ALEXANDER C.
CHAPMAN, retired farmer and now a leading citizen of Claysville, is native of the
county, having been born March 5, 1823, in Donegal township, of stalwart Scotch-Irish
descent. His grandfather, Richard Chapman, a native of
Ireland, was there married to Sarah PATTERSON, and had a numerous family,
the names of the four sons being: Richard, Alexander, Andrew L. and Robert, and of the two
daughters: Jane and Mary. The family emigrated to the United States in about the year
1781, landing in New York, whence, the same year, they moved to Washington county, Penn.,
where grandfather Chapman kept a hotel near Washington some years, then purchased a farm
and resided in the county until their deaths.
Andrew L. Chapman, a son of the above pioneer, came with his parents from Ireland to this
country where he received his education. While quite a young man he was married to Nancy,
daughter of Elder Thomas CAMPBELL, of whom further mention will be
presently made, and the children born of this union were: Jane (wife of Daniel MOONEY),
Sarah (deceased wife of Jacob MOONEY), Selina (deceased), Nancy (deceased wife of Rev.
Walter Russell), Phoebe (deceased wife of
David ODENBAUGH), and Alicia (deceased
wife of Thomas McFadden), Alexander C. (subject), Dr. Andrew L., Thomas (deceased),
Cornelius (deceased), and Dr. CAMPBELL (deceased). Mr. Chapman was an active member of the
Whig party, a warm friend of education and a public-spirited, progressive citizen. He was
one of the early teachers of the schools in his township. A prominent member of the
Christian Church at Dutch Fork, he was one of its most liberal supporters, and was for
many years an elder in same. As a successful farmer he had no superior in his section, and
in addition to general agriculture he was for a long time engaged in sheep raising. He
died in this county in 1845.
Elder Thomas Campbell, grandfather of subject (a descendant of Archibald Campbell,
Duke of Argyll, Scotland), was born February 1, 1763, in County Down, Ireland,
where in June, 1787, he was married to Jane CORNEIGLE, a descendant of the French
Huguenots. In an early day (1807) he came to this country, making his home near
Washington, Penn., finally removing to Bethany, W. Va., where he died at the advanced age
of ninety-one years. The following is a brief record of his children that grew to
maturity: His eldest son, Alexander, while in Ireland became a student of theology,
concluding his education at Glasgow, Scotland. He and his father were eminent ministers of
the Seceder Church. In 1809 he joined his father in this country. In the meantime they
both became dissatisfied with the divided state of Christendom, and proposed a remedy by
inviting all Christians to unite with them "on the Bible and the Bible alone."
And thus Thomas and Alexander Campbell inaugurated the "Reformation of the Nineteenth
Century," forming churches on this basis, known as "Churches of Christ," or
"Disciples," which have attained high standing among the religionists of the
world, and to-day numbers 1,000,000 members in the United States. Alexander also founded
Bethany College, Bethany, W. Va., of which he was president until his death in 1866. The
second son, Thomas, was a leading physician in this county. Archibald was also a prominent
physician, as well as an able preacher. Dorothy became the wife of Joseph BRYANT. Nancy
(mother of subject) became the wife of Andrew L. CHAPMAN. Alicia became the wife of Mathew
CLAPP, and Jane, the wife of Mathew McKEEVER.
Alexander C. Chapman received his education at the subscription schools
of his native township, and was reared to agricultural pursuits. On April 13, 1847, he was
married to Julia A., daughter of Richard Chapman, of Washington county,
Penn., and the children born to them were: Agnes (deceased wife of Dr. Mont. Linville),
Dorothy (deceased wife of Dr. James Bemis), Kate (deceased), Selina (deceased), and Lizzie
B., Grafton K. and Campbell A., who are now living. The mother of these children dying in
1874, Mr. Chapman married, for his second wife, Mrs. N. Hodgens, widow of John
Hodgens, of
this county, she dying in the spring of 1889. In politics Mr. Chapman was a Whig until
that party ceased to exist, after which he became a Democrat, and of late years he has
voted the Prohibition ticket. In 1875 he was elected to the office of justice of the
peace, which he filled with credit. He remained on the farm until 1889, when he retired
from active life, and located at Claysville. He still owns 280 acres of fine land in
Donegal township. While engaged on the farm he was recognized as one of the leading
citizens of that section; was for years engaged in buying wool, and took particular pride
in fine stock, and the production of fine wool; he is regarded as competent authority on
sheep and wool. Mr. Chapman has been for years a consistent member of the Christian Church
at Dutch Fork, and is looked upon as a brainy, well balanced man, and an able debater.
Text taken from page 1263 of: Beers, J. H. and Co., Commemorative
Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago: J. H. Beers &
Co., 1893). Transcribed February 1997 by Neil and Marilyn Morton of Oswego, IL as part of
the Beers Project.Published
February 1997 on the Washington County, PA USGenWeb pages at
http://www.chartiers.com