Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of the state of Massachusetts, Volume IV, Part 76

Author: Cutter, William Richard, 1847-1918, ed; Adams, William Frederick, 1848-
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: New York, Lewis historical publishing company
Number of Pages: 886

USA > Massachusetts > Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of the state of Massachusetts, Volume IV > Part 76

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His widow, who died about 1712, administered on her husband's estate, which was divided after her decease on November 18, 1712; ex- cept those parts which had already been given to "Eldest son of Joseph and daughter Mar- tha," to the following children, viz : Ephraim, "Mary, Rebecca and John, the other children not being mentioned in the will. Children, born in Watertown: I. Sarah, born January 15, 1642-43 ( Boston Records say November 15). 2. Mary, September 10, 1644, died be- fore 1730. 3. Joseph, 4. Ephraim, twins, Oc- tober 28, 1647, both buried November 4, 1647. 5. Martha, March 24, 1649, lived till middle age and died unmarried. 6. Joseph (2), Decem- ber 12, 1651, died Westminster, Massachusetts, August 7, 1684. 7. Rebecca, April 17, 1654. 8. Ephraim (2), August 25, 1656. 9. John, Au- gust, 1659, died October 24, 1732.

(II) Joseph (2), eldest son of the immi- grant married Anna, whose surname is un- known, and removed to Westminster, Massa - chusetts, then called Narragansett, No. 2. In 1740, his son, probably Philip, "Disposed of all right and title to the property of my hon- ored father and mother, Joseph and Anna Bemis, to my brother Joseph and sister Mary of Cambridge." (History of Westminster, by William S. Haywood). As we know that Jo- seph's wife was Anna, and that he went to Westminster to live, it proves that he was the son of Joseph Bemis the immigrant. The rec- ords of the towns of Westminster and Water- town do not furnish any data of an intervening generation, and it is therefore assumed there was none. Joseph Bemis, or Bemish, so spelt, was a soldier in King Philip's war as evidenced from the following entries in Bodge, "Sol- diers in King Philip's war," p. 176. Joseph Bemish credited under Captain James Oliver, for services March 24, 1675-76, £2, 14s .; page 376. The same soldier received £2, 10s .; page 147. Under a list of the Grantees of Narra- gansett No. 2, Now Westminster, Massachu- setts, appears Joseph Beames, deceased, claimed by his son Joseph Beames, Grant made about October 17, 1733. In 1700, the son of the Narragansett settler, Joseph (3), was aided by a contribution, "having had his sub- stance consumed by fire."

Children, born in Westminster: Joseph, Mary, Philip, born about 1700, died after 1782; Thomas, died about 1757 in Westmin- ster.

(III) Philip, second son of Joseph (2) and Anna Bemis, married, November 21, 1723, Eliz- abeth Lawrence. They settled in Westminster

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in 1738, and he was the third permanent settler in that town. They had probably previously lived in Cambridge. Philip was a plain, sub- stantial and much-respected citizen, though he held no office. The exact dates of death of his wife and self are not known, though he was liv- ing in 1782. He had in his family a waif, or or- phan boy, named Daniel Munjoy. Children, born in Cambridge: I. Phillip, baptized No- vember 13, 1726; married, February 22, 1749, Lydia Dix, of Waltham, Massachusetts. 2. William, baptized November 13, 1726, died No- vember 8, 1801. 3. David, baptized July 30. 1729, died 1813. 4. Abigail, baptized July 25, 1731, probably died young. 5. Edmund, bap- tized October 22, 1732, died December 1, 1807. 6. Zaccheus, baptized July 25, 1736, died 1805.

(IV) William, second son of Philip and Elizabeth (Lawrence) Bemis, married (first) probably at Princeton, in 1755, Rezina, daugh- ter of Joshua Wilder and Sarah Keys, of Princeton. He married (second) November 12, 1772, Abigail Annis. She died at Harvard, December 25, 1823, aged eighty-three. Will- iam Bemis died at Westminster, November 8, 1801. Children by first wife, born in West- minster : I. William, July 29, 1756, died Octo- ber 10, 1764. 2. Philip, November 9, 1757, died October 4, 1764. 3. Elizabeth, April 17, 1759, married at Westminster, November, 1780, Jonathan Phillips, and resided in West- minster. 4. Joshua, March 19, 1761, probably married Johannah Frost. He was a revolu- tionary soldier, enlisting first for three months' service for the defence of Boston, and again in 1779 for nine months. 5. Rezina, January 30, died March 8, 1763. 6. William, November 10, 1764, died July 25, 1776. Children, by second marriage, born in Westminster : 7. Re- ziner, born June 3, 1773. She married a Mr. Whipple, 1794 or 95. Was living in Salem, 1804-1815. 8. Stephen, see below. 9. Annis, born September 1, 1776, married, March II, 1794, Joseph Beaman, said to have come from Lunenburg. He died September, 1821, aged fifty-two years. Most of his family then re- moved to Antwerp, New York. Children, born Westminster : Joseph, February 5, 1795, died August 28, 1838. David, October 21, 1796. Annis, October 5, 1798. Ira, June 27, 1800. Abigail, May 19, 1802, died September, 1805. Ezra B., March 20, 1804. Sophronia, December 13, 1805. Polly, April 1, 1810, died July 24, 1813. Hiram, July 1, 1812. Abigail P. May 14, 1815. Sarah (Anna?), July 28, 1820.

(V) Rev. Stephen, fifth son of William and

Abigail (Annis) Bemis, was born in West- minster, September 10, 1774, and died in Har- vard, November II, 1828. He graduated at Dartmouth College in 1798. After graduating he studied theology with the noted divine, Dr. Joseph Lathrop, of West Springfield. The scholarship of Mr. Bemis was of a high order. Dr. Lathrop was heard to say that the Rev. Jesse Appleton, afterward president of Bow. doin College, and Stephen Bemis were the most finished scholars that ever passed under his instruction. Later Mr. Bemis tutored for a while at Dartmouth College. June 3, 1801, he was ordained to preach at Harvard, Massa- chusetts, and was installed as pastor of the Congregational church there succeeding Rev. William Emerson, father of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Rev. Dr. Lathrop preached the or- dination sermon. He remained as pastor of the church for twelve years, a period almost double that of the continuance of any of his predecessors except the first. It had long been the unhappiness of the people of Harvard, so it has been said, not only to be divided in their opinions upon religious and political sub- jects but through the undue influence of in- discreet and violent men to maintain their divisions with great rancor and animosity. This dominant temper of the people was vehemently manifested in 1812 in the begin- ning of the war with England. Mr. Bemis was strenuously opposed to the war. The north and especially New England was by a large majority bitterly opposed to it. The clergy almost to a man were against it. It was not Mr. Bemis's nature to trim or quibble. He had the courage of his convictions and dared to express them in words of no doubt- ful meaning. On August 20, 1812, a special day of fasting and prayer "called on account of the state of the country," Mr. Bemis in his sermon condemned the war and the admin- istration most vigorously. He denounced the war as "unnecessary, unpolitic and unjust." In the beginning of his sermon he claimed the same equal right with others to express his opinions and moreover obliged by his office to give warning of impending danger, and he asked his people to hear him "with patience and with candor." But it would appear that some of his hearers did not listen to his words in the spirit that he desired. In fact, so much ill feeling was worked up against Mr. Bemis that he was forced to resign. At that time the church depended on the town for financial sup- port and the townspeople had a voice in church affairs. It followed therefore that many who

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never attended on Mr. Bemis' preaching, who never went to church, were brought forward in voting their dissatisfaction. A majority of the church members supported Mr. Bemis and expressed their disapprobation of the actions of his adversaries. Mr. Bemis resigned, and his relation as pastor of the church terminated June 3, 1813. He continued to live in Har- vard but on account of his health, always frail and which had become seriously impaired, he retired permanently from active work in the ministry and devoted himself to farming, to preaching occasionally in neighboring pulpits, and to minor affairs.

He married (first), at Chicopee, February 13, 1802, Sophronia Chapin, daughter of Cap- tain Phineas Chapin and Sabrina Wright (see Chapin, V). Sophronia died September 10. 1804, at Harvard. He married ( second) April 20, 1808, Susan Chaplin. She died October 5, 1810, at Harvard. He married (third) De- cember 8, 1811, Mrs. Rejoice (Wetherbee) Olds, widow of Dr. Warren Olds. She died January 29, 1856, at Harvard.

Children by first marriage: I. Stephen Chapin, has an extended sketch below. 2. So- phronia, born July 23, 1804, died at Williman- sett, March 27, 1842. She married Deacon John Pendleton, of Willimansett, September, 1831. He died July 27, 1863. Children, born at Willimansett : Susan Sophronia, May I, 1833, died at Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, February 27, 1890; married at Willimansett, December 31, 1868, Ward Edwin Allen, no issue. John Lamb, August 9, 1839, died No- vember 5, 1889; married at Chicopee Falls, October 14, 1868, Isabella Stewart. They had six children: Susan Bell, Mary Stewart, John Roswell, Alice Evelina, Anna Sophronia, Charles Bemis. Children of Rev. Stephen Bemis by second marriage : 3. Daniel Chapin, May 1, 1809, died September 16, 1828. 4. Will- iam Lawrence, September 21, 1810, died in Stockton, California, April 17, 1877 ; married first in Tolland, Connecticut, December 27. 136, Eunice G. Chapin, daughter of Bliss Chapin and Eunice Benton. She died March 20, 1846. He married (second) in Chicopee, Massachusetts, November 8, 1849, Mrs. Mary Campbell ( Bayley) Ames, widow of Nathan P. Ames. No issue by either marriage. Chil- dren of Rev. Stephen Bemis by third mar- riage : 5. Lathrop, October 13, 1812, died Oc- tober 2, 1813. 6. Abigail, December 18, 1813, died in Hartford, Connecticut, July 14, 1894; married at Harvard, Massachusetts, October 10, 1836, George Whitney. He was born De-

cember 26, 1809, died December 27, 1877. Children: George Henry, born July 15 and died October 18, 1837. George Augustus, born August 9, 1838, died April 1, 1840. Ellen Maria, Harvard, February 10, 1840, married in Springfield, Massachusetts, January 20, 1868, William Edgar Dickinson. They had two children, Ethan and Georgiana. Albert, born at Harvard, February 15, 1841, married at Meriden, Connecticut, September 1, 1868, Ellen C. Jones. No issue. Abbie Emeline, born in Springfield, June 4, 1847, married there June 9, 1869, Charles Peter Chapin of Boston. They had three children, Mabel Whitney, Charles Ralph, and Earl Warren. 7. Catherine, October 16, 1817, died at Har- vard, January 24, 1892; married there Caleb Warner. He died September 19, 1888. No issue.

(VI) Hon. Stephen Chapin Bemis, only son of Rev. Stephen and Sophronia (Chapin) Bemis, was born in Harvard, November 28, 1802, and died in Springfield, February 12, 1875. His mother died when Stephen C. was about two years old. After his mother's death he with his baby sister were sent to live with his grand- parents in Chicopee, at that time a part of Springfield. He lived with his grandparents until his father married again in 1808, about three and one-half years, when he returned to his father's home in Harvard. He began go- ing to school while in Chicopee when only four years old, attended school in Harvard, and was also under his father's instruction. In the spring of 1817, when fourteen years old, he began his business career as clerk for his uncle, Captain Joseph Pease, who kept a coun- try store in Chicopee street. As was the cus- tom in those days he worked for his board and clothes. About this time his father wrote him: "One thing is certain that in my present circumstances it will be impossible for me to afford you much assistance. Having given you as good an education as I could, and your time, I must leave you under Providence, to make your way in the world as well as you can. Be sober, industrious, honest, faithful and frugal. On these virtues your success and prosperity will greatly depend." From the beginning young Stephen C. developed re- markable aptitude for trade and business. He was ambitious, active, impatient to get ahead and so restless at times that his father needed to caution him. His uncle had other business which engaged a good part of his attention and Stephen C. took almost the whole charge of the store. In 1819 he got the "sea fever"

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and wanted to go as a sailor, but his father would not give his consent and persuaded him to relinquish the idea. In 1821, in a letter to his father, he expressed his desire to go to a larger place and get employment in a store where more business was done and where he could learn more. Accordingly in that year he went to Hartford and entered the employ of Lemuel Swift, wholesale and retail grocer. The work there proved extremely hard and brought on a debility which he could not throw off. His employer was a hard master and he had to work from sunrise until nine o'clock and sometimes twelve o'clock at night. Obliged to give up his position in Hartford, he re- turned to Chicopee and in 1822, when nine- teen years old, formed a partnership with his uncle under the firm name of Pease & Bemis. This partnership continued for two years, when the senior partner withdrew. Captain Pease sold his interest in the firm to Sylvester Chapin and he with Mr. Bemis formed a new company under the name of Chapin & Bemis. The new firm did not last long. Mr. Chapin "had little talent for business and lacked the confidence of the people." In a few months Mr. Bemis bought out his partner and imme- diately formed a new partnership with Chester W. Chapin, who had been carrying on an oppo- sition store across the street. They retained the firm name of Chapin & Bemis and carried on the business for two years, when Mr. Cha- pin was obliged to withdraw because of ill health. Although this partnership was of short duration the friendship then formed was life-long; and in after years the fortunes of the two were united in various ways and en- terprises. Mr. Bemis kept an interest in the old store for a number of years as well as in other stores established in Willimansett and Cabotville, with different men as partners. In 1829, Mr. Bemis organized the Willimansett Manufacturing Company, and was elected agent and treasurer. The company bought a water privilege in Willimansett and built a factory and boarding houses for the employes. It manufactured wool cards, tools and small hardware. At one time as many as one hun- dred men were employed. In this venture Mr. Bemis was the pioneer in hardware manufac- ture in the Connecticut valley. The business was conducted successfully for ten years or more and its products gained a wide reputa- tion. In recognition of their superiority sil- ver medals were awarded the company at a number of industrial fairs. In the early for- ties Mr. Bemis became financially embarrassed

and the Willimansett factory was sold, the card making department dropped, and the tool manufacture, in 1844, was transferred to Springfield, where Mr. Bemis in company with Mr. Amos Call carried it on at Mill River. In 1855 the business was incorporated and be- came known as the Bemis & Call Hardware & Tool Company, which exists to this day as one of Springfield's successful industries. In 1843 Mr. Bemis who, about 1831, had moved from Chicopee street to Willimansett, moved his residence from Willimansett to Springfield, and in addition to manufacturing tools en- gaged in the retail hardware business. In 1853 he gave the management of this business to his eldest son, and devoted himself more ex- clusively to the coal and iron business which in company with Chester W. Chapin, under the firm name of S. C. Bemis & Co. he first engaged in about 1845. He applied himself closely to business until 1868, when on account of ill health brought on by constant care and overwork, he withdrew from all active pursuits.

Mr. Bemis during his life held many public offices and places of trust. In his inaugural address as mayor of Springfield, in 1862, at the beginning of his second term, he said: "I have been a citien of Springfield for the last forty-five years, and during that period I have received many marks of confidence and regard from my fellow citizens. I believe I have been elected to almost every office within the gift of the town or city, from the lowest to the highest." His first official duties date back to 1824, when he was appointed postmaster at Chicopee. He held this office until 1834, when it was removed from Chicopee street to Willimansett. He was tax collector in 1824, and again in subsequent years ; fire warden for a long term of years ; assistant engineer of the fire department 1846-47-48; selectman before the town became a city; justice of the peace ; alderman, 1856-57-58; member of the legis- lature 1837, and mayor of the city in 1861 and 1862. He was president of the Hampden Sav- ings Bank for fifteen years prior to 1871 and a director in the Agawam National Bank for seven years. Other financial interests of more or less importance engaged his time and activity. In politics and public affairs Mr. Bemis always took a lively interest. In early life by birth and bringing up he was a Whig, but in 1838 he went over to the Democrats and thereafter was an earnest supporter of what he called the principles of Jeffersonian democracy. He was looked upon as one of the "old war horses" of his party. His prominence in the

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party was by no means local. Several times he was delegate to Democratic national con- ventions. In 1854 he was nominated for con- gress was also candidate for lieutenant-gov- ernor in 1859. His attitude in respect to na- tional affairs immediately preceding the civil war may be understood by quoting from his inaugural address as mayor of Springfield, January 7, 1861 : "While our granaries are full to overflowing-our storehouses filled with merchandise, and our capitalists with an abundance of means to transact the business of the country-a mighty change has come over us. The smith is resting on his anvil, the noise of the shuttle has nearly ceased, the sound of the grinding is low. Many of our mechanics are out of employment, and our workshops partially or entirely closed. With all the elements of prosperity and abundance, why does this state of things exist, and to what cause can we attribute the present stagnation of business? Is it not to be found in forget- fulness among the people of their obligations to the Constitution under which we live ?- of a tendency to new theories and abstractions, and an adoption of fanatical ideas which are at war with the great principles which have so long bound us together as a brotherhood of states? If so, whether it be the north or south, let errors be corrected in a spirit of concession ; let the counsels of good and con- servative men prevail and save us from an- archy and civil war. *

* * But, after all, if Liberty shall prove to be but another name for Treason, and a conflict must ensue, then I trust we have hosts of men like Scott and Wool and Anderson, who will, let what may come, see that the Stars and Stripes are tri- umphant, and that traitors and their abettors may read their doom !" He stood resolutely with President Lincoln for the suppression of the re- bellion and preservation of the Union. In his second inaugural address, January 6, 1862, he said in part : "In this crisis, we must stand by the Government-we should combine all our energies to suppress the rebellion. * there should be no fretful and unavailing com- plaints, but all should go heartily into the work of restoring our national constitution to its just supremacy. Let the government be sus- tained in its endeavor to restore its authority over the thirty-four states. This can be done in no other way than by united action, bravery and fidelity among the people, and the officers and soldiers of our army; thus will traitors be humbled and snarling fanatics silenced." With the breaking out of the war Mr. Bemis,

as mayor, applied himself with unswerving patriotism and untiring energy to the multi- plied duties of his office. Never did the fiery enthusiasm of his nature show to better ad- vantage than during those early rebellious days when he bent his whole soul to the furthering of the national cause.

Mr. Bemis was one of those earnest, fear- less men. He went straight to the mark in all his operations and no one had occasion to mis- understand or doubt his meaning. He won success through a clear head, hard work, and unswerving purpose, and when he made a stand on any question everybody knew where to find him. In manner he was quick and im- pulsive, at times almost passionate in his vehe- mence; but those who knew him best were keenly aware of the warm affectionate heart and ready sympathy that were so easily enlist- ed in behalf of suffering and needy.

He joined the old church in Chicopee street in 1826 and retained his membership therein to the end of his life. Early ties were too strong to be severed; and at his request he and his wife were buried in the cemetery in Chicopee street.

December 25, 1828 he married Julia Eme- line Skeele, daughter of Otis Skeele and Kezia Chapin, of Chicopee. She was born July II, 1809, and died April 25, 1900, aged ninety years and nine months. (See Skeele, VI, and Chapin, VII.)

Her ancestors were all of the old New Eng- land stock, the genealogy of her descent going directly back to the Pilgrims and the Puritans. Her mother, Keziah Chapin, was daughter of Major Moses Chapin, of Chicopee, a descend- ant of Deacon Samuel, the father of all the Chapins. Her grandmother, Marcy Otis Skeele, was a descendant of John Otis, who came from England about 1635, and settled at Hinghanı. The Otis family was prominent in the early his- tory of the colony. Marcy Otis was a collateral relative of John Otis the patriot. Mrs. Bemis, through her grandmother, was also a descend- ant, in the eiglith generation, of Jolin Howland and Elizabeth Tilly, who were passengers in the "Mayflower." Her grandfather, Dr. Amos Skcele, was a soldier of the revolution and was severely wounded in the struggle. (See sketch of Dr. Amos Skeele).

Mrs. Bemis was a member of the First Con- gregational church of Chicopee strect, with which she united in 1840. She retained her membership until she died.

Mrs. Bemis retained in an extraordinary de- gree to the end of her life the possession of

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her mental and physical powers. Her failing sight was the most distressing affliction of her later years. She inherited in generous meas- ure the moral earnestness, faithfulness to con- viction and deep religious feeling of her an- cestors. She was always cheerful and hope- ful and gave with generosity to the numerous objects of charity that engaged her heart. She did not seek a conspicuous place in so- ciety. Her nature was of the quiet kind that found greatest delight in the more satisfactory joys of home among her children and inti- mate friends. She always took an intelligent interest in public affairs and kept abreast of the times.

Children of Stephen Chapin and Julia Eme- line (Skeele) Bemis: 1. Stephen Augustus, born in Chicopee, September 27, 1830, died in Springfield, June 13, 1897; married (first) at Boston, February 8, 1855, Frances Ann, daughter of Alonzo Burdick and Lucy Ann Lewis. She died October 2, 1869. He mar- ried (second) at New Bedford, October 10, 1876, Mrs. Emma Theora (White) Collins, widow of Charles M. Collins, and daughter of William G. and Betsy White. Children by first wife: Infant daughter, April 17, 1857, died August 2, 1857. Lilly Chapin, April 7, 1859, died May 26, 1863. Frank Augustus, November 29, 1862. Child by second wife: Florence, June 8, 1879. 2. William Chaplin, born in Willimansett, November 16, 1832, died in Springfield, October 26, 1904; was married in Springfield, December 25, 1856, to Emily O., daughter of Aaron D. Rodgers and Olive R. Leonard. Children: Edwin Leonard, No- vember 17, 1858. William Stephen, Novem- ber 24, 1860, died March 23, 1895. Howard Rodgers, March 5, 1867. Harold Belmont, September 15, 1871, died December 6, 1871. Belle, November 1, 1872, died February 24, 1874. Chester Chapin, August 6, 1879, died February 11, 1880. 3. Arthur Irving, born in Willimansett, January 18, 1835, died in Spring- field, December 2, 1893; married in Spring- field, December 19, 1857, Anna Eliza, daugh- ter of Thomas Parker and Lucinda Sackett. She died November 16, 1878. Children : Henry Preston, June 9, 1859, died in infancy. Charles Arthur, November 3, 1860. Fred Irving, January 15, 1863. Grace Parker, May 22, 1867. Fannie Anna, January 1, 1870. Maud, September 19, 1872, and Lucinda Sack- ett, August 29, 1877. 4. Julia Emeline, born in Willimansett, February 26, 1838, died in Springfield, April 25, 1905; was married in Springfield, November 8, 1860, to Warner iv-47

Fassett Sturtevant, son of Warner C. Sturte- vant and Abigail Lyon. He died October 27, 1906. Children: Minnie Abigail, July 10, 1861. Robert Hamilton, November 3, 1864, died September 26, 1865. Royal Bassett, January 27, 1868. Julia Bemis, August 12, 1874. 5. Thomas Otis, born in Williman- sett, August 1, 1840, died in Springfield, June 22, 1903; was married November 18, 1863, at Springfield, to Sarah Ellen, daughter of Dan- iel Collins and Sarah Bascom. Children : Mabel Collins, January 23, 1867. Emma Wil- cox, November 8, 1870. 6. Edward Fitzger- ald, born in Springfield, May 8, 1843, died March 7, 1844. 7. Kate Chapin, born in Springfield, May 30, 1846; married in Spring- field, October 23, 1872, Howard Ashley Gibbs, son of Jarvis W. Gibbs and Tryphena Mann. Children: Ralph Bemis, December 26, 1875. Edith, December 14, 1879. 8. Henry Skeele, is mentioned below.

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Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of the state of Massachusetts, Volume IV, Part 76

Author: Cutter, William Richard, 1847-1918, ed; Adams, William Frederick, 1848- Publication date: 1910 Publisher: New York, Lewis historical publishing company Number of Pages: 886

Author: Cutter, William Richard, 1847-1918, ed; Adams, William Frederick, 1848-
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: New York, Lewis historical publishing company
Number of Pages: 886