Biographies For Muscatine County Iowa 1889

Source: Portrait and Biographical Album, Muscatine County, Iowa, 1889, page 421
HON. WILLIAM S. CHASE, of West Liberty, may justly be termed one of the pioneers of Muscatine County, as he first became a resident of the county in 1847. He is the eldest son of Nehemiah and Mary ( Scoby ) Chase, who were both natives of New York State, and descendants of old Puritan families who emigrated with the Pilgrim Fathers. Our subject was born in Washington County, N. Y., April 11, 1826, and was but a lad when his parents with their family removed in 1833 to Wayne County, Ohio. There they resided until 1847, when they joined the tide of human immigration and came West. and located in Muscatine County, Iowa. Our subject was reared to farm life, but agriculture not being congenial to his tastes, he early in life began to prepare himself for another sphere of usefulness. His very limited early education was received in the common schools of Wayne County, Ohio, but so poor were his advantages in this respect that his course did not include anything but the common branches, but such as it was it served as a foundation for a thorough education acquired later entirely by private study. In this important respect he is essentially a self-made man. He began teaching when but fifteen years of age while in Ohio, and then taught a few terms. The first winter he spent in Iowa he taught the school at Fairport, and has followed the profession of teacher most of the time since, his labors being confined to Muscatine and Cedar Counties.

On the 8th of November, 1855, our subject was united in marriage with Miss Emily Lewis, who was a native of Virginia, and a member of one of the pioneer families of Muscatine County. They are the parents of six children, four sons and two daughters : Mary wedded Niles Gugg, and is a resident of Des Moines, Iowa ; Henry F. D., is engaged as cashier of a bank at Laman, Chase Co., Neb.; P. McKelvey, who is a teacher and resides with his parents at West Liberty ; Thomas L., is also a teacher, in Clark County, Kan.; Milton A., is a resident of Imperial, Neb.; and Jessie E., who is a teacher at West Liberty.

In early life Mr. Chase was a Whig and an ardent Abolitionist, and on the formation of the Republican party joined its ranks and has ever since been an active supporter of its principles. Though not an office seeker he has been prominently identified with public affairs for many years, and has filled most of the local offices in the gift of the people of Cedar County, where he resided from the spring of 1856 until recently. In 1867 he was elected to represent Cedar County in the State Legislature, and served one term. He has always taken an active interest in educational affairs, and all measures having for their object the public good have received his cordial support. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, as is also Mrs. Chase and two other members of his family.

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