While I do not know from whence he descended, it apparently (after a search) isn't the Aquila line. Dick Chase -----Original Message----- From: Barbara Tribble [mailto:baronti@swbell.net] Sent: Monday, March 06, 2006 1:08 PM To: CHASE-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [CHASE-L] William Merritt Chase Would anyone know what, if any, connection the well-known American Impressionist artist William Merritt Chase (painted in late 1800's/early 1900's) has to the family? I enjoy his work very much. If anyone has anything on this person, I think we'd all be interested to hear about it. Thanks - Barbara ==== CHASE Mailing List ==== To unsubscribe from the list send a request here Chase-L-request@rootsweb.com and put the word unsubscribe ONLY in the subject and message boxes.

Here is an email I posted back in September of 2005 concerning William Merritt Chase's lineage. Please add to this if you can. --------------------------- Repost ---------------------------- Hello All, I have a bit of a mystery on my hands and am hoping that someone can help. I have been attempting to trace the lineage of William Merritt Chase, the artist. His grandfather, also William Chase, was apparently born in Virginiain 1776, and so I have been in Virginia doing research. Since I came to a bit of a dead-end on William Chase (the grandfather), I decided to see what other Chases I could find having settled in Virginia and discovered a William Chase (also spelled Chace) having arrived in Virginia in 1652. Now, in the Accomack County, Virginia Order Books there are four records of William's age and none of them agree. From a deposition of 22 May 1663, William is recorded as being 25 years old which would make his year of birth about 1638. Later on 18 August 1663, another deposition records him being "about 28 years," which would put his year of birth around 1636. Just a few months later on 13 December 1663 William is recorded as being "about 30 years." This would make his year of birth around1633. And later still William shows up in yet another deposition from 16 April 1673 as "aged about 50 years," which would put his year of birth around 1623. So, in any case, 1623 is the earliest he would have been born and 1638 the latest. But that is a 15 year difference! William Chase is recorded as having been "brought over" in 1652 by Mr. Tho. Purifye and Mrs. Temperence Reppitt. Perhaps he indentured himself to them to pay for his passage. But, where did he come from? It doesn't seem possible that he was from the family of William, the Elder, as William, the Younger, was born approximately 1622 and stayed in Massachusetts until his death as far as I know. William, the Younger, also had a son named William, but as far as I know, he married Sarah Sherman in Rhode Island in 1647 and William Chase of Accomack is recorded as having married Sarah Hewitt 16 October 1660 in Northampton County, Virginia. William of Accomack apparently could not have come from the Thomas or Aquila lines either, unless the records I found on the net recording Thomas Chase having had a first wife named Martha with whom he supposedly had a son name William in 1636 are true. Therefore, the only conclusion I can come up with is that William of Accomack was "brought over" from England making this a completely different Chase family than either William's or Aquila's and Thomas's. Having arrived in 1652, this also makes him a very early immigrant. And, as I have not found any other Chase families in Virginia from the time period of William's birth (William Merrit Chase's purported grandfather) in 1776, I would venture to say that William of Accomack is quite likely his ancestor. Here are the vital statistics I have on William of Accomack: - Born between 1623 and 1638 (talk about labor pains!!). - Arrived in Virginia 1652. - Married Sarah Hewitt 16 October 1660 in Northampton County, Virginia - Later married Mary ________ before 3 February 1685/86. - William had three children as far as I can tell – John, William and Margaret. - William owned a considerable amount of land in Virginia. In 1663 he was granted 300 acres for transporting 6 people. In 1666 he was granted 650 acres for transporting 13 persons (so these two records taken together indicate that the grant for transporting people was 50 acres per person transported – where they were going to or coming from I have no idea.) - Most likely William was the father of Mary's daughter Margaret. - Had a son with either Sarah or Mary who he named William. - There is a John Chace who is named in a lawsuit along with William on 11 February 1684/85. - John Chace shows up in the tithable rolls for the first time in 1690, which if that means he was 21, this makes his likely year of birth 1669. - In 1685, Mary Chace request for passage to be granted to John Chace. - Therefore, I believe John was also William's child. - William Chase of Accomack died in 1685. - There is a William Chase who died in Accomack around 1737. This is most likely William of Accomack's son listed above. - If William Merritt Chase is indeed descended from William of Accomack, then he descends either through John or William. If his ancestor is William who died in 1737, then there is a gap of at least one generation between that William and the man who is purported to be William Merritt Chase's Great Grandfather, James Chase. - There is a James Chase who died in Louisa County Virginia around 1790. James was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. He was married to Annis ________ and they had at least three children. One of which is purportedly William Chase the purported grandfather of William Merritt Chase. - There is a Will Chase who married Patience Goodrich in Louisa Countyin 1790. If this is William Chase, William Merritt's purported Grandfather, then he got married when he was 14, which I find unlikely. - William Merritt Chase's parents were David Chase and Sarah Swaim. Can anybody add anything to this? I have never found anything of significance written or published about the family of William Chase of Accomack. Is his indeed a completely "new" Chase family? Did he arrived in Virginia from England in 1652 or from another colony in North America? If he came from England, from where in England? Oh, yes, and by the way, there was also a Huedy Chase who showed up in Virginia in 1652 and was brought over by Tho. Cartwright of Lower Norfolk Co. Virginia. Perhaps I need to look into that as well. Sources: - Abstracts of Lousia County, Virginia Will Books 1743-1801 Nancy Chappelear and Kate Binford Hatch 1964 - A History of Louisa County, Virginia by Malcolm M. Harris, M.D. 1936 - Douglas Register of record book of Parson Dauglas - Louisa County, Virginia Deed books E&F - Louisa County, Virginia, 1734-1814: Where have all the Children Gone? Abstracted and Compiled by Rosalie Edith Davis, Manchester, Missouri 1980. - Marriages of Some Virginia Residents 1607-1800 Dorothy Ford Wulfeck Reprinted 2003 - 1743-1785 Louisa County Virginia Tithables and Census - Louisa Historical Magazine vol 8 no. 1 page 29 - Accomack County Virginia Court Orders Abstracts Volumes 1-11 - Hungars Parish Records for 1660-1661. Northampton County, Virginia. Communicated by Thomas B. Roberston, Eastville, Va. - 1623-1666 Early Virginia Immigrants by George Cabell Greer Clerk, Virginia State Land Office, 1960 Jeffrey Chace http://www.chace.demon.nl On 3/6/06, Dick Chase <rachase@triad.rr.com> wrote: > While I do not know from whence he descended, it apparently (after a search) > isn't the Aquila line. > > Dick Chase > > -----Original Message----- > From: Barbara Tribble [mailto:baronti@swbell.net] > Sent: Monday, March 06, 2006 1:08 PM > To: CHASE-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [CHASE-L] William Merritt Chase > > Would anyone know what, if any, connection the well-known American > Impressionist artist William Merritt Chase (painted in late 1800's/early > 1900's) has to the family? I enjoy his work very much. If anyone has > anything on this person, I think we'd all be interested to hear about it. > > Thanks - > Barbara > > > ==== CHASE Mailing List ==== > To unsubscribe from the list send a request here > Chase-L-request@rootsweb.com and put the word unsubscribe ONLY in the > subject and message boxes. > > > ==== CHASE Mailing List ==== > To unsubscribe from the Digest send a request here Chase-D-request@rootsweb.com and put the word unsubscribe ONLY in the subject and message box. > > -- Jeffrey Chace http://www.chace.demon.nl