Los Angeles County CA Archives Biographies.....Chapman, William R. 1841 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@gmail.com January 1, 2006, 2:25 am

Author: Luther A. Ingersoll (1908)

    WILLIAM R. CHAPMAN, retired citizen of Sawtelle, one of the early settlers
of the town, is a native of Erie County, New York, and was born in the city of
Buffalo in 1841. His father, James Chapman, was a merchant in Buffalo and in
1850 came west via the Great Lakes on the steamboat Mayflower to Racine,
Wisconsin, where he purchased land and engaged in farming. He died there in 1856
leaving a widow and four children. Young William R., while yet a mere lad,
secured employment on the steamers' plying on Lake Michigan and became a cook.
Later he apprenticed himself to learn ship carpentry in Chicago. The Civil War
broke out and because of his irresistible love of adventure he left his work and
in May, 1860, enlisted in the U. S. Regular Army and was mustered into Company
G., First U. S. Dragoons, which was the U. S. First Cavalry, at Carlisle, Pa. He
served in the Dragoons for three years. On July 1st, 1863, he was transferred to
Battery A., 3rd U. S. Artillery, in which he served one year. On the 25th of
July, 1864, he was honorably discharged and the same day re-enlisted for three
years in response to the call of President Lincoln for 300,000 more men. He
served the full term of his enlistment and was discharged from the service in
July, 1867, having served his country continuously for over seven years.

    About this time Mr. Chapman married Miss Mariah Wheaton, at Chelsea, Mass.,
and located in Washington County, Illinois. In 1878 he came west to Colorado and
mined gold at Central City, Gunnison and Black Hawk. In 1895 he started for
California, driving a team from Denver to Phoenix, Arizona and from that point
came by rail to Santa Monica and entered the Soldiers' Home. He later made a
trip on a U. S. Government transport, conveying five hundred horses to Manila,
P. I., and was in the service under General Funston about fifteen months when he
returned to Sawtelle, purchased a residence and retired from active life. Mr.
Chapman has been twice married. In 1905 he married Mrs. Amanda Shepherd, of
Sawtelle. The family home is at 503 Colorado Street, Sawtelle.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

Ingersoll's century history, Santa Monica Bay cities: prefaced with a brief
history of the state of California, a condensed history of Los Angeles County,
1542 to 1908: supplemented with an encyclopedia of local biography and
embellished with views of historic landmarks and portraits of representative
people.

Los Angeles: Luther A. Ingersoll (1908)


File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/losangeles/bios/chapman258bs.txt

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