Thomas Chapman

As printed in 1891

THOMAS CHAPMAN, whose residence is on the south line of section 33, of Cass Township, has been a resident of the county since. 1865, when he settled on his present place, consisting of a fractional quarter section. He is a native of England, born September 23, 1825, in Wiltshire, and is a son of William and Mary (Green) Chapman, and was the fourth child of a family of ten children. His father was a farmer, and died in England. Two years after his father’s death his mother came to America, and died in Harrison County. When our subject was sixteen years old, in England, he commenced working at shoemaking, which he followed most of the time until he came to America, as well as one year afterwards. It was during the month of January that he bid farewell to his native land and sailed for America, landing at New Orleans, and from thence by boat up to Council Bluffs, and during the year 1851 purchased the farm in Boomer Township, Pottawattamie County. But like so many others at that date, he saw visions of golden wealth and prosperity, and in 1852 started for Salt Lake, crossing the plains with ox-teams. He remained in that country twelve years, just prior to his settlement in Harrison County. In the fall of 1851 he had assisted in surveying a part of the section lines in Harrison County.

November 20, 1847, he was united in marriage with Amelia Willis, in England. She died in Salt Lake April 9, 1856, and in 1857 he was married to Mrs. Deborah J. Blair, daughter of James and Rebecca (Hall) Bushnell, a native of England, born October 11, 1819. She was the youngest of a family of four children, and was married in the land of her birth January 2, 1841, to David Blair, who was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, May 5, 1810, and was the son of John and Jane Blair, who came to America in November, 1856, landing in Boston, and from there he took up his journey to Utah, coming in cattle cars to Iowa City, being under the supervision of Daniel Taylor and Edwin Martin, missionaries of Brigham Young. From Iowa City to Salt Lake City the long march was made by the Mormons, to which sect this family belonged, by means of hand carts heavily laden with their household effects, books, keep makes, and trinkets. Nearly the entire way across what was then known as the Great American Desert this little band, our subject’s wife, husband and three children, which had been driven by persecution from the Mississippi States, were obliged to subsist on a pint of flour per day and it will be remembered that this was in the winter. Short ly after leaving Laramie the snow was deep, and in many places they were compelled to wade through it waist deep, as the oxen gave out.

Mr. Blair, Mrs. Chapman’s first husband, who necessarily enters largely into this sketch, while in England and a subject of the Queen, was one of the Royal Guards. He was six feet and three inches high, and served in the capacity of one of the Royal House Queen’s Body Guards, and Mrs. Chapman now possesses a regimental coat he wore, and a sword which was presented to him by his Colonel. While crossing the plains this man fell a victim to starvation, as did one of the children, and died at Rocky Ridge. When the party reached Independent Rock they were compelled to halt for nine days on account of a snow blockade, until terms reached them from Salt Lake, bringing provisions and some clothing, allowing them to leave their hand-carts and ride the remainder of their journey. Like great military campaigns of the Civil War, the hardships endured, the sacrifices made and the lives lost, can never be fully described or thoroughly understood by any one who did not march through the enemy’s land. The survivors of the late war, and those who withstood the torture of an Andersonville or a Libby Prison can in a measure enter into the spirit of the suffering entailed by that terrible conflict. So it is with the exodus of the Mormon people, from winter quarters, near the present site of Omaha, across the desert land of Nebraska and Colorado, at a time when they were hundreds of miles from any other human creatures than the savage tribes of Indians, and fortunate indeed were the many thousands of their number who became “Apostates” this side of the Missouri River and withdrew from that people on account of polygamy; for while they sought out homes on the eastern shore of the Missouri River, in many of the southwestern counties, in Iowa as well as in Missouri, and endured the hard ships co-incident with frontier life, yet they escaped the religious imprisonment and disgrace of those who became Brigham Young’s followers in the far West.

While it is true that the Mormon Missionaries, who were sent to England, preached good sermons, and taught religious and moral doctrines, it was only for an object, as the sequel proved that many of their followers were but slaves to the leaders who advocated polygamy.

Our subject and his wife are members of the Re-organized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Politically, Mr. Chapman is a supporter of the Democratic party, and stands high in the community in which he lives.

Mr. Chapman adopted two boys in Salt Lake City — Gfeorge P. and Charles G. Dykes. The former was nine and the latter four years of age, and were mother less. George P. remained with the Chapman family until twenty years of age; and Charles until twenty-two years, when he married. He now resides in Muscatine County, Iowa, and has eighty acres of land. They were both cared for and treated as their own children.

As printed in History of Harrison County, Iowa. Containing full-page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county. Together with portraits and biographies of all the go (1891). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.