I’m told that my cousin’s grandson Sam might be curious about a few nuggets from our family heritage. I’ll briefly share three from our Chamberlain ancestors and their kin:

• Rebecca Chamberlain, my eight-times-great grandmother, died in jail in 1692, apparently awaiting trial for witchcraft.
• Ebenezer and Margaret (Morgan) Hibbard, my seven-times-great grandparents, are thought on FamilySearch to also be 7x-great grandparents of Diana Spencer. That would make her an eighth cousin to my generation of Grandma Olsen’s family.
• Richard Warren, my ten-times-great grandfather, sailed on the Mayflower in 1620.

Where do the Chamberlains fit in?

Sam, we old geezers remember our Grandma Olsen well. She was the driving force behind our family reunions. It would be simpler just to say that she was a driving force. Ask your grand-uncle (what we call a great-uncle) Mike about “yoohoo, looky see here; I’ve got a job for you.” The Chamberlains were up her family line. I’ll outline here, without going into much detail, how we are related to Rebecca, Ebenezer, Margaret, and Richard.

Verda Case

Grandma Olsen was born in 1899 near Titus, a ghost town not far from Remus in Mecosta County, Michigan. Her first name was actually Goldy, but she used her middle name as a first name. When she finished her schooling, she took a job in the silk mill in Belding near the site of our reunions. She stayed in a dormitory during the week and rode the train home to Remus for weekend visits in Titus. She met Aden Springsteen through her brother John Case, who was Aden’s barber in Dewitt. After Aden died in his forties, she married Fred Olsen, who served as a state representative for ten years in the 1950s and early 60s.

Edwin Case

Grandma Olsen’s father, Edwin Case, was born in 1859 near Sweaburg, Canada West (now Ontario). Sweaburg is near Woodstock in Oxford County. After Edwin’s mother died in 1872, his father Joshua Case moved west to Michigan and remarried. According to Grandma Olsen, Edwin was left to fend for himself. He met Loretta Green (whose first name was Cynthia) in a lumber camp near Carson City, Michigan. I’ve written articles about her father Thomas Green’s Civil War service and later life. Grandma Olsen was their next-to-youngest child.

Sarah Chamberlain

I don’t know much about Edwin Case’s mother Sarah. She was born in Saltfleet Township at the west end of Lake Ontario around 1832. Her parents were David and Susan (St. John) Chamberlain. Sarah died of typhoid fever at the age of 40 in Oxford County. Joshua and Sarah had four sons and two daughters.

David Chamberlain

David was born in New York state around 1794. David and Susan moved west to Saltfleet before their daughter Sarah was born. Sarah was the oldest of at least ten children. David was a cooper by trade.

Joseph and Hannah Chamberlain

David Chamberlain’s parents, Joseph and Hannah, were first cousins. Joseph was born in New York about 1765 and Hannah in Connecticut about 1769, both in British Colonial America. Their children were the first in this line born in the United States.

Joseph’s father John Chamberlain and Hannah’s father Joel Chamberlain were brothers. I mentioned the circumstances of Hannah’s upbringing in an article I wrote about our last reunion in 2019. Joseph, like his father John, was a physician.

Joseph and Hannah had seven sons and three daughters. Their children were all born in New York state. Joseph and Hannah moved west to Gainsborough township, near Saltfleet, where he died in 1826. Hannah died in Oxford County in 1845.

John and Margaret (Delano) Chamberlain

John and Margaret were both born in Tolland County, Connecticut. John was born in 1730 and Margaret in 1733.  Margaret died in Tolland when Joseph was young. Joseph might have been their only child.

Joseph and Mary (Johnson) Chamberlain

Joseph and Mary were parents of John and Joel Chamberlain, previously mentioned. John was born in Tolland in 1730. Joel was born about 1747. There were likely other children born to Joseph and Mary.

Clement and Mary Chamberlain

Clement and Mary, whose maiden name is unknown to me, were parents of Joseph and grandparents of John and Joel. Are you confused yet? Clement was born in Billerica, Massachusetts in 1669.

William and Rebecca Chamberlain

William and Rebecca, possibly born Rebecca Shelley, were parents of Clement and about a dozen other children. William was born in Norfolk, England in 1619 and died in Billerica in 1706. Rebecca was born in England about 1625. She died in the Cambridge jail on 26 September 1692 while awaiting trial. The epidemic of witchcraft trials ended soon afterward. My 2019 reunion article includes a link to an article from the Billerica Public Library that mentions Rebecca’s plight in a Speculation paragraph near the end.

Jabez and Prudence (Hibbard) Delano

Jabez and Prudence were the parents of Margaret Delano, who married John Chamberlain. Jabez was born in Dartmouth, Massachusetts in 1708. Prudence was born in Windham, Connecticut in 1711. Jabez died in 1752, two weeks after Prudence. They had five daughters and two sons, one of whom died at or shortly after birth.

Ebenezer and Margaret Hibbard

Ebenezer and Margaret, whose maiden name I have not discovered, were my seven-times-great grandparents. They are reported to be 7x-great grandparents of Diana Spencer through Prudence’s sister Keziah.

Jonathan and Amey (Hatch) Delano

Jonathan and Amey were the parents of five daughters and eight sons, including Jabez. Jonathan was born in Dartmouth, Plymouth Colony, in 1680. Amey was born in Falmouth, Plymouth in 1687. Jonathan died in Tolland in 1752 and Amey died there in 1762.

Jonathan and Mercy (Warren) Delano

Jonathan and Mercy were the parents of the preceding Jonathan Delano and his twelve brothers and sisters. The elder Jonathan was born about 1648 and died in 1720 in Dartmouth. Mercy was born in 1657 and died in 1727.

Nathaniel and Sarah (Walker) Warren

Nathaniel and Sarah were Mercy Warren’s parents. They had seven daughters and five sons. Nathaniel was born about 1624 in Plymouth. Sarah was probably born there as well. Nathaniel died there in 1667 and Sarah in 1700. I don’t know whether Sarah was related to her mother-in-law, but it is certainly plausible.

Richard and Elizabeth (Walker) Warren

Richard Warren and his wife Elizabeth were Nathaniel’s parents. They were married in Hertfordshire, England in 1610. Richard left Elizabeth and their five daughters behind when he sailed on the Mayflower in 1620. He signed the Mayflower Compact upon arrival in the New World. Fortunately, Richard survived the first winter in Plymouth Colony or we wouldn’t be here. Nathaniel and his brother Richard were born after Elizabeth and daughters arrived in 1623. The elder Richard died in 1628, Elizabeth in 1673.

Our place in history

You can see from this brief sketch that our line of ever-day people, making their way in life, were affected by history and perhaps influenced it. We owe it to them to do our best.