Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1891
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 475
BENJAMIN CHAPMAN

Benjamin CHAPMAN, has been a resident of Harrison County since the spring of 1865, and is now located on section 2, of Union Township, where he has come to be a prosperous farmer. He accompanied his parents, to the county, and they rented a farm of Lindley EVANS, in Cass Township, from where they moved to Harris Grove. At this point he started to the district school, being seven years of age. The family remained there two years, and then located where our subject now lives, improving a piece of wild land, building a house 18x20 feet, and a story and a half high; a barn 14x20 feet, together with numerous outbuildings.

Benjamin remained with his parents until he was of age, and then farmed his father's land for six years thereafter, and then bought the old homestead, around which still clings many a fond memory of those early pioneer days, when hope was their chief capital! He paid $4.50 for one "forty" and $7.60 for the other, raising this amount in four years.

Our subject was married, November 22, 1885, to Thirza, a daughter of William and Martha SPANSWICK, natives of England, who reared a family of seven children, whose names appear in this connection�Mary, William T., (deceased), Thirza, Oliver, Valentine, Adalede, (deceased), and William T.

Mr. and Mrs. CHAPMAN, are the parents of the following four children�Benjamin O., born March 2, 1887; Arthur T., born August 29, 1888, (deceased); Albert, born October 2, 1889; John W., December 20, 1890.

Mr. CHAPMAN in his political opinions favors no special party. In religious matters he and his wife are believers in the Latter Day Saints faith.

Concerning the parents of our subject and their family, it may be said that their names were John and Harriet (COLEMAN) CHAPMAN, who were the parents of the following living children,--James, Elijah, Judah, John, Nephi, William, and Benjamin.

It may be recorded here, that when they went to Utah in 1861, contrary to usual custom, they carried no firearms with them, or about their wagons, yet they passed through numerous bands of hostile Indians, unmolested.

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