OCR Text |
Show "CI1A.BE KSTATE." Beacon Street. BostoD, April 10, 1873. To tlit Editor of the Chicago Tribune: Sir 1 have received within the last two monthB, many letterB from tho west, written by people who, either by marriage mar-riage or descent, are connected with the two Chase families of New Kngland, which descend from Aquila and Tho. Chase, brotaers, grantees of Hampton ia lWJ, or from William Chase, who came over in governor Winthrop's fleet in 1600, and settled afterwards at l ar-mouth, ar-mouth, where ho died. The desceedanu of William have been found in Southeastern and Central Cen-tral Massachusetts, and in Rhode Island. Is-land. There is no reason to believe that William Chase, of Yarmouth, was any relatiye of the later settlerB of Hampton; and all the eilorta which have been made by myself and others interested in the genealotry have failed to idontify him with them, or even to find him eQ-lioned eQ-lioned in any English records, ihe family of Aquila and Thomas Chase ar descended from Thomas Chase, who was living at Chesham.in BucLiughamshtre, in 1&1U; and wore found by tno late Mr H. U. Somerlv, an American gentleman i aiA, v i,i .,nrT distin guished professional antiquarian, who was employed by mo to search the early English records. The result of his re- I searches, together with some genealogies genealo-gies of the family collected by me, 1 contributed to the Heraldic Journal of October, 18li8, and, at the requosl of some of his name, I reprinted the article-in article-in a Bmall pamphlet- Both tho Journal and the pamphlet can be found in tho principal public libraries in the west by those who may bo kind onough to roao-them, roao-them, and save themselves tho task of writing, and myself that of answering uneasy letters about the "Chase inherl -lance." There lies in my attic a trunk ful of newspaper-cuttings, letters, and attempts at English genealogies, which were received re-ceived and put away by my father, in 1848, after the Bame old story had boon cleverly elaborated by the press reporters repor-ters of that period, many of whom are the editors of to-day. There was no truth in tlin olnrn Ihnn- ttini-n io nnnA nOW: thOre never has boon any truth in it, and there never will be. Tho authoi of it is ; not certainly known, but ho has at any . rate long slept in his grave. The bubble was pricked in 1817, by the late ilr, Theodore Ohase, who, wearied by importunity, im-portunity, caused Messrs. Baring Bros. & Co. lo make sufficient investigation to prove that the story was a aimple iavon- j lion. After twenty-five years of quiet, the original story, that thero was an estate in the English chancery courts awaiting decision as to the rights of hoirs by tho name of Chase, some of whom had long ago emigrated to America, has been revived re-vived at a convention of the Chase heirs where each present seems to have contributed con-tributed something of circumstance.and where committees were appointed. The story has at length attained such dimensions dimen-sions that it occupies the whole page of a broadsido, the production of a M.r. John F. Chase, a vary misinformed, but I doubt not vory sincere man, who has been, and is Btill, tho "business committee" com-mittee" of the convention. I quote an extract from the broadside: "Richard, tho brother of William (Chase), was aide to the duke of Wellington. Well-ington. The estate was filed in the chancery court in 174(5, and it was through the eilbrts of this Richard, who was a thorough-going man, that tho matter was put through, and judgment given in favor of tho heirs.1 ' By this statement, Richard Chase, the older brother of William, who came over in Winlhrop'B fleet in 1&30, succeeded, suc-ceeded, as he had become aide to the duke of Wellington, created duke in 1814, in getting a bill tiled in 1746, eventually put through. Mr. John F. Chase omits to ntate whether this gentleman, gen-tleman, whose length of days he thus shows to haye exceeded iiOO years be still living; but ho does "call upon all the Chase heirs lo contribute liberally," and, in order that the said heira "shall get value for what thoy contribute to the Chase fund, the committee, by considerable con-siderable expense, havo obtained tho original coat-of-arms and motto," which "any one of the Chase family wishing a picture," can have sent them by remitting remit-ting their subscription to him. The coat of arms he gives is a copy of the cut furnished by mo for the Heraldic Heral-dic Journal of October, 1808, with the motto, "Ne cede matis" has been bit upon since then for the occasion, possibly possi-bly by Richard as that rule of conduct by which he attained such romarkablo age. In conclusion, Mr. Editor, I ask the favor of your columns for the insertion of this letter, which may, I trust, reach the eyes of many of the Chaeo kindred resident in the Northwest, and enable them to dismiss from their thoughts a ailly fabrication which has causea much money and time to be wasted during the last thirty years, by very many people peo-ple who could ill afford either, 1 shall be glad, however, to hoar from any and all Chases who can furnish their genealogies, however brief, for pubiica- j tion hereafter. I am, sir your obedient servant, Goorge B. Chase. |