My great-great-grandparents were Abner and Martha Frances (Meadows) Chapman of Titus County, Texas. After my great-grandmother Maggie (Cawthon) Chapman was widowed, she and her children lived off-and-on with her mother-in-law Martha Chapman. My grandfather recalled fishing with his grandmother Chapman. He grew up surrounded by his aunts and uncles.
Here's a short rundown of the Chapman household:
Abner Chapman, son of Ambrose Chapman of Marion County, Georgia, was born 30 November 1833 in Georgia. Ambrose Chapman's wife was Elizabeth Griggs, but I cannot document that she was Abner's mother. Abner married Martha Frances Meadows, daughter of Vincent T. Meadows and Martha E. King. She was born 24 June 1834 in Georgia.
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| Martha Frances Chapman |
My grandfather always said that the Meadows were from Troup County, Georgia, but I'm not sure that Martha Frances was born in that county. I have never found a marriage record for them, but they must have married by 1851 or 1852. The Chapmans were in Texas, probably Titus County, by early 1859 when daughter Georgia Ann (Chapman) Duffee was born.
A list of their known children:
1. John Thomas "Tom" Chapman b. c. 1853 in Georgia
2. Vincent A. "Vince" Chapman b. 20 November 1854 in Georgia
3. James Martin Chapman b. 15 May 1857 in Georgia
4. Georgia Ann Chapman b. 10 February 1859 in Texas
5. Susan A Chapman b. between 1859 and 1860 in Texas
6. William Sargent Chapman b. 23 February 1868 in Texas
7. Martha L. "Mattie" Chapman b. 20 February 1869 in Texas
8. Margaret L "Maggie" Chapman b. 1 May 1873 in Texas
9. Isaac R. "Ike" Chapman b. 29 February 1876 in Texas
Of these children, Martha, or Mattie as the family called her, died young when her dress caught on fire because she ventured too close to the fireplace. She died as a result of her burns on 30 June 1881 and is buried in Damascus Cemetery in Mt. Pleasant, Titus County, Texas.
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| Damascus Cemetery at Mt. Pleasant, Titus County, Texas |
One of the aunts who I don't remember my grandfather speaking much about was Margaret L. Chapman. She was a loose end in my records for many years. However, recently I have been able to figure out what happened to her. It is startlingly to have found her in such close proximity to my grandparents. All of them were living in Red River County, Texas. More on Maggie Chapman in a future post.
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