George Chappell, Sr.

Origins

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Chappell-1058

George Chappell was born about 1615 in England.[1][2] His birth date is based on his age of 20 on a list dated March 16, 1634/5 of men who had taken the oath of allegiance in London in preparation for departing for New England on the ship Christian.[3][1][2]

Many genealogies show George Chappell as being born in Barnstable, England and the son of Alexander Chappell and Johann Ellet of Barnstable. ("Barnstable" is a now obsolete spelling for Barnstaple, England that may have been in use in England in the 1600s and is the source of the name of Barnstable, Massachusetts.)[4] However, as shown in the profile for George Chappell of Barnstable, that parentage is disproven by records that establish that the George Chappell who was the son of Alexander Chappell and Johann (Ellot) Chappell of Barnstable, remained in Barnstable and died there in 1655.

Some family trees alternatively show George Chappell as the son of John Thomas Chappell, the captain of the Speedwell. No source providing any evidence supporting this proposition, however, has yet been found.

The "Great Migration Begins" lists George Chappell's origin as "unknown." [2]

Note: The definitive article about George Chappell is Gail Ion Harris's 1996 NEHGR article, George Chappell of Windsor, Wethersfield, and New London, Connecticut.

Biography

Immigrant

PEQUOT WAR George Chappell

(b. 1614-d. June 8, 1682) Served under Captain John Mason in the Mistick Fort campaign. http://pequotwar.org/about/whos-who/

Born about 1615. (On 16 Mar 1634[/5], "George Chappell," aged 20, was enrolled at London for passage to New England on the "Christian.") Carpenter who came to Massachusetts Bay in 1635 on the "Christian." First settled at Wethersfield; moved to New London in 1651. Died by 8 Jun 1682 (date of inventory). Married (1) by about 1642, Christian ____ (assuming she was the mather of his earliest children). She died by 1653. (2) by 1653, Margaret ____. She was living 20 Oct 1714 when she was called "my aged grandmother Mrs. Margaret Chappell" in a deed of Comfort Chappell. Gale Ion Harris' conclusion that William Chappell, another early immigrant to New London, was not connected to George Chappell, deserves further examination. An inventory of New London land purchased by William Chappell & his partner William Peeke shows that they bought a 6-acre houselot bounded by land owned by George Chappell. No direct evidence is found to substantiate the tradition that George born 28 April 1618, son of Alexander & Johann (Ellett) Chappell of Barnstable, Devonshire, England. Married Margaret ____ by 1653.

First Marriage

While living in Wethersfield, George married a woman whose first name was Christian[1] (which was a fairly common first name at the time). On the assumption that she was the mother of George's first child, their date of marriage was probably about 1642.[8] Christian's name does not appear in the records, however, until 1644 as part of the birth record of George's second child.[1] Christian's last name is not known, although it is speculated that she was the sister of Thomas Bell of Duxbury, Massachusetts, based on a grant by Thomas in 1671 to "all the children of my sister Christian, on her body begotten, who married one Chappell or Chapman, I give and bequeath twenty pounds apiece, &c."[2] According to "The Great Migration Begins," a counterargument is that Thomas Bell was a very wealthy merchant and it is thought unlikely that his sister would have wed a man of such modest means as George Chappell.[2]

George and Christian had the following children:

1. Mary, b. presumably in Wethersfield about 1642, m. John Daniels in New London in 1664/5
2. Abigail, b. in Wethersfield on September 1, 1644, m. (1) John Comstock in 1662, m. (2) Moses Huntley in 1680
3. John, b. presumably in Wethersfield about 1646, m. Elizabeth (Carpenter) Jones, widow of Richard Jones, between 1671 and 1674
4. Sarah b. Wethersfield 26 September 1647; d. New London 24 November 1660.
5. Rachel, b. in Wethersfield on October 10, 1649, m. Thomas Crocker in 1668[2]

records indicate that George was far from a model citizen while in Wethersfield. He was taken to court for failure to pay his debts and fined for abusing the constable and excessive drinking.[1]

Residency in New London; Second Marriage

By the early 1650's, George's first wife, Christian, appears to have died and George had married his second wife, Margaret[8] and moved to New London, Connecticut.[1] Like Christian, Margaret's last name is uncertain. Based on numerous connections between George Chappell and William and Mary Taylor, Gale Ion Harris, the author of a 1996 in-depth NEHGR article about George Chappell, believed that Margaret may have been a sister of either William or Mary.[1] If she was a sister of William, her maiden name would have been Taylor. The maiden name of William's wife, Mary, is unknown, so if Margaret was a sister of Mary, her maiden name would also be unknown.

George and Margaret had the following children:

1. George, II, b. in New London on March 17, 1653, m. (1) Alice Way in New London in 1676, m. (2) Mary Douglas in New London in 1703
2. Elizabeth, b. in New London on August 30, 1656
3. Hester, b. in New London in April 1662
4. Sarah, b. in New London on February 14, 1665/6, living in 1682
5. Nathaniel, b. in New London on May 21, 1668, m. Hopestill Rosemorgan
6. Caleb, b. in New London October 7, 1671, m. Ruth Royce in 1694[2]

George's behavior does not seem to have improved in New London. In 1653, he was fined for being "drunk contrary to law," and in 1671 he was among the New London inhabitants involved in a "riot" over a boundary with town of Lyme.[1]

Death; Estate

The inventory of George Chappell's estate was taken on June 8, 1682, which means he died sometime before that date.[1] His property was to be distributed "to the relict for the bringing up of the children and payment of debts" and distribution was to be made to the children "John Chappell; George Chappell; Mary Daniels; Rachell Crocker; Elizabeth Chappell; Hester Chappell; and Sarah Chappell;" and to "the sons Nathaniell and Caleb the housing and lands" in equal proportion.[2]

A genealogical history of the Chappell, Dickie, and other kindred families of Virginia, 1635-1900, Pages 34-36

bullet Information about this person:

• Background Information. 699 On 16 Mar 1634/35, London's St. Mildred's Parish, twenty -two year old George Chappell and his companions took the "oath [of] Allegeance & Supremacie" in preparation "to be transported to New England, imbarqued in the Chritiane de Lo[ndon], Jo. White, M[aster], bound thither. This was a group of twenty men assembled by Mr. Francis Stiles at Sir Richard Saltonstall's expense to prepare ground and build houses at Windsor for Sir Saltonstall and other Connecticut patentee.

On 28 Mar 1637, the General Court at Hartford ordered "that Mr. Francis Stiles shall teach Geo: Chapple, Tho:Cooper, and Tho: Barber, his servant, in the trade of a carpenter, accordinge to his promise for their service of their term, behind 4 dayes in a weeke oneline to sawe and slitt their owne worke that they are to frame themselves with their own hands togeather with himself or some other M[aster]r workmen."

The next record shows that George's training was cut short because he was recorded being in Wethersfield. Chappell was among thirty soldiers called out from Windor. Twelve years later, when he completed his Ancient Wethersfield, Stiles was "constrained to think: that Chappell served with eighteen men levied from Wethersfield. There is no records that prove George served from during the Pequot War, but Wethersfield granted him a house and lot in the town. This type of grant was commonly given to veterans of the Pequot War. George sold this grant to Richard Mills sometimes before April 1641, according to the Wethersfield Deed, at which time, Richard sold this land to William Comstock.

By July 1644, George was married long enough to have two unrecorded children, John and Mary. That September, his daughter Abigail was born at Wethersfield, and his wife's name, Christian, was recorded along with the birth. Another child, Rachel, was born in 1649 in Wethersfield.

In New London, George was granted a house lot, which was reverted for lcak of lack. Soon after, he reapplied. According to the New London Deeds, the town on 24 Feb 1650/51 granted him upland, meadow, and a five-acre house lot, which he later sold in June of 1653, and he returned to Wethersfield. Around this time his wife, Christian, apparently died and George married a woman named Margaret, who was the mother of his younger children who were born between 1654 to 1671. His first child with Margaret, George, was born in Wethersfield on 17 Mar 1653/54.

By the end of March 1653/54, George and his family returned to New London, where the rest of children were born. In December of 1663, he was granted six acres of land on the Jordon River. George was involved in the "riot" over the land boundary between New London and Lyme. George's name was given to a nearby stream named Chapell Brook.

In 1682, George's estate was distributed to his wife in order to bring up his children. Order was also made fro distribution to his children John & George Chappell; Mary Daniels, Rachel Crocker, Elizabeth, Hester and Sarah Chappell, and two other sons, Nathaniel and Caleb. Margaret, was admitted as "widow Chappell" to the New London's First Church on 25 Mar 1694.

~New En land Historical & Genealogical Record, Vol. 150, pages 48-54 http://cybergata.com/roots/706.htm

The three (3) George Chappells

Source: The history of ancient Wethersfield, Connecticut : comprising the present towns of Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, and Newington : Volume I. Chapter VII. Early inhabitants of Wethersfield--with notes on their land holdings. Accessed: 3 Nov 2017. < AncestrySharing >

The two Chappell wives

Source: "George Chappell of Windsor, Wethersfield and New London, Connecticut," page 54.

Sources

• New England Marriages to 1700. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. < AmericanAncestors > CHAPPELL, George (1615-1709) & 1/wf Christian ____; by 1644 by 1642?; Wethersfield/New London {Wethersfield 2:206; New London Hist. 352; TAG 9:27; R. W. Cooke Chart}. CHAPPELL, George (1615-1709) & 2/wf Margaret ____; by 1653/4; New London, CT {TAG 9:29; Sv. 1:363; Converse (1905) 771-2; Fulton Anc. 57; Gen Mag. 2:283; McIntire Anc. 130, 139}
• Gale Ion Harris, "George Chappell of Windsor, Wethersfield and New London, Connecticut," New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. 150 (1996), pp 48-73. < AmericanAncestors >
• Great Migration 1634-1635, C-F. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume II, C-F, by Robert Charles Anderson, George F. Sanborn, Jr., and Melinde Lutz Sanborn. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001.< AmericanAncestors >
• R.R. Hinman, "Catalogue of the Names of the First Puritan Settlers of the Colony of Connecticut, No. I," 1846 pp 19, 20, 58, 123, 164, 253, 258* American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI)
• [https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=ctcen&gss=sfs28_ms_d..., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1790-1890:Name: George Chappell; State: CT; County: New London County; Township: New London; Year: 1668; Record Type: Resident's List; Page: NPN; Database: CT 1635-1807 Misc. Records]
• Frances Manwaring Caulkins, "History of New London, Connecticut : Fromthe First Survey of the Coast in 1612 to 1860, 1895
• New London County, Connecticut: A Modern History, p 102
• James Savage, "Gleanings for New England History," New World Immigrants, Vol. I
• Seventeenth Century Colonial Ancestors, Vol. I, 50 Chappell,George (1615-1709) Mass.; m. Margery —.
• The Pioneers of Massachusetts, 1620-1650, p 94* U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s
• U.S. and International Marriage Records,1560-1900
• Henry R Stiles, "The History of Ancient Wethersfield, Connecticut," The Grafton Press, New York, 1908, pp 205-6
• The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (NEHGS, Boston, Mass., 1860) Vol. 14, Page 302
• Society of Colonial Wars in Massachusetts Membership Applications, 1560-1970. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2018). < AmericanAncestors > Elleph CHAPPELL Spouse Henry Brooks Member Number 847 Gen Member Number 7071 Generation 7 Note page 2 of 4 Posted Date 2/28/1924 12:00:00 AM
• http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=34216941