Deacon Samuel Chapin

Citations

1. [S1703] Gilbert Warren Chapin, The Chapin Book of Genealogical Data, With Brief Biological Sketches of the Descendants of Deacon Samuel Chapin, pages 2-3.
2. [S1710] Samuel Chapin - Cecily Penny: Samuel was born in 1598 in Paignton, Devonshire, England and baptized 8 Oct 1598 at the St. John the Baptist Church there. He was the son of John Chapin and Phillipa Easton. He married Cecily Penny 9 Feb 1623 in Paignton. She was born 21 Feb 1601 in Paignton, the daughter of Henry Penny and Jane Dabinott.
   Samuel and most of his family came to New England in 1635 or earlier. A r ecord at Roxbury, of early but unknown dates shows that he possessed 24 acres of land there, and had eight persons in his family; himself, wife, father, and five children. In 1641 he bought a house and lot of James Howe and became a Freeman, which implied he was a church member and this gave him the right to vote and hold office under the Colonial Government. He was evidently an acquaintance of William Pynchon in England and a neighbor, for a short time, in Roxbury. Pynchon, in 1636, led about a dozen families westward to the Connecticut River, where he founded the settlement first known as Agawam, later named Springfield. The Chapins apparently migrated to the new settlement during the winter of 1642-3. This change was doubtless largely due to Pynchon's influence.
   William Pynchon appointed five men of standing in Springfield, called Selectman, to warch over morals, health, and public measures. Samuel was one of these. One of their most delicate duties was that of assigning the seats in the meetinghouse. The place of Cecily is there recorded: "Goodwife Chapin is to sitt in the Seate alonge with Mrs. Glover an d Mrs. Hollyock." Mrs. Grover was the minister's wife and was therefore the leading lady, an d Mrs. Hollyock was the daughter of William Pynchon.
   Samuel was engaged in town business and held continuously the office of Selectman from 1644 to 1652 and again in 1661 and 1664, and later as Auditor. He was first called Deacon in the records on February 21, 1650. Besides the regular duties assigned to this office, he conducted the Sabbath service, including preaching, for several years when the church lacked a pastor.
   In 1651, William Pynchon was convicted of heresy, by the General Court, and returned to England. His son-in-law, Henry Smith then became chief magistrate. The next year he too returned to England and Capt. John Pynchon, Lieut. Elizer Holyoke and Samuel Chapin were by the General Court commissioned magistrates for the administration of justice, "allowing them the power of a County Court". He held the office until 1664, and in addition performed important duties, laying out land grants and the plantations that became Northampton and Hadley.His first home lot was at the corner of the present Main and Pynchon Streets, but by 1664 he appears to have been living in Chicopee, with his son Japhet. His holdings in Springfield were large, but he gave all to his sons in his lifetime, reserving a life interest for himself and his wife, his will disposing of personal estate only.
   .In October 1675, Springfield was attacked by Indians and burned. Deacon Chapin did not see the town rebuilt, for in about a month, as his son Japhet wrote, "My father was taken out of this troublesome world the 11th day of November about eleven of the clock in the eve, 1675".
   Deacon Samuel Chapin conscientiously and wisely discharged important trusts for the maintenance of religion and good order and left an abiding impress of his character and life on the city. To judge from the private acts of the man, and from the firm hand he wrote, he was a man of some education, strong will, inflexible integrity, abundant charity and real piety.
   Next to the Public Library in Springfield there is a bronze statue, "The Puritan", placed there 24 Nov 1887 that honors him. It is the sculptor's idea of how such a man as Deacon Chapin, a man of his moral standing and spiritual qualities ought to have looked. - transcribed by anonymous - http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~lcowen/…
3. [S1713] Howard Millar Chapin, The English Ancestry of Dea, Samuel Chapin of Springfield, Mass., 352 - Soon after this an American genealogist accidentally 'found, in the registers of Paignton, a parish in Devonshire, on the shore of Tor Bay, about seven miles north from Dartmouth, the record of the marriage of Samuell Chapin and Cicely Peny [Penny], 9 Feb. 1623 [1623/4]; and the same registers were found to contain several other Chapin and Penny records, including the baptism of David, son of Samuell Chapin, 4 Jan. 1624 [1624/5], that of Samuel himself, son of John Chapin, 8 Oct. 1598, that of Cicely, daughter of Henry Penny, 21 Feb. 1601 [1601/2], and the marriage, 14 Sept. 1590, of John Chapin [Samuel's father] and Phillipe Easton. Henry Penny of Paignton, baker, in his will dated 6 Apr. 1630, made bequests to his daughter, Cicelly Chapin, his nephew [i.e., grandson], David Chapin, and to Katherine Chapin and Sarah Chapin; and thus the identity of the Samuel Chapin and wife Cicely of Paignton with the Samuel Chapin and wife Cicely of Springfield, Mass., was established. § - http://www.americanancestors.org/databases/…
4. [S1713] Howard Millar Chapin, The English Ancestry of Dea, Samuel Chapin of Springfield, Mass., page 355 - Paignton Parish Baptismal Register - Samuel, son of John Chapin 8 October 1598. - http://www.americanancestors.org/databases/…
5. [S1713] Howard Millar Chapin, The English Ancestry of Dea, Samuel Chapin of Springfield, Mass., page 352 - Paignton Parish Marriage Register - Samuell Chapin and Cecily Peny 10 Feb. 1623 [1623/24]. - http://www.americanancestors.org/databases/…
6. [S1703] Gilbert Warren Chapin, The Chapin Book of Genealogical Data, With Brief Biological Sketches of the Descendants of Deacon Samuel Chapin, page XII - "A record at Roxbury, of early but unknown date shows that he [Samuel] possessed 24 acres of land there, and had eight persons in his family, himself, wife, father & five children." He had immigrated atleast by 1635 or earlier.
7. [S1703] Gilbert Warren Chapin, The Chapin Book of Genealogical Data, With Brief Biological Sketches of the Descendants of Deacon Samuel Chapin, page XIII - In October 1675, Springfield was attacked by Indians & burned. Deacon Chapin did not see the town rebuilt, for in about a month as wrote his son, Japhet, "my father was taken out of this troubelsom world the 11th day of November about eleven of the clock in the eve, 1675."