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Scotland Ancestors
The following letter about CHAPMAN ancestors of Scotland was received several years ago.
It was published in Chapman Family Association Newsletter #3, April 1995
William R. "Ron" CHAPMAN
1227 W. Waterloo
Oak Harbor, WA 98277
(He is/was on Prodigy with ID BCPP34A)
"Naturally it was with interest I received your message via Prodigy concerning the CHAPMAN background. I am afraid that I will not be of much help regarding my father's side of the family as records are virtually nonexistent and those still surviving are reluctant to be of much help. Part of the reluctance may be attributable to "Old Country, Celtic" tradition and probably an even greater deterrent, poverty and lack of status. At any rate the eldest sister, Mary CHAPMAN Swann, was extremely close mouthed and just about all efforts at drawing her out were rebuffed politely but firmly. Other family members are equally taciturn. My father, while somewhat more congenial did not speak often of his childhood and when he did speak it was not in a very fond manner. From the reaction to the one letter I remember receiving upon my grandfather's death from one of his brothers, James, I would say that there was little love among the siblings. Unfortunately most of what I "know" of his past has been filtered through my mother who I am afraid had delusions of one sort or another regarding things social. She wasn't even very accurate about her own background as I have come to find out since her death in 1988.""From his passport he was born September 13, 1900 in Northern Ireland, probably Belfast. In spite of his birth place he considered himself a Scot. As nearly as I can tell he was the eldest of three boys and at least two girls. All of the males died in their sixties. Of the girls one is known to have survived until 1991 and lived in Chalky Bank, England on the coast, west of London prior to her death. Perhaps now I will be able to find out more from her daughter with one generation of reluctance removed. There is another possible offspring (cousin) running about Glasgow, James Lockie, son of Ada CHAPMAN Lockie. He was more or less considered a black sheep and no one kept track of him. Of my Dad's brothers I knew only Samuel who dropped in from time to time during my early childhood. I do remember him as he usually brought me coins from some exotic (to a 7 to 15 yr old) "far off place," such as France, Italy, Germany or Africa. Sammy was a steward/purser on the Cunard Lines and to my knowledge never married and if he did it was quite late in life."
"My Dad spent his early years and teens in Glasgow where my grandfather was a cobbler (shoe making and repair), and something of a Socialist firebrand (ahead of his time). Dad may have had some connections with a band of young roughs known as Glasgow Keilies. He had a dent in his skull that I was allowed to touch sometimes, supposedly from a "brick". My mother didn't encourage further explanation. He was apprenticed to the shipyards on the Clyde as a carpenter. And, from what little I know was dammed glad to get it. As was the custom in the yards the apprenticeship was drawn out as long as possible as rising to journeyman meant being laid off (to save the siler [silver] I suppose). He came to the U.S. in 1922, entering in Philadelphia and working in the Pittsburg steel mills. I know nothing of the intervening years until he popped up on Long Island, N.Y. He married Emily Noakes CHAPMAN from the Battle region of England in about 1927-28 in Glen Cove N.Y. I was born 17 Sept 31 and remained an only child. During the depression he did any job that would bring in a few dollars and wound up as a footman on one of the areas wealthy estates. Later after acting as manager of a laundry for an absentee owner he returned to carpentry with Grumman Aviation until his death in 1963."
"My wife and I tried to dig back into the family through records in Edinburgh while on a trip to Scotland in 1980 to no avail. A visit to his last known Glasgow address was equally frustrating as the old slum had been torn down and replaced with a new slum to be. During that trip I found out that at least in Scotland the name CHAPMAN meant a tinker, one who travels about repairing old pots and pans. Today the word "tinker" more or less means "no account"such as in "tinker's damn", or worse, "damn tink". Socially, I think it is just slightly more acceptable than gypsy."
"As for myself I am married to Mary Suzanne Gifford CHAPMAN of Bradenton, Fla. who can trace her family (Giffords of Arkansas) back to the Scottish family, Ruthven, from the Perthshire area of Scotland. At one time the family name, tartan et al were proscribed as a result of the murder of a Catholic advisor to Mary, Queen of Scots, an Italian, one David Rizzio, March 1566 by Patrick, Third Lord, Ruthven. And later in Scottish history, the family was deeply involved in the Gowrie Conspiracy and the attempt on James VIth of Scotland and Ist of England (circa 1600), after kidnapping James in the Ruthven Raid 1582. Some families have all the fun. They have history, conspiracy, murder and intrigue, while others mend old pots and pans. Oh well!"
"I have four children, three boys and a girl. They have produced six grand-children at the last count, two boys and four girls. The two boys are by my daughter's marriage to Clifton Lang. so, it would appear that this part of the line will come to a screeching halt for lack of male progeny unless one of my sons gets a move on."
"As did many first generation Americans I graduated from college in 1954. I enlisted in the Navy as a student aviator, which let to a naval career. I was stationed in New Jersey, Texas, Washington, Georgia, Virginia, California, Viet Nam and Japan flying various aircraft from Blimps to DC-9 jet transports. I retired a Lieutenant Commander in 1975. After retirement I earned a Masters in Business Administration at California State University, managed a small independent financial organization and retired again to try my hand at several small businesses. My wife graduated from Florida State University, entered the Navy as an Officer Candidate with the rank of Ensign. She resigned her commission as a full Lieutenant in 1976 to join me. She also received a Masters in Business Administration from California State University in 1981 and worked as an account executive for a small advertising business. We live in the Puget Sound are of Washington about mid-way between Seattle and the Canadian border on three acres with various critters including the usual dogs, cats, a horse, plus seven tree frogs in our green house and most likely, come spring, a few sheep. (I won't forget the croaking @&%# tree frogs.)"
"Sorry I can be of no further help at this time. Perhaps some new clue will turn up next year as we are tentatively planning another trip to Scotland and possibly Northern Ireland (Belfast, if they stop bombing each other) in the spring and hope to visit the Perth, Aberdeen, Inverness, John O'Groats and Island areas with side trips to the border areas of Glasgow, Clydeside, Sterling and Edinburgh." - William R. "Ron" CHAPMAN
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