Volume 044-4 - October 1990 (8 pages)

The Chapman Family of Nevada City Introduction Looking at writings about Nevada County history, one will observe a curious fact: most of the history writing pertains to events which happened before, say, 1900. Why this is so, f do not know, but it is a fact that stories, describing events of this century, are seldom offered. In general history, since the end of WWII, there is another trend. “Classical” history treats great men, rulers, statesmen and so on and great events such as revolutions, wars, calamities. Modern history tends to be more interested in the “common” man, how he lived, what his problems were. We should be more interested in the “common” man in regional history also. In Nevada County, as in all other counties also, there are families who lived there for generations and who contributed to what we have now, perhaps not in a spectacular way, but nevertheless in an actual way, be it not obvious. In this issue of the Bulletin, we present two family histories. The first of these is about the Chapman family of which the patriarch, Allen Chapman arrived in Nevada City in 1856, and whose great grand-daughter still lives here. In the classics of Nevada County history, Thompson and West and also Lardner and Brock, we find the name hardly, if at all, and then only incidentally, mentioned. Of the descendants of Allen, most moved away, a phenomenon quite common for Nevada County. Of the Chapmans, listed in the telephone book, most are not related to Allen; but we must realize that the family name Chapman is not a rare one. Incidentally, the first Chapmans mentioned in Nevada County history, were the theatrical troupe of that name, the ones who were so much a thorn in the side of Lola Montez. The second story is about the Wasleys. Unlike the Chapmans, most of them stayed in the county. This is a true family story, with few dramatic episodes, but with features which many of us will recognize. For example, the story of the bib overalls reminds me of my own youth. When the time came around to go to school, my brother and I were dressed in, what were at the time called Norfolk suits, some kind of little Lord Fauntleroy outfits. We had to resort to revolutionary measures, such as wiping our pens on our trousers, to get rid of them. The last story does not deal with Nevada County, but rather with Sierra County. We publish it because Alleghany is not far from our county boundary and because little is known about the early history of that place. There are many other old families in Nevada County and if someone is willing to write their history, we will be happy to publish. Editor. 26 by Peter W. van der Pas The first of the Chapmans in Nevada City was Allen Chapman. He was born on November 14, 1826 in Hebron, Washington County, N. Y. His parents, William Chapman and Rebecca Allen Chapman, came from families already established in the United States before the Revolution. William Chapman was a successful manufacturer and William Allen, Rebecca's father made lenses for telescopes. At Allen's funeral, the Rev. J. Sims suggested that he (Allen), as a youth, worked on a canal boat and also worked as a logger. Another source states that he worked in the shop of his brother in Amherst, Mass. However, he aimed at something more substantial and became an apprentice of a dentist, Dr. Ross of Troy, N.Y. He must have been a good pupil for, in 1843, at the age of 17 years, he became the partner of his tutor. This partnership lasted for 13 years and was terminated by Allen on account of ill health. At that time, 1856, he is reported to have accumulated the tidy capital of $12,000. Following the example of other people in bad health, he decided in 1856, to move to California to find relief. He sailed to the isthmus of Panama on the George Law, a ship which was later renamed Central America, which ship foundered in 1858. After crossing the isthmus and continuing to San Francisco, he moved to Nevada City where he arrived in April. He brought with him $10,000 worth of dental supplies, which were destroyed in the Nevada City fire of July 19, 1856. This was an inauspicious start of a later successful practice. Of the first months of Chapman in Nevada City, not much is known. He probably opened an office in some building and lived in a boarding house or a hotel, such as virtually all bachelors did. On the corner of Broad and Pine Streets, there was a building which had escaped the fire, the Kidd-Knox building, a building which still stands. It housed offices. According to a newspaper notice of October 22, 1856 Dr. Chapman took an office in this building on that day. The same location is mentioned in newspaper notices of January 1, 1857 and January 1, 1858. Thompson’s Directory of 1861 mentioned the same location. As the entry in this Directory and also an advertisement on the cover shows, Dr. Chapman had taken a partner, Dr. J.H. Hatch. This partnership was announced in the Nevada Journal of January 4, 1861. Bean’s Directory of 1867 again mentions the Kidd-Knox building as the location of his office, but the anonymous Directory of 1871-72 does not mention this address any more. By this time Dr. Chapman had probably moved his office to his house. _ Some time before 1862, Dr. Chapman acquired property a couple of miles west of Nevada City. In the assessor's rolls of 1862, the earliest surviving, this property is described as follows: ‘‘Possessory right, title and claim to a certain tract or parcel of land in Township of Nevada, situated on the head of Rush Creek, North of and adjoining the land of Mrs. Webber, containing 70 acres, more or less. Improvements thereon consisting of house, orchard, fencing and fixtures. Personal property consisting of dental instruments and office furniture.” This property is shown on the Hartwell map of Nevada County, dated 1880 and again on the county map of Miller, Pierce and Bosquit, dated 1913, this time under the name of C. W. Chapman. On these maps, the property is shown as located on the road to Newtown, about 2 miles from Nevada City. Ata later time, the property was described as located on Indian Flat, near where the Willo is now located on Highway 49. : The presence of dental instruments and office fixtures at the house seems to suggest that Chapman practiced there. He probably divided his time between the office on Newtown Road and in the Kidd-Knox building. On this property there was an orchard of 3000 trees and also a large vineyard. Shortly beforey-*™\ 1880 an ore ledge was discovered on this property, but Chapman did not develop this into a mine. Between 1862 and 1864 Chapman built the house on 227 Sacramento Street. The assessor’s roll for 1862 does not yet mention this house, but the house is mentioned in the roll for 1864. He must have built this house to start a family with his bride, Nellie Elizabeth Pooler, whom he married on March 24, 1861. She was born in Norridgewock, Somerset County, Maine on May 9, 1847. She was the only child of John Ruxton Pooler, who came from Canada and located in Nevada County in 1854, and Mathilde O'Hara, also a native of Canada. Pooler died of accidental drowning in 1881 and Mathilde, of old age in 1912, 87 years old. The wedding took place in the home of John and Abigail Williams, which house is now known as the Red Castle. Williams was on the Board of Trustees of the city. Nellie was only 14 years old when she married, hence she cannot have had much formal education. Nevertheless, she was a remarkable woman. Dr. Chapman made her his assistant, at first: ‘‘to apply iodine and other pain relievers” to his patients, gradually progressing his instructions until she was a full fledged dentist. Although Dr. Chapman had a lucrative prac= tice, he came into financial difficulties, partly’ from co-signing notes of friends and acquain-" tances, which notes defaulted, and partly from

The Chapman Family of Nevada City Introduction Looking at writings about Nevada County history, one will observe a curious fact: most of the history writing pertains to events which happened before, say, 1900. Why this is so, f do not know, but it is a fact that stories, describing events of this century, are seldom offered. In general history, since the end of WWII, there is another trend. “Classical” history treats great men, rulers, statesmen and so on and great events such as revolutions, wars, calamities. Modern history tends to be more interested in the “common” man, how he lived, what his problems were. We should be more interested in the “common” man in regional history also. In Nevada County, as in all other counties also, there are families who lived there for generations and who contributed to what we have now, perhaps not in a spectacular way, but nevertheless in an actual way, be it not obvious. In this issue of the Bulletin, we present two family histories. The first of these is about the Chapman family of which the patriarch, Allen Chapman arrived in Nevada City in 1856, and whose great grand-daughter still lives here. In the classics of Nevada County history, Thompson and West and also Lardner and Brock, we find the name hardly, if at all, and then only incidentally, mentioned. Of the descendants of Allen, most moved away, a phenomenon quite common for Nevada County. Of the Chapmans, listed in the telephone book, most are not related to Allen; but we must realize that the family name Chapman is not a rare one. Incidentally, the first Chapmans mentioned in Nevada County history, were the theatrical troupe of that name, the ones who were so much a thorn in the side of Lola Montez. The second story is about the Wasleys. Unlike the Chapmans, most of them stayed in the county. This is a true family story, with few dramatic episodes, but with features which many of us will recognize. For example, the story of the bib overalls reminds me of my own youth. When the time came around to go to school, my brother and I were dressed in, what were at the time called Norfolk suits, some kind of little Lord Fauntleroy outfits. We had to resort to revolutionary measures, such as wiping our pens on our trousers, to get rid of them. The last story does not deal with Nevada County, but rather with Sierra County. We publish it because Alleghany is not far from our county boundary and because little is known about the early history of that place. There are many other old families in Nevada County and if someone is willing to write their history, we will be happy to publish. Editor. 26 by Peter W. van der Pas The first of the Chapmans in Nevada City was Allen Chapman. He was born on November 14, 1826 in Hebron, Washington County, N. Y. His parents, William Chapman and Rebecca Allen Chapman, came from families already established in the United States before the Revolution. William Chapman was a successful manufacturer and William Allen, Rebecca's father made lenses for telescopes. At Allen's funeral, the Rev. J. Sims suggested that he (Allen), as a youth, worked on a canal boat and also worked as a logger. Another source states that he worked in the shop of his brother in Amherst, Mass. However, he aimed at something more substantial and became an apprentice of a dentist, Dr. Ross of Troy, N.Y. He must have been a good pupil for, in 1843, at the age of 17 years, he became the partner of his tutor. This partnership lasted for 13 years and was terminated by Allen on account of ill health. At that time, 1856, he is reported to have accumulated the tidy capital of $12,000. Following the example of other people in bad health, he decided in 1856, to move to California to find relief. He sailed to the isthmus of Panama on the George Law, a ship which was later renamed Central America, which ship foundered in 1858. After crossing the isthmus

and continuing to San Francisco, he moved to Nevada City where he arrived in April. He brought with him $10,000 worth of dental supplies, which were destroyed in the Nevada City fire of July 19, 1856. This was an inauspicious start of a later successful practice. Of the first months of Chapman in Nevada City, not much is known. He probably opened an office in some building and lived in a boarding house or a hotel, such as virtually all bachelors did. On the corner of Broad and Pine Streets, there was a building which had escaped the fire, the Kidd-Knox building, a building which still stands. It housed offices. According to a newspaper notice of October 22, 1856 Dr. Chapman took an office in this building on that day. The same location is mentioned in newspaper notices of January 1, 1857 and January 1, 1858. Thompson’s Directory of 1861 mentioned the same location. As the entry in this Directory and also an advertisement on the cover shows, Dr. Chapman had taken a partner, Dr. J.H. Hatch. This partnership was announced in the Nevada Journal of January 4, 1861. Bean’s Directory of 1867 again mentions the Kidd-Knox building as the location of his office, but the anonymous Directory of 1871-72 does not mention this address any more. By this time Dr. Chapman had probably moved his office to his house. _ Some time before 1862, Dr. Chapman acquired property a couple of miles west of Nevada City. In the assessor's rolls of 1862, the earliest surviving, this property is described as follows: ‘‘Possessory right, title and claim to a certain tract or parcel of land in Township of Nevada, situated on the head of Rush Creek, North of and adjoining the land of Mrs. Webber, containing 70 acres, more or less. Improvements thereon consisting of house, orchard, fencing and fixtures. Personal property consisting of dental instruments and office furniture.” This property is shown on the Hartwell map of Nevada County, dated 1880 and again on the county map of Miller, Pierce and Bosquit, dated 1913, this time under the name of C. W. Chapman. On these maps, the property is shown as located on the road to Newtown, about 2 miles from Nevada City. Ata later time, the property was described as located on Indian Flat, near where the Willo is now located on Highway 49. : The presence of dental instruments and office fixtures at the house seems to suggest that Chapman practiced there. He probably divided his time between the office on Newtown Road and in the Kidd-Knox building. On this property there was an orchard of 3000 trees and also a large vineyard. Shortly beforey-*™\ 1880 an ore ledge was discovered on this property, but Chapman did not develop this into a mine. Between 1862 and 1864 Chapman built the house on 227 Sacramento Street. The assessor’s roll for 1862 does not yet mention this house, but the house is mentioned in the roll for 1864. He must have built this house to start a family with his bride, Nellie Elizabeth Pooler, whom he married on March 24, 1861. She was born in Norridgewock, Somerset County, Maine on May 9, 1847. She was the only child of John Ruxton Pooler, who came from Canada and located in Nevada County in 1854, and Mathilde O'Hara, also a native of Canada. Pooler died of accidental drowning in 1881 and Mathilde, of old age in 1912, 87 years old. The wedding took place in the home of John and Abigail Williams, which house is now known as the Red Castle. Williams was on the Board of Trustees of the city. Nellie was only 14 years old when she married, hence she cannot have had much formal education. Nevertheless, she was a remarkable woman. Dr. Chapman made her his assistant, at first: ‘‘to apply iodine and other pain relievers” to his patients, gradually progressing his instructions until she was a full fledged dentist. Although Dr. Chapman had a lucrative prac= tice, he came into financial difficulties, partly’ from co-signing notes of friends and acquain-" tances, which notes defaulted, and partly from