Chace Family History

It is not known for certain where in England William Chace originated. Some have claimed that William was the son of Aquila Chase of Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England. However, John Carroll Chase, the preeminent Chase Family Genealogist of the 19th century, was convinced that this was not the case, and more recently DNA testing of descendants of William Chace and Aquila Chase have shown that there is no close relationship between the families (analysis of the results). Others have claimed that William hailed from Wivenhoe, in Essex, Enland, and this is the theory to which I subscribe. I have made an extensive analysis of the evidence for William having come from Essex and would like to hear the opinions of others regarding this subject.

We do know that on April 8, 1630, William Chace, the Elder, set sail across the Atlantic Ocean to the New World as a member of the Winthrop Fleet which arrived on the shores of North America with the intent of establishing the Massachussetts Bay Colony. William Chace's son William Chace, the Younger, took this arduous journey with his parents at the approximate age of eight years old. William the Younger, by most accounts, married twice. Indeed, the documents in my possession indicate that he married twice. In our family records, his second marriage to an unknown woman continues my line. Some claim that this woman was named Elizabeth Holder or Holden. But, I have yet to see any records that confirm this.

Nonetheless, his son Joseph Chace is my direct ancestor. Joseph married Sarah Sherman, daughter of Samson, on 28 Feb 1693/1694. Joseph and Sarah had an incredible number of children - fourteen in all - of which Moses was the youngest.

Joseph Chace's son Moses Chace, married Alice Sherman on March 25, 1742. Sherman records also confirm that Moses married Alice Sherman. However, I have found few records of their children. According to the documents I have, they had nine children. Joseph Chace, their third child, furthers our branch of the Chace Clan.

Joseph Chace was born September 30, 1762 and married Isabel Thomas on October 24, 1784. The union produced eight children, the oldest of which was Burgess Thomas Chace.

Joseph Chace died December 13, 1818 in Burrillville, Rhode Island. Isabel, his wife, died May of 1832. They are both buried in Tasseltop, Massachusetts.

Burgess Thomas Chace was born in Swansea, Mass, July 22, 1785, the oldest child of Joseph Chace and Isabel (Thomas) Chace.

He married Rebecca Chace, his distant cousin, January 6, 1806. They had 6 children:

1. Thomas born August 31, 1807 in Douglas, Mass.

2. Alonzo born December 30, 1810 in Chesheir, Mass.

3. Benjamin born April 4, 1813 in Douglas, Mass.

4. Burgess born March 17, 1816 in Burrillville, RI.

5. Amasa born January 22, 1823 in Gloucester, RI.

6. Joseph born November 27, 1827 in Gloucester, RI.

Rebecca Chace died November 13, 1833 and is buried in the North Burial Ground in Providence, Rhode Island.

After the death of Rebecca, Burgess Thomas Chace married Achsah Jillson, they had no children. She died in August of 1843. He then married Julia Stearns and had one daughter Achsah.

Burgess Thomas Chace died September 6, 1858, in Oskaloosa, Iowa and is buried in the Cedar Grove Pioneer Cemetery.

On January 29, 1835, Thomas Chace married Lucretia Cornell, daughter of Elijah Cornell and sister of Ezra Cornell, founder of Cornell University and also founder of Western Union Telegraph. Thomas and Lucretia had seven children:

1. Rebecca born December 17, 1835.

2. Elijah Cornell born March 7, 1837 in Cranston, RI.

3. Alonzo born March 23, 1839 in Providence, RI.

4. Edward M. born August 17, 1840 in Providence, RI. (twin)

5. Albert Hussey born August 17, 1840 in Providence, RI.(twin)

6. Thomas born November 2, 1842 in Providence, RI.

7. Eunice Lucretia August 13, 1844 in Providence, RI.

Thomas Chace Sr. died February 5, 1895 in Shawnee, Kansas and is buried in the Antioch Pioneer Cemetery in Prairie Village, Kansas.

Lucretia (Cornell) Chace died April 14, 1845, and is buried in the North Burial Ground in Providence, Rhode Island.

With regard to the family of Thomas and Lucretia, it is interesting to examine the records of Cornell University. Thomas Chace is shown as the husband of Lucretia. Further in the Cornell University Archives, there is a vast amount of correspondence which goes on between Cornell and Chace family members. As mentioned above, Thomas and Lucretia had seven children. These children can be found in the Cornell Family letter archives, browsing under the group Box19 36, folder 9. September 1, 1852 - December 27, 1857, and the group Box 36, folder 10. December 28, 1857 - February 10, 1860, one will find some of the letters to Elijah Cornell and his wife Eunice from these, their grandchildren. I have put together a page with links to most of the letters from Thomas and Lucretia Chace and their children.

One of the letters I have found was written on September 21, 1856, by Rebecca Chace to Ezra Cornell and begins "My Dear Uncle". (4 pages, click Next button at bottom of the page). This letter as well as the rest of what Rebecca wrote to Uncle Ezra, is as nice of a letter as anyone would ever want to receive.

The same goes for a letter from Albert Hussey Chace of July 23, 1864, which also begins, "My Dear Uncle."

Furthermore, some interesting information is recorded in the same group of letter archives under Box 36, folder 4. February 10, 1844 - August 20, 1845. If you look at this group of correspondence, you will notice that one mentioned is a letter from my ancestor Thomas Chace concerning the illness and death of Lucretia. I have transcribed three of them so far and they can be found here. I find it fascinating to read about the emotions of my grandfather written in his own hand. Thanks to Cornell University and Peter Hirtle for making these letters available on-line.

Another letter, which has not yet been transcribed, was from Great Great Great Grandfather Thomas to Ezra Cornell and his wife Mary Ann and begins "Dear Brother & Sister" (2 pages, click Next button at bottom of the page).

Further in my line of Chaces:

Thomas Chace Jr. married Lydia Effie Smith January 19, 1870. Lydia was born November 20, 1846 in Richland, Iowa. They had four children:

1. Edward Perry born December 5, 1870 in Shawnee, Kansas.

2. Almeda Hadley born January 15, 1873 in Shawnee, Kansas.

3. Albert Henry born November 2, 1874 in Shawnee, Kansas.

4. Thomas Everett born August 15, 1876 in Shawnee, Kansas.

Thomas Chace Jr. died September 5, 1893 in Shawnee, Kansas and is buried in the Shawnee Cemetery.

Lydia Effie (Smith) Chace died January 30, 1934 and is buried in the Shawnee Cemetery.

Albert Henry Chace married Anna Lee Carman June 22, 1898 in Lenexa, Kansas. Anna Lee Carman was born in 1878 in Holiday, Kansas.

They had 8 children:

1. Thomas Everett born July 19, 1899 in Shawnee, Kansas.

2. Darrell Lee born June 27, 1901 in Shawnee, Kansas.

3. James Burton born September 25, 1904 in Kansas City, Missouri.

4. Virgil Loren born September 16, 1906 in Kansas City, Missouri.

5. Alice Edith born August 23, 1909 in Shawnee, Kansas.

6. Anna Lee born September 18, 1911 in Montreal, Missouri.

7. Clive Carman born February 8, 1916 in Montreal, Missouri.

8. Lois Gernhart

Albert Henry Chace died July 21, 1945 and is buried in the Shawnee Cemetery.

Anna Lee (Carman) Chace died July 19, 1926 in Shawnee, Kansas and is buried in the Shawnee Cemetery.

Clive Carman Chace died January 6, 1999 in Kansas City, Kansas.