The Ancestors of Amasa Manton Chace [Descendant of William Chase] The Townsend Family, of which Mrs. Amasa Chace is a member File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Susan W. Pieroth, (© 1997 Susan W. Pieroth) USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages are for the use of indivisual researchers, and may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ___________________________________________________________________ The History of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations: Biographical, by the American Historical Society, Inc., 1920. For an unknown reason there are two copies of the book with the same title page, but with different contents. Pages 114- 116 of the smaller volume ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Amasa Manton Chace The surname Chase, of which Chace is one of the most usual variants, is derived from the French chasser, meaning to hunt, and was introduced into England in its earliest forms by the Normans at the time of the Conquest. The French verb, was well as the surname, was rapidly assimilated by the English. The ancestral seat of one of the most important branches of the family in England was at Chesham, in Rockinghamshire, through which ancient town flows the river Chess. Arms -- Gules four crosses potence argent two and two, on a canton azure a lion passant or. Crest -- a lion rampant or, holding between his feet a cross potence gules. The Chase and Chace families in America date from the year 1630, when the earliest immigrant to New England, William Chase, settled in Roxbury, in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Other immigrants of the name followed, among them Thomas and Aquila Chase. These three men were the founders of a many which played an important role in the life and affairs of New England from the middle of the seventeenth century to the present time. Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Rhode Island, have been the homes of noted and well defined branches of the early family. The line herein under consideration, that of the late Amasa Manton Chace, noted figure in advertising circles in New York City during the closing decades of the past century, includes eight generations from the founder, the last two of which were identified with the city of Newport, R. I. (I) William Chase, immigrant ancestor and progenitor, was a native of England, where he was born about 1595, and with his wife Mary and son William came to New England in the ship with Governor Winthrop in 1630. He settled first at Roxbury, Mass., where soon he became a member of the first church of Roxbury. The record of Rev. John Eliot, the Indian Apostle, of "such as adjoined themselves to this church," has the entry: "William Chase, he came with the first company, bringing with him his wife Mary and his son William." Thomas and Aquila Chase, who settled at Hampton, N. H., in 1639, are thought by genealogists of the Chase family to have been either brothers or cousins of William Chase, the first comer. On October 19, 1630, he applied for admission as a freeman, and was admitted on May 14, 1634. William Chase was subsequently a town officer of Roxbury, and a prominent man in its early life and affairs. In 1638 he was one of the pioneer company which settled the town of Yarmouth, of which he was chosen constable in 1639. In 1645 he served against the Narragansetts. He died in Yarmouth in May, 1656. His will, dated May 4, 1659 [sic], and proved May 13 of the same year, states that he was aged. He bequeathed to his wife Mary, and two sons, Benjamin and William. His widow died in October, 1660. (II) William (2) Chase, son of William (1) and Mary Chase, was born in England, about 1622, and accompanied his parents to America, in 1630. He removed with his father’s family to Yarmouth, in 1638, and died there, February 27, 1685. He was a prominent resident of the town, but took no active part in civic affairs. The name of his wife is not know; they were the parents of eight children. (III) William (3) Chase, son of William (2) Chase, was born about 1645. He married (first) Hannah Sherman, daughter of Philip and Sarah (Odding) Sherman, and (second) December 6, 1732, Priscilla Perry. He died in 1737, and his will was proved August 16 of that year. (IV) Isaac Chase, son of William (3) and Hannah (Sherman) Chase, was a native and lifelong resident of the town of Yarmouth. He married (first) February 10, 1704, Elizabeth Blethen, daughter of John and Jane (Marks) Blethen, of Salem, Mass. He married (second) Mary Fowler, daughter of Samuel Fowler. (V) David Chase, son of Isaac and Mary (Fowler) Chase, was born in Yarmouth, Mass. He married (first) October 11, Elizabeth Austin, and (second) December 22, 1791, Mary Chace. (VI) Jesse Chase, son of David and Elizabeth (Austin) Chase, was born September 11, 1761. He married Margaret Bowers, who died November 14, 1822, aged sixty years. Jesse Chase resided during the greater part of his life in Somerset, Mass. He died February 25, 1847, aged eighty-six years. (VII) Captain Jesse (2) Chace, son of Jesse (1) and Margaret (Bowers) Chase, was born in the town of Somerset, Mass., June 3, 1798. Early in life he went to Newport, R. I., with the intention of entering on a seafaring career. He followed the sea from early youth until shortly before his death, and rose to the rank of captain in the merchant trade between China and England. Captain Jesse Chace died at his home in Newport, March 17, 1876. He married (first) Almira Brayton, who was born in Swansea, Mass., and died February 26, 1837, aged thirty-three years. He married (second) Damaris Carr Allen, who died in Newport May 10, 1857. He married (third) Jane B. Thompson, who was born August 14, 1814, daughter of Samuel Thompson, of Fall River, and who survived her husband until September 25, 1894. The children of the second marriage were: 1. Mary Catherine, who died in infancy. 2. Damaris Carr, who died September 17, 1845, aged one year. 3. Amasa Manton, mentioned below. (VIII) Amasa Manton Chace, son of Captain Jesse (2) and Damaris Carr (Allen) Chace, was born in the city of Newport, R. I., March 22, 1847. He received his elementary education in the schools of Newport, later attending the Riverside Military Academy, at Poughkeepsie, N. Y. On completing his education he entered immediately on a business career, and secured his first employment in wood turning and nickel plating with a firm in Mystic, Conn. He remained here for a short period, at the end of which he returned to Newport, where he established himself in business a dealer in imported art goods, antiques, furniture, etc., on Bellevue avenue. He was highly successful in this venture, but discontinued this line of business to enter the advertising field in New York City. After ten years of active participation in business advertising in New York, Mr. Chace retired in 1888, and returned to Newport, R. I., which remained his home until his death. He was well known and highly respected in business circles in New York for the honesty and strict integrity of his principles, and for his sagacity and keenness as an organizer and executive. On his return to Newport, he interested himself deeply in the life and civic affairs of Newport, and for many years was identified with practically every movement for the development and advancement of the city. His political affiliation was with the Republican party. He was a member of the Masonic order, and belonged to St. Nicholas Lodge, of New York. In religious belief he was a Unitarian, and a member of the Channing Memorial Chapel of Newport. His death occurred at Newport, November 11, 1903, and he was interred in the Island Cemetery in that city. On April 10, 1872, Amasa Manton Chace married Sarah Hull Townsend, daughter of Edmund J. and Abby H. (Sherman) Townsend, of Newport. (See Townsend V). Mrs. Chace was born in Newport, R. I., October 15, 1844. She survives her husband and resides in Newport, where she is an honored and respected member of the city’s finest social circles. Mr. and Mrs. Chace were the parents of the following children: 1. Allen Townsend, born in 1874, died in 1881. 2. Amasa Manton, Jr., born in 1886; a graduate of Brown University; married Gladys Marsh; resides in Providence. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The History of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations: Biographical. Page 116 of the smaller volume ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Townsend Family, of which Mrs. Chace is a member, has been prominently identified with Newport since the beginning of the eighteenth century. Townsend - Townshend Arms -- Azure a chevron, ermine between three escallops argent. Crest -- A stag proper. Supporters -- Dexter, a stag sable. Sinister, a greyhound argent. Motto -- Haec generi incrementa fides. Descendants of the founders of the Newport line, Job and Rebecca Townsend, have been leaders in the life of the community for several generations. The late Christopher Townsend, a noted merchant of New York City prior to the Civil War, and a financier and philanthropist, was a member of the Newport Townsend family. He was most generous in his gifts to this native city, and among his gifts made either during his lifetime or by the terms of his will were $10,000 to the endowment fund for the Home for the Aged; $100,000 for the Home for Friendless Children; and $100,000 for the People’s Library. (I) Job Townsend, the first of the direct line of whom we have authentic data, was a resident of Newport, and appears on the vital records of the town at the beginning of the eighteenth century. He married Rebecca -----, and they were the parents of seven children, among them Job, mentioned below. (II) Job (2) Townsend, son of Job (1) and Rebecca Townsend, was born in Newport, R. I., and resided there all his life, a prosperous and respected member of the community. He married, May 31, 1753, Deborah Taylor, daughter of Peter and Thankful Taylor. Among their children was Job Edmund, mentioned below. (III) Job Edmund Townsend, son of Job (2) and Deborah (Taylor) Townsend, was born in Newport, R. I. He learned the trade of cabinet maker, which he followed for several years. He also served in an official capacity in the Newport Custom House for a considerable period. He married Mary Clarke Allen, and they were the parents of Edmund J., mentioned below. (IV) Edmund J. Townsend, son of Job Edmund and Mary Clarke (Allen) Townsend, was a lifelong resident of Newport, R. I., where for over fifty years he engaged in sailmaking. He married (first) April 12, 1830, Mary Louise Ford, and they were the parents of a son, William Ford. He married (second) Abby H. Sherman. The children of this marriage were: 1. Mary Louise, who died unmarried. 2. Wealthy Moore, who married John JG. Weaver, Jr., of Newport. 3. Sarah Hull, mentioned below. 4. Abby Catherine, married Samuel M. Blatchford, of New York, and is now deceased. 5. Susan, died at the age of four years. (V) Sarah Hull Townsend, daughter of Edmund J. and Abby H. (Sherman) Townsend, was born in Newport, R. I., October 15, 1844. She married, April 10, 1872, Amasa Manton Chace, of Newport. (See Chace VIII).