Justin and MaGee - Colonial Americans » Alpha Chaffee , Private (1763-1813)

Personal data Alpha Chaffee , Private 

• He was born in the year 1763 in Westminster, Massachusetts (now Windham County, Vermont).Sources 5, 7, 10
• Resident:
• in the year 1803: Salem &, Thurman, Washington, New York, Verenigde Staten.Source 2
• in the year 1810: Fairfield, Herkimer, New York.Sources 4, 10
• in the year 1790: Westminster, Windham, Vermont.Source 8
• in the year 1800: Thurman, Washington (now Warren) County, New York.Source 9
• on 1763 - 1790: Westminster, Windham County, Massachusetts.Source 10
• He died February 1813 in Black Lake, St. Lawrence County, New York, he was 50 years old.Sources 3, 5, 10
• A child of Atherton Chaffee and Rachel Fuller

Household of Alpha Chaffee , Private

He is married to Mary Abbey.

They got married about 1793 at Westminster, Windham County, Vermont.Source 10

Child(ren):

1. Rachel Chaffee  1795-????
2. Sophia Chaffee  1796-1850 
3. Polly Chaffee  1798-1875 
4. Alpha Chaffee  1800-1873 
5. Lonson Chaffee  1802-1826
6. Maltilda Chaffee  1804-????
7. Phoebe Chaffee  1806-????
8. John Chaffee  1808-????

Notes about Alpha Chaffee , Private

1) Raised in a blockhouse in Vermont and lived in it with twenty other familyies for four years. Father Atherton Chaffee (David, Nathaniel, Thomas) with his wife and two children were in Westminster, then called No. 1 and under a Massachusetts charter, in the Spring of 1751. There were only two houses in town at the time --- one which was built by Richard Ellis and then unoccupied, and another, the one they shared with William Goold, John Goold and Amos Carpenter. John Averill and his family arrived in the Spring of 1751 and moved in with them. See also "John Averill." During the following summer, Goold and Carpenter brought their families up from Northfield. The house, whose builder is unknown, was "at the lower end of the street; at the top of Willard's Hill." This house afterwards became known as the Averill place. He was chosen for the committee appointed to lay out the roads and build them after the Westminster renewed charter of 1760. Atherton Chaffee was listed on the 1771 Census for Westminster. He was a private in the military company of Capt. Azariah Wright during the 1770's in Westminster. Atherton surveyed Westminster Town.
Present residents in this section of the Connecticut River Valley, and especially the younger generation, are not appreciative of how comparatively young this entire section of New England is, barely 175 years since it was an almost unbroken wilderness with no white people living here. Nor is there record of any permanent habitations of Indians for many miles north or south. The beginnings of things are always interesting, and particularly early settlements. Previous to the coming into these immediately contiguous river towns of actual and permanent settlers, this had been debatable ground between the French on the north, and English on the south. The last war between these two countries was declared by France against Great Britain on March 15, 1744, and the earliest beginnings of settlements in these towns were as follows: In Westminster, which had been chartered by Massachusetts Bay province a few years earlier, Richard Ellis and his son, Reuben, 1739, built a log hut and cleared and cultivated five or six acres of land in the new township, on the river meadows. In 1751, John Averill, wife and son; Asa, William Gould, wife and son, John, Amos Carpenter and wife, and Atherton Chaffee removed from Northfield, Mass., to Westminster, which was then known as " Township No. 1."

2) 1800 Federal Census in Thurman, Washington County, New York. John and Amos Abbey listed on same census page.
In 1813, Warren County was created from Washington County, Thurman is located in present day Warren County. The Town of Thurman was established in 1792. Originally the town was called Athol by early settlers, but when Warren County was established in 1813, much of the town was lost to the new Town of Warrensburg and the remainder was still called Athol. Athol was divided in 1852 to form the Town of Thurman and the Town of Stony Creek.
Communities and locations in Thurman
Athol -- A hamlet in the southeast part of the town.
Echo Lake -- A location by the east town line.
Fullers -- A location in the western part of the town.
Garnet Lake -- A lake partly in the town at the north town line.
The Glen -- A hamlet on the town line in the northeast corner of the town.
High Street -- A location in the eastern part of the town, west of Athol.
Thurman -- The hamlet of Thurman in the eastern part of the town, northwest of Athol and by the north town line.
Thurman Station -- A location near the east town line and the Hudson River, southeast of Athol

3) 1810 Census of Fairfield, Herkimer County, New York list Alpha Chaffee and family. Family bible indicates they lived in an area known as Farmers Settlement. Simon Farmer located on lands on Route 28N (also known as the Middleville Rd.) in Herkimer, on the west side of the highway. He had apple orchards on his farmlands and owned an apple distillery near the old County Home. There were also many butternut trees and many wild animals. His farm had bountiful supplies of fresh overflowing spring water flowing from the nearby hills surrounding his lands. Simon arrived at the time when this area was called a wilderness and the means of transportation was horse and buggy on unpaved trails or in the winter, horse drawn sleighs.

4) Alpha Chaffee is reported to have died near Black Lake / Sacketts Harbor New York prior to 1817-may have died during War of 1812 as a Private in the War of 1812.in the Fort Sackett area, Fair complextion and blue eyes.

5) Alpha Chaffee's mother, Rachel Fuller, ancester came to America on the Mayflower;
PASSENGERS OF THE MAY FLOWER IN 1620:
A List of the Names of the Passengers of that noted vessel, the “May Flower,” on her first voyage to this country, in 1620, and landed her passengers at Plymouth Rock, (now in Massachusetts,) on the 11th day of December, O.S., 1620
Fuller:Samuel Fuller; William Butten, his servant, died Nov. 6, 1620Edward Fuller, died the first winter; Mrs. Fuller, his wife, died the first winter; Samuel Fuller, (called the younger,) son of Edward.

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Timeline Alpha Chaffee , Private

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