I joint your list briefly to tell you of this website. A website has been set up for the diaries of Edward P. Chase which I recently transcribed. The URL is at the end of this introduction. Mr. Chase kept meticulous records for hours worked on various jobs, with the occasional personal note. At the end of each Journal are his monthly Balance Sheets. These were sold to an antique dealer who owns the old Sisson house on East Main Road, Portsmouth, RI. (I have Sisson lines.) He called me right away because, as he said, "You know every name in these books." He was right about that. He appears to have been a crony of my g grandfather Anthony's, I knew nothing about the writer when I began the journals except that he was probably a Chase. He mentioned the birth and death of a child and from his activities the day after, I learned the burial site. A 3rd child was born and he wrote her name across the top of the page, and I was off to both St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Portsmouth, RI and the Middletown, RI Town Hall. Between the two, I discovered a total of four children, two named, and birth and death dates. He called his wife Sallie and referred to a Mrs. Dennis occasionally. I checked on a Sarah Dennis in the cemetery records at St. Mary's. She was there, and her husband was named. Final confirmation was found in one of Journals when he listed himself as one of the workers on a job. In the Chase genealogy in Representative Men & Old Families of RI I found his ancestors, which ended with Edward. This info told only of his birth and his marriage to a Sarah Dennis. I found all the gravestones for the family at St. Mary's. Daniel Chase, Edward's father, owned land on both sides of Oliphant Lane, Middletown, RI, from which, on the south side of Oliphant Lane, he sold his son 1/4 acre where Edward built his own home in 1874 and 1875. Daniel Chase's house still stands but Edward's is gone. The land was sold to Edward for $10 in 1875, after his house was already built. Middletown Town Hall, Warranty Deed, Vol 12, page 175. Edward was a carpenter, but like most men of that era, did pretty much what he put his hand to. I believe he worked for Joseph Coggeshall, who was what we would call a general contractor today. Edward did some work on his own as well. He talks of building many homes, barns, etc. and also a church and schoolhouse. I tried to discover which church and schoolhouse but was unsuccessful. In addition to the work record, the little info he tells us paints a picture of a more simple time than we share today. Their days were long and hard, pleasures were small and infrequent, but they appreciated the little things. If you find anything you don't understand, or have any input on anything you DO understand, please tell me about it. Especially carpentry terms, such as "pins" What were they? He speaks of having Bessie"sharpened". Unless that is a new euphemism for breeding, I'm assuming Bessie was a horse and her shoes were sharpened, or a horse or cow was unshod and the hooves were sharpened. Ideas? This has truly been a "journey in a Journal." I appreciated their few pleasures --(as a child of the 30s myself-- cried at their losses, chastised Edward for some of his purchases "Why can't Sallie bake cookies? It would save money." I hope you enjoy reading these half as much as I enjoyed transcribing them. I have no Chase bloodline, but I love sleuthing. <A HREF="http://www.rootsweb.com/~rinewpor/chase.html">Edward Payson Chase</A> Barb Austin

Barb- I have seen this posting on the RI list also - where it is easier to go on to the web site referenced at the end with just a click. And, the information therein is what I have a question about. I question the following statements: Issue: William, born ca 1622, in England; Mary, born in May 1637, in Roxbury; and Mary (2) born in 1639 in Yarmouth. II William Chase (2) born ca 1622, in England, married Alice Fish and was a resident of Yarmouth after coming to America with his parents. He died Feb 27, 1685. His children were: William, Jacob, John, Elizabeth, Abraham, Joseph, Benhamin and Samuel. First, William I, the Immigrant and his wife Mary, are said to have had three children, William b. in England as early as 1627 (You give his date of birth as 1622), Mary, b. about 15 May 1637 and Benjamin, b. in 1639. (You have a Mary listed twice, and no Benjamin.) And, then, you have William II marrying an Alice FISH when generally the names of both William's first and second wives are said to be unknown. Can you tell me the source for Alice FISH as the second William's wife? I must admit, I do not have a copy of "Representative Men and Old Families of Rhode Island; Genealogical Records and Historical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens and of Many of the old Families" at hand and so cannot tell if that is where this reference is found, although you seem to indicate that is where you found his line after your discovery of the identity of the author. I know you say you have no Chase bloodline, but perhaps you have researched this and come up with a new find! Thank you so much for your transcription of Edward's Journal. Although Edward and my Chace lines diverge after William II, I really am enjoying reading them - all those old RI names are so familiar to me, a Rhode Island-born transplant. You have really done a service for all of us. Judy Chace Needham