http://www.gencircles.com/users/emer/3/data/6323
From History of New River Settlements:
The Chapmans.

The Chapmans (Note: It appears that the first place of settlement of this family, after leaving England, was in the state of Connecticut.) were English people, and some of those who emigrated to this country came from Connecticut to Charles County, Maryland, long prior to the American Revolution. After the settlement in Maryland, and before the beginning of the Revolution, some of them came to Culpeper County, Virginia, and settled. Among those who came was Isaac Chapman, who married, in Culpeper County, Miss Sara Cole, by whom he had three sons and one daughter. The sons were Isaac , John, and Richard, the daughter, Jemima. Isaac went South, and finally located in Alabama, where his descendants stll reside. His grandson, Honorable Reuben Chapman, was a member of Congress from Alabama in 1841. John married Salli e Abbott and Richard married Margaret Abbott, daughters o f Richard Abbott of Culpeper County, Virginia; the daughter , Jemima, married Moredock O. McKensey, (Note: McKensey died on Five Mile Fork of East River, in the year 1805.) a Scotsman from the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Richard Abbott having died, his widow married a man by the name of Tracey, by whom she had two children, Bettie, who married James Rowe , and a son, William Tracey, the ancestor of the Traceys of Wolf Creek of New River Valley.

In November 1768, John Chapman, Richard Chapman, and Moredock O. McKensey removed from Culpeper County to the Shenando ah, in the Valley of Virginia, and from thence, in 1771, ca me to the New River Valley and settled at the mouth of Walker's Creek, where John Chapman had two dwelling houses destroyed by the Indians; his family being forced to flee to the Snidow Fort for protection. In the spring of 1778 McKense y removed to the mouth of Wolf Creek., where his family, in May of that year, was attacked by the Indians, and a portion of them killed and another portion carried into captivity. Some years afterward, time not definitely known, Richar d Chapman removed from Walker's Creek to Wolf Creek.

The children of John Chapman were Isaac, who married Elian Johnston; George, who married Patience Clay; John, who ma rried Miss Napier; Henley, who married Mary Alexander; Sall ie, who married, first, Jacob Miller of Franklin County, Vi rginia, and by whom she had a daughter and three sons: Jacob, who married Mrs. Polly Harman; John, who married Sallie Peck; Tobias, who married Elizabeth Bane; Barbara, who ma rried Morton P. Emmons. After the death of the elder Jaco b Miller, his widow Sallie, married David Johnston, and they had the following children: Oscar F., who married Elizabe th French; Chapman I., who married Elian C. Snidow; Olivia , who married William M. Gillespie, of Tazewell County, Vir ginia; Louisa A., who married Colonel Daniel H. Pearis, o f Mercer, and Sallie C., who died unmarried.

Jemima Chapman married Charles Hall and had the following children: Benjamin, who went to Cook County, Illinois, at an early date, and Chloe, who married John Brian.

Annie Chapman, who married John Lybrook, had a numerous family, of whom was Philip Lybrook, the father of the present Major Samuel E. Lybrook, a great grandson of Philip, the settler.

Isaac Chapman and his wife, Elian Johnston Chapman, had the following children: John, a lawyer of distinction and often a representative of Giles County in the Senate and Hous e of Delegates, who married Ann Freel; Doctor David Johnston Chapman, who married Sallie Pepper; William Chapman, who married Nancy McDonald; Rachael, who married John Snidow ; Priscilla, who married Doctor Thomas Fowler; Polly, who m arried John Bane; Nancy, who married Joseph McDonald; Salli e, who married William Kyle, and Rebecca, who married Samue l P. Pearis.

John Chapman, the son of Isaac, had one daughter, Adeline , who married Colonel William H. Snidow, by whom she had three children, viz: John C., who married Anne Hoge; James P. , who married Fannie Hale; Annie, who married Dr. Harvey G . Johnston.

Doctor David J. Chapman had the following children, Viz: Jo hn, drowned in his youth; William, who married Miss Mather ; James, who went west many years ago; David J., Jr., who n ow lives in Giles County and is unmarried, and who is the o nly Chapman in Giles County; Annie, who married Colonel Jam es W. English; Jennie, who married Major Samuel E. Lybrook , and Malinda, who married Samuel S. Dinwiddie.

William Chapman, who married Nancy McDonald, had the follow ing children: Isaac E., who married Eliza Gillespie; John w ho went to Texas and was drowned; Louisa, who married Rev . Mr. Chanceleum; and Keziah, who married Isaac Chapman Fow ler.

John Snidow and Rachael, his wife, had the following childr en: Christian, who married Sylistine Goodrich; they had n o children; James H., who married Elvina Lucas and had th e following children: John D., William R., Cornelia, who ma rried Eugene Angel, and some daughters who are not married ; David J. L., who married Malinda Pepper, but left no chil dren; Elizabeth, who married John Tiffany, and had the foll owing children: Captain Hugh S., killed in the first battl e of Manasses; Charles C., who lives in Kansas, and Elizabe th, who married Andrew B. Symns; Mary B., who married Joh n S. Peck, and had the following children: James P., kille d in the battle of Cold Harbor in 1864; Hugh T., who live s in the State of Maryland; Chapman I., who lives in Gile s County; John, who died a few years ago; Annie, who marrie d John P. Peck; Elizabeth, who married Harvey Snidow, and E liza, who married ...........Williams.

Elian Chapman Snidow, who married Chapman I. Johnston, ha d the following children: David Andrew, John Raleigh, Sara h Ellen, who married Honorable William A. French; Annie C. , who married Charles D. French; Rachael S., who is now dea d, and who first married ........Daugherty, and secondly Jo seph Alvis. Ellen J. Snidow, daughter of John and Rachael C hapman Snidow, is unmarried.

Samuel P. Pearis and Rebecca Chapman Pearis, his wife, ha d three children: Dr. Robert A., who married Amanda Fowler ; Dr. Charles W., who married Electra Pearis; and Rebecca , who married honorable Frank Hereford.

The children of Joseph McDonald and Nancy Chapman McDonald , his wife, were W. W. McDonald, of Logan; John C. McDonald , Isaac E. McDonald, Lewis McDonald, Floyd McDonald; Sallie , who married John Sanders; Nancy, who married Lewis McDona ld, Elizabeth, who married John Anderson; John C., Isaac E . and Floyd, who died unmarried.

Dr. Thomas Fowler and wife had the following children: Thom as, Isaac C., Allen, Elbert; Mary, who married Captain Jame s D. Johnston; and Amanda, who married Dr. Robert A. Pearis.

Henley Chapman and his wife, Mary Alexander Chapman, had tw o sons and three daughters. The sons were General Augustu s A. Chapman, who married Mary R. Bierne, and Manilius, wh o married Susan Bierne; the daughters, Araminta D., marrie d Captain Guy D. French; Elvina married Colonel Albert G. P endleton, and Isabella married Major William P. Cecil.

John Chapman, son of the settler, and brother to Isaac, Geo rge, and Henley, married Miss Napier; was killed by a horse , and his widow and children removed to Cabell County abou t the year of 1800, where his descendants now reside. Capta in John Chapman, who was a son of Andrew Johnston Chapman , son of the above John, was a distinguished Confederate so ldier, and died only a few years ago at his home in Lincol n County, West Virginia.

Colonel Albert G. Pendleton and his wife, Elvina Chapman Pe ndleton, had three children: Nannie, who married Judge Phil ip W. Strother; Sallie, who married Van B. Taliaferro, an d Alberta, who married Samuel Crockett.

Major William P. Cecil and his wife Isabella Chapman Cecil , had one child, Mary, who married Charles Painter.

Captain Guy D. French and wife, Araminta Chapman French, ha d four sons: Henley C., who married Harriet Easley; Captai n David A., who married, first Miss Williams, second Miss J ennie C. Easley; William A., who married Nellie Johnston; C harles D., who married Annie C. Johnston; they had daughter s Sarah M., who first married Dr. W. W. McComas, second, Ca ptain F. G. Thrasher; Mary, who married William B. Mason; F annie, who married J. H. D. Smoot, and Susan, who married D r. R. T. Ellett.

John Chapman, son of Richard, married Jemima, a daughter o f the Elder David Johnston, and they had a daughter who mar ried William Wilburn, of Sugar Run; and James H. Wilburn, w hose photograph appears opposite this page, is a grand so n of the said John Chapman, and a great grandson to the fir st William Wilburn, who came in 1780 to what is now Giles C ounty, Virginia.

James W. Chapman, a grandson of John, of Wolf Creek, is th e only descendant of John Chapman bearing that name who no w resides in this section of the country; the remaining mem bers of the Richard Chapman family went at an early date t o the Big Sandy and Eastern Kentucky region, some of them r emoving to the State of Ohio. Some of the descendants of Ri chard Chapman still reside in the Counties of Lincoln, Loga n, Mingo, and Wayne, West Virginia.

The Elder John Chapman, and his son, Isaac, were soldiers d uring the Indian wars on the border, and were stationed dur ing the years of 1774 to 1779 in Snidow's, Hatfield's, an d Barger's Forts.

The family of George Chapman, who married Patience Clay, co nsisted of three daughters and two sons. Sallie Chapman mar ried Hugh Jordan, Elizabeth Chapman married Joseph Peck, an d Lucretia Chapman married William McClure; the sons, Isaa c and Archer, went to the state of Ohio at an early day. Op posite page 396 is a photograph of the dwelling house buil t by George Chapman, in 1794, on the East Bank of New River , near Ripplemeade, Virginia, and which still stands and i s on land now the property of Mr. Harvey Phlegar and Mr. H . B. Shelton ¹

Father: John Chapman b: Abt 1675 in Charles County, Maryland
Mother: Margaret Mankin b: 30 Mar 1688 in Port Tobacco, Maryland

Marriage 1 Sarah Cole b: 1 May 1718 in Baltimore, Maryland
Married: in Orange County, Virginia
Children
Isaac Chapman b: Abt 1738 in Orange County, Virginia
John Chapman b: 18 Jan 1739 in Orange County, Virginia
Richard Chapman b: Abt 1742 in Culpeper County, Virginia
Jemima Chapman b: Abt 1745 in Orange County, Virginia

From: "Rees Chapman" <winwinsit@hotmail.com>
Subject: The Isaac > Thomas Chapman myth
Date: Sat, 07 Aug 2004 04:11:23 -0700

I'm excited to hear about the ongoing DNA study, and I'm preparing to
participate. For me, the issue is intriguing, because I've had grave doubts
for years about the alleged lineage of Isaac through Thomas. Here's my
position:
___________________________________________________

ISAAC CHAPMAN of Orange Co. VA was probably NOT a descendant of THOMAS
CHAPMAN of Jordons Journey 1610.

Most descendants of Isaac, through the Giles County Chapmans including
Isaac, John, and Jemima, believe their line passes through Thomas Chapman
who came to America at Jordons Journey in 1610 on the Tryall. To quote
some of my cousins, genealogy without documentation is mythology. In this
spirit, I am again challenging the Isaac>Thomas connection.

I believe it all started with George Roberts Genealogy of Joseph Peck
(1955) which traces Isaac Chapman of Culpeper VA back to Thomas Chapman of
1610 Colonial Virginia, and lays out the following lineage:

Thomas Chapman I (b. 1590) came to Jordon's Journey VA on the Tryallin
1610, m. Ann ? in 1618, had 2 children: Thomas II (b. 1619) and Ann (b.
1622), both in Jordon's Journey.

Thomas II settled Elizabeth River VA (probably Norfolk), married ? Had
a son Thomas III b. ca. 1642.

Thomas III settled in Charles Co. MD in 1662? and supposedly m.
Elizabeth Craxon in 1689. Had 2 children: Thomas IV (b. 3-26-1690) and Mary
(b. 8-19-1693). Thomas III would have 48 years old, and Elizabeth (b. 1644)
would have been 46, when Thomas IV was born; 51 and 49 respectively for
Mary.

Thomas IV ultimately settled in Orange Co, probably what became
Culpeper Co., VA

I know, 49 year old women in Colonial America, such as Elizabeth Craxon
Chapman in 1693, did have kids - but it was quite unusual. In August 1705
there is a Thomas Chapman married to Margaret Chapman in Stafford Co, VA,
across and a bit up the Potomac River, whose property Thomas is giving to
her son by a previous husband William Perkins. Roberts assumes it's the same
Thomas as was previously married to Elizabeth Craxon. Within four months, we
have Thomas Chapman in Charles Co. MD (June 15, 1695) and in Stafford Co. VA
(September 30, 1695). There's evidence of another Thomas Chapman in Roberts'
work in Kent Co. MD (further up the Chesapeake Bay) in 1659, whose father
was Richard Chapman - obviously not the same direct lineage as Thomas III.
With multiple Thomases around the Chesapeake Bay in the 1600s and the age of
Thomas III, I believe the Thomas (Tryall) Chapman I and Thomas Chapman IV
connection is questionable.

According to Roberts, the Thomas Chapman born March 26, 1690 in Charles Co.
MD is the same Thomas Chapman whose death inventory we find in Culpeper VA
dated Nov. 18, 1782. Later, says Roberts, "it may have been his son, b. ca.
1810-12." What???

Culbertson's Hunter Genealogy lists Thomas' children as Nathaniel, George,
John, and an unidentified daughter; NO Isaac. For some reason, says Roberts,
"to this we would add Isaac." And "We are certain that Isaac was a son of
Thomas IV." Why???

Johnson's History of Middle New River Settlements mentions an Isaac Chapman
born in Charles County, MD; about 1716, although there is apparently no
record of this birth in county records. For reasons that are unclear,
Roberts therefore assumes Isaac's father must have been born in Charles Co.
MD.

Then, Roberts goes on to state that there is no recorded evidence that the
other members (i.e., Nathaniel and George) were brothers of Isaac and John,
therefore, they shall not be considered further.. ." SO -we have no Isaac
born in Charles Co., but he must be the son of Thomas born in Charles Co. in
1690, who must be the same Thomas who died in Culpeper in 1782. And although
there is apparently evidence that Thomas had children George and Nathaniel,
there is no evidence of Isaac being brother of George and Nathaniel - thus,
we dismiss them as Thomas' sons. Very sloppy reasoning! It leads me to
suspect that Roberts felt competed to graft Isaac Chapman's family tree onto
Thomas', thus stretching the lineage back to 1610.

So, where did Isaac of Orange Co. VA come from? Here, other historical
documents are incomplete and contradictory. The Pearisburg Virginian in
March 15, 1928 quotes Mrs. W. P. Miller at the unveiling of the D.A.R.
marker for the grave of his son John Chapman: The Chapmans who were of
English origin, immigrated to America and settled in Connecticut long prior
to the Revolutionary War. From there they moved to Charles County,
Maryland. Leaving Maryland before the beginning of the revolution, a part
of them came to Culpeper county, Virginia. Isaac Chapman was among this
number, and there he married Sarah Cole, by whom he had threes sons and one
daughter, namely, Isaac, John, Richard, and Jemima. But, a letter by
Isaac's grandson Henley Chapman reads "My grandfather was named Isaac
Chapman; he emigrated to Virginia from England, the year unknown; he settled
in Virginia, perhaps in Culpeper County."

CONCLUSION: it is a MYTH that Isaac Chapman of Orange descended from Thomas
Chapman of Jordons Journey. Not that myths cant one day be shown to be
factual as well. . .
________________________________________

Now - I can with some certainty trace my line back to John Chapman
(1740-1815) of Giles County. Connections with Isaac are likely, only poorly
documented. I doubt the direct connection through Isaac to Thomas of
Jordan's Journey. My understanding of genetic studies tells me my genome
will be compared with those of other descendants of Isaac, then contrasted
with known descendants of Thomas. My question: can we identify descendants
of Thomas with certainty? I would NOT include descendants of Isaac as known
descendants of Thomas for the purpose of genetic comparison.

I plan to follow the investigation eagerly!

Rees Chapman
Dahlonega, GA
winwinsit@hotmail.com


This thread:

*
The Isaac > Thomas Chapman myth by "Rees Chapman" <winwinsit@hotmail.com>
o Re: [CHAPMAN-DNA] The Isaac > Thomas Chapman myth by "Tom Chapman" <SurfCityTom@socal.rr.com>
o Re: [CHAPMAN-DNA] The Isaac > Thomas Chapman myth by "Karen Wallace" <brneyes@comwares.net>
+ Re: [CHAPMAN-DNA] The Isaac > Thomas Chapman myth by Mari <ddmmjm@netins.net>
# Re: [CHAPMAN-DNA] The Isaac > Thomas Chapman myth by "Karen Wallace" <brneyes@comwares.net>
* Rees and Karen by Mari <ddmmjm@netins.net>
o RE: [CHAPMAN-DNA] Rees and Karen by "Rees Chapman" <winwinsit@hotmail.com>
+ RE: [CHAPMAN-DNA] Rees and Karen by Mari <ddmmjm@netins.net>
o Re: [CHAPMAN-DNA] Rees and Karen by OLDNONI@cs.com
+ Re: [CHAPMAN-DNA] Rees and Karen by Mari <ddmmjm@netins.net>
o Re: [CHAPMAN-DNA] Rees and Karen by "Rees Chapman

from Rees Chapman:
Descendants of: Isaac CHAPMAN
1 Isaac CHAPMAN b. abt. 1716 d. 1747 m. Sarah COLE
2 Isaac CHAPMAN b. 1739
2 John CHAPMAN b. 1-18-1740 d. 12-18-1813 m. 1761 Sallie ABBOTT
3 Annie CHAPMAN b. 1763 d. 1831 m. John LYBROOK
4 John C. LYBROOK
4 Henley C. LYBROOK
4 George LYBROOK b. _____ d. 10-1827 m. 12-30-1823 Sarah HALL
5 Carrington LYBROOK b. 1824
5 Mary Ann LYBROOK b. 1827
3 Isaac CHAPMAN b. 4-19-1764 d. 5-29-1836 m. Elian JOHNSTON b. May 1761 d. 3- Aug 1836
4 John CHAPMAN m. Ann FREEL
5 Adeline CHAPMAN b. 1812 d. 10-27-1872 m. 3-17-1836 William Henry SNIDOW b. 1798 d. 1866
4 David Johnston CHAPMAN m. Sally PEPPER
5 John CHAPMAN
5 William CHAPMAN m. ? Walter
5 David J. CHAPMAN
5 Annie CHAPMAN m. James W. ENGLISH
5 Jennie CHAPMAN b. 11-24-1843 m. Samuel LYBROOK
5 Malinda CHAPMAN m. Samuel S. DINWIDDIE
4 William CHAPMAN b. 7-14-1787 d. 5-12-1850 m. 3-18-1817 Nancy McDONALD b. 10-7-1799 d. Sep 8- 1837
5 Amanda Malvina CHAPMAN b. 4-20-1818 m. 1840 Matthew AIKEN
5 Julianna CHAPMAN b. 9-13-1819
5 Bettie Louisa CHAPMAN b. 10-3-1821 d. 1-31-1894 m. 9-28-1848 Edward W. CHANGEAULME b. 6- Jun 1820 d. 10-17-1862
5 Isaac Edward CHAPMAN b. 8-29-1824 d. May 1- 1905 m. Jan 8- 1850 Eliza Jane GILLESPIE b. 3-19-1832 d. 3-25-1915
5 Priscilla CHAPMAN b. 11-7-1826 d. 3-16-1852
5 John Lewis McDonald CHAPMAN b. 10-27-1828 d. May 2- 1852
5 Keziah McDonald CHAPMAN b. 11-27-1830 d. 1-10-1906 m. Isaac Chapman FOWLER b. 2- Sep 1831 d. 4-29-1905
5 William Wallace CHAPMAN b. 12-4-1832 d. Sep 8- 1833
5 Nancy Adeline CHAPMAN b. 8-26-1837 d. 9-20-1837
4 Priscilla CHAPMAN m. Thomas FOWLER
4 Polly CHAPMAN m. John BANE
4 Nancy CHAPMAN m. Joseph McDONALD
4 Sally CHAPMAN m. William KYLE
4 Rebecca CHAPMAN m. Samuel P. PEARIS
4 Rachael CHAPMAN m. John SNIDOW
5 David J. L. SNIDOW m. Malinda PEPPER
5 James Harvey SNIDOW m. Elvira LUCAS
5 Elizabeth SNIDOW m. John TIFFANY
3 George CHAPMAN b. 1766 d. 4-20-1816 m. 11-5-1789 Patience CLAY
4 Archibald CHAPMAN b. 2-21-1787 d. 3-31-1870 m. 3-26-1811 Elizabeth MILLS
5 Isaac CHAPMAN
5 John CHAPMAN
5 William CHAPMAN
5 George CHAPMAN
5 Joseph CHAPMAN
5 Augustus CHAPMAN
5 Lucinda CHAPMAN
4 Elizabeth CHAPMAN b. 3-31-1791 d. 12-6-1873 m. Joseph PECK
4 Sally CHAPMAN b. 1793 m. Hugh GORDON
4 Lucretia CHAPMAN b. 1798 d. 1861 m. William McCLURE
4 David CHAPMAN b. 1803 d. 1845
4 George CHAPMAN b. 1806
3 John CHAPMAN b. 1771 d. 1796 m. Sep 7- 1791 Dicie NAPIER b. abt. 1772
George CHAPMAN b. Mar 9- 1791 d. aft. 1840 m. 4-14-1813 Joyce (Daisy) NAPIER b. abt. 1788 d. Mar 8- 1852
5 Delia CHAPMAN b. aft. 1814 d. aft. 1840
5 Adeline CHAPMAN b. aft. 1815
5 Addison S. CHAPMAN b. 1819 m. Susan ?
5 Andrew Johnson CHAPMAN b. Jan 2- 1820 d. 10-28-1895 m. Mar 7- 1844 Sarah Jane MARKS
5 George Jefferson CHAPMAN b. Apr 4- 1822 d. 4-13-1877 m. 2-12-1850 Eliza Jane EELLS b. 1-16-1831 d. 5-30-1920
5 John Henry CHAPMAN b. 8-15-1825 d. 5-23-1917 m. 3-25-1851 Martha Ann EELLS
5 Patrick Rene CHAPMAN
5 Margaret CHAPMAN b. 1830 d. 5-23-1925 m. Franklin DENNIS
4 Andrew CHAPMAN
3 Sally CHAPMAN b. 8-26-1776 m. 12-12-1794 Jacob MILLER
4 John MILLER b. 1-14-1796 d. 10-18-1863 m. Jun 1825 Sarah PECK
4 Tobias MILLER b. Mar 6- 1797 d. 4-22-1865 m. 1-19-1826 Elizabeth BANE
4 Jacob MILLER b. 11-22-1798 d. 1850 m. Polly Bane HARMAN
4 Barbara MILLER b. 11-10-1800 d. 1867 m. Morton P. EMMONS
3 Henley CHAPMAN b. 3-26-1779 d. Apr 8- 1864 m. 9-16-1803 Mary ALEXANDER
4 Isaac CHAPMAN
4 Augustus A. CHAPMAN b. 1803 d. 1876 m. Mary BEIRNE b. 1813?
5 Sue CHAPMAN b. 1847?
5 Ella CHAPMAN b. 1852?
4 Manilius CHAPMAN b. 10-14-1806 d. 10-3-1883 m. Susan BIERNE b. 6-13-1813 d. 6-15-1886
5 Mary A. CHAPMAN b. 1841 d. 8-17-1873
5 Henley CHAPMAN b. 5-25-1843 d. 10-10-1855
5 Emma CHAPMAN b. 1849
5 William Jackson CHAPMAN b. 2-13-1857 d. 5-20-1857
4 Araminta D. CHAPMAN b. Apr 1808 d. Feb 3- 1886
4 Elvina CHAPMAN b. 4-30-1811 d. 9-18-1868 m. Albert Gallatin PENDLETON
4 Isabella CHAPMAN b. 1818 d. 1890 m. William P. CECIL
3 Jemima CHAPMAN b. aft. 1780 d. 1837 m. Charles HALL
4 Emily HALL
4 Chloe HALL
4 Benjamin HALL b. 1800
4 Charles HALL
4 Henley Chapman HALL
4 Sally HALL
2 Richard CHAPMAN b. 1742 m. Margaret "Peggy" ABBOTT
m. 5--5--1790 Susanna CONNELY
3 John CHAPMAN b. 1760 d. aft. 1840 m. Jemima JOHNSON
3 Abner CHAPMAN b. 1762 d. after 1840 m. 1807 ?
3 William CHAPMAN b. 1762 d. before 1840 m. 1787 Elizabeth BURGESS
4 Jemima CHAPMAN b. 1788
4 John CHAPMAN b. 1791
3 Edward CHAPMAN b. 11-20-1795
3 Thomas CHAPMAN
2 Jemima CHAPMAN b. 1745 d. 1778 m. Murdock McKENZIE
3 Polly McKENZIE m. 12-25-1809 Jacob WALL
4 Erastus WALL
4 Mary WALL
4 Lucretia WALL
4 Augustus WALL
3 Sally McKENZIE b. _____ d. May 1778
3 Henley McKENZIE b. _____ d. May 1778
3 Daniel McKENZIE
3 Mary Ann McKENZIE b. _____ d. May 1778
3 Isaac McKENZIE b. 1758 m. Feb 1- 1789 Virginia Jean JOHNSON
3 Elizabeth McKENZIE m. Alexander CLARK
m. Jonas CLYBURN
3 Margaret McKENZIE m. John KINZIE
m. Benjamin HALL

from Rees Chapman research (winsinsit@gmail.com)
WHENCE CAME ISAAC CHAPMAN OF ORANGE COUNTY, VIRGINIA?
WHAT WE KNOW. . .
Isaac Chapman, who died in Orange Co. VA in the mid-1740s, remains elusive. Little is known of
him. In fact, all we know with any certainty is that his wife was Sarah Chapman, and that his
property was appraised in May 1747, sometime after his death:
________________________________________________________
At the Court held for Orange County on Thursday the
22nd day of May, l747.
On the motion of Sarah Chapman, widow, who made oath according
to law, Certificate is granted for obtaining Letters of Administration of
the Estate of Isaac Chapman, Decd. in due form for Giving Security on
which she together with William Duncan and John Roberts her
security entered into and acknowledged their bond for her due and
faithful administration of said Decedents Estate.
Ordered that Francis Browning, Jr., Nathaniel Hillard, Samuel Scott
and William Poe or any three of them first being sworn before a
justice of this County to appraise in current money - the slaves if
any and personal Estate of Isaac Chapman Deceased and return the
appraisement to the court.
The appraisement was made by Francis Browning, Jr., William Poe
and Samuel Scott.
Copies by Mrs. Evelyn W. Utz,
C.Clerks Office, Orange County, Va.
________________________________________________________
In Obediance to an order of Orange County Court for the appraisment
Of The Estate of Isaac Chapman Deceased we the Subscribers met at
the Late dwelling House of the said Chapman & Appraised the said
Estate as it was presented to our view Viz:
To 3 young hogs 1:9:0
To one gun 10:0
To a parcel of old Bed Clothes 5:0
To a parcel of Wooden Ware 12:6
To 4 Old Hoes one ax & one hatchet 4:0
To 2 Iron Potts & one Pan 11:0
To 4 Old Spoons one ___ & two Bolls 6:6
To 2 Old Wheals 3.0
To One Saddle 15:0
To 10 head of Cattle 10:0:0
To 1 Mair 1:15:0
To one young hors 2:0:0
To one young Mair 1:0:0
To one Bell 3:0
To one plowshoe Eye 0:6
_________
18:14:6
This Appraisement returned into Orange Francis Browning Junr
County Court the 28th day of May William Poe
1747 & Ordered to be recorded Sam Scott
Teste? John Nicholas
________________________________________________________
Also, there is court record from about a year later which indicates that Sarah Chapman was in
some dispute with securitors in the resolution of Isaac’s estate:
Orange County Court 26 May 1748:
Upon motion of William Duncan & John Roberts against Sarah Chapman for whom they
became security for her due and faithful administration of her Husband's Estate,
suggesting that they are in danger from the same, it is ordered that she give them counter
security or render up the Estate to them.
So, we know Isaac resided in Orange county VA prior to his death. And we can assume his
property was meager: no land, no house, no slaves, no furniture. To my knowledge, no other
documentation exists regarding this Isaac Chapman.
________________________________________________
WHAT WE SURMISE. . .
Isaac Chapman’s origins and residence
David E. Johnston's 1906 History of Middle New River Settlements states “The Chapmans were
English people, and some of those who emigrated to this country came from Connecticut to
Charles County, Maryland, long prior to the American Revolution. After the settlement in
Maryland, and before the beginning of the Revolution, some of them came to Culpeper County,
Virginia, and settled. Among those who came was Isaac Chapman, who married, in Culpeper
County, Miss Sara Cole, by whom he had three sons and one daughter.” So, Johnston had Isaac
Chapman coming through Charles Co. MD, but his ancestors being from Connecticut. But his
actual sources of this information are not provided.

The Pearisburg Virginian in March 15, 1928 quotes Mrs. W. P. Miller (apparently paraphrasing
Johnston) at the unveiling of the D.A.R. marker for the grave of his son John Chapman: “The
Chapmans who were of English origin, immigrated to America and settled in Connecticut long
prior to the Revolutionary War. From there they moved to Charles County, Maryland. Leaving
Maryland before the beginning of the revolution, a part of them came to Culpeper county,
Virginia. Isaac Chapman was among this number. . .”
Many genealogies, published and on the
internet, specify that Isaac settled, raised
his family, and died in Culpeper county,
Virginia, but Culpeper county didn’t
even exist at the time of Isaac’s death.
We know he died somewhere in Orange
county, but at the time, the county
stretched far across the Shenandoah
mountains; it may have been the part of
Orange county that became Culpeper in
1749. But the witnesses for his death
inventory, Poe, Browning and Scott,
lived even further west, in a region
called Brumfield Parish and Battle Run,
which became part of Madison county
in 1793, and now lies in Rappahannock
county (which was formed in 1833) near
Amissville, Virginia. William Duncan,
who secured Sarah Chapman’s
administration of Isaac’s estate, was
living at the “Parish of Bromfield” in
Culpeper county at the time of his will,
and his place of death is listed as Washington VA; both are now in Rappahannock county. John
Roberts’ deeds about that time were for Little Battle Run, also in present-day Rappahannock
county. Assuming such witnesses would have been drawn from persons living nearby, we can
state with some certainty that Isaac lived and died in that part of Orange county which, today, is
in Rappahannock county.
Also, Orange county was formed in 1734 from Spotsylvania county, which was created in 1721
from Essex, King William, and King and Queen counties. So, while Isaac may have migrated
into Orange county in the 1740s from elsewhere (possibly already married to Sarah Cole), he
could have already been there when it was formed two decades before; perhaps, he was born
there.
I’ve seen many online gedcoms featuring Isaac Chapmans in New England in the late 1600s and
early 1700s, some of whom seem to vanish. Perhaps one of them traveled south along Kings
Highway from Boston to the Virginia interior, settling in Orange Co. near Fredericksburg. Or,
perhaps he took the Great Valley Road from Pennsylvania down the Shenandoah Valley, settling
in that part of Orange Co. which later became Rappahannock Co., from which his descendants
migrated further south into what became Giles Co. Or, maybe he followed paths from
Connecticut to Charles Co. MD along the Atlantic coast, later traveling up the Potomac River
into Orange Co. But, we may never know.
Who was Sarah Cole Chapman, and what became of her?
Are there any clues to be revealed in records of his wife Sarah’s family? Here is a will of
Susannah Cole from St. Mark Parish, Culpeper Co, VA in 1761:
________________________________________________
IN THE NAME OF GOD AMEN, I Susannah Cole of the Parish of St. Mark in the County of
Culpeper, being sick & weak in body but of mind and memory as sound & perfect as usual do
make, ordain this my last will & testament in manner & form following:
My soul I do with all humility recommend to almighty God trusting that through the merits of
my redeemer I shall obtain pardon & remission of my sins & enjoy everlasting felicity and
my body I commit to the earth therein to be decently interr'd at the discretion of my executor
herein after named and the worldly estate with which it hath pleased God to bless me, I
dispose of in the following manner.
Item: I give & bequeath to my son Richard Cole half the still & half utensils thereto
belonging to him & his heirs.
Item: I give to my son John Cole the lot of land I now live on, one bed & furniture, one mare,
one square bottle, also half the still with half the utensils thereto belonging, and also fifteen
gallons of brandy, to him & his heirs. My son John is to pay the doctor only his part.
Item: I give to my daughters Judith & Susannah Cole one bed & furniture, also two cows to
them & their heirs.
Item: I give to my daughters Ann and Sarah Ann Cole bed & furniture, also two heiffers and
to my daughters the whole duly (duty?) man to them & their heirs.
Item: I give my daughter Alice Morgan one iron pot now at her home to her by me.
Item: I give to my grandaughter M____Cole one cow called Cherry, one small dish, one
small bason to her & her heirs.
Item: My will & desire is that the remainder of my estate be equally divided between my sons
Richard & John Cole and my daughters Martha Reynolds, Judith Cole, Susannah Cole, Ann
Cole & Sarah Ann Cole to them & their heirs.
Item: I nominate and appoint Thomas Slaughter to be my Executor to this my Will
IN WITNESS whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the 16th day September in the
year of our Lord 1761.
his
Susanna X Cole
(LS) mark
(witnesses) Elizabeth Wood, John Johnson, Henry Barnes
At a Court held for the County of Culpeper Friday, the 20th day of November 1761
This Last Will and Testament of Susanna Cole, dec'd, was exhibited to the court by Thomas
Slaughter, gentleman, the Executor therein named and was proved by the oaths of John
Johnson & Henry Barnes, two of the witnesses thereto & ordered to be recorded, at the same
time the said Executor refused to take the burthen of the execution thereof, and on the motion
of John Cole, Certificate is granted him for obtaining Letters of Administration of the said
decedent's estate with the Will annexed, he having taken the oath & entered into bond with
security as the law directs.
Teste: Roger Dixon, Cl.Cur.
________________________________________
Might this Sarah Ann Cole have been Isaac’s widow, Sarah? Did widows of that period ever
resume using their maiden names?
A John Cole, born in Pennsylvania in about 1680, was a farmer, and is said to have operated a
still in Culpeper Virginia before dying in 1757. (Could this have been the still bequeathed by
Susanna Cole to her son John?) He and his wife Susanna had the following children:
John Cole born about 1700
Mary Ann Cole born about 1702
Judith Cole born about 1704
Alice Cole bon about 1706
Susanna Cole born about 1708
Sarah Ann Cole born about 1710
Martha Cole born about 1712
Richard Cole born 1729 in Pennsylvania
Assuming this is the same line of Coles originally from Pennsylvania, might this have been the
same Sarah Cole who married Isaac?
And, as noted above, Sarah was in some trouble with the securitors of Isaac’s estate in 1748.
What became of her, and what remained of Isaac’s meager property?

Isaac Chapman’s descendants
We can surmise that he was the father of sons Isaac, John, and Richard, and daughter Jemimah. I
know of no court documents that support this, and assume it comes from family lore found in
letters of his descendants. The reason this is important is that many Chapman descendants today
trace their lineage back to Isaac, John, Richard, and Jemimah, and are eager to extend their
genealogies even further back, to Isaac of Orange and his ancestors. This assumption may have
its origins in a letter by Isaac's grandson Henley Chapman (and son of John Chapman), which
reads "My grandfather was named Isaac Chapman; he emigrated to Virginia from England, the
year unknown; he settled in Virginia, perhaps in Culpeper County. He married my grandmother,
a native of Virginia. I think her name was Sarah Cole; by her, he had three sons, Isaac, John and
Richard and one daughter named Jemima." (The Sarah Cole who was the daughter of John and
Susanna Cole was likely born in Pennsylvania, as was her younger brother Richard.)
As will be shown later, Isaac’s children were very young at the time of his death in about 1747.
If we agree with the stated birth dates from prevailing genealogies, son Isaac was about eight, son
John was seven, son Richard was about five, and daughter Jemimah was about two. An online
genealogy site, Ancestry.com, claims that Sarah Cole Chapman died a year after Isaac, in 1748.
(This conflicts with the idea that she was the Sarah Ann Cole mentioned in her mother’s will of
1761.) I have never seen any documentation of this, but if it is true, it means the Chapman
children were orphaned early in their childhoods. We can assume a few things from this: they
were taken in by some other family or families, and they would probably have retained rather
incomplete stories of their parents’ origins. This could explain any inaccuracies in Henley
Chapman’s recall of his grandfather Isaac’s history.
Isaac’s sons John and Richard married sisters Sally and Peggy Abbott, daughters of Richard
Abbott. Richard himself seems elusive, although I found mention online of his living in
Culpeper county near Gourd Vine Church, which is apparently in southeastern Rappahannock
county today.
Isaac’s daughter married the Scotsman Moredoch McKenzie. Johnston (1906) describes "a
record of deeds in the clerk's office of the County Court of Culpeper County, finding a deed
made by Mr. McKensey and wife in November, 1768, conveying a tract of land on Burgess's
River, to which deed the name of McKensey is spelled ‘Moredock O. McKensey.’ Burgess's
River has disappeared from all the maps, if it ever had a place thereon, and diligent inquiry of the
Culpeper people failed to disclose its locality; it is believed however, that the name has been
changed to Hedges' River.” The Burgess River was a boundary of a tract of land deeded to
William Poe of Culpeper county in 1753, a portion of that county I suspect became
Rappahannock county in 1833. And today, Jenkins Gap Overlook on the Skyline Drive is said
to view the Burgess River in Rappahannock county. So, had Isaac lived near Moredock on the
Burgess River in what is now Rappahannock county, his daughter might have been the
Scotsman’s neighbor.
Johnston further states: “In November 1768, John Chapman, Richard Chapman, and Moredock
O. McKensey removed from Culpeper County to the Shenandoah, in the Valley of Virginia, and
from thence, in 1771, came to the New River Valley. . .” suggesting two relocations. But,
another possibility is that the Chapmans and McKenzies were already in that part of Culpeper
county that included the Shenandoah Valley, and moved but once to Botetourt county, which
became Fincastle, then Montgomery, then Giles county. In any event, the picture emerges of the
Chapman siblings (Richard, John and Jemimah) courting and marrying Abbott brothers and a
Scotsman in what would become Rappahannock county, then migrating down the Shenandoah
valley to settle along the New River in what would become Giles county.
By the mid-1770s, we have evidence of John, Richard and Jemimah living in Botetourt and/or
Montgomery counties along the New River (in what became Giles county in 1806). Isaac’s son
Isaac allegedly moved to Alabama, and his grandson Reuben is said to have been in the Alabama
congress in 1841. However, an Isaac Chapman served in the Revolutionary War, enlisting from
the New River region living next to John Chapman at the mouth of Walker’s Creek on the New
River in Montgomery Co., and no sons or nephews would have been old enough to soldier in this
war; apparently, this Isaac relocated to Alabama after the war.
The following lineages are rather well documented:
1 Isaac Chapman d. 1747 m. Sarah Cole
.....2 Isaac Chapman b. 1739
.....2 John Chapman b. 1-18-1740 d. 12-18-1813 m. 1761 Sally Abbott
..........3 Annie Chapman b. 1763 d. 1831 m. John Lybrook
..........3 Isaac Chapman b. 4-19-1764 d. 5-29-1836 m. Elian Johnston
..........3 George Chapman b. 1766 d. 4-20-1816 m. 11-5-1789 Patience Clay
..........3 John Chapman b. 1771 d. 1796 m. 7- Sep 1791 Dicie Napier
..........3 Sally Chapman b. 8-26-1776 m. 12-12-1794 Jacob Miller
..........3 Henley Chapman b. 3-26-1779 d. 8- Apr 1864 m. 9-16-1803 Mary Alexander
..........3 Jemima Chapman b. aft. 1780 d. 1837 m. Charles Hall
.....2 Richard Chapman b. 1742 m. Margaret "Peggy" Abbott
. m. 5-5-1790 Susanna Connely
..........3 John Chapman b. 1760 d. aft. 1840 m. Jemima Johnson
..........3 Abner Chapman b. 1762 d. after 1840
..........3 William Chapman b. 1762 d. before 1840 m. 1787 Elizabeth Burgess
..........3 Edward Chapman b. 11-20-1795
..........3 Thomas Chapman
.....2 Jemima Chapman b. 1745 d. 1778 m. Murdock McKenzie
..........3 Polly McKenzie m. 12-25-1809 Jacob Wall
..........3 Sally McKenzie b. _____ d. May 1778
..........3 Henley McKenzie b. _____ d. May 1778
..........3 Daniel McKenzie
..........3 Mary Ann McKenzie b. _____ d. May 1778
..........3 Isaac McKenzie b. 1758 m. 1- Feb 1789 Virginia Jean Johnson
..........3 Elizabeth McKenzie m. Alexander Clark
. m. Jonas Clyburn
..........3 Margaret McKenzie m. John Kinzie
. m. Benjamin Hall
WHAT IS WILDLY CONJECTURED. . .
Recall that Isaac’s grandson stated in a letter that Isaac came to Virginia from England. Historian
David E. Johnston reported that Isaac's line came through New England, perhaps Connecticut;
he, or his parents, may have been born in England. Also recall that there is little or no
documentation to support either claim.
There are two other hypotheses as to Isaac’s origins which are prevalent:
#1 Isaac's father was Thomas Chapman of Charles Co. MD, fourth (or fifth) in a series of
Thomas Chapmans who came to America at Jordan's Journey, VA.
#2 Isaac's father was John Chapman of Charles Co. MD, probably a descendant of the series of
Thomas Chapmans, perhaps a brother of Thomas Chapman of Charles Co. MD.
I'll consider each hypothesis:
#1 son of Thomas. . .
Many descendants of Isaac Chapman, through the Giles County Chapmans (including Isaac,
John, Richard and Jemima) believe their line passes through Thomas Chapman who came to
America at Jordon’s Journey in 1610 on the Tryall. I regard this as false, and believe it originated
with George Roberts’ terribly flawed work, Genealogy of Joseph Peck (1955), which traces Isaac
Chapman of Orange Co. VA back to Thomas Chapman of 1610 Colonial Virginia. He lays out
the following lineage:
Thomas Chapman I (b. 1590) came to Jordon's Journey VA on the Tryall in 1610, m. Ann in
1618, had two children: Thomas II (b. 1619) and Ann (b. 1622), both in Jordon's Journey.
Thomas II settled Elizabeth River VA and had a son Thomas III b. ca. 1642.
Thomas III settled in Charles Co. MD in 1662 and supposedly m. Elizabeth Craxon in 1689.
Had two children: Thomas IV (b. 3-26-1690) and Mary (b. 8-19-1693) before relocating to
Stafford Co. VA in 1695.
Thomas IV ultimately settled in Orange Co, probably what became Culpeper Co., VA
There are problems with this lineage. Thomas III would have 48 years old, and Elizabeth (b.
1644) would have been 46, when Thomas IV was born; 51 and 49 respectively for Mary. Indeed,
49 year old women in Colonial America, such as Elizabeth Craxon Chapman in 1693, did have
children - but it was quite unusual. Referring to Thomas Chapman III, Brian Berry’s Generations
1-5 of the Family and Descendants of Thomas Chapman of Jordan’s Journey notes that after
1641 “for the next three decades, no records for Thomas have been located.” Two alternative
explanations seem more plausible: Thomas III was really the grandfather of Thomas IV (with
lost generation interceding), or Thomas IV was from a different line of Chapmans altogether.
According to Roberts, the Thomas Chapman born March 26, 1690 in Charles Co. MD is
“probably” the same Thomas Chapman whose death inventory we find in Culpeper VA dated
Nov. 18, 1782. Later, says Roberts, "it may have been his son, b. ca. 1810-12." (I assume he
intended to estimate this birthdate a century earlier: 1710-12.) Is he conjecturing a Thomas V?
Would this be Isaac’s father, or his brother? Thus, we see that Roberts was uncertain that the
Thomas Chapman born in Charles Co. MD in 1690 was the same as the Thomas Chapman who
died in Culpeper VA in 1782.
According to Roberts, Johnston's 1906 History of Middle New River Settlements mentions an
Isaac Chapman “born in Charles County, Maryland,” although there is no evidence of this birth
in county records. But, this is not what was actually said by Johnston, who made no mention of
an Isaac born in Maryland. Roberts, attempting to dismiss Johnston’s apparent difference of
opinion regarding Isaac’s origins, states: “Considering the relationship between the Chapmans,
Abbotts and the Johnstons, it is a foregone conclusion that Col. David E. Johnston, the writer of
the Middle New River History, had a storehouse of first hand information on the subject,
especially with relation to the Chapman family, but when we consider that Thomas Chapman left
Charles County, Md., in 1695 and the History was not written until 1906, we may also conclude
that the elapsed time in the amount of 210 years is ample for discrepancies to creep into
traditions handed down. We give much credit to Col. Johnston for his great work, but when we
find that a certain passage is contrary to the record we shall bow to the record.” But “the record”
to which he allegedly bows is not substantiated.
Culbertson's Hunter Genealogy, says Roberts, lists Thomas' children as Nathaniel, George, John,
and an unidentified daughter; no mention is made of an Isaac. For some reason, says Roberts, "to
this we would add Isaac." And "we are certain that Isaac was a son of Thomas IV." But, there is
no evidence supporting this. Then, Roberts goes on to state that there is “no recorded evidence
that the other members (i.e., Nathaniel and George) were brothers of Isaac and John, therefore,
they shall not be considered further.. ."
So - there is no evidence of an Isaac Chapman born in Charles Co., but Roberts insists he must
be the undocumented son of Thomas IV born in Charles Co. in 1690, who is either the Thomas
Chapman who died in Culpeper in 1782 or another undocumented son. And although there is
apparently evidence that Thomas IV had children George and Nathaniel, there is no evidence of
Isaac being brother of George and Nathaniel - thus, we dismiss them as Thomas' sons. This is
very sloppy reasoning, supported by erroneous assumptions and no real evidence! It leads me to
suspect that Roberts attempted to graft Isaac Chapman's family tree onto Thomas', thus stretching
the lineage back to 1610.
#2 son of John. . .
This is the hypothesis with which I'm least familiar. It identifies Isaac's father as John Chapman
(brother of Nathaniel Chapman, b: 1675 in Charles County, MD, d: 1735) and his mother as
Margaret Mankin (b: 30 Mar 1688 in Port Tobacco, MD). This John Chapman is apparently a
brother of Thomas Chapman IV of hypothesis #1, whose parents were Thomas Chapman III and
Elizabeth Craxon.
Hypothesis #2 lacks the flaws of Roberts' work, while still tracing Isaac to Thomas Chapman of
Jordan's Journey and placing him in Charles Co. MD (which fits with later anecdotal accounts of
his origins); this likely pleases those genealogists who hate it when their ancestors appear out of
nowhere. But, where's the evidence and documentation?
COMPLETE IDIOCY!
An Ancestry.com subscriber provided me with some genealogical info she obtained online about
Isaac Chapman. Compiling it, and reviewing the resulting genealogy, I was amazed to find some
fascinating facts about the Chapmans. Compiling and dissembling the information, we see:
1 Thomas CHAPMAN b. 3-26-1690 Charles, MD d. 11-18-1782 Culpeper VA
. m. Sarah Cole b. abt. 1718
...2 Nathaniel CHAPMAN b. 1712 Pamunkey, Charles, MD
...2 Isaac CHAPMAN b. abt. 1716 Stafford VA d. 1747
. m. 1739 Culpeper VA Sarah COLE b. 5-1-1718 Culpeper VA d. 1748 Orange VA
Sarah was very precocious, obviously, bearing one son (Nathaniel) 6 years before she herself was
born, then producing another son (Isaac) 4 years later, a couple of years prenatally. But then, she
apparently married her own son (Isaac).
Now, this Isaac had another son named Isaac:
......3 Isaac CHAPMAN b. abt. 1739 Orange VA d. AL
. m. 8-15-1811 Rebecca STEWART b. 1793 Montgomery VA d. 1840 Lawrence KY
.........4 John CHAPMAN b. abt. 1750 Old Dominion VA
who, when he was only 11 had a son John, whose mother was not to be born for another 43
years.
......3 John CHAPMAN b. 1-18-1740 Orange VA d. 12-18-1813 Giles VA
. m. 1761 Orange VA Sally ABBOT b. 1744 Culpeper VA d. abt. 1816 Giles VA
The first child listed:
.........4 Nancy Nannie CHAPMAN b. VA
doesn’t appear in any other records. John (b. 1740) had a granddaughter named Nancy through
his son Isaac (b. 1764), who might be misplaced here. The rest of the siblings check out, until:
.........4 Elizabeth CHAPMAN b. 3-31-1791
.........4 Lucretia CHAPMAN b. 1798 Montgomery VA
........4 David CHAPMAN b. 1803 Montgomery VA
who were John’s granddaughters and grandson through son George (b. 1766). Incidently, Sally
would have been 59 years old when/if she gave birth to David.
My conclusion: much of what you find in online genealogy is GARBAGE! While it may provide
a few starting points and hypotheses, it should NEVER be assumed to be correct. Then again,
published books shouldn’t necessarily be trusted as accurate, either, as I demonstrated with my
discussion above of George Roberts’ Genealogy of Joseph Peck (1955), which lacks any
evidence and provides but sheer speculation of a lineage of Isaac Chapman through Thomas
Chapman. To this day, however, amateur genealogists pass on such mistaken assumptions.
QUESTIONS
Are there any records of an Isaac Chapman born in Charles county, Maryland, in the early 1700s?
If so, can we follow him across northern Virginia into the Shenandoah by 1747? Or, can we
locate an Isaac Chapman in New England, in or near Connecticuit?
What was Isaac Chapman doing in Orange county? Had he been born there when it was
Spotsylvania county? How do we know he actually settled there? Could he have been traveling
further south, became ill or injured, and died in Orange? Did he actually own any property? If
so, why are there no deeds? Why is there no will?
What could have happened to Isaac Chapman? Was he killed by Native Americans? Killed in a
dispute with a local property owner on whose land he was squatting? Murdered? Why is there
no record at all of his actual death?
What became of Sarah Cole Chapman? Was she treated fairly by Orange county courts? Was
she exploited by the local residents? Did she really die a year after Isaac, as is suggested in some
Ancestry.com information? Or is she the Sarah Ann Cole mentioned in Susannah Cole’s Will in
Culpeper of 1761? What became of the children? Did they somehow survive without parents?
Were they adopted?
What about John, Richard and Jemimah? Did they settle briefly somewhere between Culpeper
county and Botetourt/Montgomery/Giles before continuing to the New River? Or did they
relocate but once, the changing county lines making them seem to have moved? Were there
only four (including brother Isaac), or could some others either not have survived or not headed
south with the known siblings?
CONCLUSION
I see much wisdom in the adage “genealogy without documentation is mythology.” Having
traveled up and down the Chesapeake Bay by land and sea countless times, I’ve often imagined
my ancestors Thomas exploring and settling among the lovely bays and estuaries between
Norfolk and Charles City, Maryland, and the first Thomas and Ann Chapman sailing from
England four centuries ago, docking very near where I grew up in Hampton Roads Virginia. But,
what compels my historical fantasies does not belong in my genealogical work without better
empirical support. So, for now, my line of Chapman ancestors stops with Isaac Chapman, his
wife Sarah Cole, and his children Isaac, John, Richard and Jemimah; his death around 1747 in
Orange Co., VA is the earliest documented event I've seen. I believe genealogists, amateur and
professional, should remove paternity links of Isaac to Thomas Chapman or John Chapman from
their genealogical works unless (and until) they can justify them with real evidence.
Rees Chapman, Ph.D.
Dahlonega, GA
winwinsit at Gmail dot com
August 2008

• Married: ABT 1738 in Orange Co. (now Culpepper), VA

1. John C., I Chapman b: 18 JAN 1739 in Orange Co. (now Culpepper), VA
2. Richard Chapman b: 1742 in Culpeper Co., VA
3. Jerimah Chapman b: 1745 in Orange Co. (now Culpepper), VA

1. Title: History of New River Settlements: The Chapmans