- Early LDS Pioneer Farmer in Sanpete Valley
- Stonemason on the Salt Lake Temple
- Early LDS Branch President of Manti, Utah
- Peace Negotiator with Chief Wakara
- -Wherever I go, I am always Welcome-
Biography
Welcome Chapman Sr was born 24 July 1805 in Reedsboro, Bennington County, Vermont, United States to Benjamin Chapman (1783-1843) and Sybil Amidon (1783-1863) and died 9 December 1893 Fountain Green, Sanpete County, Utah, United States of unspecified causes. He married Susan Amelia Risley (1807-1888) 1832 in Madison County, New York, United States. He married Ann Mackey (1839-1926) 5 October 1855 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. He married Catherine Ann Stayner (1839-1910) 19 November 1864 in Manti, Sanpete County, Utah, United States.
An early Mormon leader born in Vermont but raised in upper state New York, Chapman was the leader of the Mormon settlers in Sanpete Valley, from 1854 to 1862, and helped broker peace between the settlers and Chief Wakara's tribe.
Birth & Ancestry
Chapman was born in 1805[1] in Readsboro, Vermont where his grandfather, Throope Chapman (1734-1794) was a co-founder of the town (he being a veteran of the French & Indian wars and the American Revolution). Several of his family lines were first settlers of early New England with links to notable Irish and English nobility, including Sir Laurence of Arabia and Adrian Scrope (1601-1660), one of several judges to sign the execution warrant of the English King, Charles I.
- See main article : Welcome Chapman Family Ancestry
Early Years
Onondaga County, New York and Madison County, New York are adjacent to each other on the south shore of Lake Oneida in central upstate New York.
He apprenticed as a stonemason in his early teens, but because his parents deemed him "sickly," they leveraged a relative's connections to secure him a position as cook on a fishing boat. He worked both in the North Atlantic and on Lake Champlain. The time at sea reportedly improved his health.
In between fishing expeditions he met Susan Amelia Risley (1807-1888), daughter of a prominent couple of Madison County, New York. They disapproved of the relationship because they believed his occupation was too unstable to support a family. In response, Chapman abandoned fishing and took steps toward returning to stone cutting. The Risleys relented, and Chapman married "Amelia" in about 1831.
The Chapmans made their home in a hamlet known as Hubbardsville in Madison County, where they had four children, all daughters. The first two were twins who died in infancy (1833). [2]
Religious Awakening (LDS)
Early missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
1830 edition of the Book of Mormon.
The 1830's saw a great Protestant religious revival sweep across the United States that was called the "Second Great Awakening" and was characterized by much emotional preaching, spiritual and social reform movements and a surge in membership growth for a great many Christian denominations.
This period also saw the rise of a new Church of Christ that was organized in early 1830 by its young prophet-leader, Joseph Smith (1805-1844), and after 1838 was formally named The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This church group was frequently called the "Mormon Church" or "Latter-day Saints" (LDS) for its belief in a new set of holy scriptures called "The Book of Mormon". For better or worse, this new religion generated a lot of attention in this region.
Missionaries of this church taught that it was not a reform movement or protest movement but a "restoration" of the original church with completeness of the full of doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ including the ministering of angels, the restored priesthood, lost scripture, revelations, prophecy, living apostles, the gifts of the spirit and much more. This message had profound impact on many who subsequently left all to follow the Prophet and the Church. In many cases their faith was so strong as to push these early converts to endure many difficult hardships and sacrifices and to eventually journey over a thousand miles westward to settle in the Great Salt Lake Valley. (See also New Religion (LDS 1830).)[3][4]
While in Hubbardsville, Welcome kept hearing stories about a new church with a gold bible and angelic visitors, leaving quite an impression with him and a burning desire to learn all he could about this group. The he heard that the prophet, Joseph Smith (1805-1844), was on a visiting tour some 200 miles away in Perrysburg, New York where he received one of his revelations. Welcome stayed with the prophet for 1-2 weeks and was baptized a member.
"Behold, and lo, I have much people in this place, in the regions round about; and an effectual door shall be opened in the regions round about in this eastern land." (D&C 100.3)
When Welcome joined this new church, Amelia reacted harshly, declaring "You have went and joined those awful Mormons." However, she joined the church about six months later. Because they joined the Mormons, an unpopular religion, their friends and neighbors shunned them and appeared to look down on them, the prominence of Amelia's parents notwithstanding.
The Risleys were broken-hearted over their daughter joining the Mormons, but they did not turn bitter. However, Welcome's parents disowned him. The Risley's outfitted Welcome and Amelia with two fine oxen, horses, wagons and other many other nice furnishings to help them start their new home out west. The Chapmans soon moved (sometime between Apr 1835 and Aug 1838) to a Latter Day Saint community, possibly Kirtland, Ohio, but more likely Far West, Missouri.
Battle of Far West
Terrorism in Far West 1838.
In 1837-1838, many families of this new church moved to a new home base at Far West, in Central Missouri. Unfortunately much of the local population had turned into staunch pro-slavery supporters and were highly suspicious and antagonistic towards northerners, especially those who could easily be perceived to be abolitionists and religionists. By Oct 1838 violence broke out between both sides, Joseph Smith and other church leaders were imprisoned and the bulk of the Mormons were forced to either flee Missouri or be exterminated.
The Chapmans had only just barely arrived here when armed mobs attacked their community. Just a couple of weeks afterwards their fifth child (Joseph Smith Chapman (1838-1917)) was born here. Soon the family was forced to leave, first from their home and then by spring time they had to leave Missouri.
Family legend holds that the mobs gave the Chapman's warning to be out of their home by nightfall before it will be burned down. Welcome worked feverishly all that day to move family belongings to another location. Returning home towards evening he saw a large figure coming down the trail only to realize that it is Amelia hauling her favorite feather bed on her back. Many of the fine furnishings that they left New York with were lost to the mobs.
- The Mormon Redress Petitions include a claim from Welcome and Susan for $507 of property loss.
- On Jan 5, 1839, in Far West, Welcome was ordained a Seventy in the Church's Priesthood.
- Jan 29, 1839 Covenant signatory in Far West MO, 1839 Far West Covenant of church members to assist all poor families in relocating from the state.
- Ordained 70 at quorum mtg 05 Jan 1839. By Joseph Young.
- Jan 26 and 29 1839. The exodus from Far west had started. Two meetings held to figure out getting the rest out.
Nauvoo Temple Stone Cutters
Sometime in 1839, the Chapmans fled Missouri for Illinois, where they built a home in Nauvoo along the banks of the Mississippi River and Chapman worked on the Nauvoo Temple as a stone mason from 1840-46. Records show that he "worked on the third crane after it was erected".
The family lived on Lot #79, Kimball Block, between Rich and Hibbard Sts. They worshipped with the Nauvoo 2nd Ward and Welcome served in the 11th and 12th Quorums of Seventies.
While in Nauvoo, Amelia had three more children, all sons, one of whom died at three months. Welcome and Susan were part of a large group of saints that went through the Nauvoo Temple on 30 Dec 1845 for their Temple Endowment blessings.[5]
- Feb 1, 1840. Welcome purchase block 64, lot 4 for $200.
- 30 May 1841 do river baptisms for dead.
- Feb 28, 1842, Welcome and Amelia each receive Patriarhcal blessing from the Patriarch Hyrum Smith (1800-1844).
- Nauvoo Legion Roster - Welcome served as a 2nd Lt in the Nauvoo Legion (1840-46).
- Chapman was part of the 1843 Maid of Iowa expedition to rescue the Prophet Joseph Smith.
- Dec 30, 1846 endowed - Welcome and Susan
- Jan 31, 1846 sealing for W and S by H C Kimball.
- 22sep 1846 in Cutlers Park, Iowa. Nauvoo Legion was reformed for self defense. Welcome becomes a company captain in Hosea Stouts 1st Battalion.
- 11 oct 1846, birth of Fidelia recorded in Patty Bartlett Sessions journal (famous Mormon midwife), she collected her $2 fee.
- 20 Jan 1848 Welcome signs petition with thousand other to us postmaster general for mail service to Log Tabernacle in Pottowattamie co.
Brigham Young 1848 Pioneer Company
After leading his first historic 1847 Vanguard Company to blaze the trail to the Salt Lake Valley, Brigham Young (1801-1877) and many of the others returned back to Winter Quarters to collect their families and the rest of the church.
This family was numbered with the 1229 pioneers in 397 wagons make the 1,031 mile trek in 86 days (May 26 to Sept 24) and would be amongst the first of hundred plus wagon trains that would make the same journey over the next 24 years.
They lived in Salt Lake City for about two years when son Welcome Chapman (1849-1900) was born (Oct 1849) but by June 1850 the family had moved on to Manti, Utah, where they show on the US Federal Census.
1849 Manti Utah Settlement
A view of Manti Cemetery from Temple Hill
Manti was one of the first communities settled in what was to become Utah. In 1849, Brigham Young dispatched a company of about 225 settlers, consisting of several families, to the Sanpitch (now Sanpete) Valley.
Under the direction of Isaac Morley (1786-1865) the settlers arrived at the present location of Manti (Sanpete County, Utah) in November 1849. They endured a severe winter by living in temporary shelters dug into the south side of the hill on which the Manti Temple now stands. Brigham Young named the new community Manti, after a city mentioned in the Book of Mormon.
On April 30, 1851, Brigham Young called Chapman to be part of the first High Council of the Manti Area Branch in Manti, Utah. On July 8, 1854, the High Council installed Chapman as the colony leader, replacing Isaac Morley, who had been "called to Salt Lake." The next day, the settlers unanimously approved him as their leader.
Chapman was a founding owner of the San Pete Coal Company, incorporated by act of the Territorial Legislature on January 8, 1856. Chapman was part of the first militia of Manti and used his stone cutting skills to help construct the first fort. He was also among the first group of selectmen. The young colony experienced great difficulties, but gradually began to prosper.
Timpanogos Tribe
The Timpanogos Tribe were a tribe of Native Americans who inhabited a large part of central Utah—particularly, the area from Utah Lake eastward to the Uinta Mountains and south into present-day Sanpete County, Utah. During the mid-19th century, when Mormon pioneers entered the territory, the Timpanogos were one of the principal tribes in Utah based on population, area occupied and influence. One of their most notable leaders of the mid-19th century was Chief Wakara.
That same day (July 1856?), the Mormons (led by President W. Chapman) baptized (or rebaptized) Chief Wakara into the LDS Church in Manti's City Creek, along with 120 other members of his tribe (103 males, 17 females). Welcome was directly involved in ongoing negotiations with Walker's Tribe during this period.
Salt Lake Temple Stonemasons
The Salt Lake Temple is a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dedicated in 1893, it is the sixth temple completed by the church, requiring 40 years to complete, and the fourth temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1846. It took approximately 40 years to build from 1853 to 1893.
After serving as the leader in Manti for eight years, Brigham Young called him to Salt Lake City (between Nov 1866-Jan 1867) to cut stone for the Salt Lake Temple, where Chapman often worked with a son at his side. At one point he worked alongside seven of them. Welcome had previously cut stone for the Nauvoo Temple.
Salt Lake Temple Sunstone block.
Mary Ann Chapman Richey gave this account in her personal history about her grandfather Welcome Chapman:
"When they were ready to cut stone for the Salt Lake Temple, grandfather was called to Salt Lake City to cut stone for it. Grandfather Chapman had cut stone for all the other temples and Brigham Young always knew what people could do, and he called all who were needed to cut stone. Grandfather and his oldest son Joseph were stone masons. Father (Welcome Jr.) and Ungle Hyrum were also stone masons and cut stone for the temple, but not as regular as Grandfather. Grandfather cut all the time the temple was being built. I remember seeing those beautiful stones my grandfather cut, and of course, they were huge. I remember seeing Father, Grandfather and Uncle Joseph cutting those beautiful points around the sunstones. They were so perfect. (There were 50 sunstones, cut to represent the body of the sun, with a serrated edge of 40 points illustrative of the suns rays. These stones are each 4' high and 3 1/2' wide and 10 inches thick.)" One day when Mary Ann took lunches to her father and Grandfather she saw her Grandfather crying. One of the large stones he had nearly completed cutting had cracked and he had to cut another stone to replace it. It was the only time she had ever seen him cry.
Final Years
In either late November or early December 1893, at the age of 88, Chapman reportedly rode a horse bareback for three miles to build a chimney on the house of his third wife, Catherine. Chilled through after building the chimney and riding home again through the cold, he developed pneumonia. He died soon after in Fountain Green, Utah on December 9, 1893, and was buried in Manti.
Marriage and Family
In Manti, Chapman practiced plural marriage. He married Ann Mackey (1839-1926) on October 5, 1855, and Catherine Ann Stayner (1839-1910) on March 5, 1856. He had a large family with each of these women, in addition to the family he had with Amelia. (He also possibly married two women who left him shortly thereafter.)
Marriage #1: Susan Risley
In between fishing expeditions he met Susan Amelia Risley (1807-1888), daughter of a prominent Madison County (New York) couple. They disapproved of the relationship because they believed his occupation was too unstable to support a family. In response, Chapman abandoned fishing and took steps toward returning to stone cutting. The Risleys relented, and Chapman married "Amelia" in about 1831.
The Chapmans made their home in a hamlet known as Hubbardsville in Madison County, where they had four children, all daughters. The first two were twins who died in infancy.
Welcome and Susan Chapman
- Almina Chapman (1833-1833) - died infant (twin)
- Chestina Chapman (1833-1833) - died infant (twin)
- Rosetta Anise Chapman (1834-1914) - m. Jerome Bonaparte Kempton - also a highly skilled Nauvoo Temple stonecutter (where he probably met Welcome) and a member of the Nauvoo Legion whose first wife refused to follow the Saints westward move. He joined the Chapmans in 1850 Manti and married the two daughters then.
- Amelia Caroline Chapman (1835-1913) - m. Jerome Bonaparte Kempton
- Joseph Smith Chapman (1838-1917) - m. Mary Jane Matthews
- Hyrum Smith Chapman (1841-1928) - m. Rhoda Ann Fullmer
- Benjamin Chapman (1843-1843) - died infant
- Levi Chapman (1845-aft1903) - m. Cadella Case - disappeared in California
- Fidelia Chapman (1846-1909) - m. Richard Babbitt
- Welcome Chapman Jr (1849-1900) - m. three times - participated in LDS Colony to St Johns, Arizona. A duaghter, Mary Ann Chapman (1872-1973), lived to age 101.
Marriage #2: Ann Mackey
- Phoebe Ann Chapman (1856-1932) - m. James Livingston
- Fannie Chapman (1858-1861) - died young
- Samuel Welcome Chapman (1860-1940) - m. Lillias Lyon
- Anthony Chapman (1862-1947) - m. Kate Braithwaite
- Lois Chapman (1864-1939) - m. Walter Williams
- Calantha Chapman (1866-1866) - died young
- John Chapman (1868-1869) - died young
- Harriet Amelia Chapman (1869-1871) - died young
- Henry Welcome Chapman (1874-1876)- died young
- Lillie Sarah Chapman (1881-1882) - died young
Marriage #3: Catherine Ann Stayner
- Jesse Welcome Chapman (1857-1940) - m. Elizabeth McLane
- Eliza Ella Chapman (1859-1930) -
- Elizur Chapman (1859-1936) - m. Amelia Elizabeth Snyder
- Catherine Lorella Chapman (1863-1867) - Died young
- Jeremiah Chapman (1865-1866) - died young
- William Chapman (1867-1869) - died young
- Ellen Chapman (1874-1949) - m. James Collard
- Allie Andrew Chapman (1876-1901) - m. Clara Jensen, died early of typhoid fever.
- Benjamin Welcome Chapman (1881-1925) - m. Edna Taylor
Children
Siblings
Vital Records
Manti Gravestone
- Location : Manti Cemetery (Utah), Sanpete County, Utah
- PLOT: LOT 11, BLK 12, PLAT A, GRV 1
1850 US Census
Taken in Sanpete County, Utah Territory:
- Welcome Chapman (M-44) / Ocp: Stonecutter
- Susan Chapman (F-43)
- Rosetta Chapman (F-16)
- Amelia Chapman (F-14)
- Joseph S Chapman (M-12)
- Hiram Chapman (M-9)
- Levi Chapman (M-5)
- Fidelia Chapman (F-3)
- Welcome Chapman (M-1)
1880 US Census
Residence : Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co, Utah
- Welcome Chapman (M-75) / Ocp: Stone Mason
- Ann Chapman (F-39) / Spouse
- Phoebe A Chapman (F-23) / Child
- Samuel W Chapman (M-18) / Child
- Anthony Chapman (M-17) / child
- Louis Chapman (F-15) / child
- Mary Chapman (F-2) / child
- Susan A Chapman (F-73) / Spouse
- Catherine Chapman (F-41) / Spouse
- Eliza Chapman (F-21) / child
- Cyble Chapman (F-19) / child
- Francis Chapman (F-8) / child
- Ellen Chapman (F-6) / child
- Henry Chapman (M-3) / child
See Also
- Welcome Chapman - disambiguation
- Welcome Chapman Family Ancestry
- Chapman in Bennington County, Vermont
- Chapman in Hancock County, Illinois
- Chapman in Salt Lake County, Utah
- Chapman in Sanpete County, Utah
- Chapman in Caldwell County, Missouri
- Welcome Chapman at Find A Grave
- wikipedia:en:Welcome Chapman - Wikipedia
- Biography by John Chapman
- Mary Ann Chapman Richey, An Arizona Pioneer - Her History and Her Family, compiled by Alvin C. Rencher, 2009. Collection of family history and her personal diaries.
- Grandpa Welcome - Dec 1993 LDS Friend Magazine
- Times and Places of Welcome Chapman, his anceztors and childern by Arleen M. Smith, pg 1-32.
Research Notes
Mystery Photo
Who is this?
This picture (see right) is commonly labeled "Welcome Chapman - Missionary Photo" - The picture currently used to represent Welcome Chapman shows a young man in his 20s, and for Welcome would date to the 1830's - an impossibility in this case since portrait photography was not commonly available until a couple of decades later.
Manti Stake Presidency?
Manti News - 15 July 1854.
Gravestone
Several journal sources and articles record Welcome as an early stake president for Manti, from 1854 to 1860. This is also incorrect - the [Sanpete Stake] was formed in 1877 with Canute Peterson (1824-1902) as president until 1902.[6] More likely Welcome served as a form of "District" president, overseeing an area with four major branches (Sanpete, Manti, Fountain Green and Ephraim). Today's church terminology would refer to this as a district presidency.
This gravestone is correct in referring to Welcome as "Area President", meaning Branch President, not Stake president. It looks like that the 1854 organization may have been a partial stake organization, but incomplete as it is not officially recognized as such by the church.[7]
References
- ^ Manti Gravestone
- ^ Findlay, Linnie T.M. "Welcome Chapman". Saga of the Sanpitch. 1989. Vol. 21, pp. 111–118.
- ^ Saints, The History of the Church, vol 1
- ^ History of the Church, Encyclopedia of Mormonism (BYU.edu)
- ^ Nauvoo Temple Endowment Register, pg 71
- ^ [2013 LDS ChurchNews Almanac]
- ^ [2013 LDS ChurchNews Almanac]