William Chase Sr
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William Chase Sr (abt. 1595 - abt. 1659)

Constable William Chase Sr
Born about in Englandmap [uncertain]
Son of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]
[sibling(s) unknown]
Husband of — married before 1627 in Englandmap
Descendants descendants
Died about at about age 64 in Yarmouth, Plymouth Colonymap
Profile last modified | Created 12 Sep 2010
This page has been accessed 11,430 times.
The Puritan Great Migration.
William Chase Sr migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See Great Migration Begins, by R. C. Anderson, Vol. 1, p. 336)
Join: Puritan Great Migration Project
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NOTE: Please do not re-attach Aquila Chase and Martha Sarah Jelliman as parents of William.

Contents

Disputed Origins

Pre-merge duplicate profiles include some that called him son of Aquila Chase and Martha Sarah Jelliman. Some say he was b/bp 4 Jan 1607 at Hundrick Parish, Chesham, Buckingham, England, but without citation. Robert Charles Anderson says he was born by 1605 (based on estimated date of marriage) and his origins remain unknown, although he adds:

"Banks derives this William Chase from Wivenhoe, Essex, citing only 'Banks Mss.' [Topo Dict 53][1]; this is certainly the right area for an early Roxbury resident, but it should not be accepted without further research."[2]

However, there was a William Chase who had a wife named Marye who did reside in Essex. There is a christening record in Chelmsford, Essex, England for a William Chase, son of William and Marye, christened 27 Oct 1622, which fits with Banks' claim.[3] This could, possibly, be William Jr. of Yarmouth. There is, also, a christening record for a daughter named Dorothy 08 May 1625 which could be a daughter who died young. [4]

A 1928 genealogy of Hampton brothers Aquila Chase and Thomas Chase also indicates no proof that William was their brother or that any of these three were sons of Aquila and Martha (Jelliman) Chase. Key quotes include:

... No evidence has been found to support the claim, which has appeared in print innumerable times, that William Chase was a brother of Aquila and Thomas. In one instance it was state that this relationship was proven by Aquila's will making a bequest to his niece, 'daughter of his brother William.' This will, as will be seen, makes no such bequest.
From whence and how William came has not been established, notwithstanding the various statements that have appeared in print."[5]

An unsourced birth suggested: 19 Feb 1605 in Rogate, Sussex, England

Biography

As described above, William's origins and parentage remain unknown. He married by 1627 in England Mary _____.

That he came to New England in 1630 as part of Winthrop's Fleet is supposed by an entry by Rev. John Eliott in the First Church of Roxbury, MA:

"William Chase, he came wth the first company, 1630."[6]

He lived with his family at Roxbury from 1630 to 1638 according to records kept by Rev. John Eliot of the church there. He was a housewright. He brought with him one child his son William, "a child of ill qualities & a sore affliction to his parents."[7] He removed to Yarmouth by 1638.

In Yarmouth he was involved in many court disputes.

  • Trouble with Rev. Marmaduke Mathewes brought him before the Court almost immediately, for on 1 Sept 1640 he was censured for his 'miscarriages' against Mr. Mathewes and disturbance of church proceedings.[8]
  • In 1641 he was back in court disagreeing with Nicholas Sympkins concerning a fence.
  • In 1647/8, the Plymouth Colony Court authorized Capt. Myles Standish to go to Yarmouth and put an end to the differences.

Death

He died in Yarmouth, MA btw 4 May 1659 (date of will) and 13 May 1659 (probate).[9]

His wife died not long after her husband:

"In October 1659 a coroner's jury 'having made search and inquiry, according to our best light and understanding, into the cause of death of Mary Chase, viz: of our town of Yarmouth, do with joint consent present, the day and year abovesaid, that we an find no other but that she died a natural death through inward sickness, as is evident to all men naturally." [PCR 3:172][10]

Last Will & Testament

"William Chace of Yarmouth the elder." Dated 4 May 1659; proved 13 May 1659; inventoried 14 Sep 1659:

  • to my son Benjamin...
  • to son William [elsewhere called eldest son] whoe hath had of mee alreddy a good portion...
  • unto Mary my wife, named executor[9][11][12]

Children

  1. William, b in England as early as 1627; m1 by 1645 _____ _____; m2 by 1672 ____ ____.
  2. Mary, b probably in Roxbury abt 15 May 1637; bur Barnstable or Yarmouth 28 Oct 1652 as daughter of "Goodman Chase, ye elder"[13]
  3. Benjamin, bp Roxbury 18 Apr 1652[14] (but Chase, 1933, p 49 -- as well as Savage and others -- believe Benjamin was born much earlier, say 1639); m by 1674 Phillipa Sherman, dau of Philip Sherman.

Excerpts from Additional Publications

From "Chamberlain Descendants of William Chase Peterson" (genealogylibrary.com) (may also contain his will):
William Chase and his family lived at Roxbury from 1630 to 1638; and the following information about them has been copied from the records of the church at Roxbury kept by Rev. John Eliot:
"William Chase, he came with the first company, 1630; he brought one child his son willia. a child of ill qualitys, & a sore affliction to his parents: he was much afflicted by the long & tedious affliction of his wife; after his wives recovery she bare him a daughter, wch they named mary borne aboute the midle of the 3d month [May], 1637. he did after yt remove (intending) to Situate, but after went with a company who maide a new plantation at yarmouth." (Roxbury Church Records, pp. 73-74.)
"Mary Chase, the wife of William Chase. she had a paralitik humor wch fell into her back bone, so yt she could not stir her body, but as she was lifted, and filled her wth great torture, & caused her back bone to goe out of joynt, & bunch out from the begining to the end of wch infirmity she lay 4 years & a halfe, & a great pt of the time a sad spectakle of misery: But it pleasd God to raise her againe, & she bore children after it." (Ib., p. 75.)
William Chase was named, 19 Oct. 1630, among those "who desire to be made freeman;" and he was made a freeman of the Massachusetts Bay Colony on 14 May 1634.[15] (REGISTER, vol. 3, pp. 90, 92.) In 1639 he moved to Yarmouth on Cape Cod, was appointed constable for the town of Yarmouth by the General Court of the Plymouth Colony, 5 Mar. 1638/9, and took the oath of office 4 June 1639. (Plymouth Colony Records, vol. 1, pp. 116, 125.)
His life at Yarmouth was not a peaceful one. Trouble with Rev. Marmaduke Mathewes brought him before the Court almost immediately, on 1 Sept. 1640 he was censured for his "miscarriages" against Rev. Mathewes and disturbance of the proceedings of the church, Court, and "contrey," and he gave the General Court bond for oe20 for his appearance at the next Court, 2 Mar. 1640/1. (Ib., vol. 1, pp. 135, 162, vol. 2, p. 9.) In 1641 he was again in Court on account of a disagreement with Nicholas Sympkins concerning a fence. (Ib., vol. 2, p. 20.)
Further, regarding his son William Jr.:
The following entry is found in the records of a General Court held at Plymouth on 6 Mar. 1654/5: "William Chase Junr. for goeing into the house of Richard Berry, and taking away by violence a p'cell of flax and a smale p'cell of hose yarne, was sentanced to sitt in the stockes an houre on a training day att Yarmouth." (Ib., vol. 3, p. 74.)

This is obviously a duplicate with William Chase Sr.

Sources

  1. Banks, Charles Edward, 1854-1931. Topographical Dictionary of 2885 English Emigrants to New England. pg 53
  2. Robert Charles Anderson, Great Migration Begins, (hereafter GMB) Boston, MA: NEHGS 1995, pp 336-338
  3. "England, Essex Parish Registers, 1538-1997," database, FamilySearch  : 6 November 2017), William Chase in entry for William Chase, 27 Oct 1622, Christening; citing , Chelmsford, Essex, England, Essex Record Office, England; FHL microfilm 1,472,064. [1]
  4. "England, Essex Parish Registers, 1538-1997," database, FamilySearch[2] : 6 November 2017), William Chase in entry for Dorothie Chase, 08 May 1625, Christening; citing , Chelmsford, Essex, England, Essex Record Office, England; FHL microfilm 1,472,064.
  5. John Carroll,. Seven generations of the descendants of Aquila and Thomas Chase. Derry, N.H.: unknown, 1928, pp 9-10
  6. Thwing, Walter Eliot, b. 1848. History of the First Church in Roxbury, Massachusetts, 1630-1904. Boston: W.A. Butterfield. 1908. pg 45
  7. Roxbury Church Records, p 74
  8. Deyo, Simeon L. History of Barnstable County, Massachusetts, 1620-1637-1686-1890. New York: Blake. 1890. pg 457
  9. 9.0 9.1 Massachusetts County, District and Probate Courts. Wills, Inventories, Etc, 1637 to 1685, County of Barnstable; Probate Place: Plymouth, Massachusetts. [3] Subscription site
  10. GMB, p 337
  11. John Carroll Chase, "Some of the Descendants of William Chase of Roxbury and Yarmouth, Mass.," New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Boston, MA: NEHGS, 87(1933):48, citing Plymouth Colony Probate Records
  12. "Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1633-1967," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-997D-V313 : 8 March 2023), Wills 1633-1686 vol 1-4 > image 271 of 616; State Archives, Boston.
  13. NEHGS Register 9:286
  14. Roxbury church Records, p 119
  15. Andrews, H. Franklin (Henry Franklin), 1844-1919. List of freemen, Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1630 to 1691: with freeman's oath, the first paper printed in New England / arranged by H.F. Andrews. [4]
  • Robert Charles Anderson, Great Migration Begins..." p 336-338.

Has extensive primary source references.

See Also:

  • Geni.com [5]
  • Find A Grave Memorial# 16683401 from "Re: [CHASE-L Chase versus Chace" Rootsweb Mailing List 10/10/2004]: “The beautiful blue marble gravemarker (nicest in the cemetery) behind the First Baptist Church in West Harwich on Cape Cod.. for the Chases..has four sides which read as follows: William Chase First American Ancestor Born 1595 Died 1659 Served in Narragansett War 1644/ below that: John Chase Born 1735- Served in French & Indian War 1760 Died While Crossing The Delaware River With Washington At the Battle of Trenton/ next side John Chase Jr. Born 1755 Served in the Revolution Was Dicharged at Its Close Also In the War of !812 And was killed in the Battle of Chrysler's Field Nov 11 1813/ next side Captain Neri Chase Son of John Jr. 1793-1873 Served In the War of 1812 At the Burning of Falmouth/Ira B. Chase..Son of Neri 1836.... Served in US Navy During the Civil War/ next side Whitman Chase Son of Neri 1831... Served As Acting Ensign And Acting Master in the U.S. Navy in the Civil War 1862-1865 His Wife Mehitable D. 1836-1902” - Frank Chace Colonel USMC (Ret), 2004




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Comments: 25

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Hello All,

I have recently come to the conclusion that William Chase of Moulsham, Chelmsford, Essex, England, is indeed William Chase the émigré who sailed with the Winthrop Fleet of 1630. My reasoning can be found at my website here: https://www.chace.nl/origin-of-william-chase

Of course, I may be incorrect, however, this William Chase meets the criteria for being the émigré (location of origin - Essex, name, age, name of wife, name of son and assumed age of son, only one child at time of sailing, occupation, not found later in other English records - yet). I am quite convinced at this point. Any comments for or against are welcome.

Cheers,

Jeffrey Chace

posted by Jeffrey Chace
I know it is not evidence but one of my relatives (who is dead now) wrote a short book on the Chase genealogy citing written and spoken and stated that Thomas and Aquila were indeed Williams brothers - I know its not the most accurate source in the world but I thought I throw it out there
posted by Zach Rousseau
Found this on supposed brother Aquila's profile:

"YDNA test results in the FamilyTreeDNA Chase Project show that male lineal descendants of William Chase are in an entirely different haplogroup (I-M253) than male lineal descendants of Aquila and Thomas Chase (R-M269),[4] which indicates that William Chase did not share a common male ancestor with Aquila and Thomas Chase for at least 50,000 of years.[5]"

posted by Jillaine Smith
Long ago, a Chase-L Rootsweb mailing list that I took part in did a DNA project, including descendants of William and descendants of Aquila and descendants of other Chases. The results seem to show that Aquila and William were NOT brothers, nor even closely related.

https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~chasednaproject/genealogy/ChaseDnaExcelSheet.htm

Cheers,

Jeffrey Chace

http://www.chace.nl

posted by Jeffrey Chace
I don't see this book in sources, An American Ancestry, By Anne Warner Jan 1 1894 [1]

(free ebook) The book was written Jan 1894, so it was done with family stories... Probably as accurate as Death Certificates, or censuses records. Not much there on William but still it is a wonderful book to have access to.read.

posted by Carole Taylor
edited by Carole Taylor
Thanks, Carole. It doesn't cite its sources, so it's not very helpful.
posted by Jillaine Smith
Reference and links added in bio that might suggest an origination in Essex.
posted by Alan Pendleton
Please add that reference to the bio. Thanks.
posted by Jillaine Smith
By noting, I meant adding that there are birth records to support Banks' claim.
posted by Alan Pendleton
Yes, I agree, but there is a record for a William Chase and Mary having a son named William that was baptized 27 Oct 1622 [1] that fits with the ages and place for all 3 people. Perhaps, it is worth noting,
posted by Alan Pendleton
Not if he is supposedly already married by 1627, unless there is evidence that this was a late baptism. Such as other siblings all being baptized at the same time.
posted by Michael Carmichael
A P, it's really more of a finding aid than a source; and it depends on what he cites. Note the far right column. Unfortunately, for William Chase, it only references "Banks MSS" which Anderson apparently was never able to find. But it's at least a clue to be explored. And I see that this is already explained in the bio under Disputed Origins.
posted by Jillaine Smith
Hello Jillaine,

I actually found the Banks MSS (manuscripts) at the Library of Congress. There is no hard evidence that William Chase of Wivenhoe is the same as William Chase the émigré. This is apparently why Banks himself noted that William was "probably" from Wivenhoe. I have copies of the relevant pages and can share. Banks seems to have assumed that William Chase, son of Benjamin the victualler, was one and the same as William Chase the émigré, because of age, name of wife, name of son (which are all good clues, of course), and a preponderance of other Chases in the area. However, he seems to have stopped there and did not look to see if William and Mary Chase were still in Wivenhoe AFTER 1630, which they were, making it impossible for them to be the same couple who sailed in 1630 to MBC. You can find more about this at my website: https://www.chace.nl/origin-of-william-chase

Cheers,

Jeffrey

posted by Jeffrey Chace
Oh, and by the way, I also visited Wivenhoe many years ago, at the time I assumed that Banks was correct and was excited to explore the American Chase/Chace family place of origin. And, while now it is clear that Wivenhoe is not the correct town, it is indeed a lovely place, well-preserved, with many buildings from the time that William Chase the émigré lived in Essex. If anyone is interested, you can check out my photos of Wivenhoe here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/zwxRoRcPZUmSisp82

Cheers,

Jeffrey Chace

http://www.chace.nl

posted by Jeffrey Chace
Do we consider the Topographical dictionary of 2885 English emigrants to New England by Banks, Charles Edward to be a reliable source? If so, William Chase is listed on pg 53 [1] as being from Wivenhoe, Essex and being first in Roxbury, then Yarmouth. Should we update the info and add this source?
posted by Alan Pendleton
Hello Alan,

See my response to Jillaine above.

Cheers,

Jeffrey Chace http://www.chace.nl

posted by Jeffrey Chace
Chase-6176 and Chase-113 appear to represent the same person because: This is definitely the same person. Please merge with PGM protected profile.
posted by Alan Pendleton
By his death date, this new son is clearly intended to be the same as the immigrant [[Chase-7|Aquila Chase. However, his father is not known to be William Chase. This profile needs to be disconnected and merged (or repurposed).
posted by Joe Cochoit
A child Aquila has just been attached. I've posted a question seeking evidence.
posted by Jillaine Smith
Link just takes you to sign-in buy subscription
posted by Chris Hoyt

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