Harry Ellis Chamberlain knew Spencer’s father was named John

In 1934, Harry Ellis Chamberlain hired a genealogist, Merton T. Goodrich, to search the records for “the discovery of the parentage of Spencer Chamberlain, born in Westmoreland, N. H.”¹ He was looking for a John Chamberlain, who according to tradition, may be the son or grandson of “Paugus” John.

Harry knew from Spencer Chamberlain’s grandson, Alonzo Chamberlain Phillips and other relatives, that Spencer’s father was named John, and his mother was an Indian named Winona. Spencer was born about 1786 and according to his army discharge record of 1815, he was born in Westmoreland, New Hampshire. However, there were no birth records for either Spencer or his father John in Westmoreland.

The existence of another John Chamberlain, the son of Henry, was well established in Westmoreland. He was married to Eunice Edson, there are birth records of their children, and they all appear neatly in the 1790 U. S. Census. Goodrich studied the available vital records and cross referenced them with census. In his report he wrote: “these records prove that Spencer Chamberlain… could not be the son of this John Chamberlain” ¹

Although there were six Chamberlain households found in the Westmoreland U. S. Census record of 1790, Spencer and his father could not be found. It was quite a challenge at the time to sort out these six Chamberlain families to find who was related to whom.

There were two Chamberlain families in Westmoreland

A huge break came when The Chamberlain Story recently received some letters by Ella E. Abbott, from Historical Society of Cheshire County.  This new information tells us that between 1750 and 1790 there were two Chamberlain families living in Westmoreland. These two families were separate, distinct and unrelated. Thomas Chamberlain’s family lived on the west side of town and Henry Chamberlain’s family lived on the east. Both families had a son named John.

Thomas Chamberlain and Abigail Pierce and their family came to Westmoreland from Middlesex County, MA. Thomas signed the covenant of the new Westmoreland Congregational Church in 1764 and transferred his membership from the church in Newton, Mass.

Henry Chamberlain and Susanna Hinds and their family came from Bridgewater, Plymouth County, MA. He was a descendant of Henry Chamberlain who emigrated from England. Henry’s family were Baptists. “The members of this (Baptist) society mainly came from Middleborough, (Plymouth) Mass.” ²

If Spencer is related to one of these families, it has to be the Thomas Chamberlain family. Our family’s Y-DNA test proves that we are not related to the Henry Chamberlain line.

John Chamberlain was born in Newton, Mass. about 1739

In 2016, internet sources listed a John Chamberlain born about 1734 as one of the sons of Thomas Chamberlain of Westmoreland. However, this information was not confirmed. Did John, the son of Thomas, really exist? Where did this information come from? And, on what basis was his birth year “about 1734” estimated?

I found that there were two John Chamberlains living in Westmoreland, but in the historical record, their identities had been combined into one, as if they were the same person.

The only published record I could find about Thomas’ son John was in the 1885 Cheshire County, NH Gazetteer. The following convoluted paragraph of the Gazetteer tells everything we know about him.  It is full of errors and is incredibly confusing, nevertheless, it contains some very valuable information when decoded:

“Thomas Chamberlain, a descendant of John, who came to this country in the Mayflower,” (this is not true),“was one of several who united in signing the church covenant, September 26, 1764, the first step taken towards forming a Congregational church in Westmoreland,” (this is correct and Thomas transferred from the church in Newton, Mass). “John Chamberlain, 3d, one of the original grantees of this town, was born in Newton, Mass.” (Yes! John is the son of Thomas and Newton is where Thomas came from! However, the term “3d” is nonsense.) “September 17, 1767, and married Eunice Edson.” (What??? That is the marriage date of John Chamberlain and Eunice Edson, but we are now talking about a different John Chamberlain. This John Chamberlain’s father was Henry and they  were Baptists!) “His fourth son, John, was born August 13, 1773.”³ (Obviously, now talking about the son of John and Eunice.)

Here is the corrected paragraph:

“Thomas Chamberlain was one of several who united in signing the church covenant, September 26, 1764, the first step taken towards forming a Congregational church in Westmoreland. John Chamberlain, one of the original grantees of this town, was born in Newton, Mass.”³

“His fourth son, John” is a phrase from the confusing paragraph above, which has given some the false impression that John was the fourth son of Thomas. However, this piece of information is irrelevant since it was referring to an entirely different person.

John was the sixth son of Thomas Chamberlain. He was born between the birth of Jedediah, who was christened on 12 June 1737 in Stoneham, Massachusettss⁸, and Increase Chamberlain who was born in Westmoreland in 1741.

Newton, Mass was the last location where Thomas’s family lived before they moved to Westmoreland. Job was John’s older brother who signed the Westmoreland charter in 1750. Only “adults” over the age of 12 signed. Due to this information and the known christening dates of Joshua and Jedediah, I was able to correct the birth years of these brothers. Joshua was born 1734, Job about 1736, Jedediah 1737 and John about 1739.

Thomas Chamberlain family signers and grantees of Westmoreland²

In 1750 “adult male citizens” signed the New Hampshire petition. Those who signed were apparently 13 years old or older. Those of the Thomas Chamberlain family and their estimated age at the time were: Thomas 47, Isaac 18, Joshua 16, Job 14, and Jedediah 13.

Two years later in 1752 the Chamberlains named grantees of Westmoreland were: Thomas 49, Isaac 20, Josiah 21, Joshua 18, Jedediah 15 and John 13.

Henry Chamberlain was not among the signers nor grantees, and his son John would only be ten years old at the time.

The Letters of Ella E. Abbott to Mrs. Chamberlain

Ella E. Abbott corresponded with a Mrs. Chamberlain for several years but never revealed her writing partner’s first name.  Her letters were to answer questions about the Henry Chamberlain line, but were filled with information about both families. Here are some selected quotes which tell about herself or give information regarding the Thomas Chamberlain family. Copies of these letters and other documents were provided to me by Alan Rumrill director of the Historical Society of Cheshire County.

“My Dear Mrs. Chamberlain,…”

“You are the first one that has written to me about the Henry Sr. line. The other Chamberlain family I am very familiar with although none of them have lived in town for years and years. Most of them went to Vermont different parts of it and I have been able to follow many of them. Jedediah you mention belonged to that line and not yours. I have known all about him.” – June 17, 1927⁴

“My father, a native, of Westmoreland was a Civil Engineer, a Justice of the Peace and a local historian of some reputation. He knew more about everything pertaining to Westmoreland and its inhabitants than any man living… He and I worked together on historical and genealogical lines during his life time and I continue the work. That is how I happen to know about those old families.” – August 1, 1927⁴

“Speaking of George W. Chamberlain, I am sure he knows more about Chamberlains than any other person for no one else that I know has made such a study of the family. Not sure that he knows who was the father of Henry Sr… I gave him valuable data concerning the other family of Westmoreland Chamberlains and I know he appreciated it… I think that other family had many of the characteristics of those of your line. They did not leave records behind them that were easily followed or traced. And, he even had to jump, almost, at conclusions in regard to them sometimes. They evidently came from North of Boston and were evidently connected with the “Paugus John” the Indian Fighter.”  – June 27, 1928⁴

(Note by Author, DDC) Abbott’s comment about Paugus John is both interesting and puzzling to me. I believe George Chamberlain must have got this information from corresponding with my Grandfather Harry Chamberlain, as Harry knew about the Paugus John story in 1927 or before. The only connection between the Thomas Chamberlain of Westmoreland and Paugus John, however, is that they both came from the same area north of Boston. There is no evidence that Paugus John Chamberlain, or any of his descendants, ever came to Westmorland. Nevertheless, in 1934 Harry Chamberlain did not know, and was still searching for his Chamberlain connection to Westmoreland.

“That other family of Chamberlains who were so numerous in town in early times were mostly or all children of Thomas. They were prominent while they lived in Westmoreland but all moved away, left not a vestige behind them. As far as I know they lived in the West part of the town while the Henry line were identified with the East part.” – March 7, 1930⁴

“I have told you there was another entirely different line of Chamberlains in Westmoreland from your Henry line. I am sending some of it to you… A descendant of Thomas3 who was one of the very early settlers, wrote to me sometime and told me of the sons of Thomas and also said there was one daughter whose name was Abigail. This seems probable for the wife of Thomas was Abigail.” 

“The Thomas Chamberlain line claim that Increase was the 1st male child born in the town in 1741 or 2 which was under the Mass. Charter, and that there had been a female child born before he was.”

“There is no record that this Thomas3 died in Westmoreland and after his wife died he might have gone to Vermont to live with some of his sons who lived in Stockbridge.”

“As a matter of reference I am sending you the other line of  Westmoreland Chamberlains. William Chamberlain1 first of Wobern, settled in Billerica, wife Rebecca. Daniel2 b. 1671, lived in Billerica, wife Mary. Thomas3 b. 1703, 4th child of Daniel lived in Newton. Was grantee of Westmoreland as well as some of his children. His Children were Isaac, Josiah, Joshua, Jedediah, John and Abigail, and perhaps Job and Increase.” – March 21, 1932⁴

This is the documentation I have been looking for to confirm that Thomas did in reality have a son named John Chamberlain. He was one of the grantees of Westmoreland proving he was alive and part of the family at age 13 in 1752. The two John Chamberlains of Westmoreland have often been confused as being the same person. However, neither the father Henry Chamberlain nor any of his sons signed the city charter in 1750, nor were they grantees in 1752.

Children of Thomas Chamberlain and Abigail Pierce

Thomas Chamberlain, b. 1703 in Billerica, MA and Abigail Pierce b. 18 May 1706, Woburn MA, d. 18 may 1769, Westmoreland, NH. They married 10 June 1730 in Concord, Middlesex, MA.¹⁰

I have done an extensive search for the source records of Thomas and Abigail’s children, their birth order and birth dates. Therefore, there are some differences in my record when compared with the prevailing records on the internet and in many genealogies. This new information, published for the first time on June 9, 2017 has cleared up earlier discrepancies.

1- Josiah Chamberlain b. 27 June 1731, Billerica, Middlesex, Massachusetts,⁶ d. 1782.
2- Isaac Chamberlain b. 30 October 1732, Billerica, Middlesex, Massachusetts,⁷ d. 1783 Westmoreland, Cheshire, New Hampshire.
3- Joshua Chamberlain baptized 22 Sept 1734 at First Church of Lynnfield, Essex, Massachusetts.⁸
4- Job Chamberlain born about 1736, location unknown. (I have found no information on the birth of Job. I chose this birth order because he was old enough to sign the petition of Jan. 30, 1750² and was considered an “adult male citizen of the town,” as was his 12 year old brother Jedediah.)² d. 22 March 1825 Brewer, Penobscot, Maine.
5- Jedediah Chamberlain christened 12 June 1737 Stoneham, Middlesex, Massachusetts,⁸  d. 1828, Stockbridge, Windsor, Vermont.

6- John Chamberlain b. about 1739, Newton, Middlesex, Massachusetts. It has been reported that John was born in Newton,³ however, a fire in Newton destroyed church records in 1770⁸ and no birth records have been found. His father Thomas moved from Newton to Westmoreland. This places his birth order between Jedediah and the youngest brother Increase. John did not sign in 1750 but apparently was old enough to become a grantee of the Westmoreland charter by 1752. This John Chamberlain is the father of Spencer Chamberlain. To see the new evidence for this, read Chapter 15- The Unusual Household of Increase Chamberlain.

7- Increase Chamberlain b. 1741, d. 24 August, 1813, Stockbridge, Windsor, Vermont.
8- Abigail Chamberlain b. 31 July 1748, d. before 1820 Stockbridge, Windsor, Vermont.

Abigail Chamberlain married Henry Chamberlain of the other Westmoreland family. They were married 26 Feb. 1767 in Westmoreland.

The Henry Chamberlain Line, Six Generations⁹

1- Henry Chamberlain b. 1595, Hingham, Norfolk, England, d. 15 July 1674, Hull, Plymouth, Massachusetts, m. 1615, Hingham, Norfolk, England, June Freeman.
2- Henry Chamberlain b.1619, Hingham, Norfolk, England, d. 3 Dec. 1678, Hull, Plymouth, Massachusetts; m. 1651, Hull, Plymouth, Massachusetts, Sarah Jones.
3- Henry Chamberlain b.1654, Hull, Plymouth, Massachusetts, d. 6 May 1706; m. 1682, Jane.
4- Henry Chamberlain b. 11 March 1686, Hull, Plymouth, Massachusetts, d. 1718, Hull, Plymouth, Massachusetts; m. 14 May 1714, Lydia Vinton.
5-Henry Chamberlain b. 1716, Bridgewater, Plymouth, MA; d. 7 Dec. 1787
m. 16 March 1722, Bridgewater, Plymouth, MA, Susanna Hinds, 1722-1811

Children of Henry Chamberlain and Susanna Hinds⁵

1- John Chamberlain b. 11 May 1742 location unknown, probably Bridgewater.
2- Hannah Chamberlain b. 1746, Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts
3- Henry Chamberlain b. 1747, Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts (Married Abigail Chamberlain of the Thomas Chamberlain family 26 Feb 1767)
4- Lydia Chamberlain b. 4 April 1750, Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts
5- Lucinda Chamberlain b. 20 March 1751, Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts
6- Elizabeth Chamberlain b. 25 Feb. 1752, Westmoreland, Cheshire, New Hampshire
7- Ebenezer Chamberlain b. 10 Sept. 1754, Westmoreland, Cheshire, New Hampshire
8- Abigail Chamberlain b. January, 1756, Westmoreland, Cheshire, New Hampshire
9- Calvin Chamberlain b. 1760, Westmoreland, Cheshire, New Hampshire

It is believed that the danger of living in Westmoreland during the French and Indian wars 1754-1760 caused Henry Chamberlain and his family to return to Massachusetts until the danger had subsided. Therefore, the birth location of the last three children at Westmoreland may be questionable.

There were six Chamberlain families living in Westmoreland in 1790 according to US census records. Spencer Chamberlain was about 4 years-old and was indeed living in one of these households. See Chapter 15.

To be continued….Chapter 11- Thomas Chamberlain, Westmoreland Pioneer

© Copyright Dennis D. Chamberlain, The Chamberlain Story, 2017. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the written content of this site without express and written permission from the author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that credit is given to Dennis D. Chamberlain and direction to  www.thechamberlainstory.com.

References:

1- Merton T. Goodrich, Genealogist, The Search for Spencer Chamberlain’s Ancestry, report to sent to Harry Chamberlain, November 3, 1934
2- History of Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, www.nh.searchroots.com
3- Hamilton Child, 1736-1885 Gazetteer, Cheshire County, N. H., 1885 Syracuse, N.Y., p.519 (my comments in brackets)
4- Ella E. Abbott, Letters to Mrs. Chamberlain, copies sent to Dennis D. Chamberlain by Alan Rumrill director of the Historical Society of Cheshire County.
5- FamilySearch.org.
6- Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Town Records, 1626-2001, Image 156 Familysearch.org
7- Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Town Records, 1626-2001, Image 207 Familysearch.org
8- Thomas Chamberlain (3) Daniel (2), William (1), Born at Billerica, Mass. Aug. 1703; died in Vermont. (Type writer document, undated and unknown author) from The Historical Society of Cheshire County.
9- Ancestry.com, Public pedigrees.
10- James Parker, Thomas Chamberlain’s wife Abigail Pierce, http://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/chamberlain/2676/