My Genealogy Hound

George W. Chapman, one of the oldest and most honored farmers of Oakland County, resides on his beautiful farm of 70 acres situated in section 18, Waterford township, and has 10 acres additional in White Lake township. He was born February 7, 1825, in the town of Leroy, Genesee County, New York, and is a son of Amasa and Hannah (Akin) Chapman.

Amasa Chapman was born in Colchester, New London County, Connecticut, and was one of seven children born to Ichabod Chapman, the others being as follows: Dudley C., Olive, Guy, Orel, Rhoda and Laura. Ichabod Chapman was born in Connecticut of English parentage, and carried on the pursuits of general farming and dairying there on a 400-acre farm. Amasa Chapman was educated at the New London (Connecticut) Academy, after which he engaged as a school teacher and taught 12 winters and during the summers worked on the farm. Later he engaged wholly in agricultural pursuits, both in Genesee County, New York, and in Oakland County, Michigan, whither he removed at an early day. He accumulated quite a fortune, but later lost much of it. Politically a Democrat, he was always deeply interested in politics, held several town and county positions in New York, and was elected justice of the peace by the Democratic party. He was also captain of a company in the New York State Militia. He died in Oakland County at the age of 87 years. He was united in marriage twice. His first wife was Hannah Akin, a daughter of Joseph and Hannah Akin, the former a native of Virginia and the latter, of Massachusetts; they reared one child besides our subject, namely: Joseph, who was a resident of Flint, Michigan, until his death in October, 1903, at the age of 80 years. Two children, both now deceased, resulted from Amasa Chapman’s second marriage.

George W. Chapman came to Michigan in 1836 in company with his parents, who settled about two miles north of the town of Pontiac, in Pontiac township, Oakland County, and has lived in this county ever since. During the many years of his busy life he has been uniformly successful in all his undertakings. He has bought and sold some five or six different farms and by these speculations has profited financially. He came to his present farm about 1878 and there has spent the past 25 years in raising grain and live stock. His Herefords and Jerseys are of the finest breed. The fruits of this region are well represented on his property. The farm is one of the best tilled farms in his section and produces grain that in quality is unsurpassed by that grown on any farm in the county. Besides being a farmer, Mr. Chapman is a business man of the highest rank and is looked upon by his friends and neighbors as an able and honest citizen.

Mr. Chapman’s first marriage was to Martha Banner, a native of Oakland County. His second marriage was to Minerva C. Shaver, a native of Wayne County, New York, and three children were born to them, namely: Carrie (Clark), a resident of Detroit; Ellsworth, of Pontiac; and Florence B., who resides at home with her parents. Politically our subject is a Democrat. He is a Mason and a member of the Farmers’ Club. The family are Baptists.