In the books' own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. The later printing (1898) is folded below the first. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
Born 1821
From History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio (1881), A portrait and biographical record of Portage and Summit counties, Ohio (1898)
M. CHAPMAN, farmer, P. 0. Hudson, was born in this township, west edge of Lot 84, Dec. 18, 1821, son of John and Eliza (Bassett) Chapman. Mathew was the eldest of a family of seven children, who were, Harriet, Mary, Ellen. John, Henry and Rufus. Our subject was raised to farming pursuits. In April 1849, he was married to Sarah B. Waite, born Sept. 25, 1828, in Boston Township, daughter of Benjamin and Sarah Chapman, whose maiden name
:i£ was Kent. The above were early- settlers in Boston Township. With the exception of a few years of his early married life, which was spent in Boston Township, he has been a constant resident of this township, and engaged in farming and stock trading; lias 280 acres of land, and is a neat and successful farmer; has two children — Emily E., now Mrs. W. Morse, of Cleveland, and one son, William H., on home farm. John Chapman, the father of Mathew, was born in England, about the year 1788;.at age of 18 was pressed into the British Navy and during the war of 1812, served on the Hagship Queen Charlotte. At the time of Perry's victory he was captured by the Americans, taken to Chillocothe, where he spent one winter, then taken to Cleveland and exchanged. Shorth after, he came to this locality and engaged as a farm laborer; saving some means, he made his first purchase into Wadsworth Township, Medina County; afterward, traded his farm for land in the northwest part of this township, locating there about the 3-ear 1829, where he died Jan. 15, 18G6, having at the time 150 acres of land. He and wife were members of the Congregationalist Church; was Democratic in sentiment and a worthy citizen of the community.
As printed in History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio (1881). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]
The Chapman family came overland from New York by teams to Copley township. Summit county, in the fall of 1835, and settled on a farm of 154 acres, one-half mile south of Center. Here Ashbel Chapman, who had fought at Lundy's Lane in the war of 1812, cleared up a comfortable home, and on this farm Byron was reared to manhood, attending in the meanwhile the common and more advanced school, until twenty-two years of age. Having now decided to adopt the medical profession as his life-pursuit, he commended the study of the science under his brother, William J., then a practitioner of some note in Copley. Later he attended lectures at Cleveland (Ohio) Medical college, from which he was graduated in March, 1847. But, just about this time, his elder brother and preceptor, William J., was suddenly called from earth and his field of usefulness, yet Byron felt no hesitancy in taking charge of the deceased physician's patients, whom he so skillfully treated that his reputation was at once established, and an increased and lucrative practice has been his ever since.
Dr. Byron Chapman was united in marriage, December 23, 1847, with Miss Matilda
Dils, then of New Hudson, Oakland county, Mich., but a native of Cayuga county, N. Y., born April 1 1, 1830, a daughter of Abram and Mary (Polhamus) Dils. To this union have been born two children, Willis D. and Fannie P.
Willis 1). Chapman was born October 3, 1 84S, and was educated in Copley and the Pennsylvania Polytechnic college of Philadelphia. He then became locating engineer on the Lake Shore ts; Tuscarawas Valley railway, held the position until 1871, and then filled a similar position on the Canada Southern railway from 1872 to 1876; was then engaged in general civil engineering, with headquarters at Toledo, Ohio, for two years; then was for two years mining engineer and United States deputy surveyor in Montana, and in Akron, Ohio, served as city engineer from 1886 until 1889, since which time he has been engaged in electric street railway construction in Akron, Canton and Zanesville, Ohio. At present Mr. Chapman is general manager of the Akron Street Railway & Illuminating company\ He has been a member of the American society of Civil Engineers since 1883, and also of the Ohio society of Civil Engineers. His marriage took place February 26, 1873, to Miss Ella A. Marriner, who was born in Akron May 5, 1849, and to this union have been born six children, viz: Charles A., Etha M., Willis D., Jr., Ella A., George B. and Fred. Fanny P. Chapman was born August 3, 1852, and is now the widow of Albert E. Hiestand, who was a prominent attorney of Akron. Mrs. Hiestand has her present residence with her parents in Copley, and is a lady of many estimable qualities.,
Dr. Chapman has been a member of the republican party since its organization, assisting as a delegate to Columbus, Ohio, when the party was founded in this state. He has served as postmaster seventeen years, as township clerk ten years, and as treasurer twenty-seven years. Fraternally, he is a member of Copley tent. No. 204, K. ( T. M., and has ever been a prominent man, professionally and socially, and has always held an advanced position in promoting the moral and educational interests of his county and state. The doctor has acceptably filled a position on the school board for about twenty-two years, which speaks volumes for him as far as the esteem in which he is held by the general public is concerned, but his professional eminence is the crowning glory of his life.
As printed in A portrait and biographical record of Portage and Summit counties, Ohio (1898). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
Named in this biography: Byron Chapman (b. 1822)
Their biographies name M. Chapman: Mason Chapman (b. 1838) William T. Mendenhall
The printed record stops around 1881. We trace your line from there down to you, with every source cited.