. Neeley. Issue : Seven. 
 
 III. Lucy, m. (1) J. R. Richie (2) Easley. 
 
 IV. Alice, m. S. R. Davis (Creston, Iowa). Issue : Four. 
 
 V. Bettie, unm. 
 
 (2) Geo. W. Irvine. Issue : Charles and Anna. All of 
 above named live in Waco, Texas. 
 
 ELIZABETH CHAPPELL. 
 
 Elizabeth was the second daughter of William and Elizabeth 
 (Dickie) Chappell, and was born August 18, 1793, in Halifax 
 county. She married twice. Her first husband was Kennar 
 Crawley, son of Thomas LIull Crawley by his first wife. His 
 second wife, as has been stated, was Elizabeth, the widow of 
 William Chappell, who was therefore Elizabeth’s mother. In 
 other words the two step-children married. Thomas Hull Crawley 
 was probably a son of William Crawley, Jr., and a grandson of 
 
134 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 Sarah Crawley. He was hence the first cousin of William Chappell, 
 once removed ; and Elizabeth Chappell, Jr., in marrying Kennar 
 Crawley, married her cousin, twice removed. It is doubtful 
 whether any of my readers will undertake to solve this relation- 
 ship. It is a singular matrimonial amalgamation, and it would 
 require an expert in genealogical lore to determine exactly what 
 relationship existed between them. They were not first cousins, 
 however. 
 
 Kennar Crawley did not live long after his marriage, and 
 there were no children born of the union. In 1817 the widow 
 married William Gresham, they emigrated to Tennessee and 
 located in Maury county. There were three children born to 
 them. These were all sons, and were named John, Joseph Alex- 
 ander and Robert. John and Robert are dead, and neither ever 
 married. Joseph Alexander, called “Sandy,” is a farmer, and an 
 old bachelor, and lives near Columbia, Tenn. The name Alex- 
 ander is a favorite one in the Tennessee branch ; it was originally 
 a Greek name, and means a defender ; it has long been also a 
 favorite Scotch name, which they abreviate into “Sandy” or 
 “Sawnie.” The name was doubtless bestowed on her “clan” by 
 the Scotch mother. 
 
 ALEXANDER CHAPPELL. 
 
 Alexander, the youngest child of William and Elizabeth 
 Chappell, was born in Virginia, November 27, 1797. He 
 married Nancy H. Irvine, a daughter of Samuel and Sarah (Easley) 
 Irvine, in Halifax county, Va., on January 12, 1826, and in 1832, 
 as has been stated, emigrated to Tennessee and located in Maury 
 county, where he died on October 3, 1833. Shortly after his 
 death his widow and children removed to the home of her father 
 in Callaway county, Mo., to which state he had previously emi- 
 grated with the Halifax county colony, and settled not far from 
 Jefferson City. 
 
 There were born to Alexander and Nancy H. Chappell two 
 sons and a daughter, a sketch of each of whom will be given : 
 
 1. William Samuel was b. March 15, 1829, m. Abigail Wag- 
 goner, March 8, 1853, d. June 2, 1866. Issue : 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHEK KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 135 
 
 I. Sarah Ida, b. Nov. 29, 1854, m. Joseph Rickey 
 Feb. 15, 1876. Issue : One son, Chappell Rickey. 
 Both parents died soon after the birth of their child. 
 Chappell is a very handsome and promising young 
 man, and is being educated at the Methodist college 
 at Fayette, Mo. 
 
 II. David Alexander (called Sawnie), was b. Sept. 3, 
 
 1860, m. Lulu Noland, March 15, 1888. Issue : 
 Sarah, William, and Nannie. Sawnie is an ener- 
 getic and prosperous farmer, and. lives on the old 
 homestead near Jefferson City, which has been in 
 the family for four generations. 
 
 III. Nannie Booker, b. August 16, 1858, m. Joseph 
 
 Paullin. Issue : One child, a daughter, named 
 
 Susan. They live in Kansas City, Mo. “Queeny,” 
 as she is called, is a fine looking young woman. She 
 is a devoted wife and mother, and a model of her 
 sex. 
 
 William S. Chappell was a tall, spare, dark-skinned, black- 
 eyed and black- haired man. He possessed great energy, industry 
 and good judgment, and was a prosperous farmer on the old 
 homestead in Callaway county. Mo., when called away on June 
 2, 1866, at the early age of 37 years. 
 
 2. Sarah Elizabeth was born April 1, 1831, in Virginia. She 
 was married twice ; first, to Samuel Allen, May 13, 1849. Issue ; 
 One daughter, Mary Adelaide, who married Peter Bailey of Ful- 
 ton, Mo. Issue : One son, Celsus. Her second marriage was to 
 Major John B. Adams, on May 25, 1852. Issue : One son, Thomas 
 S. Adams, f This was another intermarriage between the Chappell 
 and Adams families, for Major John B. Adams is a son of my 
 grandfather, Philip Adams. Sarah E. Adams is a tall, spare 
 woman, and a brunette ; she is 63 years old, has black eyes and 
 black hair, scarcely tinged with a silver thread. While she has 
 been a remarkably energetic and industrious housekeeper all her 
 life, and in her early life had the care of many servants, she is 
 yet well preserved, and is one of the most noble and lovable of 
 her sex. 
 
 t See Adams history. Chapter XI. 
 
136 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 3, Alexander Irvine was the youngest son of his father, and 
 was born Feb. 5, 1834, rn. Lizzie Cason, and died Nov. 21, 1860 — 
 a few months after his marriage. I can not pass this name with- 
 out paying a tribute to the memory of the friend and companion 
 of my boyhood. He was very much like his brother in personal 
 appearance, being tall, dark, and as straight as an Indian, with the 
 blackest of hair and eyes. He was an unusually handsome young 
 man, and with a pleasing appearance and alfable manners pos- 
 sessed an exceedingly bright and well cultivated mind, for he was 
 educated at the University of Missouri, and stood always at the 
 head of his class. He was a splendid type of vigorous young 
 manhood, and had he lived no doubt would have become an honor 
 to his family and name. 
 
 Poor “Sawnie”! I was one of his attendants at his marriage, 
 and in a few weeks one of his pall- bearers. We laid him away by 
 the side of his ancestors in the family cemetery, on a high eminence 
 overlooking the broad Missouri, where he has rested in peace for 
 more than the third of a century. I was a boy then, my hair is 
 now silvered with gray, but I can recall in memory, as if it were 
 but yesterday, the handsome face, the flashing black eye and the 
 quick repartee and wit of my young kinsman. 
 
 Among all the branches, none have done more to maintain 
 the high reputation of the Chappell family for industry, intelli- 
 gence and good citizenship, than the Tennessee branch. Inherit- 
 ing strong constitutions and living out-of-door lives, for the fam- 
 ily have almost invariably been planters and farmers, they have 
 been a strong and robust race physically and mentally, and have 
 been noted for the longevity of their members, especially those of 
 the older generations. The five children of William Chappell, 
 Sr., who lived to maturity, all lived to a good old age except 
 Alexander, and the average age of the five was 65 years — an 
 average far beyond the usual computation of mortuary tables, and 
 the ordinary expectancy of life. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 137 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Joseph Chappell, the Georgia Branch — Robert Chappell, 
 THE North Carolina Branch. 
 
 It will be remembered, by referring to Chapter II, that 
 Thomas Chappell, wbo was of the fourth generation, lived in 
 Charles City county, in the Colony of Virginia, about the close of 
 the seventeenth century. This Thomas, who was the son of Samuel 
 (1665), had three sons named Thomas, Samuel and Robert, who 
 removed across the James River to Prince George county and 
 located there about 1720. Thomas was the merchant of Peters- 
 burg referred to in the manuscript of James Chappell, who mar- 
 ried Sarah Jones, who afterwards became Sarah Crawley. Robert 
 was the youngest, and is also referred to in the same chapter, and 
 it was his son Robert, born in 1732, who, it is believed, emigrated 
 to South Carolina before the Revolutionary War, about 1770, and 
 there established a South Carolina branch, whose history may be 
 found in the next chapter. Samuel, the other brother, became a 
 wealthy land owner, married Elizabeth — whose surname is un- 
 known — died and left a will, which is now on file in Surry county, 
 where he owned land, although he lived and died in Prince George. 
 He died about 1740 and left a family of children. 
 
 In 1746 William Crawley, his wife Sarah, her children by her 
 first husband (Thomas Chappell), some of the Crawleys, and per- 
 haps Other relatives and friends, removed from Prince George to 
 Amelia county. The latter was further west and had been 
 recently organized (1734)* from Prince George and was a new and 
 fertile country. There went with Sarah Crawley three orphan 
 Chappell children — two boys and a girl — who were the children of 
 Samuel Chappell, and were, therefore, the cousins of Mrs. Craw- 
 ley’s children by her first husband. The names of the boys were 
 John and Joseph Chappell ; the name of their sister is unknown. 
 
 * New style. Time was readjusted in 1732. 
 
 10 - 
 
138 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 She is said to have married a Crawley and to have become the 
 mother of a family, among whom were three sons named 
 Benjamin, David and John. (See James Chappell’s manuscript.) 
 I found in the Amelia records the appraisment of the estate of one 
 John Crawley, filed April 13, 1791. The inventory includes 
 twenty-eight negroes, and other personal property amounting in 
 value to £1,123, 6s. He may have been the same Crawley who 
 married the daughter of Samuel Chappell. Samuel seems to have 
 had another son named Benjamin, who will be again referred to. 
 
 John and Joseph Chappell were doubtless quite young, 
 certainly not grown, when the family removed to Amelia, for the 
 records there show that on June 28, 1765, John married Sarah, the 
 daughter of Moses Hart. He died shortly after his marriage, for 
 letters of administration were taken out and an inventory of his 
 estate was filed on November 23, 1766. He left one child, a little 
 girl, named Patsy, who lived to maturity, and on March 22, 1781, 
 married Joshua Thomas. Her grandfather, Moses Hart, who was 
 also her guardian, gave his consent to the nuptials and signed the 
 marriage license.* 
 
 The name of the other brother — Joseph — was found but once 
 in the Amelia records. On September 15, 1758, the will of one 
 Thomas Booth was written and witnessed. The witnesses were 
 Robert and John Chappell (sons of Sarah Crawley) and their 
 cousin, Joseph Chappell, all young men. This will was not 
 probated until June 22, 1766 — eight years after it was written. 
 At that time Robert and John appeared in court and made proof, 
 but the name ‘‘Joseph” does not appear on that occasion — he was 
 not present. My conclusion is that he had, in the meantime, 
 removed from the county (between 1758 and 1766). 
 
 For a period of forty years there is a blank in the history of 
 Joseph Chappell. The name does not appear elsewhere in the 
 records of Amelia county, nor does the name “Joseph” appear 
 previous to this in any record we have of the family, nor does it 
 
 ^ This account of the removal of the family to Amelia county, and some of the names, 
 dates and facts given in this chapter, have also been recorded in Chapter III, refer- 
 ring to Sarah Crawley and her branch. The repetition is unavoidable, and is war- 
 ranted, for the reason that the history of each branch is the same until they diverge 
 in Amelia. The same repetition, and apparent tautology, may be observed elsewhere; 
 it is not an oversight, but is deemed absolutely essential, that the facts and names— 
 many of the latter being identically the same— may be kept distinctly clear and sepa- 
 rate in the mind of the reader. It will be found difficult, with the closest attention, 
 to keep the different branches separate. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 139 
 
 ever appear^ strange as it may seem, in any branch or generation 
 of the Chappells down to the present day, save in that of Georgia 
 branch, in which, as will be observed, it is, and has been, the 
 favorite family name, transmitted from father to son in every gen- 
 eration. Frequently in these pages attention has been called to 
 the universal and marked disposition among our forefathers to 
 perpetuate and transmit family names. Xo one can read the his- 
 tory of their lives and not be impressed with this fact. Their 
 entire catalogue of personal names, for a century and a half or 
 longer, seems to have been confined to a dozen, and these have been 
 transmitted from one generation to another. The name of our 
 first American ancestor — John — seems to have been, of all others, 
 the favorite one. There has been a John Chappell in every 
 branch of the family, and in every generation for a period of 260 
 years, until the name itself “is legion.’' 
 
 When we find, therefore, these two names, -Joseph” and 
 “Benjamin,” in Amelia county, and afterwards in the Georgia 
 branch, and no where else, and with them the other family names, 
 John, James and Thomas, there is no escaping the conclusion that 
 the Georgia Chappells are the descendants of Joseph Chappell of 
 Amelia county, Va. 
 
 I have said there is a blank in the history of Joseph Chappell 
 for a period of forty years. The tradition in the family, which 
 has come down for generations, is that he removed to Southamp- 
 ton county, Va., about 1760 to 1770 and lived and died in that 
 county. Southampton is southeast from Amelia and borders on 
 the Xorth Carolina line. The first definite and reliable informa- 
 tion we have of the family is in 1797. At that time there lived in 
 Hancock county, Ga., four brothers whose names were Joseph, 
 John, Benjamin and Thomas Chappell. There is but little doubt 
 that these were the sons of Joseph Chappell, of Amelia county, 
 Va., who, on the death of their father, probably in Southampton 
 county, had emigrated to Georgia, about the close of the eighteenth 
 century. They were youug men at that time, but some of them 
 had married in Virginia and had families. 
 
 The history of these brothers, as far as I have been able to 
 obtain it by correspondence, will be found in this chapter. I 
 regret that it is not as complete as it might have been had I had 
 
140 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 the advantage of a personal acquaintance with some of the present 
 living representatives of this branch, which has not been the case. 
 
 The central and western parts of the State of Georgia were, at 
 the close of the eighteenth century, inhabited by the Cherokees, 
 Creeks and other warlike tribes of Indians ; and it was not till 
 this period that the whites began to settle the country. The first 
 immigration came almost exclusively from Virginia. I have in 
 my possession a small historical volume, referring to the early set- 
 tlement of this part of Georgia, written many years ago, by Hon. 
 Absalom H. Chappell, a grandson of Joseph, of Virginia, who 
 will be referred to hereafter. The following extract from this 
 very interesting book will illustrate the dangers to which these 
 early pioneers were exposed, and, as it is historical, may not be 
 uninteresting. He writes : 
 
 “In the first part of the present century the Oconee river, 
 three miles from where I was then born, in Hancock county, Ga., 
 was still the dividing line between a powerful and ever aggressive 
 Anglo-American civilization on its eastern side and the im- 
 memorial Indian barbarism, which reigned as yet unchecked, all 
 the way to the shores of the Pacific. The great mass of the im- 
 migrants, the elderly, the middle-aged, the fully grown, and not a 
 few of the very young were Virginians born. ‘The Virginians,’ 
 as the Indians called them, thronged in great numbers, undeterred, 
 into the contested territory and pitched their settlements upon soil 
 which they were liable, at any moment, to have to defend with 
 their lives. They lived, of course, in perpetual peril and were 
 compelled at all times to go armed and be on the alert. My 
 grandfather (his mother’s father), a fresh immigrant from Vir- 
 ginia, did not like this mode of life for his wife and children, and 
 established them for two years on the Ogeechee, in what was then 
 Columbia county, while he, with his negroes, cleared land, made 
 crops and fought Indians in Hancock county,” 
 
 I have referred to a Benjamin Chappell, supposed to be the 
 son of Samuel. He is mentioned in the records as “Benjamin 
 Chappell, of Dinwiddle.” He was a soldier of the Revolution, 
 removed to Amelia and entered land on Namozine creek. He was 
 not a son of Sarah Crawley, and his connection is not positively 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 141 
 
 known, but from the fact that Ben]*amin is a family name in the 
 Georgia branch, and in no other, it is fair to presume that he was a 
 son of Samuel. 
 
 THOMAS CHAPPELL. 
 
 Thomas was probably the oldest son of Joseph Chappell, of 
 Amelia county, Va. The family records (yet preserved), state 
 that he was born in Virginia (the county is not given) on January 
 23, 1761, and died in Twiggs county, Ga., September 1, 1836, aged 
 75 years. The record found in Amelia county of Joseph Chap- 
 pell, where he witnessed the will of Thos. Booth, v/as on Septem- 
 ber 15, 1758. So that he probably married about that time, and 
 shortly after removed from Amelia and, if the tradition be 
 true, settled in Southampton county, where he died. Thomas 
 Chappell, therefore, was probably born either in Amelia or South- 
 ampton county, Ya. He married a widow named Lavina Wheless 
 in 1797, in Hancock county, Ga., and removed to Twiggs county, 
 where he lived out his days. He was an old bachelor when he 
 married. There were five children born of this union, whose 
 names were as follows : Nancy, Bethena, Mahala, Thomas Sim- 
 
 mons and Joseph John. 
 
 1. Nancy Chappell, m. James Hale, of Twiggs county, Ga., 
 in 1816. Issue ; Twelve children. 
 
 I. Rebecca, m. Mathew Marshall ; names of issue not 
 known. Sumter county. 
 
 II. Louisa, m. Brazwell of Crawford county. 
 
 III. Lavina, m. Wiley Fentral, Crawford county. 
 
 IV. Elizabeth, m. Littleberry Cansey, Sumter county. 
 
 V. Mary, m. (2) — (1) Win. Hodges ; (2) Jesse Stallings. 
 Issue ; One son by each marriage. 
 
 ^H. Susan, m. Toliver Lingo. Emigrated West. 
 
 VII. Matilda, m. Henry Butts. 
 
 VIII. James, m. Martha Johnson. Issue : Five. 
 
 IX. Judith, m. Oliver Porter, Macon Ga. 
 
 X. Thomas, m. Sally Cox, Monroe county, Ga. 
 
 XI. Jonas, died single. 
 
 XII. John, m. Mary Robertson, Crawford county. 
 
142 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 I have not been able to obtain the names of the grandchildren 
 of Nancy and James Hale. It will be observed that many of their 
 descendants live in Sumter, Crawford, Monroe and adjoining 
 counties, Georgia. 
 
 2. Bethena Chappell, m. (2) — (1) Robert Reynolds, of 
 Twiggs county, Ga. Issue : Six children. 
 
 I. Thomas Chappell, m. Nancy Wall. Issue : Five. 
 
 II. Parmelia, m. Wm. Hogan, Macon, Ga. 
 
 III. Charles, m. Martha Jordan. Removed to Alabama. 
 
 IV. Mary, m. John Hogan. Removed to Alabama. 
 
 V. Nancy, m. John Wall. Removed to Texas. 
 
 VI. Edwin, d. unm. 
 
 After the death of her first husband Bethena m. a second 
 time ; Wm. E. A. Wall. Issue : Seven children. 
 
 I. Jasper, m. (2) — (1) Martha Todd ; no issue ; (2) 
 Caroline Jackson. Issue ; Four. 
 
 II. James, m. Lucy Wimberg, Jeffersonville. 
 
 III. McCullum, physician, Laurens county. 
 
 IV. Trussell, m. (name of wife unknown). 
 
 V. Susan, m. Stephens. 
 
 VI. Cecelia, unm. 
 
 VII. Rebecca, m. Hoover, Wilkinson county. 
 
 3. Mahala Chappell, m. Daniel T. Epps, of Twiggs county, 
 Ga. Issue : 
 
 I. Edwin, m. Patience Ryle. Killed in C. S. army at 
 battle of Malvern Hill, Va., 1862. 
 
 II. Thomas P., d. unm. 
 
 III. Hartwell, m. Lavina Church well. 
 
 IV. Missouri, m. Elias F. Champion, in 1851. He was 
 
 killed in C. S. army in 1863, leaving a widow and 
 four children, who reside in Worth county, Ga. 
 
 4. Thomas Simmons Chappell, oldest son of Thomas, was b. 
 in Hancock county, Ga., June 24, 1801, and removed, with his 
 father, to Twiggs county, and there, on June 28, 1821, in. Ruth 
 Nelson. He died July 29, 1861, and she on May 27, 1874. 
 Issue : Seven children. 
 
 I. Susan, m. Benj. Thorp. Issue : Six children. 
 
 II. Alexander, b. December 28, 1823, m. (2) — (1) Eliza 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 143 
 
 Bragg. Issue : Rufus and Samuel ; (2) Georgia 
 
 Hawkins. Issue : Ten children. 
 
 III. Sarah Jane, b. October 6, 1825, m. Henry Arington. 
 
 Issue : Eight children ; Sumter county. 
 
 IV. William, b. Xovember 12, 1827, m. Mary McCullum^ 
 
 d. January 12, 1859. Issue : William and Archibald. 
 
 V. Xancy, b. December 24, 1830, m. Simeon Tharp. 
 Issue: Four children ; Twiggs county, Ga. 
 
 VI. Roxie Ann, b. August 20, 1836, m. Acton E. Nash, 
 d. 1871. Issue : Four children. 
 
 VII. Louisa, b. June 18, 1841, m. Kimbal F. Burkett. 
 Issue : Eight children. 
 
 5. Joseph .John Chappell was born in Hancock county, Ga.,. 
 August 7, 1806, and was the youngest child of Thomas Chappell, 
 m. Mary Hardin Lingo, in Twiggs county, Ga. , July 6, 1826. He 
 d. May 4, 1878 ; she d. June 2, 1885. Issue ; Ten children. 
 
 I. Lucy Mahala, b. November 10, 1828, m. .John Cham- 
 bliss. Issue : Eight children. 
 
 II. James Thomas, b. September 10, 1830, m. Athalia 
 Stanly. Issue: Five sons, viz.: Ira Stanly, Clifton 
 Thomas, Clarence Joseph, Roy James and Vance 
 Lingo. James Thomas Chappell is a physician, and 
 resides with his five sons in Dublin, Ga. A further 
 reference to him will be found hereafter. 
 
 III. William H., h. November 28, 1833, m. Nancy Sanders. 
 
 Issue : Two sons — Benjamin and James. 
 
 IV. Roxie, b. December 9, 1835, m. Rev. J. H. Cawood. 
 
 Issue : Two sons — Julian and Max. 
 
 V. Almeda E., b. January 26, 1840, unm. 
 
 VI. Benjamin Thomas, b. September 14, 1841. Killed 
 in C. S. army in battle near Staunton, Va., in .July, 
 1862. 
 
 VII. Varilla B., b. March 21, 1843, m. Joseph Josey. 
 Issue : Lorene and Leona. 
 
 VIII. Thomas Andrew, b. April 3, 1845, m. (3) — (1) 
 Lawhorn ; no issue ; (2) Lawhorn, sister of (1). 
 
 Issue : Three children ; (3) Sessions. Issue : 
 
 Floy, Lucille and Gary. 
 
144 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 IX. Allen Elijah, b. Nov. 12, 1846, m. Nora Allen. 
 Issue : Martha and Allen. 
 
 X. Joseph John, Jr., b. Nov. 28, 1848, formerly a mer- 
 chant in Georgia, emigrated to California in 1876, 
 now cashier of the U. S. custom house at San Fran- 
 cisco ; unm. In him we find combined the two fa- 
 vorite names of the Georgia branch — “Joseph” and 
 “John” — the names of the two orphan boys who 
 removed to Amelia county, Virginia, with their aunt, 
 Sarah Crawley, in 1746. How religiously have 
 these names been preserved and perpetuated in this 
 family for a century and a half ! 
 
 Occasionally strange coincidents have been presented in the 
 compilation of this history, opening a wide field for thought to the 
 reflecting mind. There reside to-day in the City of San Francisco 
 two representatives of the Chappell family who are unknown to 
 each other. One is Mr. Joseph John Chappell, the other Dr. 
 McCoy Chappell ; the latter a young nephew of the writer, and 
 who is of the tenth generation in America. The former is older 
 and of the ninth generation. The branches, of which each is a 
 representative, do not converge until they reach Thomas Chappell 
 of Charles City county, Virginia, referred to at the beginning of 
 this chapter, and who was a common ancestor. Thomas Chappell 
 lived in 1700, two centuries ago. 
 
 JOSEPH CHAPPELL, JR. 
 
 Joseph Chappell, son of Joseph Chappell of Amelia county, 
 Virginia, died in Hancock county, Georgia, in 1807. We have 
 no record of his birth, but he was doubtless a young man when he 
 died — perhaps not over 40 years old. But little is known of his 
 history, as he died when his children were young. It is known, 
 however, that he left four sons, whose names were Absalom 
 H., Joseph John (called Jack), Henry and Benjamin. 
 
 1. Absalom H. Chappell was the oldest son, and was born 
 in Hancock county, Georgia, in 1801. In 1842 he married Loretta 
 R. Lamar, a sister of Gen. Mirabeau B. Lamar, president of the 
 Republic of Mexico. She was the aunt of the late Justice L. Q. 
 C. Lamar of the Supreme Court of the United States. Absalom 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 145 
 
 Harris Chappell was no ordinary man. He became a distinguished 
 son of his native state, and was in his day an eminent lawyer and 
 statesman. He represented one of the districts of the State of 
 Georgia in Congress in 1844, and previous to the civil war led an 
 active professional and political life. He was a man of gigantic 
 stature, of solid and lofty character, and a model of integrity and 
 honor. He was a ripe scholar, a polished writer and a matchless 
 orator. He died in Columbus, Ga. , in 1878, at the advanced age 
 of 77. Many years ago I corresponded with him with reference 
 to the relationship that was supposed to exist betw^een the two 
 branches of the family represented by us, but from the 
 paucity of the information which we possessed no relationship 
 could then be traced. It remained for the writer, two decades 
 later, and many years after his correspondent had passed away, to 
 find in an old package of papers stored for a century and a half 
 among the archives of Amelia county, Virginia, the missing link. 
 Absalom H. Chappell left the following children ; 
 
 I. Kebecca Dolly, m. Toomer. Issue : Lamar, 
 
 Loretta, James, and Alice R. The family resides at 
 Portsmouth, Ya. 
 
 II. Lamar Chappell — Memphis, Tenn., merchant. 
 
 III. Joseph Harris — President of a college at Milledge- 
 ville, Ga. One child, Cornelia. 
 
 IV. Thomas J. — Member of the Columbus, Ga., bar. 
 
 V. Lucius H. — Columbus, Ga. One child, Bently. 
 
 2. Joseph John, was the second son of Joseph Chappell, Jr. 
 He was called “Jack,” and was born March 9, 1803. Lived in 
 Macon county, Ga., emigrated to Autauga county, Ala., in 1824, 
 m. Susan Taylor in 1826, and d. Sept. 24, 1858. Issue : 
 
 I. Sarah Jane, b. Feb. 22, 1828, m. Alonzo L. Haralson, 
 d. Feb. 28, 1879. Issue: Jonathan, Laura, Doro- 
 tha, Etta, William and Jennie. 
 
 II. Susan Dorotha, b. Dec. 8, 1835, m. (2) — (1) L. S. 
 Lavender, (2) Nathan L. May. No living issue ; d 
 May 25, 1885. 
 
 III. Martha E., b. Dec. 4, 1837, m. Thomas D. Cory. 
 Issue : Thomas, Daniel, Chappell, Miriam, Alonzo, 
 Charles, Alice, Elizabeth, Charlotte, and Harris. 
 
146 
 
 A GENEALO<?HCAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 3. Henry Chappell, is said to have been the third son of 
 Joseph Chappell, Jr. He was born in 1805, and removed to 
 Sumter county, Ga. , where it is said his descendants now live. 
 His children are said to have been : 
 
 I. Mary Francis, m. Doolittle. 
 
 II. Rebecca, m. Dailey. 
 
 III. Dolly, m. Mathews. 
 
 IV. George, lives at Plains, Ga. 
 
 4. Benjamin, was the fourth son of Joseph Chappell, Jr. 
 He was born about 1807, lived in Putnam county, Ga., and emi- 
 grated to Alabama. He is said to have had but two children liv- 
 ing to maturity. One of these was a son named John, who died 
 a bachelor at the age of 50. The other was a daughter named 
 Elizabeth, who married Dr. Flack. They live at Glennville, Ala. 
 The name ‘‘Chappell” in this branch is believed to be extinct. 
 
 JOHN CHAPPELL. 
 
 John was the third son of Joseph Chappell of Amelia. He 
 was, doubtless, born in Virginia, and immigrated to Georgia with 
 his brothers. He married and had children, but there is little now 
 known of him or his descendants. In fact, if he left descendants 
 they have become separated from, and entirely lost sight of, by 
 other branches of the family for nearly a century. His brothers, 
 early in life, emigrated from Hancock county ; it is said that he 
 remained, and his descendants, may yet live in that part of the 
 state. In an early day there lived in Hancock county, Ga., two 
 John Chappells. To distinguish them one was called “Long 
 John,” and the other “Short John.” But the former has long 
 since passed away, and the latter shortly followed him, no doubt. 
 
 BENJAMIN CHAPPELL. 
 
 It is said that Benjamin was the youngest son of Joseph 
 Chappell, Sr. His history is only known by tradition. The tra- 
 dition in the family is that when a young man he was engaged in 
 harvesting, and jumped over a fence and struck the ground near 
 a rattlesnake. He was bitten by the snake, from the effects of 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 147 
 
 which he died. His death occurred in Hancock county, Ga., 
 nearly a hundred years ago, and having never married he left no 
 descendants to perpetuate his line. 
 
 The history of this interesting branch of the Chappell family, 
 as written here, has been obtained from correspondence with Mr. 
 Thos. J. Chappell of Columbus, Dr. J. T. Chappell of Dub- 
 lin, and Mr. Alexander Chappell of Plains, Ga., and from Mr. 
 Chappell Cory of Birmingham, Ala. These are all gentlemen of 
 much intelligence and prominence. Thomas J. Chappell is an 
 eminent member of the Columbus bar. Dr. J. T. Chappell was 
 an officer in the Confederate Army — Captain in the 49th Georgia 
 regiment — and Avas severely wounded at the second battle of 
 Manassas, while leading a charge. He has been frequently elected 
 to the legislature of his native state, and has held many positions 
 of honor and trust. 
 
 Alexander Chappell of Plains, Ga., is an educated man, and 
 has furnished some valuable data, which could have been obtained 
 from no other source. I desire to thank him for his courtesy. 
 
 Mr. Chappell Cory, to whom reference has been made, resides 
 in Birmingham, Ala. He is a scholarly young man, by profes- 
 sion a journalist, and is also secretary of the Commercial Club of 
 that city. He is spoken of as a young man of great enterprise 
 and promise. 
 
 The Georgia Chappells are a typical Southern family, and 
 among them have been many men of more than usual prominence 
 and worth. Like all other branches of the family, they have gen- 
 erally followed agricultural pursuits, and were among the wealth- 
 iest cotton planters in that state in the olden days — wealthy as 
 riches were reckoned in the South in 18(i0. In later years a great 
 many of the younger generations have quit the cotton fields for the 
 counting house and learned professions and are educating their 
 children in the best colleges in the land. The character of the 
 
 family, I learn, has been above reproach. No man has ever been 
 
 charged with a felony or misdemeanor, and there have been no 
 criminals among them. When the great struggle of 1861 
 came, and the red cloud of war burst over the land, our Georgia 
 kindred Avere found in the front rank of battle, and as patriotic 
 citizens were loyal to the South and their native state. In all re- 
 
148 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OE THE 
 
 spects they have maintained the reputation of the family for in- 
 telligence, industry and integrity, until the name “Chappell” in 
 the State of Georgia, as elsewhere in the South and West, is 
 synonymous wdth the highest type of American citizenship. 
 
 ROBERT CHAPPELL-THE NORTH CARO- 
 LINA BRANCH. 
 
 About the year 1770 there lived on the south bank of Dan 
 river, in what is now Mecklenberg county, Virginia, near the 
 confluence of the Dan and Staunton rivers, a pioneer, whose family 
 consisted of a wife, several daughters and a son— the latter then a 
 lad of ten or twelve years* — and the youngest of the children. 
 This w^as then on the very outskirts of civilization, and the prox- 
 imity of the Indians caused the family to live in constant fear and. 
 dread, and to be ever on the alert. The house in which they 
 lived was the rudely built frontier cabin, customary at that period, 
 and was built of hewn logs. There was not a particle of iron 
 used in its construction — not even a nail. 
 
 This pioneer was Robert Chappell, the progenitor of the 
 North Carolina branch. The lad was Samuel Chappell, the story 
 of whose life, as it has come down to us in a well authenticated 
 tradition, reads more like a romance of thrilling adventure than 
 the stern reality that it was. The family continued to live at this 
 place until the death of the father, which occurred about this 
 time — 1770. On his death the widow and her children removed 
 across the state line into the adjoining coiiiUy of Granville in 
 North Carolina, where they lived for several years.* The 
 daughters, as they grew to wmmanhood, maTried ; one returned to 
 Virginia, the others, it is said, removed Westward. Their names 
 are unknown. 
 
 The tradition already referred to runs in this wise : That 
 
 their immigrant ancestor was another Robert Chappell, who, with 
 a brother named John, came from England at an early day (the 
 year is not knowm), and settled in the Colony of Virginia, where 
 the city of Norfolk is now located. f Here John died without 
 
 =<= The reader can follow these old people more satisfactorily by constilting a map. 
 ■t The City of Norfolk is at the mouth of James river. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 149 
 
 issue. The other brother removed further west, married and be- 
 came the father of a family of children, from one of whom, Rob- 
 ert of Mecklenberg — their ancestor — was a descendant. How 
 many generations had intervened between the two Roberts is not 
 known ; but there were several. It is also said the two brothers 
 were ship-carpenters, and had learned the trade in the old country. 
 
 This is the tradition -as it has come down from father to son ; 
 an expression literally true in this instance, for strange as it may 
 appear, Samuel, who was born in 1758, lived until 1848, and died 
 at the age of 90, while his son — Edward — (who will be referred 
 to hereafter) was born in 1788 and lived until 1881, dying at the 
 age of 93 years, so that the united lives of father and son spanned 
 a period of 123 years, or from 1758 to 1881, a period ante-dating 
 the American Revolution. This is an instance of longevity almost 
 without a parallel, and accounts for the very complete and au- 
 thentic traditions that have “come down from father to son” in 
 the Xorth Carolina family. 
 
 A remarkable similarity will be observed between this tradi- 
 tion and the facts, as they have been revealed by the records in 
 the Colony of Virginia. The first ancestors of the family were 
 named John and Robert, but they were grandfather and grandson, 
 and not brothers. They may — one of them at least — have been a 
 ship-carpenter, for it is altogether probable that Capt. John Chap- 
 pell, of the ship “Speedwell,” who crossed the Atlantic Ocean at 
 that early day, 'understood the mechanical construction of his 
 vessel, and was a ship-carpenter as well as a navigator. The tra- 
 dition settles one question beyond a doubt ; the Xorth Carolina 
 Chappells are the descendants of the early immigrants of the same 
 name who came from England to the Colony of Virginia in 1635. 
 
 But let us compare the records found in Virginia with these 
 old traditions, and endeavor to find the connecting link between 
 the Xorth Carolina branch and the main trunk of the Chappell 
 family that settled iu the colony. It will be remembered that 
 Sarah Crawley, who died in Amelia Co., Va., in January, 1761, 
 left a will, and in it are mentioned the names of her three sons by 
 her first husband — Thomas Chappell of Petersburg." These sons 
 were Robert, John and James Chappell, and Robert’s name having 
 
 * See Chapter III ; Petersburg was in Prince George in 1720. 
 
150 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 been mentioned first, it is presumed that he was the oldest son. 
 The ages and dates of the births of John and James are well es- 
 tablished. They were born in Prince George county about 1720 
 and 1722. The fact is also well established that they were mar- 
 ried before their removal to Amelia, in 1746. It is reasonable to 
 assume that Robert was also married at that time ; and if so, he 
 must have married in Prince George between 1740 and 1745. The 
 older Chappells all married early in life, and it is not probable that 
 he was an exception. 
 
 The first account found in the Amelia records of Robert 
 Chappell was his marriage, on November 21, 1757, to Agnes, 
 daughter of Wm. Cross. He was at that time about 40 years old. 
 The most natural conclusion, therefore, is that she was his second 
 wife, and that he had married in Prince George, before coming to 
 Amelia, and by this wife had children, who, if the tradition be 
 correct, were all daughters. On the death of his first wife he mar- 
 ried Agnes Cross, by whom he had one child — the boy, Samuel — 
 born in 1758 or 1759. About 1767 he removed to Mecklenberg 
 county, fifty or sixty miles southwest from Amelia, and there died, 
 about 1770 (as has been stated) at the age of 50. The name 
 “Robert Chappell” was found in but two other places in the 
 Amelia records. First, on September 15, 1758, when he witnessed 
 the will of Thomas Booth ; and the second time on June 22, 1766, 
 on the occasion of the probate of the same will, when he appeared 
 in court and made proof of the document. (See history of Joseph 
 Chappell.) 
 
 Again have we cause to lament the wanton destruction of the 
 archives of Prince George county. Had they been preserved, evi- 
 dence would there have, perhaps, been found to throw additional 
 light on this subject, sufficient to have established, beyond a doubt, 
 the fact that Robert Chappell, of Amelia, and Robert Chappell, 
 the pioneer of Dan river, were one and the same individual. 
 
 SAMUEL CHAPPELL. 
 
 Of all the characters whose histories are chronicled in this 
 little volume, Samuel Chappell was the most unique. Born in an 
 age and in a country where there were no schools, he was without 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 151 
 
 education and could not write his name. Yet such was the natural 
 strength and aptitude of his mind that he became possessed of a 
 fund of information that rendered him the peer of those having 
 superior educational advantages. Small in stature, with a bright, 
 blue eye, and a dark complexion, he was an athlete, and was as 
 wiry and tough as a hickory withe. He possessed an unusual 
 amount of energy and vitality. The former carried him safely 
 through many hardships, and the latter prolonged his life to 
 nearly a century. Born and reared in the hard school of adversity 
 and poverty — the only son of a poor widow — he was a patriot, a 
 man of sterling integrity, a kind husband, father and friend, and 
 a soldier utterly without, fear. Such was the ancestor of our 
 North Carolina kindred. A worthy sire of a rugged, fearless and 
 patriotic race. 
 
 It is an historical fact that the first spark that kindled the 
 flame of the American Revolution originated in Orange county, 
 N. C., in the same neighborhood where Samuel Chappell then 
 lived. The oppression of Great Britain had become so grievous 
 that in 1771 the people, under the leadership of one Herman Hus- 
 band, determined to resist further encroachments on their liberties. 
 The result was an engagement between the troops of the King and 
 the ragged and unarmed patriots. It occurred on the banks of 
 the Alamance. There were only about two thousand men engaged 
 and the “rebels” were defeated. It was not much of a battle, but 
 it created intense excitement throughout the country at the time, 
 and was, in fact, the entering wedge which resulted, five years 
 later, in the Declaration of American Independence, and, finally, 
 in the severance of the Colonies from the Mother Country. This 
 conflict is known in history as “Herman Husband’s Rebellion.” 
 Samuel Chappell, although but 13 years old, remembered it well, 
 heartily sympathized with the movement, and often referred to it 
 in after years. 
 
 It is not strange that the breast of a youth with such environ- 
 ments should soon have become filled with patriotic fire. The 
 rebellion in Orange county was but the flash of lightning before 
 the storm, and young Samuel had not long to wait. It required 
 thirty days at that time for the news of the declaration of war to 
 be transmitted from Boston to Hillsborough, N. C. On the first call 
 
152 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 for volunteers be responded, and left home in opposition to the 
 wishes of his mother, it is said, and made his way to Eastern Vir- 
 ginia, where he enlisted in the “Rebel” army. He was then 18 
 years old. 
 
 His army life is a matter of record in his family, and has been 
 preserved to the present time. He enlisted in the army com- 
 manded by Gen. Washington, and first saw the great commander 
 at the battle of Trenton, which was his first engagement. He was 
 severely Avounded at the battle of Brandywine and was removed 
 to Philadelphia, where his wounds were dressed and he was cared 
 for by the patriotic women of that city. He recovered in a few 
 weeks and participated in every engagement of that campaign in 
 which Washington commanded, including the battles of Trenton, 
 Princeton, Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth and Stony 
 Point. In the spring of 1780, the climate having proved too 
 rigorous for the Southern troops, they were transferred, under Gen. 
 Lincoln, to the Southern department. The North Carolina volun- 
 teers were of the number transferred, and included Samuel. On 
 May 12th of that year the City of Charleston was captured by the 
 British, and he surrendered and was placed on parole. An order 
 was issued by Lord Cornwallis that “All paroled prisoners should 
 either enlist in the British army or be taken on board the prison 
 ships and there be kept in close confinement.” Samuel Chappell, 
 being a youth, was detailed to carry the mails for the British. 
 While engaged in this service he, with a comrade, made his 
 escape, and after great suffering and hardship made his way to his 
 home in North Carolina. Soon after his return the militia were 
 called out to repel an invasion of the enemy ; this was imme- 
 diately after the battle of Camden. He responded to the call, and 
 at once reported to Gen. Green, who had superseded Lincoln in 
 the command of the department. After the famous retreat across 
 the Dan, he fell back with Gen. Green’s army to Guilford Court 
 House, in North Carolina. On the morning of the battle at that 
 place (March 15, 1781), he was (being a veteran) transferred from 
 the militia to the regulars. In this battle he was again wounded, 
 but recovered in time to take part in the battle of Eutaw Springs, 
 which occurred shortly after ; and which he always said was the 
 hardest fought battle of the war in which he was engaged. He 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 15S 
 
 then marched with his command to Yorktown and was present at 
 the surrender of Cornwallis on October 19, 1781. This was the 
 crowning victory of the war, and virtually ended the struggle for 
 American independence. 
 
 The sufferings of this young patriot at Valley Forge, and in 
 the Northern campaign, will never be known. A boy in years,^ 
 barefooted and half clad,H’aised in a Southern climate, he was illy 
 prepared to endure the ice and snow of a Northern country. The 
 sufferings of the patriot army at this time are a matter of history. 
 Samuel Chappell’s only recompense for his six years’ service in 
 the army was a consciousness of having discharged his duty, and a 
 pension received from the government of the United States. 
 
 In the winter of 1782 he returned to his home and married 
 Mary Pollard, with whom he lived sixty-five years, and until his 
 death. They lived for many years on Neuse river, near the 
 mouth of Beaver Dam, in Wake county, N. C., on a farm now known 
 as the ‘‘Uncle Sam Chappell place,” but in 1796 removed to a tract 
 of land which he bought in Granville county, on Ledge of Rock 
 creek, and there he and his good old wife lived out their days, 
 he dying, as has been stated, in 1848, at the age of 90 years. She 
 died about 1858 — surviving her husband about ten years. The 
 farm on which they died is now owned by William A. Beck, a 
 relative of the family. There were born to Samuel and Mary 
 Chappell five sons and four daughters, who lived to maturity, whose 
 names are mentioned in the order of their ages ; Mary, Susan, 
 Richard, Edward, Benjamin, Ann, William, Samuel and Nancy. 
 
 1. Mary, (who was called Polly) b. 1783, m. David Chap- 
 pell, a relative from Virginia, and removed to Guilford county, 
 N. C., about 1810. Their desendants are yet living in that county, 
 but their names have not been ascertained. 
 
 2. Susan, b. 1785, m. Lawrence Keith, of Wake county. 
 Issue : William, James, Wiley, Theodosia, Mary, Israel, Tobias 
 and Elizabeth. Mary m. Kendrick Goodwin, and Elizabeth m. 
 Pinkney Warren. All of these were born between 1816 and 1829. 
 Nothing further is known, except that their descendants live in 
 Wake county, N. C. 
 
 3. Richard Chappell, b. 1786, m. Ann Inscore, about 1818. 
 Issue ; 
 
 10— 
 
154 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 I. Major Hinton, b. 1820, m. (2) — (1) Susan Emory. 
 Issue : Two sons, Horace and John, and a daughter, 
 
 (name unknown) m. Rhodes, and emigrated to 
 
 Tennessee. John is dead; Horace lives in Gran- 
 ville county ; (2) m. Sarah Ann Issue : 
 
 William and James ; both live in Wake county, N. C. 
 
 II. John Wesley, b. 1822, m. (2) — (1) Betsy Ann Gar- 
 ner. Issue : Three daughters, whose names are un- 
 known; one m. Beck, one Cash and the 
 
 other Coley. All are living and have issue. 
 
 (2) m. (name of wife unknown). John Wesley lives 
 in what is known as the “Bright tobacco belt,” in 
 Granville county, N. C. 
 
 III. Matilda Green, b. 1824, m. (2) — (1) Wm. Robinson; 
 
 (2) Gallagher. 
 
 IV. Alfred R., b. 1826, m. Jane Sorrell. Lives in Frank- 
 
 lin county and is a tobacco planter. 
 
 V. William Hawkins, b. 1828, m. Susan J. Shearon 
 (his cousin), emigrated to Tennessee in 1856. Noth- 
 ing further known of them. 
 
 VI. Minton, b. 1830, m. Amanda Wilson January 5, 1854. 
 Issue : William, Leroy, Eugene, Amanda, John and 
 Minton. They live in Granville and Wake counties. 
 4. Edward Chappell, b. January 22, 1788, m. Sarah Robert- 
 son, 1816. Lived in Granville county. Was a soldier in the war 
 of 1812. Died near Raleigh in 1881, at the age of 93, having 
 attained a greater age than any member of any branch of the 
 Chappell family, as far as known. Issue : 
 
 I. Elias Kimbal, b. August 30, 1817. Has never mar- 
 ried, and is living at the age of 78 on the old home- 
 stead, near Raleigh. 
 
 II. William Harvey, b. February 28, 1819, m. Martha 
 Philips, d. 1879. Issue : Four. Martha Van, 
 
 Octavia, Charles and Mary. Some of these live in 
 Raleigh. 
 
 HI. Leroy, b. July 21, 1822. Is a physician. First 
 settled in Lenoir county,* removed to Forestville, in 
 
 * Named for Gen. Wm. Lenoir of the Revolution. See Chapter V. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AXD OTHER KIXDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 155 
 
 Wake county, where he now resides, m. Elizabeth 
 Norcross. Issue now living : Two sons, Leroy K. 
 and Henry A. The former was b. April 14, 1860, 
 was educated at the L^niversity of Virginia, and at the 
 Theological Seminary at Louisville, Ky., m. Ella 
 Moore, 1888, and went to Chin-Kiang, China, several 
 years ago, where he is engaged in missionary work, 
 being a minister of the Baptist church. They have 
 three children, born in China. He is a well 
 educated man and an accomplished scholar and 
 speaks the Chinese language fluently, a very rare 
 accomplishment, as the language is exceedingly 
 difiicult to learn. 
 
 IV. Edna Caroline, b. September 6, 1824, m. P. C. Fer- 
 rell, 1846. Issue living to maturity, one son, Albert 
 S. Ferrell. He was a Confederate soldier, and was 
 captured and confined in prison at the age of 16. 
 His youth, and the barbarous treatment he received, 
 caused his death. His mother died in 1892 and his 
 father in 1893. 
 
 V. Minton V^ancy, b. December 10, 1826. He was 
 highly educated, was by profession a teacher, andd. 
 in August, 1857, while president of a college at 
 Kinston, X. C. 
 
 VI. John Yarborough, b. February 20, 1829. He is an 
 old bachelor and resides with his brother, Elias, on 
 the old farm, near Raleigh. One of the bachelor 
 brothers is 66 and the other 78 years old. 
 
 VII. Palmyra Lafayette is the youngest surviving child of 
 Edward Chappell. She was b. May 14, 1835, m. 
 Alexander H. Beddingfield in 1862. He died in the 
 Coufederate army Xovember 9, 1863. Issue : One 
 son, (Eugene C.) who wflll be referred to hereafter. 
 He was born October 10, 1862, m. Nannie Peebles in 
 1881. Issue now living : Alexander, Eugene, 
 
 Charles and Rebecca. Mr. Beddingfield resides near 
 Raleigh, and his mother, who is a widow, lives 
 with him. 
 
156 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 5. Benjamin Chappell, b. 1790, m. Elizabeth Emory, d. 
 1833. Issue : 
 
 I. Darling, b. 1819. Resides in Granville county. Is 
 married and has children, whose names are unknown. 
 
 II. Andrew Jackson, b. 1821. He married at an ad- 
 vanced age, and has no issue. He lives near his 
 brother Darling, and is locally known as “Coffee 
 Jack” to distinguish him from his cousin, John 
 Wesley (son of Richard Chappell), who, on account 
 of his slender statue, is called “Sparrow Jack.” 
 
 III. Hawkins, (a daughter) b. 1823, m. Tucker. 
 
 Nothing further known. 
 
 IV. Alicia, b. 1825. Nothing known of her. 
 
 6. Ann Elizabeth Chappell, (called Betsy Ann) b. 1792, m. 
 Aaron Shearon. Issue : Three sons and a daughter. Names un- 
 known. Their descendants live in Wake county. 
 
 7. William Chappell, b. 1794, m. Ann Sykes. Issue: Four, 
 Mary, Anna, Rufus and Dennis. The family emigrated to 
 Tennessee many years ago. Nothing further known. 
 
 8. Samuel Chappell, Jr., b. 1800,' m. Cynthia Sorrell. Lived 
 in Wake county. Issue: Three sons and two daughters. 
 
 I. Allen, was killed in C. S. army. He left a son, 
 Alfred, who emigrated to Florida. If there were 
 other children nothing is known of them. 
 
 II. Edward, was severely wounded in the Confederate 
 army. ^ His residence is unknown, but he has a son, 
 John, living in Asheville, N., C. 
 
 III. Young, was also a Confederate soldier, was cap- 
 
 tured during' the war and was never heard of after- 
 wards. Probably dead. 
 
 IV. Ann Elizabeth, ra. Matthew Johnson. They and 
 
 their descendants are supposed to be living in Wake 
 county. 
 
 V. Julia, was the youngest child of Samuel Chappell. 
 Her history is unknown to my informant. 
 
 Samuel Chappell, Jr., the father of these children, died in 1885, 
 near Raleigh. In stature he was small, had blue eyes, and a fair 
 complexion. Edward, his brother, was taller and a handsomely 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 157 
 
 proportioned man. Most of his children had dark complexions, 
 black hair and fine dark eyes. 
 
 9. Nancy Chappell, b. 1802, m. James Sykes, 1821. Issue: 
 
 I. Murphy, b. 1823. Killed in C. S. army. 
 
 II. John, b. 1825. Lives on Neuse river. 
 
 III. Wesley. Was a soldier in C. S. army. Has never 
 
 been heard of since the war. Probably killed and 
 fills an unknown grave. 
 
 IV. Wiley. Emigrated to California in ’49. Has never 
 been heard of since. 
 
 V. Sarah, b. 1831. Unm. 
 
 Some of the children of Samuel Chappell, Sr., the old Revolu- 
 tionary soldier, like their father, lived to very old ages, as will be 
 observed : 
 
 Nancy was born in 1802, d., 1892, ae. , 90. 
 
 Edward was born in 1788, d., 1881, ae., 93. 
 
 Samuel, Jr., was born in 1800, d., 1885, ae., 85. 
 
 The North Carolina Chappells have, unlike many other 
 branches, remained in the same state and the same locality for 
 more than a century. A few of the younger generations, as they 
 have grown up, have emigrated to the South and West; but by far the 
 larger number still remain in Granville, Wake and adjoining coun- 
 ties, the same section of the state in which their great-grandfather, 
 Samuel Chappell, settled on removing to the State in 1770. The 
 family, above every other branch, seems to be remarkable for its 
 longevity. As they are of the same stock of people, this can 
 only be attributed to the healthfulness of the country in which 
 they have lived, for there is no healthier country than the Northern 
 and Western parts of North Carolina. Like all other branches 
 they have for generations been farmers and planters, and this, no 
 doubt, has had much to do in developing their hardy constitutions 
 and in prolonging their lives. 
 
 For generations they have been a plain, honest and industrious 
 people. None ever becoming very rich, yet few too poor to own 
 their homes. Many were large land owners before 1861, and all 
 yet live in comfortable circumstances. They belong to that great 
 middle class — the honest yeomanry of the land. They are a fam- 
 ily of fighters; peaceable if undisturbed, but dangerous if aroused. 
 
158 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 There are no cowards among their number, and there is not one 
 of the name who is not ready at any and all times, and under any 
 and all circumstances, to resent an insult. It is said that during 
 the Civil war every man and boy capable of bearing arms was in 
 the Confederate army; their record — as written here — establishes 
 their loyalty to the South. 
 
 Physically, the family has not been noted for their great stat- 
 ures, nor have the men been noted specially for their good looks. 
 But they are a robust, hardy race, and possess strong features, 
 strong characters and are strong men physically, morally and men- 
 tally, and as a family have always been noted for their manly 
 courage. 
 
 The data from which this sketch has been compiled has been 
 furnished by Hon. E. C. Beddingfield, of Raleigh, a descendant of 
 the family. Mr. Beddingfield is one of the railroad commissioners 
 of his state, and is a gentleman of culture, intelligence and high 
 social and political standing. I desire to express my gratitude for 
 his courtesy and kindness. 
 
 I am inclined from my investigations to believe that there 
 was still another North Carolina family of Chappells, besides the 
 one referred to in this chapter. A half a century ago there lived 
 in Camden Co., Missouri — then a frontier settlement — an old man 
 whose name was Absalom Chappell. He said that he emigrated 
 to that section many years before from North Carolina. He was 
 a pioneer, and a Southern man beyond a doubt, and was highly 
 respected by his neighbors. He is long since dead, and if he left 
 any descendants it is now unknown. 
 
 There is also a family of Chappells now living near Lebanon, 
 Indiana, with whom I have corresponded. They spell the name as 
 we do, and claim to be the descendants of one James Chappell, who 
 immigrated to that country from North Carolina in 1809. There 
 is good reason to believe that they are of Southern origin. I do 
 not believe that either of these were off-shoots of Robert Chappell, 
 of Mecklenberg, for there have been no “lost tribes” among his 
 descendants. As far back as 1700 the names of two Chappells 
 were found in an old North Carolina history. These names 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 159 
 
 appeared on an old muster roll and were spelled “Chapel” — perhaps 
 a clerical error. They were probably members of the Virginia 
 family who had crossed over the line and settled in the Eastern 
 part of the colony of Xorth Carolina. The two families referred 
 to may have sprung from these. 
 
 V 
 
160 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORX OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The Two South Carolina Branches of the Chappell Fam- 
 ily — Robert, the Immigrant of 1770, and Thomas, the 
 Immigrant of 1750. 
 
 From the middle of the Eighteenth century to the time of the 
 American Revolution, there were but two paths open to the young 
 Virginian who desired to better his condition by seeking a new 
 home in a more fertile country than was to be found in the Eastern 
 part of the colony. One of these led westward towards the Al- 
 leghany and Blue Ridge mountains, the other led southward to 
 the Carolinas and Georgia. It was the former that was taken just 
 before the Revolution by Robert Chappell, who settled in Meck- 
 lenberg County in 1770, and by his nephews, the sons of John 
 and James Chappell, when they removed from Amelia to Halifax 
 County, Va., at the close of the war in 1782. 
 
 It was the other path that was followed by Joseph Chappell, 
 the founder of the Georgia branch, when he emigrated from 
 Amelia about 1760, by Thomas Chappell, who emigrated from 
 the Eastern part of the colony, about 1750, and Robert Chappell, 
 who emigrated from Prince George county in. 1770, the latter two 
 of whom became the progenitors of the two South Carolina 
 branches. 
 
 All of that vast territory lying to the south and west, be- 
 yond the Alleghany and Cumberland mountains, including Ala- 
 bama, Middle and West Tennessee and Kentucky, to which a 
 later generation migrated, had not then been opened to civilization; 
 and was uninhabited, except by the wild savage. The country 
 west of the Mississippi river, including that great valley, was, prior 
 to the purchase by Mr. Jefferson (1803), an unknown wilderness ; 
 its forests untrodden by the foot of the white man, and the bosom 
 of its magnificent streams unruffled, ssLve by the canoe of the 
 Indian. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AXD OTHER KIKDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 161 
 
 The emigrant, when he left home and friends, virtually 
 ‘‘burned the bridges behind him,” for there were no means of com- 
 munication at that early day, as there are now. There were no 
 steamboats, railroads, telegraphs, nor even a mail service; and the 
 only way in which intelligence could then be conveyed to and from 
 his former home, was by the return of some friend, or the arrival of 
 some newcomer. I have several old letters, written at a much 
 later period, but still nearly a century ago. They were neatly and 
 sometimes fantastically folded, for there were no envelopes used 
 then, and sealed with sealing wax or a red wafer, and on one^cor- 
 ner above the superscription was written, "‘25 cents,” or “50 cents,” 
 which was the postage, the receiver was required to pay. 
 
 It is not strange, then, ■ when we consider the difficulty that 
 existed at that day of communicating with relatives and friends 
 who had been left at a far distant home, that some branches of 
 the family should have become lost, nor is it strange that the con- 
 nection which is known to exist between the families who found 
 homes in the Southern colonies before the Revolution, and the 
 Virginia Chappells, cannot now be distinctly traced, or established 
 with absolute certainty. There are other Chappells in the South- 
 ern and W estern states, who, while there is every reason to believe 
 they are descended from the Colonial family, can not now trace 
 their connection. It was not unusual for a vouno: man to marrv, 
 leave the “home nest,” emigrate to the distant frontier, and 
 there establish a home of his own. The entry, “Emigrated to 
 Tennessee,” “Emigrated to Texas,” “Removed West— nothing 
 further known,” may have been frequently observed in these pages. 
 These may appropriately be called the “lost tribes” of the family ; 
 and should you meet a tall or medium-sized man, bearing the name 
 ^‘Chappell,” with a dark complexion, black hair and eyes, unpol- 
 ished, perhaps, but possessing strong features, denoting an intelli- 
 gent mind, and personal courage ; one whose manners and dialect 
 indicate a Southern origin, you “may set him down ” although he 
 may not know his pedigree, as a scion of one of these lost branches 
 and a lineal descendant of the old Virginia Chappells. 
 
 Just before the American Revolution (about 1770) there im- 
 migrated to what was afterwards Richland district. South Caro- 
 lina, a family among whom were two sons and a daughter ; 
 
162 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 whose names were Hix, Laban and Martha. The father of these 
 children was Robert Chappell. The fact that he came from the 
 Colony of Virginia is well authenticated ; but from what part is 
 unknown. It is supposed that the wife and mother died after 
 their arrival at their Southern home, for the father married a sec- 
 ond time, and by his last wife had one son, named John. Hix, 
 who was the eldest, was at this time about twelve years old. Robert 
 Chappell lived to a very old age, and was for many years before 
 his death a bedridden invalid. While in this condition, he was 
 at one time during the Revolution, attacked by the Tories and 
 shot while he laid in bed, through an aperture in his house, but 
 was not killed. 
 
 If the reader will now go back with me to Prince George 
 County, in the Colony of Virginia, where the Chappells lived from 
 1710 to 1745, he will there find in the old parish register of Bristol 
 Parish — embracing the counties of Prince George and Dinwiddie 
 — the following entries of births : 
 
 “Ann, daughter of Robert and Mary Chappell, was born 
 Feby. 8, 1721.” 
 
 “Absalom, son of Robert and Elizabeth Chappell, was born 
 May 6, 1729.” 
 
 “Robert, son of Robert and Elizabeth Chappell, was born 
 April 2, 1732.”* 
 
 Mary was probably the first wife of Robert Sr., and Elizabeth 
 the second. 
 
 Here is the supposed connection between this South Carolina 
 branch and the Chappells of Virginia. By examining these dates 
 it will be seen that Robert Jr. would have been twenty- five 
 years old in 1757, and probably married about that time, and his 
 son Hix may have been just twelve years old when his father emi- 
 grated to South Carolina in 1770, his father at that time being 
 thirty-eight years old. The age of Hix is well established, for, as 
 will appear hereafter, he enlisted in the Revolutionary army in 
 1776, and was then] eighteen years old. From these dates, 
 taken from the records of Virginia, and therefore authentic, and 
 from the age of Hix Chappell at the time of his enlistment, of 
 which there is no question, there would seem to be but little doubt 
 
 * See Chapter II. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 163 
 
 that the Robert Chappell who immigrated to South Carolina in 
 1770 was the same Robert whose name was found in the parish 
 register of Bristol Parish, Virginia, and who was born April 2, 
 1732. The dates, it will be observed, correspond with an exact- 
 ness that leaves little room for doubt. 
 
 The genealogy of this branch back to 1635 can then be 
 traced. Robert, of Prince George, whose son Robert emigrated 
 to South Carolina, was probably the brother of Thomas and Sam- 
 uel, whose histories have been written in Chapter II, and that of 
 their descendants in subsequent chapters. These brothers were of 
 the fifth generation in America, reckoning Capt. John Chappell as 
 the first immigrant and of the first generation. They were the 
 sons of Thomas of Charles City county (1680-1720). Thomas, 
 it is believed, was the son of Samuel (brother of Thomas and Rob- 
 ert) 1663-1665, and this Samuel was the son of Thomas, the young 
 immigrant, (1635), who is further believed to have been the son 
 of Capt. John Chappell, who sailed from Southampton, England, 
 for the colony of Virginia, May 28, 1635. 
 
 HIX CHAPPELL. 
 
 Maj. Hix Chappell* — for he was an officer in the Revolution- 
 ary army, and well earned his title — was born, as has been stated, 
 in the colony of Virginia, about 1758, immigrated to South Car- 
 olina with his father in 1770, and on the breaking out of the Rev- 
 olution, volunteered as a private at the age of eighteen, in the di- 
 vision of tdie army commanded by General Sumter, and continued 
 with that officer and General Marion, both of whom operated in the 
 South, until the close of the war. He participated in nearly all 
 the engagements fought by these daring leaders in that section, 
 and was present and severely wounded in the battle of Eutaw 
 Springs, S. C. (Sept. 8, 1781) — the last battle before the surrender 
 of Yorktown. We have no written account of his military career; 
 that he was a brave and gallant soldier is established by his rapid 
 promotion. He entered the army a youth and a private — he came 
 out a veteran soldier, bearing a major’s commission, and was grant- 
 ed a pension by the United States government. 
 
 *The name Hix is a well-known old Virginia family name. 
 
164 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 On one occasion, during the war, he was sent with his com- 
 mand to capture an ammunition train belonging to the enemy, and 
 which it was proposed to ambush. The enemy w^ere surprised and 
 captured and Major Chappell called on the officer in command, 
 who was almost a youth, to surrender his sword. The demand 
 was reluctantly complied with and the young man, when he had 
 delivered it up, burst into tears. Major Chappell was so impressed 
 with the young officer’s bravery and loyalty to his King that he 
 returned him the sword, having first exacted a promise that it 
 should never again be drawn against the Colonies. What was his 
 surprise on inquiring the youth’s name to find it was “Campbell,” 
 and that he was no less a personage than the Duke of Argyle. The 
 strangest part of this story is yet to be told. Many years after 
 the war a younger son of this same British officer and Col. John 
 Joel Chappell, a son of Major Hix Chappell, bought adjoining 
 plantations in Lowndes county, Ala., where they continued to 
 live, and were intimate friends, until separated by death. 
 
 In 1781 Maj. Chappell married Elizabeth Threemets and 
 settled on a plantation in Richland county, near Columbia, where 
 he lived until his death, in 1846, at the age of 86. This home is 
 now owned by his grandson, Paul G. Chappell, and has been in 
 the family for 114 years — 1781-1895. The remains of Maj. Hix 
 Chappell are interred in Columbia, S. C., on Plains street. He 
 left two sons. 
 
 JOHN JOEL CHAPPELL. 
 
 Col. John J. Chappell was the oldest son of Hix Chappell, and 
 was born in Fairfield county on January 19, 1782, where his 
 mother had gone on a visit. On May 10, 1811, he married Sophia 
 Maria Green, the daughter of Col. Green, an officer of the Revo- 
 lution. Col. Chappell became a distinguished citizen of his native 
 state — distinguished as a lawyer, a statesman and a soldier. He 
 represented his district for many years in Congress, in the days of 
 John C. Calhoun, of whom he was an intimate friend and great 
 admirer. In the war of 1812, with Great Britain, he commanded 
 a regiment raised in his section. He practiced his profession 
 in Columbia until 1837, when he bought a plantation in Lowndes 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 165 
 
 county, Ala., where he spent a part of his time, and to which he 
 finally removed. He died in Alabama in 1871, at the ripe old age 
 of 89 years. His wife died in September, 1834. 
 
 The following extracts are taken from a biography of Col. 
 Chappell, published in “O’Neal’s Bench and Bar of South Car- 
 olina “Col. John J. Chappell was an educated and scholarly 
 man for the times in which he lived. He was a successful lawyer, 
 a man of strong character, and a kind and courteous gentleman. 
 He had an easy flow of language, though not an impressive elo- 
 quence. He was tall and spare, being fully six feet in stature. He 
 was dignified, yet polite, and was always regarded as an honest 
 man.” He held the following official positions ; “He was admitted 
 to the bar in 1805. The same year was appointed Adjutant of the 
 Thirty-third regiment, and was elected Captain of the same regi- 
 ment. In 1808 was elected Colonel of the regiment, and was also 
 elected a member of the Legislature of South Carolina. In 1809 
 was appointed a trustee of S. C. College. In 1812 was elected to 
 Congress, and was re-elected for five terms.” 
 
 “His life was gentle : and the elements 
 So mixed in him, that Nature might stand up 
 And say to all the world, This is a man.” 
 
 There were born to John Joel Chappell the following chil- 
 dren, living to maturity : 
 
 1. Eugenia, b. October 29, 1812, m. Andrew C. Calhoun, son 
 of John C. Calhoun, on January 3, 1833. But one child was born 
 of the union, Eugene Chappell Calhoun, b. December 22, 1833, d. 
 January 1, 1835. The mother died February 8, 1839. 
 
 2. John Threemets, b. March 13, 1815, d. May 13, 1840. He 
 was by profession a lawyer and was his father’s partner. 
 
 3. Mary, b. November 1, 1819, d. November 1, 1869. Unm. 
 
 4. Paul Green, b. May 17, 1821, m. Salina G. De Veaux 
 April 22, 1852. No issue. He is the only surviving child of his 
 parents. 
 
 5. Octavia Theodosia, b. April 6, 1829, m. John D. Hopkins 
 November 12, 1850. Issue : 
 
 I. J. Chappell, m. Emma McGee. Issue: John, James, 
 Henry, Gather, Edward and Bessie. 
 
166 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 II. Fanny, m. James H. Adams. Issue : Jane, Paul, 
 Fanny and William. She died May 25, 1894. 
 
 III. Marion Chappell, m. E. L. Felder. Issue ; Lewis, 
 
 James, Paul, Louise, Eliza, Blake and Elwyn. All 
 of these live in Alabama. 
 
 IV. James Tucker, unm. Lives in Alabama. 
 
 6. Marion, b. February 10, 1825, m. Robt. H. Deas May 1, 
 1849. Issue ; One son, John C. Deas, m. Maria P. Smith. Issue : 
 Mary, Maria, Eugenia and John. 
 
 7. Henry, b. July 4, 1826. Was a physician, m. Cynthia E. 
 Wells December 15, 1853. No issue. Died February 14, 1854, 
 in Mississippi. 
 
 8. Septina, b. March 3, 1828, d. unm. May 25, 1894. Was 
 buried with her niece, Fanny Adams. 
 
 JAMES HENRY CHAPPELL. 
 
 James Henry was the second son of Maj. Hix Chappell, m. 
 Margaret Goodwyn. Issue living to maturity : 
 
 1. William Hix, m. (2) — (1) Carloss, of Alabama. Issue; 
 
 I. Sue, m. (2) — (1) Dr. Reece ; (2) John Yates. Issue ; 
 
 One son, David Yates. 
 
 II. Henry, was an officer in the C. S. army. Fell mortally 
 wounded at the battle of Fredericksburg, Va. Was 
 promoted for gallantry on the battle-field when dying. 
 
 III. Elizabeth, m. Henry Pargette. 
 
 William Hix Chappell’s second wife was Mary Johns. Issue ; 
 Margaret, Mary, Laura and Thomas. 
 
 2. Eliza, unm. 
 
 3. Margaret Goodwyn, m. Maj. Jesse G. Lykes, being his 
 
 first wife. Issue : One child. 
 
 Margaret, m. Andrew Patterson. Issue : Margaret, Carrie, 
 Andrew, James, Jesse, Wilhelmira, Ernest and Frank. 
 
 4. James Henry, Jr., m. Elizabeth Butler. Is«ue ; 
 
 I. Francis Marion, m. Llewella Roberts. Issue ; One 
 son, Francis Marion, Jr., who lives in Florida. 
 
 II. Jessie Chappell, m. Chas. T. Smith. Issue ; Laura, 
 Charles, Elizabeth and Septina. Live at Hopkins, 
 
 S. C. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHEE KIXDEED FAMILIES. 
 
 167 
 
 The data relating to the descendants of John Joel and James 
 Henry Chappell has been furnished by Paul G. Chappell and Mrs. 
 Jessie C. Smith. It is to be regretted that the family Bible, con- 
 taining the records of the latter branch has been lost, and, there- 
 fore, the dates cannot be giyen. 
 
 LABAN CHAPPELL. 
 
 Laban, the second son of Robert Chappell, was born in Vir- 
 ginia about 1762, and emigrated to Richland District, S. C., 
 with his father about 1770. He enlisted as a priyate in the Reyo- 
 lutionary army under Gen. Sumter, in 1779, near the close of the 
 war, at the age of 17, and seryed until the declaration of peace. 
 
 In 1789 he married Margaret Adams, a widow, whose maiden 
 name was Spigena, and located in Richland county, where he 
 remained until 1817, when he remoyed to Fairfield. He died in 
 that county in 1829, at the age of 67, leaying two sons and two 
 daughters, who will be named in the order of their births ; 
 
 1. Christiana Chappell, b. 1790, m. Maj. Nathan Cook, 
 1826, d. 1867. No issue. 
 
 2. John S. Chappell, b. 1794, m. Grace Goodwyn. Remoyed 
 to Fairfield, 1852, where he died in 1853. Issue : 
 
 I. Laban H. , killed in C. S. army in the battles around 
 
 Richmond, 1863. 
 
 II. Rebecca, m. Jacob Bookman. Their issue live in 
 
 Fairfield county. 
 
 III. Mary Hix, m. Dr. J. T. Smith. No issue. 
 
 IV. Christiana, m. Abner Turnipseed. They live in 
 
 Geneya, Ala. 
 
 V. Uriah. History unknown to me. 
 
 VI. Martha, m. E. R. Paulding. Liye in Orangeburg. 
 
 3. Mary Chappell, b. 1798, m. Zachariah Trapp January 8, 
 1818, died 1875. Issue : 
 
 I. Chappell, b. 1818, m. Adelaid Powell, 1853, d. 1889. 
 
 II. William H., b. 1820, m. Sarah Dawkens, 1846. 
 
 III. Laban, b. 1822, m. (2) — (1) Mary Boukright ; (2) 
 
 Cynthia Powell ; d. 1871. 
 
 IV. Caroline, b. 1826, m. Jesse G. Lykes, 1848. She was 
 
 his second wife. 
 
168 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 V. Uriah, b. 1828, m. Victoria Bookman, 1855. 
 
 VI. Mary, d. unm. 
 
 VII. Levi, d. unm. 
 
 All of the above are dead except William, Uriah and 
 Caroline. 
 
 4. Laban Henry Chappell, b. 1800, m. Martha F. Love (his 
 cousin), 1827, d. January 30, 1870, in Fairfield. Issue : 
 
 I. William L., b. May 24, 1828, m. Mary Thompson, 
 1854. Removed to Choctaw county, Ala., and died 
 there in 1876. Issue : Henry, Franklin, Emma, Ida, 
 Fanny and Margaret. 
 
 II. Henry H., b. 1830. Was an officer in the C. S. army 
 and died in the service. 
 
 HI. Martha, b. 1830, m. Capt. P. R. Mayo, 1869. 
 
 IV. Thompson, b. 1832, m. Mary Douglass in 1858, d. 
 1884. Issue: Charles, Martha, Sarah, Mary, Nancy 
 and Lois. 
 
 V. George S., b. May 1, 1834, m. Rebecca Cook. Issue : 
 Henry, Mary, Marion, Fanny, Angus, Caroline and 
 George. Live in Columbia. 
 
 VI. Joel, b. November 26, 1835. Killed in C. S. army at 
 the battle of Gettysburg. 
 
 VII. Mary A., b. 1838. Lives in Fairfield. 
 
 VIII. David, b. February 19, 1845. Killed in the C. S. 
 army in battles around Richmond. 
 
 IX. Sarah C., b. 1848. Lives in Jenkinsville. 
 
 MARTHA CHAPPELL. 
 
 Martha, the daughter of Robert Chappell, and sister of Hix 
 and Laban, was born in Virginia, and removed to South Carolina 
 with the family about 1770. About the beginning of the Revolu- 
 tionary war she married Isaac Love, and there were born of the 
 union four sons, whose names were William, Chappell, David and 
 Robert. William was the eldest and married and had children, 
 among whom was a daughter named Martha, who, in 1827, mar- 
 ried her cousin, Labin Henry Chappell, son of Labin. She evi- 
 dently loved the name Chappell better than she did that of Love 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AXD OTHER KINDRED EAMILIES. 169 
 
 and returned to her first love and has perpetuated the name Chappell 
 in her line, to the present generation. There are probably other 
 descendants of Martha Chappell, but I have received no informa- 
 tion of them. 
 
 The data contained in this sketch of Laban Chappell and his 
 descendants has been furnished by Mrs. Caroline Lykes and George 
 S. Chappell, of Columbia, and Miss Sallie Chappell of Jenkins- 
 ville, S. C. All of whom are of his branch. It will be observed 
 that the family originally lived in Richland district," but some of 
 them subsequently removed to Fairfield, and others emigrated to 
 Alabama and Florida. Xot a few of the present generation have 
 engaged in commercial pursuits, and are now among the most en- 
 terprising, energetic and successful merchants in that section of 
 the country. 
 
 JOHN CHAPPELL. 
 
 John Chappell, the only child of Robert Chappell by 
 his second marriage, was the half brother of Maj. Hix 
 and Laban Chappell and their sister Martha. The names of 
 neither of the wives of Robert Chappell are now known. John 
 was born about 1771, which was after his father’s removal to 
 South Carolina, and grew to manhood in Richland district. At 
 a later day he removed to Lexington district and there, at the 
 age of 1-5, (about 1816) married Sibillaf Scott, a widow, whose 
 maiden name was Ruff. Subsequently he removed to Fairfield 
 and settled near the confluence of Broad and Little rivers, where he 
 was for many years engaged in farming, milling and managing a 
 shad fishery — then a profitable business. He died in 1835, at the 
 age of 65, and his wife died several years afterwards. There were 
 born to this couple six children, whose births were in the order in 
 which they will be named : 
 
 1. Charlotte E., b. June 17, 1817, m. Capt. Xathaniel B. 
 Holley, 1835. Issue living to maturity : Butler, Mary, Nathaniel, 
 David, Walter, John and Alexander. The two latter died in the 
 C. S. army, Alexander having been killed at the battle of Seven 
 Pines. The mother of this family still lives in Fairfield county, 
 S. C., at the age of 78. 
 
 * The counties in South Carolina were originally called districts, 
 t The name may have been Sibyl. 
 
 12 - 
 
170 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 2. John H. R., b. 1819. Emigrated to Pickens county, Ala., 
 in 1837, m. Margaret A. Lipsey, 1848, d. 1881. Issue: Mary, 
 Laban, William, John, Charles and Margaret. Of these Laban is 
 a minister of the M. E. church. South, and lives at Milton, Fla. 
 William resides near Birmingham, Ala. Mary (now Mrs. Cole) 
 lives in Selma, and the others reside in Pickens county, Ala. The 
 father of this family was a devout Christian and a minister of the 
 M. E. church. South. 
 
 3. Laban C., b. 1822, m. Catharine Smith and settled in 
 Fairfield county, where he died in 1888. Issue : Oscar, Smith, 
 John, George, Kate, Laban, William and Clara. Some of these 
 live in South Carolina and others in Florida. Of those living in 
 the former state is Laban C., Jr., at Hopkins, whose wife, Mrs. 
 Maxcy C. Chappell, an intelligent lady, has furnished me some of 
 the above data. 
 
 4. Nancy, b. 1824, m. J. II. Robb. Issue: Charlotte, Mary, 
 Ida, John Chappell, Willoughby, Thomas, Robert, Elizabeth and 
 Augustus. Of these Robert became a distinguished minister of 
 the Baptist church and resides in New York. John Chappell 
 lives in Florida and the others in Fairfield county, S. C. 
 
 5. Rebecca, b. January 4, 1827, m. Bennett C. Proctor and 
 
 removed to Atalla county. Miss., where she and her children 
 live. Issue : Nannie, m. C. J. Winters ; Sanilah, m. Henry 
 
 Landrum ; Rebecca, m. T. J. Harris ; Mary, m. L. C. Boyd ; 
 Susan, m. J. D. Atterberry, and Bennie, the youngest daughter, 
 m. G. W. Winters. 
 
 6. Hix Benjamin, b. Aug. 18, 1831, in Fairfield, emigrated to 
 
 Pickens county, Ala., in 1851, m. (2) — (1) Sarah F. Taylor. Issue : 
 Hix B., William, a daughter named Willie A., and one named 
 Henrietta Louisa, the latter died Oct. 7, 1883. In 1874 he mar- 
 ried Sallie E. Feemster. Issue : James, Anna, Jennie, Robert, 
 
 Edward, Curtis, and Lilly. Rev. Hix B. Chappell, for he is a 
 minister of the Baptist church, is a man of far more than ordinary 
 intelligence, of positive convictions, and of strong individuality. 
 He was one of the few members of the family in the South who 
 opposed secession, but when the “die was cast,” he entered hear- 
 tily into the conflict, was a soldier in the Army of Northern Vir- 
 ginia, and fought gallantly to the last. He has furnished me 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHEE KIKDPED EAMILIES. 
 
 171 
 
 most of the information contained in this sketch of his father’s 
 branch. His home is in Dillsburgh, Pickens Co., Ala. It will be 
 observed that no less than four members of this branch have been, 
 and are, ministers of the Gospel. A fact which speaks well for 
 their religious training, and for their high moral, social and intel- 
 lectual character. 
 
 A well-authenticated tradition has come to me from the Xorth 
 Carolina Chappells. It is to the effect that Samuel Chappell, 
 the old Hevolutionary soldier, when in the Southern campaign, 
 under the command of General Greene, just before the close of 
 the war, met in the army at the battle of Eutaw Springs, S. 
 C., a soldier from that state named Chappell, but whose 
 given name is not now remembered. Thev traced a relation- 
 ship, for the South Carolina Chappell, like his namesake, 
 had been born in Virginia. It will be remembered that Hix and 
 Laban Chappell were both in Greene’s army at that time, and as 
 the entire command only consisted of about 2,000 men, the tradi- 
 tion is probably true and the South Carolinan was either Hix 
 Chappell or his brother Laban. 
 
 About the year 1810, Edward, the son of the same Samuel 
 Chappell, visited Georgia and South Carolina, and was absent 
 several months. While on this trip he met in one of those states 
 a relative named Chappell, with whom he traced a relationship, 
 and with whom he remained several days. His given name is not 
 now remembered; but his family, it was said, had removed from 
 Virginia many years before. 
 
 Haj. J. Chappell Compton, of Selma, Ala., also writes me as 
 follows : ‘Oly father. Pleasant M. Compton, was well accjuainted 
 
 with Hon. Absalom H. Chappell, of Georgia. They discussed and 
 fully recognized the relationship that existed between their 
 families.” 
 
 These old people have long since passed away and I only refer 
 to these traditions to illustrate the fact that those of a former gen- 
 eration could more easily trace the relationship between the 
 branches than those of the present. Eurthermore, while these 
 traditions may not be entirely reliable, they furnish corroborative 
 evidence to that found in the records of Virginia, to establish the 
 
172 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 fact that the Southern branches of the Chappell family are the 
 lineal descendants of those of the same name who settled at an early 
 day in the colony of Virginia. 
 
 THOMAS CHAPPELL, OF SOUTH CAROLINA. 
 
 There is still another branch of the Chappell family in South 
 Carolina, which, while not descended from Robert Chappell, the 
 immigrant of 1770, is nevertheless beyond a doubt connected with 
 the Virginia family of that name. About 1750 there immigrated to 
 South Carolina from the colony of Virginia, one Thomas Chappell, 
 who settled on the south side of the Saluda river, about one mile 
 from where the town of Chappell* is now located, and in what is 
 now Edgefield county. Here he improved a plantation, on which 
 he continued to live until his death, and which remained in 
 the family for several generations. He was a young man when 
 he removed to his Southern home, but whether he was married at 
 that time or not is not now known, even by tradition. Neither is 
 the name of his wife now remembered. Thomas had three sons, 
 whose names were John, James and Harry, all of whom were born 
 between 1750 and 1760. On the breaking out of the Revolution- 
 ary war each of these sons enlisted in the Continental army and 
 participated in the partisan warfare that was so hotly waged by 
 Sumter and Marion, in the South Carolina colony. John and 
 James were both killed in the army and only the youngest son — 
 Harry — escaped the British bullets. This is all that is known of 
 Thomas Chappell, or his sons, previous to the American Revolu- 
 tion, even from tradition. 
 
 The second chapter of this history contains all the informa- 
 tion that has been gleaned from the fragments of records preserved 
 of the colony of Virginia, relating to the Chappell family. From 
 1720 to 1746 several of the family lived in Prince George county, 
 Virginia, and among others, Thomas, Samuel and Robert, the three 
 brothers from whom the branches herein referred to can trace 
 their descent. Thomas of South Carolina was not a descendant of 
 this Thomas of Prince Goorge, for we have the will of his widow 
 
 This town was named for the family. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AXD OTHER KIXDEED FAMILIES. 
 
 173 
 
 — Sarah Crawley — in which the names of their children are given. 
 He was not the son of Samuel, for his children — John, Joseph, and 
 their sister — were quite young in 1750. Neither was he the son 
 of Robert, for the old register of Bristol parish gives the names of 
 his sons, who were Absalom and Robert, Jr. There were, 
 however, as has been shown in that chapter at this period, several 
 other branches of the family in the colony, of which we now have 
 no account, and to one of these Thomas Chappell, the founder of 
 this South Carolina family, must have belonged. He no doubt 
 was of the sixth generation, the same to which Mrs. Crawley’s 
 sons, and John and Joseph, the sons of Samuel, belonged ; for 
 they were all born from about 1720 to 1740, as nearly as can now 
 be determined. 
 
 We find in this South Carolina branch the same favorite fam- 
 ily names that have come down to us through ten generations — 
 Thomas, John and James. It is a strange coincidence that the two 
 Thomas Chappells — the one of Petersburg, Va., the other the foun- 
 der of the South Carolina branch, living at the same time — should 
 have each bestowed on his sons the same names — John and James. 
 It may, however, not have been an accidental coincidence, for the 
 fathers may have been closely related, and may, in naming their 
 sons, have but followed the prevailing custom in the family, and 
 perpetuated in them the names of favorite ancestors. 
 
 COL. HARRY CHAPPELL. 
 
 Harry Chappell, who bore the military title of Colonel, was 
 the only surviving son of his father and inherited from him a large 
 estate, including the plantation in Edgefield county, on which he 
 continued to live until his death. It is not now known whether 
 he acquired his title in the army, or whether it was bestowed on 
 him by his friends, as was frequently the case in the South. About 
 the year 1784 he married Delilah Hozeh, by whom he had four 
 children, all of whom were born between 1785 and 1791. Their 
 names were Charles, John, Fanny and Lucinda 
 
 Fanny married James Hill, and about 1820 they emigrated to 
 the West, and all trace of them has been lost. Lucinda married 
 Each Payne, of Laurens Co., and died in 1860 without issue. 
 
174 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CHARLES CHAPPELL. 
 
 Charles married Mary Brooks, about 1810. Issue : William 
 
 and Sarah. 
 
 1. William b. 1812, m. Moss, 1850. Issue : One child 
 
 — Mary, m. John Hudgens. Issue, but names are unknown. 
 William Chappell died in 1894, at the age of 82 years. 
 
 2. Sarah, b. 1815, m. Benjamin Perry, 1835. Issue : Benja- 
 min, Towles, Robert and Carrie. All of the sons married, 
 have families, live in Edgefield, and are well-to-do people. 
 Carrie m. Charles Hamilton, they removed to Kentucky in 1870^ 
 and have one daughter named Carrie. 
 
 JOHN CHAPPELL. 
 
 John Chappell, son of Col. Harry Chappell, married Betsy 
 Brooks, in 1816. They lived in Edgefield Co., and had the follow- 
 ing issue. 
 
 1. Thomas Henry, b. 1818, m. Ann Smiley, 1848, d. 1874. 
 
 Issue : Two sons and a daughter. 
 
 I. Preston Brooks, b. 1850, m. Martha Leak, 1875, d. 
 1893. No issue. 
 
 II. John Henry, b. 1853, m. Mary Prince, 1884. Issue : 
 Jesse, Thomas and John. 
 
 III. Lula, b. 1855, m. Dr. James W. Tribble. Issue: Maud 
 and Massie. 
 
 2. Nancy, b. 1820, m. (2) — (1) Robt. Maxwell, 1836. Issue : 
 
 I. John Chappell, b. 1837, m. (2) — (1) Richardson, 
 
 (2) Sarah Richardson. No issue by either marriage. 
 II. Bettie, b. 1840, m. James Hunter. Issue, surviving : 
 Idalia and Nancy Chappell, m. (2) 1841, Col. James 
 Kennedy, of Abbeville Co. Issue : Thomas. 
 
 3. Mary, b. 1823, m. Allen Vance, d. 1879. Issue : 
 
 I. John, b. 1843. Lives in New Orleans. 
 
 II. Mary, b. 1850, m. Christian Waller, no issue. She, 
 after his death, married John Vance. They have chil- 
 dren, and now live in Shreveport, La, 
 
 4. John Wesley Chappell, b. 1824, m. Francis Anderson, 
 1853. Issue : 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 175 
 
 I. James, b. 1858. Lives in Alabama. 
 
 II. Daughter, name unknown, d. 1887. 
 
 John Wesley is still living and is the third of the same name 
 in the Chappell family. There is a John Wesley Chappell 
 in the North Carolina branch and also one in the Kentucky branch, 
 and, a strange coincidence is that two of them were born in 1824,. 
 and the other in 1822. It is evident that the good old name, John 
 Wesley, is well represented among his Methodist followers. 
 
 5. James Butler Chappell, b. 1829, m. (2) — (1) Elizabeth 
 
 Anderson 1858. Issue : Luella, Millege and William (2) 
 
 Eliza Tribble. Issue : Olna, Ernest, and a daughter whose name 
 
 is unknown. 
 
 6. Stanmore Brooks Chappell, b. 1831, m. Ellen Chapman, 
 1860, d. 1867. Issue : 
 
 I. John Watts, b. March 2, 1862, m. Clara Blease, 1889. 
 
 Issue : Gledys, b. Sept. 10, 1893. 
 
 II. Mary, b. Aug. 29, 1863, m. Burr B. Kinard, of Nine- 
 
 ty-Six, S. C. Issue : John and Eleanor. 
 
 III. Sophia, b. March 15, 1865, m. B. M. Dinnis. Issue :: 
 
 Jewell and Mary. 
 
 John Chappell, the father of this branch, died in 1855, and 
 his wife, Betsy, in 1870. The information given in this sketch has 
 been furnished by Mr. John Watts Chappell, an intelligent and 
 enterprising young merchant, of Newberry, S. C., and most of the 
 traditions as to the early history of the family were obtained by 
 him from William (the son of Charles Chappell), who died in 
 1894, and who was the great-grandson of Thomas, the immigrant 
 from the colony of Virginia, in 1750. 
 
 In many respects this branch of the Chappell family differs 
 materially from any other of whom we have any knowledge. They 
 were, perhaps of all others, the wealthiest before the crash of 1865, 
 which leveled all fortunes and destroyed all values in the South. 
 It is evident that Thomas Chappell, the immigrant, did not make 
 the long journey to South Carolina for his health. He must have 
 possessed great energy, industry and good judgment, for by the 
 close of the Revolution he had amassed a fortune in lands and ne- 
 groes. His estate, at his death, was devised to his son Harry, his 
 sole heir and legatee, and increased in his life-time, and so was 
 
176 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 transmitted to bis two sons, Charles and John, who also seem to 
 have inherited the business qualities as well as the fortune of their 
 father and grandfather. 
 
 The family seems to have been as remarkable for their intelli- 
 gence as for their kindness of heart and hospitality. In the early 
 part of the present century they became, by the marriage of the 
 two sons of Col. Harry Chappell to the two Brooks sisters, allied 
 to the very best families in the state — the Butlers, the Brookses, 
 and the Prestons. All of these are historic names in South Car- 
 olina and represented the best blood of that section. Judge An- 
 drew Pickens Butler, a U. S. Senator from South Carolina from 
 1846 to 1857, Preston Brooks, a member of Congress, who became 
 involved in a personal difficulty with Senator Sumner, just prior to 
 the beginning of the late Civil War, and the present U. S. Senator — 
 Hon. M. C. Butler — are all representatives of these noted families, 
 and were, by blood or marriage, related to this South Carolina 
 family of Chappells. 
 
 Physically, the members of the family have been above me- 
 dium size and stature. They have generally fair complexions, blue 
 eyes and auburn hair — in some cases the color is a decided red. As 
 will be observed, contrary to the usual rule in the Chappell family, 
 this branch has not been a prolific one, and its numbers have not 
 increased as have other branches ; nor have they been a migratory 
 people, for with few exceptions they occupy the same portion of 
 the state — Edgefield and Newberry counties* — in which their an- 
 cestor settled five generations ago. 
 
 The Chappells of South Carolina were a typical Southern 
 family of the ante-helium period, and possessed the impetuous and 
 fiery natures, as well as the generous, brave and manly traits that 
 have ever characterized the best people of the Palmetto state. 
 They belonged to an aristocracy possessing not only wealth, but 
 brains, culture and courage, and above all else they have cher- 
 ished a just pride in their grand old state that has never faltered. 
 
 * These two counties are separated by the Saluda river. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AXD OTHEE KIXDEED FAMILIES. 
 
 177 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The Gaelikgtoxs of South Caeolixa — The Pate Family of 
 
 ViRGIXIA. 
 
 THE GARLINGTONS. 
 
 The Garlingtons are a South Carolina family, although many 
 of them reside now in other Southern and Western states. The 
 relationship which exists between them and the Chappells and 
 other families descended from the latter, results from the marriage 
 of Susannah, the eldest daughter of John and Ailsie Dickie, to 
 Edwin Garlington, which occurred in Halifax county, Ya. , on 
 November 13, 1774. 
 
 The first American ancestor of this family was Christopher 
 Garlington, who received a grant of 1,050 acres of land on Dennis 
 creek, Northumberland county, in the Colony of Yirginia, on June 
 4, 1663 — the same year in which the first grant of land was ob- 
 tained by Thomas Chappell, one of the early ancestors of the 
 Chappell family. The records also show that about this time 
 (1668) he was a vestryman in the church of the parish in which he 
 then lived. This was the Established Church of England, the 
 only church then tolerated in the Colony. It was supported by a 
 tax levied and collected from the people without regard to their 
 religious faith. Each county, or shire as they were then called, 
 (and there were only eight of them at the close of the seventeenth 
 century, and they were all in the tide-water section) was divided 
 into parishes, and each parish was in charge of a minister, whose 
 duty it was to keep a parish register, in which were recorded the 
 births, marriages and deaths of his parishioners. Many of these 
 old registers are yet preserved, and from them have been obtained 
 much of the data in relation to the early histories of these old 
 families in the Colony. 
 
 There is a tradition in the family that the Garlingtons are 
 of French extraction, but for the same reason given in the history 
 of the Chappell family, I am clearly of the opinion that this is a 
 mistake. All of the immigrants to the Colony, between 1607 and 
 
178 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1685, were from England, and the few French Huguenots who 
 settled in Virginia did not come over until after the latter date. 
 Besides, if Christopher Garlington had ever been a French sub- 
 ject, it is not probable he would, at so early a date, have become a 
 vestryman in the Church of England. He was an English immi- 
 grant beyond a doubt. 
 
 The original Christopher Garlington had a son named 
 Christopher, which, by the way, seems to have been the favorite 
 family name. This son married Elizabeth Conway, the second 
 daughter of Col. Edwin Conway of Lancaster county, Va., on May 
 5, 1724,^ and there were born to them the following children : 
 
 1. Christopher, b. in Lancaster county, Va. , about 1744, m. 
 a Miss Young (1770). After his father’s death he loaded his house- 
 hold effects on a sloop at the mouth of James River and sailed 
 southward along the Atlantic coast until he arrived at Charleston, 
 S. C., where he landed, bought land and established a home. f He re- 
 mained here until 1808, when he emigrated to the State of Mis- 
 sissippi and settled in Amite county. There were born to 
 Christopher Garlington three sons and three daughters. The 
 sons were Dr. James Garlington, Rev. Benjamin Garlington 
 and Christopher Garlington. The daughters (whose names are not 
 known) married James Parsons, Wm. Pate and Winston Clark. 
 All of these removed to Mississippi, raised large families, and 
 lived to good old ages. Their descendants, many of them, yet 
 live in that state. 
 
 Dr. James Garlington m. Sarah Jones and had twelve chil- 
 dren, all of whom removed many years ago to Louisiana and are 
 now dead. The youngest, M. D. Garlington, a wealthy merchant 
 of Dallas, Texas, died recently in that city, leaving a widow and 
 five children (1894). 
 
 2. Elizabeth, m. Rev. James Creswell. They had three 
 sons and a daughter, whose names were David, Robert, Elihu and 
 Elizabeth. They removed from Virginia to South Carolina 
 previous to the Revolutionary war. Nothing further is known of 
 them. 
 
 3. The third child was a daughter. Her name has been 
 
 * There is probably a mistake in this date. 
 
 t This was in 1775. The present city limits of the City of Charleston extend over this 
 
 plantation. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KIXDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 179 
 
 lost, and is not noTr remembered. She married a Mr. Haak 
 (spelled also Hax in an old manuscript); they had one daughter, 
 who married a brother of President James Monroe. Nothino; 
 further is known of her. 
 
 4. Edwin Conway Garlington was born in Lancaster county, 
 Va., March 5, 1746, and married Susannah, daughter of John 
 Dickie, Sr., in Halifax county, Va. , Xovember 13, 1774. She 
 was born .January 12, 1755, and died in Halifax county December 
 3, 1795. John Dickie, her father, died in May, 1785, and Ailsie, 
 his wife, in 1783." Edwin Garlington had a younger brother 
 named Joseph, who died in Halifax county, unmarried. The 
 children of Edwin and Susannah (Dickie) Garlington were all 
 born in Halifax county, Va. About 1805 he removed with his 
 family to Laurens county, S. C., where he located on Saluda 
 river and engaged in planting. Here he continued to reside 
 until his death (1823). Elizabeth Conway, mother of Edwin 
 Garlington, was the second daughter of Col. Edwin Conway 
 (born 1681, died October 3, 1763), and his first wife, Ann Ball, 
 who was a daughter of Col. Joseph Ball, by his first wife, 
 Elizabeth ; and who was, therefore, a half sister to “Mary, mother 
 of Washino-toD,” as the latter was a daughter of Col. Ball and his 
 second wife, Mary. Edwin Garlington’s mother and George 
 Washington, then had in the person of Col. Joseph Ball, a 
 common grandfather, and were, therefore, first cousins. The will 
 of Col. Edwin Conway bequeathed “to his graiidson, Edwin Garl- 
 ington. thirty pounds.” 
 
 Edwin Garlington, when a voung man, taught school in Hal- 
 ifax county, and was, doubtless, a well educated man for the 
 times. He is described in an old manuscript, yet preserved in the 
 family, as being “a small^:)e«r^ man, low in stature;” the word 
 peart meaning quick and active. Susannah Dickie, his wife, is 
 described in the same manuscript as being “full in person with 
 very light hair and blue eyes, of Scotch descent ;” what we would 
 call a blonde. Edwin Garlington was undoubtedly a man of 
 prominence and wealth before he left Halifax county ; for in my 
 researches there I frequently came across his name. On June 15, 
 1780, he sold to Wm. Traylor for £3,000, current money, (about 
 
 * See Dickie genealogy, Chapter IV. 
 
180 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 ^15,000) 592 acres of land on Bartholomew creek ; Susannah, his 
 wife, joined in the deed. In 1783 he witnessed a deed made 
 by his brother-in-law, John Chappell, (my grandfather) to Ralph 
 Bradshaw. By the will of his brother-in-law, William Chappell, 
 written November 1, 1798, his brothers, Robert and John, and 
 “friend Edwin Garlington” were appointed executors of his 
 estate and guardians of his minor children. 
 
 We learn from a reliable tradition that Edwin Garlington, or 
 “Neddie” Garlington, as the name has come down to us in this tra- 
 dition, lived on the north side of Dan river, while the plantation 
 of his brother-in-law, John Chappell, was on the south side, but 
 not far distant. All of these old people lived in what was then 
 called and is yet known as the “Black Walnut” neighborhood. 
 
 The children born to Edwin and Susannah Garlington were 
 ten sons and one daughter, all of whom lived to maturity except 
 the youngest — a son named Absalom. They will be named in the 
 the order of their births, and the history of each, as far as known, 
 will be given : 
 
 1. Dickie, b. Aug. 27, 1775, d. in Edgefield, S. C. 
 
 2. Conway, b. June 15, 1777, d. in Lexington, Ga. 
 
 3. Edwin, b. July 14, 1779. Grew to manhood and enlisted 
 as a soldier in the Creek War and was killed in the battle of the 
 Horse Shoe, on March 25, 1813. 
 
 4. William, b. Nov. 1, 1780, died in Hartford, Ga. 
 
 5. Joseph, b. Oct. 25, 1782, m. Nancy Hull Crawley, daughter 
 of Thomas Hull Crawley, of Halifax Co., Va.* In 1820 they emi- 
 grated to Oglethorpe Co., Ga., where they lived out their days. 
 There are two of their children now living, one a daughter — 
 Nancy — who married Mr. Harvey, the other T. C. Garlington, of 
 Lafayette, Ala. The former lives in Jasper Co., Ga. Mr. Gar- 
 lington is now an old man, but his mind is unclouded and is well 
 stored with the traditions of the family, many of which he has 
 furnished me. 
 
 0. John, b. Oct. 19, 1784, m. twice, (1) Rachael Hunter, 
 Nov. 20, 1810. Issue : One son. Col. Henry W. Garlington, 
 
 who d. in 1893. (2) Susan James, June 3, 1830. Issue of second 
 
 marriage : 
 
 * See history of the Tennessee branch. 
 
 I 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FA:^IILIES. 
 
 181 
 
 I. Susan Jane, m. Col. John L. Young. They live in 
 Union, S. C. 
 
 II. Creswell, m. Elizabeth Fleming. 
 
 III. Benjamin Conway. Killed in C. S. Army. 
 
 IV. Stobo Dickie, d. in C. S. Army. 
 
 V. John, killed in C. S. Army. 
 
 VI. Maria Louise, b. Jan. 1, 1843, m. Col. Richard W. 
 Simpson, Feby 10, 1863. 
 
 Col. Simpson was a gallant officer in the Confederate army, 
 and is now a leading member of the South Carolina bar. They 
 have several children and reside at Pendleton, S. C. I have had 
 some correspondence with Mrs. Simpson, and recognize in her 
 the ideal Southern woman. She is cultivated and refined and pos- 
 sesses that loyalty to her family and its traditions that has ever 
 characterized the noble women of the South. I desire to thank 
 her for valuable data which she has furnished, not only of her own 
 family, but of the Dickies and South Carolina Chappells — infor- 
 mation wffiich could have been obtained from no other source. 
 
 John Garlington — the father of this family — was a business 
 man of most excellent attainments and was for 50 years Clerk of 
 the Laurens County Court. He was executor of the estate of his 
 uncle, John Dickie, Jr., who died in Spartanburg District, in 1813, 
 and it is from the settlements of this estate, yet preserved by Mrs. 
 Simpson, that much of the information in relation to the Dickie 
 family has been obtained. He was also the historian of his family 
 and prepared a manuscript of their genealogy, which is now most 
 valuable. Some of the information contained in this sketch has 
 been taken from it. This old document is now in the hands of 
 Major E. A. Garlington, and is sacredly preserved by him. 
 John Garlington died in 1865. Most of his sons were killed 
 in the Confederate army, and it is said this sad bereavement broke 
 his heart, and hastened his death. It is also said that half the 
 members of the first company of Confederate volunteers enlisted 
 in Laurens County, in 1861, were descendants of Susannah Dickie. 
 
 7. Doctor, b. June 17, 1786. Do you wonder why a child was 
 given so peculiar a name? He was the seventh, and the su- 
 perstition of the times was that if the seventh child Avas a son, he 
 
182 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 was destined to become a physician. It is not known what became 
 of him, but he did not become a physician. 
 
 8. James, b. Aug. 4, 1788, m. Miss Colquett, daughter of 
 John T. Colquett, of Halifax Co., Va., who had married Ailsie 
 Dickie, Jr. It is said that the late JJ. S. Senator Colquett, of Georgia, 
 was. a descendant of the same family. 
 
 9. Nancy, b. July 10, 1790, m. William Simpson. Issue: 
 Edwin, John, James, William, Henry, Richard, Joseph and 
 Martha. Their descendants now living, reside in South Carolina, 
 at least so far as is known. 
 
 10. Christopher, b. May 30, 1792, died in 1864, m. Elizabeth 
 Aycock. He was a soldier in the war of 1812. Issue : Albert Cres- 
 well, Robert, James, Eliza, Susan, Ellen, and Mary. All of 
 wTom married and raised families of children. Albert Creswell 
 was the oldest son, and was born June 9, 1822. He became 
 a prominent man in his native state — prominent as a lawyer, 
 editor and politician. He took up arms in the Civil War 
 of 1861 and became a distinguished general in the Confederate 
 Army, fighting gallantly until the end. He died in 1885, leaving 
 seven children, one of whom is Major Ernest A. Garlington, of 
 the Seventh Cavalry, U. S. Army, now stationed at Ft. Riley, 
 Kas. Maj. Garlington married Anna Buford, a very accomplished 
 lady. He is of medium size, possesses excellent scientific attain- 
 ments — being a graduate of West Point — and is an ideal soldier. He 
 has several times distinguished himself in active military service. 
 In 1883 he was sent by the government in command of a relief 
 expedition to the Arctic regions. When in the far North he was 
 shipwrecked, his vessel having been crushed by the icebergs. He 
 abandoned the ship and took to an open boat, and made the 
 Northern coast of Greenland, a distance of 600 miles, reaching 
 land in six weeks. Nothing but the fortunate fact that it was 
 continuous daylight — for it was in August, and the duration of the 
 day is six months in that latitude at that season of the year — en- 
 abled them ever to reach land. In 1890 Maj. Garlington partici- 
 pated in the battle of Wounded Knee, a desperately fought 
 engagement with the Sioux Indians, in Dakota. He was severely 
 wounded, and was highly complimented for his gallantry. 
 
 Some months since I was honoied with a visit from Major 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 183 
 
 Garlington and his wife. I appreciated the visit the more highly 
 from the fact that he is the only representative of that branch of 
 the family descended from Susannah Dickie whom it has been my 
 pleasure to meet or know. 
 
 James is the only surviving son of Christopher and Elizabeth 
 Garlington. He married a Miss Jones of Memphis, Tenn., in 1870. 
 They have but one child living — Miss Hattie — an accomplished 
 and refined young woman. Three of the daughters are living : 
 Mesdames Ramey, Hunt and Swain. All have families and reside 
 in and near Rome, Ga. James Garlington also resides at the 
 same place. They are all people of the highest social position 
 and are educated and refined. 
 
 I desire to thank Mrs. R. W. Simpson, Miss Hattie Garling- 
 ton, Mr. T. C. Garlington and Maj. E. A. Garlington for their 
 kind assistance in preparing this sketch of the Garlington family, 
 a family allied to others whose histories are written in this little 
 volume by a common ancestry, and in whose veins still flows the 
 blood of honest old John Dickie, and of his daughter — the bonnie 
 Scotch lass — Susannah, who married Edwin Garlington. 
 
 THE PATE FAMILY. 
 
 Like other old Virginia families referred to in this history, 
 the Pates seem to have been neighbors and friends of the Chap- 
 pells from the first settlement of the Colony. They were, like all 
 the first settlers of Virginia, doubtless of English descent. The 
 first record we have of them is found in the land books, in 1663. 
 It will be remembered that on September 16th of that year Thomas 
 Chappell patented a tract of land near the mouth of James River. 
 All lands were then described by the surrounding tracts, and this 
 land is described as being bounded on one side by the lands of 
 John Pate. There is but little doubt that this John Pate was the an- 
 cestor of the family that subsequently removed with the Chappells 
 to Amelia and thence to Halifax county, Va. 
 
 The next we know of the Pates was in Amelia. On the 25th 
 day of May, 1756, Diana, daughter of Moses Pate, of Amelia 
 county, married William Hudson, of Cumberland county. No 
 
184 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 doubt a closer examination of the records of Amelia county would 
 yield additional information as to the history of the family in that 
 county. 
 
 At the close of the Revolutionary war (1785) we find the 
 Pates in Halifax county, along with other old families mentioned 
 in these pages. There were two brothers at this time in Halifax, 
 Mathew and Samuel Pate ; the latter became a wealthy old bach- 
 elor and never married. There was also then living in Halifax 
 county one Jeremiah Pate, but whether he was a brother of 
 Mathew and Samuel is not now known. 
 
 I have in my possession an old legal document, which, for 
 its antiquity, is interesting; it shows that our ancestors sometimes 
 resorted to the courts to settle their disputes, as at the present 
 time. This old paper is as follows, mrhatbn et literatim : 
 
 “Gents : 
 
 You will please take notice that I shall proceed to 
 take affidavits at the house of John Welsh, in Halifax county, on 
 the 22d of february, 1790, between the hours of 12 and six o’clock, 
 to continue from day to day at the same hours, until all are taken, 
 in the matter now Depending and undetermined in the High 
 Court of Chancery, in which we are interested. 
 
 Messrs. John Wingfield. Yr. Obt. Servant. 
 
 Isham Walton. Jeremiah Pate. 
 
 Mathew Pate. 8 feby, 1790.” 
 
 John Christian. 
 
 Mathew Pate had two sisters, the name of only one of whom 
 is known. Her name was Mary. She married a Mr. Hobson,* 
 and Mathew Pate married Drusilla Hobson, a sister of his brother- 
 in-law. As each married the other’s sister, it was doubtless a fair 
 exchange, and Mary became “Hobson’s choice.” The other sister 
 married Nathaniel Tinsley of Hanover county, Va. It was a 
 daughter of each of these two marriages — one a Miss Hobson, 
 the other Susannah Pate Tinsley — who became the first and 
 second wives of Dickie Chappell, son of William, of the 
 Tennessee branch. f They were first cousins and were both nieces, 
 of Mathew Pate. Mrs. Sarah Drusilla Lenoir and Mrs. Ann 
 
 Hlis name is believed to have been Henry Hobson, 
 t See history of Tennessee branch, Chapter VII. 
 
CHA.PPELL, DICKIE AXD OTHER KIKDEED FAMILIES. 
 
 185 
 
 Drusilla Bruce are each grand- daughters of Mrs. Drusilla (Hobson) 
 Pate, and derived their names from her. Mathew Pate was a 
 wealthy and prominent citizen of Halifax county in his day. The 
 old plantation on which he lived and died was pointed out to me 
 on my recent visit. It is in the same neighborhood so often 
 referred to, in the southern part of the county. 
 
 The children of Mathew and Drusilla Pate were named as 
 follows ; Mary, or Polly, as she was called ; Susannah, Samuel 
 and Thomas. 
 
 Mary was born December 7, 1798, married John Chappell, 
 my father (being his first wife) Xovember 10, 1814, and died in 
 Virginia March 29, 1835. A biographical sketch of the children 
 of this marriage is given in the history of the Missouri branch of 
 the family, Chapter V. 
 
 Susannah married Win. Jordan, who was the brother of 
 Richard Jordan, the first husband of Martha Watkins, the daughter 
 of Thomas Watkins, of “Reedy bottom,” on Dan river. Her 
 second husband was Thomas P. Adams, who is mentioned in the 
 Adams family history. William and Rebecca Jordan of Callaway 
 county. Mo., were the children of Richard .Jordan. Susannah and 
 William Jordan had four children, named Clement, Mathew, 
 Mary and Susannah ; these were all living in 1828 ; they are all 
 dead now. Nothing is known by me of their descendants. Many 
 of the Jordans and Watkins still live in Halifax county and the 
 name is a prominent one in and around South Boston. 
 
 Samuel Pate, Jr., or “Young Sam Pate,” as he was called, 
 married Susan Watkins. There were born to them the following 
 children, whose births were in the order named : 
 
 1. Milton, d. 1886, unm. 
 
 2. Mary Rebecca, m. Maj. James M. Chappell (of the Amelia 
 branch) in 1833. Emigrated to Alabama and died, 1866-1869. 
 
 3. Robert W., m. Laura Christian (1849). 
 
 4. Susan, m. Robt. E. Boyd. 
 
 5. Richard, m. Susan Wooding. 
 
 6. Absalom, d. 1852, unm. 
 
 7. Mathew, killed in C. S. army. 
 
 8. Martha, m. Geo. W. Bass (1852). 
 
 9. Ann D., m. Robt. S. Bruce, son of Edward Bruce (see 
 
 13 — 
 
186 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 Chapter V). Samuel Pate, Jr., and his wife both died in 1867 
 and all of their children are dead except Mrs. Bruce and Mrs. Bass. 
 
 Thomas, son of Mathew Pate, m. Standfield, and died 
 
 leaving three daughters. Of these Mary m. (2) — (1) Yancy Bailey; 
 (2) James Holliway. Sarah, m. Alex. Watkins January 20, 1831, 
 and Fanny, the youngest, m. William Shaw. They emigrated to 
 Tennessee. 
 
 Matthew Pate lived to a good old age and died in 1828. He 
 left a large estate in lands and negroes. I have in my possession 
 a copy of his will, now an old document yellow with age. Among 
 other property mentioned in it, and devised to his children, 
 were two plantations lying near Dan river, one called the “Buffalo 
 Place,” the other “The Frog Level Plantation.” Some of the de- 
 scendants of the old negroes named in this will — of the fourth 
 generation — live in Kansas City, Mo. They have long since taken 
 the name “Chappell,” and seem as proud of it as their white 
 brethren. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHER KIKDRED EAMILIES. 
 
 187 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE ADAMS FAMILY. 
 
 The history of this old and honorable family, as g-iyen in these 
 pages, has been obtained chiedy from the traditions handed down 
 from father to son. The name ‘-Adams” is a common one, and is 
 found all over the civilized world, wherever the English language 
 is spoken. The earliest record of the name in history is that of 
 John Ap Adams, “who came out of the Marches of W ales,” in 1296. 
 There were separate and distinct families of that name in the col- 
 ony of Virginia before 1650, and the descendants of the name, in 
 the Old Dominion and out of it, are sufficiently numerous to sug- 
 gest at once, and with certainty, their descent from the husband 
 of Eve. An exhaustive search for information of the early history 
 of the family was made of the records of Halifax County, Tir- 
 ocinia, but the name was found so numerous as to become confusino- 
 and difficult to distinguish, and all effort to trace the genealogy by 
 that means was abandoned. 
 
 There are yet living, far apart, two honored members of the 
 family ; one, Maj. John B. Adams, of Fulton, Mo., the other Mr. 
 John H. Adams, of Lamar County, Texas. Each of these has 
 passed his “three score years and ten,” and it is from them 
 that most of the facts written here have been obtained. Both 
 are gentlemen of intelligence, unclouded minds and remark- 
 able memories, and as the traditions given by each, without consul- 
 tation, agree on all material points, they may be accepted as true. 
 
 The Adams family is of Welsh extraction, and the first Amer- 
 ican ancestor was John Adams, who came from Wales to this 
 countrv at the beginning of the eighteenth centurv — two hundred 
 years ago — and settled either in Massachusetts or Maryland — tra- 
 ditions differ on this point. John Adams, the first, had three sons, 
 named John, Sylvester, and Philip. From the oldest, John, we 
 are all descended. These sons removed to Virginia before the 
 Revolution : Philip located in Fluvanna County, and Sylvester in 
 
188 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 Pittsylvania ; the former never married, and died leaving 
 no descendants ; the latter married in Pittsylvania County, but the 
 maiden name of his wife is unknown ; they had one child, a daugh- 
 ter, who married a Mr. Wilson. Nothing further is known of 
 them. 
 
 John ‘Adams went further West, and located in Halifax Co., 
 about the time of the organization of that county (1752), where he 
 soon afterward married Susan Wood. She was doubtless a woman 
 of superior intellect and possessed many virtues, for her name has 
 been remembered for a century and a half, and perpetuated in the^ 
 family in every succeeding generation. My sister, Mrs. Fanny 
 Wood Smith, bears the name of this good woman. In the 
 records of Brunswick county was found a clew that may refer to 
 our ancestress, or may not. There is there recorded the ^ will of 
 one Richard Wood, dated April 24, and probated Sept. 4. 1746> 
 devising his estate — a large one — to his wife, Mary, during life, 
 and after her death to their only child, Susan Wood. It is possi- 
 ble this Susan Wood became the wife of John Adams, as Halifax 
 County was formed about this time from Lunenburg and 
 Brunswick Counties, so that at the time he settled in Halifax 
 county it may have been Brunswick. 
 
 There were born to John Adams and Susan Wood eight child- 
 ren, six sons and two daughters, named as follows, and the births 
 of the sons, in the order in which they are named : William, Syl- 
 
 vester, Richard, John, Philip and Benjamin ; the two daughters 
 were Susan Wood and Elizabeth. These children were all born 
 between 1755 and 1781. 
 
 The Adams family, as I have known them in Missouri and 
 Virginia, possess certain family characteristics in a marked degree. 
 Physically they are a strong, robust, healthy race ; and there is no 
 hereditary disease or taint in their blood ; they have fair skins, rud- 
 dy complexions, blue eyes and light or brown hair, and are gener- 
 ally well formed and handsome men and comely women. They 
 are a fun-loving, jovial, social people, never too busy to 
 stop for a chat with a friend. They are alfectionate and kind in 
 their dispositions, and honest and upright in tbeir dealings ; yet 
 usually have energy, industry and business qualifications sufficient 
 to become successful men. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHEE KIKDEED EAHILIES. 
 
 189 
 
 WILLIAM ADAMS. 
 
 William, the oldest son of John and Susan Adams, was born 
 about 1756, in Halifax Co., Ya., lived out his days in the old 
 neighborhood of Black ^Valnut, and died Sept. 10, 1839, at the ad- 
 vanced age of 83. He was a near neighbor and friend of my 
 father, of whom I often heard him speak. He was a 
 soldier in the Revolutionary War, and frequently in his old age 
 referred to incidents connected with his army life. Mr. John H. 
 Adams remembers him as a man of hue social qualities, great in- 
 telligence and prominence in the county. He married Elizabeth, 
 daughter of George Boyd, at the close of the Revolution (1782.) 
 She died Oct. 24 , 1846, and left a will, which was probated Xov. 
 23, 1846. Her will was witnessed by her daughter, Susan Rogers, 
 and her grandson, John Rogers, and is on file in Halifax 
 County. Her husband also left a will, which was probated Sept. 
 23, 1839. His will is also on file in Halifax. 
 
 It is a singular fact that the three Adams brothers married 
 three sisters, daughters of George Boyd. As stated, William 
 married Elizabeth, Sylvester married Rebecca and Richard mar- 
 ried Hannah. 
 
 I have been able to find trace of only four of the children of 
 William Adams ; these were two sons, Richard and John, and two 
 daughters, one of whom married a Mr. Oakes, and the other, whose 
 name was Susan, married John Rogers. Both of these daughters 
 lived and died in Halifax, but I have no further information of 
 them. The two sons removed, early in life, to Chesterfield 
 county, Ya. 
 
 Richard, son of William, was born February 17, 1784, died 
 in Chesterfield county February 12, 1858, age 75. I have in my 
 possession a copy of his will, from which it appears that he left a 
 valuable estate. He was a soldier in the war of 1812 with Great 
 Britain and was a member of Capt. John B. Cock’s company. He 
 married between 1815 and 1820 Ann Brown Tucker, a daughter of 
 Gen. Martin Tucker, of Powhatan county. Gen. Tucker was an 
 officer in the Continental army and was born in 1750 and died in 
 1827. The issue of this marriage was as follows ; 
 
 1. William, m. Chamberlain Jones. Issue: 
 
190 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 I. Richard Anna, m. George Cox. 
 
 II. Cornelia, m. Jeremiah Fortune. 
 
 III. Benjamin Philip, nnm. 
 
 2. John Richard, m. (1) Amanda Wade, 1849. Issue: 
 
 I. Luther C., m. Laura Bradshaw. 
 
 II. Sarah Chappell, m. George Oliver. 
 
 Amanda was the daughter of Sarah Wade. She died in 185^ 
 and in 1855 Richard Adams married Mary Ann Standford, a 
 daughter of Saurin Standford, of North Carolina, who was the 
 niece of his first wife, and a grand-daughter of Sarah Wade. The 
 issue of this marriage was as follows : 
 
 I. Mary S., m. Zach Pointer. 
 
 II. Richard and Adella, (twins) unm. 
 
 III. Theophilus, m. Sarah Wade. 
 
 IV. Samuel, m. Alice Mitchell. 
 
 V. William Henry. 
 
 VI. Thomas T., unm. 
 
 VII. Walter, unm. See Chapter VI. 
 
 I had the pleasure of meeting most of these relatives during 
 my recent visit to the county of Halifax, in Virginia. Those who 
 are married have families of children and they are all intelligent, 
 industrious and energetic people. The blood of both the Adams 
 and Chappell families flows in their veins, for both of the wives of 
 John R. Adams were descendants of Aunt Sarah Wade. Samuel 
 L. Adams is a cultivated and accomplished gentleman and I am 
 under many obligations to him for assistance in the preparation of 
 this history ; as also to Mrs. Mary S. Pointer, a refined and noble 
 woman, of unusual intelligence, who has obtained for me much val- 
 uable information. Thomas is a successful merchant at Alton, and 
 was exceedingly kind to me, for which I desire to thank him, as I 
 do all the family, for their kindness and Old Virginia hospitality. 
 
 I was forcibly impressed — man of the world that I have been 
 — with the high moral character and zealous, religious faith that 
 pervades this entire family, and could but attribute the cause to 
 the early training, example and religious influence exerted by that 
 noble old Christian woman — the grandmother and great-grand- 
 mother of these children — Sarah Wade. Verily “Our good deeds 
 live after us.” 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 191 
 
 3. Jane Page, b. August 14, 1825, married William Archer 
 Traylor. They have one child living, Virginia, who married 
 Andrew J. Gallagher. They live in Manchester, Va. 
 
 4. Mary Elizabeth, b. May 3, 1828, died May 10, 1888, m. 
 Albert Washington Traylor January 19, 1848. The children of 
 this marriage now living are as follows : 
 
 I. Luther Edward, m. Ruth Lee Campbell. 
 
 II. John Albert, b. 1859, unm. 
 
 III. Franklin, m. Mary C. Mimmo. 
 
 IV. Robert Lee (see sketch below). 
 
 V. Martha Jane, b. 1868, unm. 
 
 5. Frances Rebecca, m. George Cox, of Chesterfield county,, 
 in 1858, and died in 1872. Issue : 
 
 I. George Floyd, m. Anna Foster. 
 
 II. Sidney B., unm. 
 
 ROBERT LEE TRAYLOR. 
 
 The descendants of the families whose histories are written 
 in this little volume, owe a debt of gratitude to Robert L. Traylor 
 that will be hard to repay, for without his assistance and encour- 
 agement, the facts here recorded would never have been resur- 
 rected from the past. 
 
 Robert Lee Traylor is a son of Albert W. Traylor, a member 
 of an old Virginia family, tracing its origin back as far as 1674, 
 and of Mary Elizabeth Adams, as is shown by the genealogy of 
 Richard Adams. He was born in Nelson county, Va. , September 
 23, 1864, and on November 16, 1887, married Annie, daughter of 
 Michael Gavin, a merchant of Memphis, Tenn. There have been 
 born to them three children, now living, viz.; Mary Gavin, Annie 
 Gavin and Albert Joseph.* 
 
 Mr. Traylor resides in Richmond, Va., where he is connected 
 with several corporations. The principal business followed by 
 him is railroad construction. The following sketch is taken, 
 with some corrections, from the “Biographical Directory of 
 Railroad Officers of America “R. L. Traylor was educated at 
 Richmond College. Entered railroad service June 22, 1881, as a 
 rodman, on the Richmond and Alleghany R. R., from 1881 to 
 
 * Died in 1894. 
 
192 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 1885, was assistant engineer, assistant to chief engineer, and sec- 
 retary to president of Georgia Pacific R. R. From 1885 to 1886 
 assistant to president and general manager of Memphis, Birming- 
 ham and Atlantic R. R. Is now secretary and treasurer of the 
 Virginia Construction Co. Has been since its organization a 
 director and vice president of the Tennessee Midland Ry. Co.” 
 
 It will be seen that Mr. Traylor’s advancement in his profes- 
 sion has been rapid, and for one of his age — he is only 30 — his 
 position is a very responsible one. It is my pleasure to have 
 formed a personal acquaintance with him, he having visited me in 
 Kansas City and I having visited him in the City of Richmond. 
 He is one of the brightest young men whom it has ever been my 
 pleasure to meet, and with an intelligent mind combines great en- 
 ergy and integrity of character. Physically he is of medium size, 
 well formed, and has a dark complexion, black hair and eyes. 
 He possesses an educated mind, well stored with general in- 
 formation, and as an amateur genealogist, and historian of the 
 colonial days of Virginia, has, perhaps, no superior of his age in 
 his native state. 
 
 John Adams, the son of William, and brother of Richard, who 
 removed from Halifax to Chesterfield (one authority says Pow- 
 hatan) at an early day, there married Rebecca, another daughter of 
 Gen. Tucker, who was, therefore, a sister of the wife of his 
 brother, Richard. They have been separated from other branches 
 of the family for many years, but are said to have had the follow- 
 ing children ; 
 
 I. James, m. Adams. 
 
 II. Elizabeth, m. Turner. 
 
 III. Richard, is said to have married and emigrated to 
 Missouri. 
 
 IV. Mary, m. Hughes. 
 
 V. Robert, m. Shepherd. 
 
 SYLVESTER ADAMS. 
 
 Sylvester was the second son of John and Susan Wood Adams, 
 and was born in Halifax Co., Va., between 1760 and 1770. He 
 married Rebecca, daughter of George Boyd, on Feb. 9, 1792, and 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 193 
 
 the marriage license is still on file in that county. About 1810 
 he emigrated from Virginia to Humphreys Co., Tenn., where he 
 died on March 2, 1830. His wife died on January 19, 1839. 
 
 There were born to Sylvester and Rebecca Adams twelve 
 children — six sons and six daughters. The sons were Samuel, 
 Sylvester, Thomas, Boyd, William, and Ichabod ; and the daughters 
 were Martha, Sarah, Susan, Isabella, Rebecca, and Anna. The 
 history of each of these will be given as far as it has been 
 ascertained : 
 
 1. Samuel was born in Halifax Co., Va. , June 5, 1805, emi- 
 grated to Humphreys Co., Tenn., with his father when a child. 
 He married Rebecca, d. of John W. May. They had four child- 
 ren that lived to maturity. Their names were John D., Jesse M., 
 Martha I. and Joyx. Of these only two — John and Martha — 
 married, and only the latter, Mrs. Martha I. Mills, is living. 
 
 Samuel Adams emigrated to Johnson Co., Ark., between 
 1830 and 1835, while it was a territory, and became a very 
 prominent man in his adopted state. He was a member of the first 
 legislature and was re-elected for several successive sessions. 
 He served eight years in the state senate, and became president of 
 that body. He was subsequently elected State Treasurer, and 
 became Governor in 1844. He died in February, 1856. 
 
 Maj. John D. Adams, son of Gov. Samuel Adams, like his 
 father, attained a position of great prominence in his state. He was 
 born in Humphreys Co., Tenn., June 23, 1827, married Catharine 
 Yeiser, of Danville, Ky., May 2, 1848, and died on his plantation, 
 near Little Rock, Ark., Dec. 7, 1892. On the breaking out of 
 the Mexican War he volunteered, although quite young, and became 
 an officer of some distinction, and was wounded in the battle of 
 Buena Vista. On his return home, in 1847, he became private 
 secretary to Governor Drew. In 1852 he engaged in steamboating 
 on the Western rivers, became largely interested as a steam- 
 boat owner, and thus acquired the title of “Commodore Adams,” 
 by which he was well known. He was also extensively engaged 
 in cotton planting. He was an exceedingly popular man, and 
 was in manners and appearance a typical Southerner. Major 
 Adams left two sons, Samuel B. and Dean, both of whom live in 
 Little Rock. 
 
194 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTOEY OF THE 
 
 Martha Isabel, daughter of Governor Adams, was born Oct. 
 28, 1832. She has been twice married, (1) to William W. Andrews 
 (1854.) Issue : Leila, William, David, Call, Leo, Lula, and 
 
 Nora. (2) Dr. David S. Mills (1879.) No issue. Mrs. Mills re- 
 sides at Pine Bluff, Ark. 
 
 2. Sylvester, Jr., was the second son of Sylvester Adams. He 
 lived and died in Humphreys Co., Tenn. I have no further infor- 
 mation of him. 
 
 3. Thomas, emigrated from Tennessee and settled in Dallas 
 Co., Ark., in 1849. He had a daughter named Susan, the only 
 one remembered. They were lost sight of during the war of ’61, 
 and nothing more is known of them. 
 
 4. Boyd. Removed to Graves Co., Ky., and lived in May- 
 field until his death, which occurred in 1872. He had two sons 
 and a daughter. The former were named James and William, and 
 the latter Mary ; she married a banker named Ridgeway. These 
 children probably yet live in Graves Co. 
 
 5. William is thought to have been the fifth son. He emi- 
 grated from Tennessee to Clarksville, Ark., and was for many 
 years Receiver of the United States Land Office at that place. 
 He had a son named Sylvester, who emigrated West and now 
 lives near Portland, Oregon ; he has also a daughter living in 
 Clarksville. 
 
 6. Ichabod, or “Cabe,” as he was called, was the youngest 
 son. I have been able to obtain from his son. Judge Harvey L. 
 Adams, a very full and complete history of this branch of the 
 family. Col. “Cabe” Adams was born in Humphreys Co., Tenn., 
 Feb. 15, 1812, married Ann C. Hooper, January 23, 1833, 
 emigrated to Texas in 1850, and located in Henderson Co. He 
 subsequently removed to Brown, an unorganized county, on 
 the frontier, where he died, near Brown wood, October 4, 1878, re- 
 spected and highly esteemed by the community in which he lived. 
 
 There were born to Ichabod and Ann Adams six sons and five 
 daughters, whose births were in the order named : 
 
 I. Judge Sylvester Adams ; b. in Tenn., March 9, 1834, 
 m. Caroline Porter, emigrated to Texas, and settled 
 in Runnells Co. Became a Judge of the County 
 Court, and died Feb. 3, 1889, leaving three sons and 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AXD OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 195 
 
 three daughters, all of whom now reside in Coke Co., 
 Texas. He was a soldier in the Confederate army, 
 and a brave man. 
 
 II. Fredonia, b. July 3, 1836, m. Prof. Henry C. Knight. 
 Issue : 3, Emma, Mattie, and Robert Lee, all of 
 whom are now dead. Their mother died January 
 29, 1861. 
 
 III. Ennis, b. May 13, 1838, was a Texas Ranger, and 
 
 spent several years fighting the Comanche and Kiowa 
 Indians on the frontier. On the breaking out of the 
 war of 1861 he enlisted with his brothers and broth- 
 ers-in-law in the Confederate army. After the war 
 again became a Ranger, emigrated to California in 
 1869, and there married Virginia Cox ; returned to 
 Texas in 1873, and is now engaged in ranching in 
 the Indian Territory, being located at Addington. 
 
 IV. Keziah, born March 31, 1840, m. Brooks W. Lee. 
 
 Issue : 10 children, 8 of whom are now living. Mrs. 
 
 Lee resides at the old homestead of her father, in 
 Brownwood, Texas. 
 
 V. George, b. May 3, 1842, m. Amanda Baugh. Issue : 
 
 Two sons, Sylvester and Jay. They reside at Brown- 
 wood, Texas. He spent the early years of his life in 
 the service of the state as a Ranger, defending the 
 frontier. Enlisted in the Confederate army in 1861, 
 and remained in the service till the close of the war. 
 
 VI. Rebecca, b. Dec. 29, 1844, m. (2) (1) Dr. H. L. Lit- 
 tle. Issue : Six children. (2) John H. Harvey. Xo 
 issue. They reside in Meridian, Texas. 
 
 VII. Amanda, b. April 22, 1847, d. 1858. 
 
 VIII. Philander, b. Feb. 6, 1850, died unm. March 13, 
 1877. He was a typical frontiersman. Spent his 
 life on a cattle ranch and in 1869, at the age of 19, 
 crossed the continent and drove a herd of cattle to 
 California. This was a most dangerous undertaking 
 for one so young, for all through Arizona and Xew 
 Mexico they were constantly in dauger from the 
 
A GEN^EALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 Indians and were frequently attacked by them. He 
 was a born leader, a daring, dashing young fellow 
 and knew not the meaning of the word fear. 
 
 Judge Harvey L. Adams was the fifth son. He was 
 born Sept. 16, 1852, m. Mary C. Weston, April 23, 
 1879. No living issue. Removed to what is now 
 Coke Co., in 1875, where he now resides, and of which 
 he was elected County Judge in 1889. I recently re- 
 ceived a visit from my kinsman. He is an unusually 
 intelligent man, of slight figure, fiorid complexion 
 and handsome form. He possesses in a pre-eminent 
 degree the characteristics of the Adams family, and 
 is a jovial, fun loving, generous gentleman. 
 
 For nearly half a century the Texas branch of the family has 
 been separated from, and lost sight of by their kindred. Several 
 years ago Samuel B. Adams, of Little Rock, met Judge Harvey L. 
 Adams at Hot Springs, Ark., when a relationship was traced. 
 Samuel wrote me of the incident and I began the hunt for 
 the ‘dost tribe,” and found in our kinsman one who appreciated 
 the effort I was making to “gather in the clans,” and who has 
 furnished much of the data contained in this sketch of his branch. 
 
 X. Caroline, b. November 17, 1758, m. Thos. A. Collier. 
 Issue : Four children. She died February 24, 1885. 
 
 XI. Ichabod, Jr., b. December 29, 1862, iinm. Is a cattle- 
 man, and lives at Miles City, Montana. 
 
 Col. Adams on emigrating to Texas went to the frontier, the 
 very outpost of civilization, and with his stalwart sons engaged in 
 cattle ranching, a business than which there has, perhaps, been 
 none more profitable in this country. More than one boy has 
 started life on the Western plains with no other capital than a cow 
 pony, a “slicker,” a “six-shooter,” a pair of spurs and a branding 
 iron, and retired from the business a millionaire. The life of the 
 frontiersman of Texas was, at that early day, one of great danger, 
 and required the highest type of personal courage. The war- 
 whoop of the savage was often heard, and the scalping-knife was 
 the constant dread of the women and children. But Col. Adams 
 was well fitted to become a leader of frontiersmen. He was a giant 
 in size, being six feet two inches tall, and weighed 260 pounds, and 
 
 196 
 
 IX. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AXD OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 197 
 
 had also some military experience before removing to Texas, hav- 
 ing been Colonel of a regiment of State troops in Tennessee. 
 While a man of the kindest heart and of the finest social qualities, 
 he is said to have been vithoiit fear, and admirably suited for the 
 rough life he led. He was withal a pious, Christian gentleman, 
 and a member of the Baptist church. 
 
 There is a tradition which has come down in the family for 
 generations which is that George Boyd, the father of the three 
 daughters who married the three Adams brothers, William, Syl- 
 vester and Richard, was one of the bravest and most fearless of 
 men, and a fighter of no mean repute. He seems to have trans- 
 mitted these warlike traits to his grandsons and great-grandsons, 
 for most of them were soldiers in the Confederate army, and no 
 braver or truer men ever “wore the gray.*’ 
 
 I have been able to obtain but little information of the 
 daughters of Sylvester Adams besides their names. Martha mar- 
 ried Hiram Traylor, of Clarksville, Tenn., and it is said they have 
 a son — Judge Traylor — living in Waverly, in that state. Sarah 
 married Alex. Winstead, Susan married Race Humphreys, Isabella 
 
 married Wiley Xosworthy, Rebecca married Mays and Anna 
 
 died unmarried. 
 
 The name of Sylvester Adams was found but twice in the 
 records of Halifax county, Va. The first was his marriage, the 
 second the record of a deed, signed by him and his wife, Rebecca, 
 and dated June 26, 1S02. 
 
 RICHARD ADAMS. 
 
 Richard was the third son of John Adams. I know but little 
 of his history. He married Hannah, daughter of George Boyd. 
 It may be worth recording that George Boyd was a son of John 
 Boyd, of Halifax countv, who, with his brother, Patrick, were sons 
 of Rev. John Boyd — sometime a minister in Albemarle county, Va., 
 who was licensed by the Bishop of Loudon, 1732, and died in 
 173S. The will of George Boyd, on record in Halifax county, men- 
 tions his daughter, Hannah Adams, widow of Richard Adams, and 
 bequeaths her a special legacy on condition, however, “that she 
 does not marry Benjamin Chapman.*’ This will was recorded 
 
198 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 February 28, 1803. In it is also mentioned Mary Wade, a 
 daughter who had married a brother of Richard Wade, who mar- 
 ried Sarah Chappell. 
 
 Richard Adams had four sons and a daughter who emigrated 
 with their uncle Sylvester to Tennessee in 1810. Their names 
 were Richard, John, William, Sylvester, and Susan. The latter 
 had married in Virginia a Baptist minister named George Turner, 
 who had a brother named Howard, who was also of the 
 colony that went to Tennessee, and all of whom settled in 
 Humphreys county. 
 
 This William Adams was an athlete and a man of prodigious 
 physical strength. He was the pugilist of the family — a Corbett 
 of the day in which he lived. At that period men fought, not for 
 money, but to establish their claim to the championship for phys- 
 ical manhood. On one occasion, at the age of 18, he whipped a 
 ‘‘bully,” named Buck Edwards, in a prize fight. Edwards had 
 been for years the acknowledged champion of Halifax county. 
 The fight took place at South Boston, and Benj. Adams and Wm. 
 Biard were the referees or seconds. A ring was formed, the com- 
 batants were stripped like gladiators to the waist. No gloves 
 were used, for the battle was not fought according to Marquis of 
 Queensbury rules, but was what was called a “fist and skull” 
 fight. It is said the young man fully established his reputation as 
 a “dead game” fighter. 
 
 On another occasion he was plowing in a field, near the public 
 road. A stranger came along driving a wagon loaded with hogs 
 and their squealing frightened his horse ; he politely requested 
 the man to stop his wagon until he could turn his horse around, 
 but the man, with an oath, refused to stop. Then William 
 jumped over the fence and turned the wagon, man, hogs and all 
 into the middle of the road. Thereupon they proceeded to test their 
 manhood, but he always said that that man came nearer whip- 
 ping him than any one he ever fought. When a boy I heard my 
 father relate this incident, but had forgotten it until it was recently 
 recalled by a member of the family, perhaps the oldest now liv- 
 ing. This “scrimmage” occurred in Halifax county eighty-five 
 years ago. I could relate many stories and traditions connected 
 with the lives of these old men, some of which would doubtless 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHEE KINDKED FAMILIES. 
 
 199 
 
 prove interesting to their descendants, did the space allowed in the 
 scope of this little book permit. They are trivial, but to those of 
 us who love their memories are interesting. 
 
 John and William Adams both died in Tennessee, and it is 
 said that John, at the time of his death, was the wealthiest man 
 in his county. Richard and Sylvester both emigrated to 
 Johnson County, Ark., with their cousins, the sons of Sylvester, 
 about 1835. Sylvester married Mary Grantham, They were lost 
 sight of during the war and nothing further is known of them by 
 their relatives. Richard (son of Richard), on his removal 
 to Arkansas, became a cotton planter. In 1858 my father 
 (John Chappell) and my uncle (Maj. John B. Adams), visited 
 their relatives in Arkansas. Among others, they met Rich- 
 ard Adams, the same jolly, good natured, fun loving man wdiom 
 they had known as a boy in Virginia. He ran his hand in 
 his pocket and took out what appeared to be a handsomely 
 bound copy of the bible ; in fact, on the back of it was marked, 
 “Holy Bible.” In a sedate manner he asked my father if he ever 
 read the bible. He then with a laugh touched a spring and offered 
 him a drink of good apple brandy, for the bible was simply a 
 handsome flask. Richard Adams lived out his days and died near 
 Clarksville, Ark. 
 
 There are doubtless descendants of William and John Adams 
 yet living in Humphreys Co., Tenn., but I have not been able 
 to trace them, nor have I been able obtain any further information 
 as to the descendants of Richard and Hannah (Boyd) Adams. I 
 am under obligations to Mrs. Mills and Judge H. L. Adams for 
 data contained in this sketch of the descendants of Sylvester 
 and Richard Adams. 
 
 JOHN ADAMS. 
 
 The John Adams here referred to was the fourth son of John 
 and Susan Wood Adams. He was born in Halifax Co., about 1763, 
 and died in 1835, aged 72. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary 
 war, under General Greene, and fought in the battle of Guilford 
 Court House, N. C., March 15, 1781; he was then eighteen years 
 old, but continued in the army until the close of the war. He was 
 a very large man, and weighed about 300 lbs. at the time of his 
 death. He never left the old county. 
 
200 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 John Adams married Esther Turner, of Gloucester Co., and 
 they had three children, Sarah, Samuel, and Nancy. 
 
 1. Sarah married Dr. Currie Barnett, of Person Co., N. C., 
 who became distinguished in his profession, and was in many 
 respects a prominent man. The following children were the issue : 
 
 I. John Adams, m. unknown. 
 
 II. Eliza, rn. Dixon Bolton. 
 
 III. George, died unm. 
 
 IV. Ann, m. Joseph Standfield. 
 
 V. James, m. unknown. 
 
 VI. Campbell, m. Miss Scott. 
 
 VII. Samuel, m. Miss Trotter. 
 
 Of the above mentioned John became prominent; represent- 
 ed his county in the legislature, and was for many years sheriff and 
 held other positions of honor and trust ; he died at an advanced 
 age. Dixon Bolton, husband of Eliza, was a brother of Dr. Wm. 
 Bolton, who removed to Missouri and became a highly esteemed 
 citizen. He died in Jefferson City about 1860. Eliza is still living 
 in Person Co., at an advanced age ; and has two sons, J. C. and G. 
 B. Bolton, living in Lamar Co., Texas, both of whom married 
 daughters of Hichard Wade. Ann died without children. James 
 Barnett was a merchant and raised a large family at Roxboro, N. C. 
 Campbell is still living in Person Co. The wife of Samuel Barnett 
 was a niece of Col. Levi and Jerry Dixon, old and respected citizens 
 of Cole Co., Mo. I have known that the Dixons and Adamses 
 in Missouri claimed relationship, but never knew before how this 
 relationship existed. There were probably other intermarriages 
 between these old families. 
 
 2. Samuel Adams, the only son of John Adams, was born in 
 1784, and married Ellen R. Barnett. She was a sister of his 
 uncle Benj. Adams’ wife. He died in 1864, leaving four children, 
 viz.: John Henry, Margaret, Martha and Susan. 
 
 I. John Henry was born in Halifax Co., Va., in 1819, 
 m. Mary White, and in 1869 removed to Lamar Co., 
 Texas, where he and his children now live. 
 Those now living are as follows: Benjamin, Sam’ 
 
 uel, Philip, Bettie and Clifton. Of these Benjamin 
 and Philip live in Kentucky ; the former is single. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 201 
 
 the latter married Julia Garrett. Samuel married 
 a daughter of G. B. Bolton, Bettie married Felix 
 McMurry, and Clifton lives in Bogota, Texas, and is 
 unmarried. 
 
 II. Margaret married Richard Wade, son of Sarah Wade 
 (see Wade genealogy.) They live in Lamar Co., 
 Texas. 
 
 III. Martha became the second wife of Wm. Howard, he 
 first having married Bettie, daughter of Benjamin 
 Adams. Wm. Howard had the following children 
 by his last marriage : John, Samuel, Ellen, Frank, 
 
 Sarah, Nancy, and Martha. 
 
 lY. Susan married Joseph Pointer, and they had eight 
 children, one of whom was Zach Pointer who mar- 
 ried Mary S. Adams, daughter of Richard, son of 
 ^Yilliam. Mrs. Susan Pointer still lives in Halifax 
 Co., but is very old. I have not the names of her 
 other children. 
 
 3. Nancy, the youngest daughter of John Adams and Esther 
 Turner, married John Ragland, who was a very wealthy man, and 
 the first merchant who ever sold goods at Black Walnut, Va. He 
 removed to Milton, N. C., and subsequently emigrated to Holly 
 Springs, Miss. They had four children, Ann, Julia, Sarah and 
 Emma. Ann married Dr. Thomas. It is not known who the 
 other daughters married. Their descendants, it is supposed, still 
 live near Holly Springs, Miss. 
 
 The Adams family, while not, perhaps, as prolific as some others 
 mentioned, were yet sufficiently numerous to furnish their full 
 quota in populating the new states of the South and West. I desire 
 to call the reader’s attention to one fact : among all the numerous 
 branches, and for three or four generations, there seems not to 
 have been a single old maid : all the females of the family, with- 
 out an exception, so far as I have learned, were pretty enough or 
 smart enough to capture a husband. 
 
 PHILIP ADAMS. 
 
 Philip was the fifth son of John Adams, and was born in 
 Halifax county, Ya., during the Revolutionary war — December 
 
 14 - 
 
202 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 23, 1779. He was twice married, first to Fanny Powell, the 
 daughter of a prominent and wealthy family of North Carolina, by 
 whom he had three children, Susan Wood, Thomas Powell and 
 Mary Frances; their births were in the order named, and the latter 
 was my mother. I have not the exact date of this marriage, but it 
 was about 1805. 
 
 My grandfather’s second wife was Matilda Foster, a cousin of 
 his first wife. This last marriage occurred about 1817, and from 
 it only one child was born, a son, John Booker Adams, who is 
 now 74 years old, and resides in Fulton, Mo. He is the only child 
 of his father now living — the last of his generation. Soon after 
 my grandfather’s first marriage he removed to Prince Edward 
 county. This must have been in 1807, for I found in the Halifax 
 records that on November 14, of that year, he sold a farm, doubt- 
 less his home, to his brother, Benjamin. He continued to reside 
 in Prince Edward until 1839, when he emigrated to Missouri 
 with his son, John, and located in Callaway county. My uncle, 
 Thomas P. Adams, and my father had emigrated to the same county 
 in 1836. They all bought lands in the same neighborhood, oppo- 
 site Jefferson City. 
 
 My recollections of my grandfather are very distinct, although 
 at the time of his death, which occurred on May 30, 1845, I was 
 but a child. His death was caused by being thrown by a young 
 horse against a tree in the yard. The fall caused concussion of 
 the brain, which resulted in death. My grandmother, a most 
 amiable and kind Christian woman, survived him several years, 
 and died at an advanced age June 16, 1855. 
 
 My grandfather was a man of full habit, florid complexion, 
 heavy set, low in stature — about five feet eight inches — and had a 
 pleasant, benevolent face, usually cleanly shaven. He always, as I 
 remember him, rode a white saddle horse, and wore his hair long, 
 and it was as white as snow. The white horse and white hair 
 have ever been associated together in my mind as I recall this 
 picture of him, after a period of half a century. 
 
 On coming to his new home he followed his old occupation, 
 that of tobacco planting, for he was a well-to-do farmer and owned 
 a good many slaves, to whom he was ahvays kind and indulgent. 
 He is remembered for his kindness of heart, charity and piety. He 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 203 
 
 was a Baptist, as were all his family; that church seems to be, by 
 tradition, the favorite of the Adams family, as the Methodist is of 
 the Chappells. 
 
 In the pioneer days of Missouri there were few physicians in 
 the country, and while my grandfather was not a physician, he 
 knew something of the simple medicines used at that time, and was 
 an excellent nurse. There was never a case of serious sickness in 
 the neighborhood that he was not sent for, and it is said that when 
 the last remedy had been applied and failed, and when the angel of 
 death was hovering over the pillow of the poor sufferer, perhaps in 
 the rude log cabin, it was his voice, as he knelt by his bedside, that 
 was raised in supplication to God for the salvation of his soul. 
 
 Such was the character of this grand, good man, after whom 
 I, as well as two other grandsons, were named, a name which has 
 been perpetuated down to the present day in the family. 
 
 SUSAN WOOD ADAMS. 
 
 Susan was the oldest child of Philip Adams. She married 
 Joshua Foster, in Virginia, and they emigrated to Tennessee, and 
 from there, before the war, removed to Yell county. Ark. They 
 had a large family of children, but nothing has been heard of 
 them for many years. 
 
 THOMAS P. ADAMS. 
 
 Thomas was the oldest son of Philip Adams. An account of 
 his marriage to Martha, widow of Richard Jordan, is given in the 
 history of the Pate family. 
 
 There were born of this marriage three children, one daughter, 
 Martha Thomas, and two sons, Philip Watkins and Benjamin. 
 Martha married William Turner and removed, many years ago, 
 to Ft. Worth, Texas, where the family now lives. Philip lives 
 in Lafayette county. Mo., and is a minister of the Christian 
 church. Benjamin lives in Jefferson City and is a river pilot. 
 
 Thomas P. Adams, in his personal appearance, resembled his 
 father. He was a kind hearted man, and I do not think ever 
 had an enemy. He was charitable and liberal to a fault, in fact 
 his kindness and liberality caused him frequently to be imposed 
 
204 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 on, and prevented him from accumulating an estate ; for he was a 
 man of good judgment and industrious habits. He died in 1875, 
 leaving an inheritance more valuable than riches — the name of a 
 good and honest man. 
 
 MARY F. ADAMS. 
 
 How inadequate is language to express the reverence and love 
 of a son for the memory of his sainted mother ? Mother I the 
 sweetest word in the English language. She was born in Prince 
 Edward county, Va., September 8, 1811, and was married to my 
 father, John Chappell, of Halifax county, on September 21, 1836, 
 being his second wife. Immediately after their marriage they 
 emigrated to Callaway county. Mo. A history of their life in Mis- 
 souri, and a biographical sketch of each of their children is given 
 in the Chappell history.* 
 
 My mother was above the medium size, and after middle life 
 became fleshy. She was more of a brunette than blonde, and had 
 dark hair and a fair skin ; her marked feature, however, was a 
 round, large, gray eye, an eye beaming with kindness and 
 affection, and never forgotten by those who knew her. This eye 
 — peculiar to the family — she inherited and has transmitted to her 
 offspring. It is called in the family the “Adams eye.” My 
 mother possessed every womanly virtue that goes to constitute the 
 Christian wife and mother. She was intelligent, industrious, and 
 kind and affectionate to her family, servants and neighbors. She 
 was charitable and unselfish, and her life was full of good deeds. 
 Her heart was large, a characteristic of the Adams family, and she 
 was ever ready to assist the poor and needy, and to relieve the 
 wants of those in distress. She was a pious, Christian woman, a 
 member of the Southern Methodist church, and raised her children 
 in that faith. She passed away May 13, 1868, at the age of 57, and 
 her remains rest in the family cemetery in Callaway county, Mo. 
 
 MAJ. JOHN B. ADAMS. 
 
 John Booker Adams was the youngest son of Philip Adams, 
 and was born in Prince Edward Co., Virginia, May 23, 1819. He 
 
 * See Chapter V. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AKD OTHER KIKDEED FAMILIES. 
 
 205 
 
 was twice married, first in Virginia, June IT, 1840, to Ann Maria 
 Allen, by whom there were several children born, two only of 
 whom are now living, viz.; Mary M. and Philip Samuel. 
 
 As has been stated, my uncle removed to Missouri in 1839, 
 Avith his father, and located in Callaway Co., Avhere he followed 
 the old vocation of farming and tobacco planting. On the death 
 of his first Avife, he married Sarah, daughter of Alexander Chappell 
 of the Tennessee branch of the Chappell family ; a sketch of 
 her is given in the history of that family. She was at the time 
 he married her the Avidow of Samuel Allen, who was a brother of 
 his first wife. By this marriage but one child was born, a son 
 named Thomas Sylvester. 
 
 1. Mary M. Adams aa’us born Aug. 19, 1841, and married Dr. J. 
 J. Brown, a very successful railroad contractor. They have one 
 child, a daughter, Anna, now 17 years old. Mrs. Mary BroAvn is 
 a typical Adams ; she is very nearly a blonde and is an educated 
 and refined woman. 
 
 2. Philip Samuel Adams was born Sept. 20, 1850, married 
 Anna Wheeler, Feb. 4, 1875. They have four children liAung, 
 named Wheeler, Stanley, Paul and Nellie. He has been 
 for many years a banker, and is a successful business man, haAung 
 accumulated a good estate. He is president of the Callaway Co. 
 SaAungs Bank, located at Fulton, Mo., and is well known in the 
 state, having attained a reputation for energy, enterprise and in- 
 tegrity second to none. 
 
 3. Tliomas SyHester is another connecting link betAveen the 
 Adams and Chappell families. He is the son of his father’s second 
 marriage, and Avas born Noal 23, 1853, and has never married ; 
 this is perhaps his own fault, howeAmr, as he is a handsome, ener- 
 getic young man of most excellent business attainments. He is 
 engaged in the manufacture of fire brick and ware, near Fulton, Mo. 
 
 There was another daughter whose name was Eugenia. She 
 married Sidney Hensley, and died young, leaving four daughters ; 
 of these only two are now living — Mary and Sarah Booker. They 
 are intelligent and refined young ladies, and make their home with 
 their grandfather. 
 
 Major John B. Adams was in his prime a handsome man, of 
 splendid physique, is about six feet tali, weighs 175 pounds. 
 
206 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 and is still a fine looking man for his age — he is 74. He has a 
 florid complexion, a kindly blue eye, and hair now frosted with 
 age. He has always been a man of great energy and good judg- 
 ment, and was in ante-helium days a large slave-holder and one 
 of the most successful tobacco planters in Callaway Co. 
 
 I well remember the olden days, when I was a boy. His 
 house was always open to his relatives and friends, and he possessed 
 the happy faculty of making those much younger than himself 
 feel on terms of equality with him, which endeared him to us all. 
 Many were the happy days his young kindred spent under his 
 hospitable roof. But my uncle is growing old, he has been always 
 one of my best friends. May God grant him yet many years, for 
 the world has been better for his well spent life, and for his having 
 lived in it. 
 
 BENJAMIN ADAMS. 
 
 Benjamin was the youngest son of John Adams, and was born 
 in Halifax Co., Va., about 1781. He married Peggy Barnett, a 
 sister of Ellen, who married Samuel Adams, son of John and grand- 
 son of John and Susan Wood Adams. The issue of this marriage 
 was only two children; they were both daughters, and were named 
 Martha and Sarah Elizabeth. 
 
 Martha was the oldest. She married Isaac Palmer in Vir- 
 ginia and they emigrated to Missouri about 1847 and located in 
 Cole County, near Jefierson City, where she lived out her days. I 
 remember her as a boy and often visited the family, for Isaac Pal- 
 mer and my father were neighbors and old friends in both Vir- 
 ginia and Missouri. 
 
 There were born to this couple the following children : 
 
 1. Mary, who married George E. Wade. (See genealogy of 
 the Wade family.) She died in Cole Co., Mo., June 11, 1894. 
 
 2. Sarah never married. She was as pure and as perfect a 
 Christian woman as ever lived. She died in Lexington, Mo., to 
 which place the family removed, about 1860. 
 
 3. Benjamin, the only son, went to California in “’49,” and 
 died there in October, 1850. (See Chapter V.) 
 
 4. Margaret married Dr. Thos. Bolton ; they had several 
 children, some of whom are married. She lives in Lexington, Mo. 
 Dr. Bolton died several years ago. 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED EAMILIES. 
 
 207 
 
 5. Nancy Pettis married Judge John E. Ryland, a distin- 
 guished lawyer and jurist of Lexington, Mo. They have several 
 children, among whom is Isaac P. Ryland, a rising young lawyer 
 of Kansas City, Mo. 
 
 6. Martha married Maj. J. B. Ketner, a lawyer of Junction 
 City, Kas., where they live and have a family of children. 
 
 There are no more estimable people in Missouri, or none who 
 stand higher socially, than the children and grandchildren of Isaac 
 and Martha Palmer. 
 
 Sarah* was the name of the second daughter of Benj. Adams. 
 She married William Howard, who was sometimes called “Buck 
 Howard.” They had three children, Margaret, Robert and Ben- 
 jamin ; the latter was killed, it is said, in the Confederate army. 
 
 1. Margaret married Nick Wade, of Danville, Ya. He is 
 related to Richard Wade’s family. They have a large family of 
 children. 
 
 2. Robert married Margaret Ellen, daughter of John H. 
 Adams, of Texas. She died in 1869, leaving one son, William. 
 William Howard married a second time, his second wife was Martha 
 Adams, daughter of Samuel, son of John. 
 
 The two daughters of John and Susan Wood Adams were named 
 Susan Wood and Bettie. The former married a Mr. Ball and 
 removed to Maryland or the Eastern part of Virginia, and lo- 
 cated on the banks of the Potomac river. Nothing further is 
 known of her. 
 
 Bettie, the youngest daughter, is, by tradition, remembered 
 as a great beauty and reigning belle in her day. She married, but 
 the name of her husband is not remembered by any one of 
 the family now living. It is a sad reflection that of all this nu- 
 merous family, now scattered all over the South and West, she, 
 who was, perhaps, the greatest favorite, beloved by her parents 
 and friends, and worshipped by her six stalwart brothers, should 
 be alone forgotten, and her name, even, lost to her kindred and 
 their descendants. 
 
 * One authority says Sarah Elizabeth. 
 
208 
 
 A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 Pride of ancestry is always commendable, especially when it 
 serves as an incitement to honest, individual elfort, and the world, 
 as a rule, attaches too little importance to a pedigree. But we 
 cannot rely solely on the good names of those who have gone be- 
 fore us. The question asked in the busy world in which we live 
 is not ’-’■'Whence came youT' but, “What are you?” When one 
 is entirely satisfied with his genealogy, and regards it as an equiva- 
 lent of his own efforts, it is time for him to ask the latter ques- 
 tion. If he has no individual strength of character, and rests his 
 merits alone upon the deeds of his distinguished progenitors, then 
 is he an unworthy son of a sire, who, by his energy, industry and 
 integrity has built up a good name which has come down to his 
 offspring. Personality alone “goes” now in this country. The 
 man must be a live, active, sentient being, wide awake and full of 
 energy. The poor boy of to-day is the rich man of to-morrow. 
 The unknown youth, without kindred, family influence, friends, or 
 even a pedigree, may become — as has been the case — the President 
 of these United States. Every man is the architect of his own 
 fortune, and must at last rise or fall on his own individual merits. 
 Whilst an honored name is of priceless value, it does not alone 
 provide the essential elements of success. There must be to sus- 
 tain it industry, energy, intelligence and, above all else, integrity. 
 
 Within these pages may be found all that will ever be known 
 of the history of the Chappell family in America. The compila- 
 tion of the work has required labor, time, patient research and a 
 careful examination of all data now to be found. As it has been 
 the first, it will probably be the last attempt made to recover and 
 record the history of our people, for the name is now so numerous 
 and the branches of the family so scattered that any effort in that 
 direction in another generation would prove a failure. If there 
 were no other reason for writing our history, and preserving our 
 traditions, the simple fact that ours is among the oldest families in 
 the South and West would be sufficient. There are few, if any, 
 who can trace their lineage to an earlier date. Eight generations 
 have come upon the stage of life and passed away.' The ninth is 
 in the “sear and yellow leaf,” and the tenth ih the vigor and 
 
CHAPPELL, DICKIE AND OTHER KINDRED FAMILIES. 
 
 209 
 
 Strength of young manhood. The eleventh is just entering on 
 life’s jouruey, and in some branches we have representatives even 
 of the twelfth generation. There are few families in this country 
 who have representatives of the twelfth generation born on Amer- 
 ican soil. In 1893 the lineal descendants of Columbus were the 
 nation’s guests ; they were toasted and honored for their “blue 
 blood” and ancient lineage ; and yet they were only of the four- 
 teenth generation in descent from the discoverer of this continent. 
 
 The accepted average of human life of a generation, as fixed 
 by mortuary tables, is 33 years. Excluding the tenth generation in 
 our family, and those subsequent thereto, who have not lived out 
 their days, and includiug only the ninth, and reckoning from the 
 birth of Thomas Chappell, the young immigrant, who was born in 
 1612, as proven by the records, we have to the present time a 
 period of 283 years — nine generations of 32 years average. 
 
 To the older members of the family this little book will doubt- 
 less prove interesting. It is a provision of nature that, as Ave 
 grow older, our minds dwell on the past. But by the younger, 
 and even middle-aged, it may not be appreciated noAV, and they 
 may wonder why any one should have devoted so much time and 
 labor to collecting the names, dates and facts that are recorded 
 here. The time will come to them, however, as their feet approach 
 the waters of the great river over which we must all pass, that 
 they, too, will dwell on these names and dates, and recall, in fond 
 memory, the familiar faces of those loved ones who have crossed 
 over to “the great beyond.” 
 
 This book should be rebound in the most durable Russia 
 leather, and safely preserved among the most valued family 
 archives, for, like the Sibyl’s page, “As it lessens in numbers it 
 will in value rise.” Thus treasured it may be transmitted to your 
 children’s children and preserved in the different branches of these 
 “Old Virginia families” for generations yet unborn. 
 
 THE END. 
 

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