Japhet Chapin Revolution and Family Tree

His Story

On August 14, 1832, Japhet Chapin appeared before the Court of Common Pleas at Greenfield, Massachusetts, to describe military service that had begun when he was only fourteen years old. His memories returned to Springfield in January 1777, where he enlisted in Captain Morgan’s company and spent six months guarding Continental military stores. He also recalled duty near Boston and a militia expedition toward Albany in response to reports of an attack on the New York frontier.

Chapin’s Revolutionary War experience was not centered on a celebrated battlefield. His surviving testimony describes the less conspicuous military responsibilities that helped sustain the American war effort: protecting supplies, maintaining defensive positions, and mobilizing when threatened communities requested assistance.

He entered his first reported enlistment on January 1, 1777. The young soldier served in a company commanded by Captain Morgan, with Lieutenant Brewer identified in later supporting testimony. Chapin believed that Colonels Mason and Shevers were associated with the regiment.

For six months, he guarded Continental stores at Springfield. Such stores were essential to the military system, containing equipment and supplies required by troops operating throughout New England and beyond.

Chapin next recalled traveling to Boston for another period of military service. Although he initially described a three-month enlistment, he stated that he actually served approximately two months. The company was ordered to Dorchester Hill, the fortified heights overlooking Boston Harbor.

By the time Chapin performed this assignment, British forces had already evacuated Boston. His testimony therefore places him in the continuing defense of the area rather than in the operation that forced the British withdrawal in March 1776.

His third reported period of service arose from an alarm concerning an attack on Schoharie, New York. Chapin enlisted with a militia company under a captain he remembered as Keep and marched westward through Great Barrington toward Albany.

The expedition ended before his company reached Schoharie. At Albany, the men received orders to remain because the reported enemy force had departed. Chapin remembered being stationed on a hill called King’s Barracks before receiving his discharge.

More than fifty years later, Chapin attempted to establish the duration of these enlistments for the federal government. His declaration was supported by men who remembered his service, including Abijah Hendrick, who testified that he had served in the same company at Springfield in 1777.

The Pension Office credited Chapin with nine months of Revolutionary War service and approved an annual pension of thirty dollars. His certificate was issued on June 4, 1833.

Chapin did not live to receive that certificate. He had died on April 22, 1833, approximately six weeks before its issuance. A neighbor, John Porter, later testified that he had attended the veteran’s funeral.

His widow, Lucy Ware Chapin, subsequently pursued benefits based upon her husband’s military service. Their marriage, performed on December 16, 1784, was established through a surviving justice-of-the-peace record and corroborating witnesses.

Japhet Chapin’s pension file thus preserves more than a military chronology. It documents the service of a teenage Massachusetts militiaman, the difficulties of reconstructing that service decades later, and the efforts of his widow to obtain the federal benefits available to surviving Revolutionary War families.

Early Life

A Young Soldier in Massachusetts

Japhet Chapin was born approximately 1762 or 1763. His birth period is derived from his pension declaration of August 14, 1832, when he stated that he was sixty-nine years old.

He also recalled being fourteen years old when he enlisted on January 1, 1777. These statements are generally consistent with a birth around 1762, although they do not establish an exact birth date.

Chapin’s birthplace and the names of his parents have not been established from the pension transcriptions examined for this biography.

By the time of his first reported military service, he was associated with Springfield, Massachusetts, an important community along the Connecticut River.

Springfield’s location made it significant for transportation, communication, and military supply. Roads and river routes connected the community with settlements in western Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the interior of New England.

Growing Up During the Revolutionary Crisis

Chapin spent his childhood during the years when relations between Great Britain and the American colonies deteriorated.

Massachusetts became a center of resistance to British imperial policies, and the fighting at Lexington and Concord in April 1775 brought the political dispute into open warfare.

When Chapin entered service in January 1777, the Revolution had already expanded beyond Massachusetts. American forces were fighting in New York and New Jersey, while the Continental Congress struggled to provide the men, money, weapons, and supplies required to sustain the war.

At approximately fourteen years of age, Chapin was younger than many soldiers serving in the American military establishment. His first reported assignment was guarding military stores rather than participating in a named battle.

Later Residence in Buckland

Chapin eventually became a resident of Buckland, Massachusetts, a community in the western part of the state.

By December 1784, both Japhet Chapin and Lucy Ware were identified as residents of Buckland in their marriage record.

He continued to be associated with Buckland during his later life and was living there when he submitted his pension declaration in 1832.

The available documents do not establish the exact date when he moved from the Springfield area to Buckland.

Revolutionary War Service

Captain Morgan’s Company — January to July 1777

Japhet Chapin’s first reported enlistment began on January 1, 1777, when he went to Springfield, Massachusetts, and entered Captain Morgan’s company.

He stated that he was fourteen years old at the time.

Chapin remembered Colonels Mason and Shevers as officers associated with the regiment, although his wording indicates uncertainty concerning their precise positions.

After passing muster at Springfield, he was assigned to guard Continental military stores.

Military stores were essential to the Continental Army’s ability to operate. Weapons, ammunition, clothing, tools, and other equipment had to be collected, protected, and distributed to soldiers serving in different theaters of the war.

Guarding such supplies required a continuing military presence even when no enemy army was immediately nearby. The loss or destruction of military stores could weaken American forces far beyond the community where the supplies were kept.

Chapin stated that he remained on duty from January 1 until July 1, 1777, completing six months of service.

His account was corroborated by Abijah Hendrick, who testified in 1832 that he had served in the same company under Captain Morgan and Lieutenant Brewer.

Hendrick remembered that the men joined the militia company at Springfield on January 1 and were dismissed on July 1, after guarding Continental stores for six months.

Captain Stebbins and Dorchester Heights — 1777

Chapin next recalled traveling to Boston for a separate period of military service.

He believed that the enlistment occurred in 1777, during the autumn, and remembered his captain’s name as Stebbins.

Although he described entering service for three months, he stated that he served approximately two months before being discharged.

The company was ordered to Dorchester Hill, near Boston.

Dorchester Heights had become an important American military position during the Siege of Boston. By the time of Chapin’s reported assignment, British forces had evacuated the town, but the surrounding defenses remained strategically valuable.

His testimony does not describe an engagement with British troops during this period.

John McKinstry later supported the general account, stating that he knew Chapin had served with the militia at Boston for approximately two months or more during the autumn of 1777.

Captain Keep and the Schoharie Alarm — Approximately 1778

Chapin’s third reported enlistment occurred in response to news that Native American forces had attacked Schoharie, New York, and destroyed the settlement.

He believed that this alarm occurred during the spring or summer of 1778.

Chapin enlisted to join an expedition toward Schoharie and assembled with a company at West Springfield, Massachusetts.

He remembered his captain’s name as Keep.

The company marched westward through Great Barrington and continued toward Albany, New York.

Upon reaching Albany, the men received orders to remain because the reported attacking force had departed Schoharie.

Chapin recalled being stationed on a hill known as King’s Barracks.

Although he had enlisted for three months, he stated that the company was discharged after approximately one month or a little longer.

His account does not establish that he reached Schoharie or participated in combat against the reported enemy force.

Nine Months of Credited Service

In his pension declaration, Chapin summarized his Revolutionary War service as nine months.

The Pension Office examination divided this total into six months under Captain Morgan, two months under Captain Stebbins, and one month under Captain Keep.

The examination explicitly recorded that Chapin had not identified participation in any battle.

His military history therefore rests upon three reported periods of Massachusetts service involving supply protection, defensive duty, and an alarm expedition rather than verified battlefield combat.

Battles and Campaigns

Guarding the Continental Stores at Springfield — 1777

During the American Revolution, the Continental Army depended upon a network of military supply locations to support soldiers operating across the colonies.

Springfield, Massachusetts, occupied an important position within this system. Situated along the Connecticut River and connected to inland transportation routes, the town offered a location for collecting, storing, and distributing military supplies.

In 1777, the American war effort required substantial quantities of weapons, ammunition, equipment, and provisions. The army faced recurring shortages, and the destruction of stored supplies could have serious consequences for campaigns taking place elsewhere.

Guard detachments helped protect these materials against theft, sabotage, and possible enemy operations. Such service was not necessarily accompanied by combat, but it formed part of the logistical organization required to sustain the Revolution.

Chapin stated that he served at Springfield from January 1 until July 1, 1777, guarding Continental stores under Captain Morgan.

His fellow soldier Abijah Hendrick independently supported this account, identifying the same company, officers, dates, and assignment.

Dorchester Heights and the Defense of Boston — 1777

Dorchester Heights became one of the most important military positions in the Boston campaign of the American Revolution.

In March 1776, General George Washington’s army occupied the heights and established artillery positions overlooking Boston and its harbor. The deployment threatened British naval and military operations and contributed directly to the British evacuation of Boston on March 17.

The departure of the British garrison did not eliminate the strategic importance of the region. Boston remained an important American port, supply center, and military location throughout the war.

American forces continued to maintain defenses around the harbor because British naval power remained a threat to coastal communities.

Chapin recalled serving near Boston during the autumn of 1777. He stated that his company was ordered to Dorchester Hill after the enemy had already departed Boston.

This chronology distinguishes his service from the original occupation of Dorchester Heights in March 1776.

Chapin remembered serving approximately two months before receiving his discharge. John McKinstry’s supporting testimony also associated him with militia service at Boston during the autumn of 1777.

The Schoharie Frontier Alarm — Approximately 1778

The frontier settlements of New York faced considerable danger during the Revolutionary War. The conflict divided communities between supporters of independence and the British Crown, while military operations involved British forces, Loyalist organizations, and Native American nations pursuing their own interests and alliances.

The Mohawk and Schoharie valleys were strategically important because their settlements, agricultural production, and transportation routes supported American military operations.

Raids and reports of impending attacks created uncertainty across the region. Militia companies sometimes assembled in response to alarms before reliable information about the enemy’s location or intentions became available.

Chapin recalled receiving news that Native American forces had attacked Schoharie and destroyed the settlement. He believed this occurred in 1778, although he expressed uncertainty about the year.

In response, he enlisted in Captain Keep’s company and joined other men at West Springfield.

The expedition marched through Great Barrington toward Albany, where the company was ordered to remain because the reported enemy force had departed.

Chapin remembered being stationed at King’s Barracks before receiving his discharge after approximately one month.

The declaration does not establish which specific raid prompted the alarm, and its chronology should not be equated automatically with a particular documented attack in the Schoharie Valley.

Ticonderoga and Bennington — Unverified Associations

In June 1904, more than seventy years after Chapin’s death, Elizabeth M. Denison of Springfield wrote to the Commissioner of Pensions requesting information about his Revolutionary War service.

Her letter described Chapin as having been at Ticonderoga and Bennington in 1777, with additional service during that year or the next.

Both locations were associated with major military developments during the northern campaign of 1777. Fort Ticonderoga was abandoned by American forces during Burgoyne’s advance, while the Battle of Bennington in August produced an important American victory against forces operating in support of Burgoyne’s army.

However, Chapin’s own sworn declaration of 1832 does not identify service at either location.

The Pension Office examination specifically recorded no battles in which he was engaged.

The 1904 correspondence is therefore a genealogical and military research lead rather than independent proof of participation in either engagement.

Military Honors and Recognition

Japhet Chapin received federal recognition of his Revolutionary War service when his pension application was approved under the Act of June 7, 1832.

The Pension Office credited him with nine months of qualifying service as a Massachusetts private and established an annual pension of $30, effective March 4, 1831.

His pension certificate was issued on June 4, 1833, after his death on April 22 of that year.

No individual battlefield decoration, formal military commendation, promotion, or bounty-land award has been verified from the pension transcriptions examined. His documented recognition rests upon the federal pension awarded for his military service.

Original Military Records

Revolutionary War Pension

The Pension Application of 1832

On August 14, 1832, Japhet Chapin appeared before the Court of Common Pleas at Greenfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts, and applied for a federal pension under the Act of June 7, 1832.

He identified himself as a sixty-nine-year-old resident of Buckland.

The legislation expanded pension eligibility for surviving Revolutionary War veterans based upon qualifying military service. Applicants were required to describe their enlistments, officers, assignments, and the duration of their service.

Chapin recalled three periods of military duty. His first was six months guarding Continental stores at Springfield in 1777. His second involved approximately two months at Dorchester Hill near Boston. His third was an expedition toward Albany in response to an alarm concerning Schoharie.

He summarized his military service as nine months.

Corroboration from Fellow Soldiers

Chapin’s application included testimony from men who remembered his Revolutionary War service.

Abijah Hendrick provided particularly important evidence because he identified himself as a fellow soldier in Captain Morgan’s company.

Hendrick recalled serving with Chapin under Captain Morgan and Lieutenant Brewer. He stated that the men assembled at Springfield on January 1, 1777, and guarded Continental stores until July 1.

John McKinstry also testified that he knew of Chapin’s Springfield service and remembered his subsequent assignments near Boston and Albany.

These affidavits helped support Chapin’s account of service performed more than fifty years earlier.

The Pension Office’s Examination

The Pension Office prepared a formal examination of Chapin’s claim.

The examining clerk credited six months under Captain Morgan, two months under Captain Stebbins, and one month under Captain Keep.

The brief identified Chapin’s rank as private and listed his service as totaling nine months.

When asked what battles the applicant had participated in, the examination recorded none.

This distinction is important because Chapin’s military record establishes qualifying service without establishing personal combat in a named battle.

The Approved Pension

Chapin’s claim was approved, and he was entered on the Massachusetts pension roll at an annual rate of thirty dollars.

The pension was made effective March 4, 1831.

His certificate was issued on June 4, 1833, approximately six weeks after his death.

The administrative record calculated sixty dollars in arrears through March 4, 1833, together with a fifteen-dollar semiannual allowance, producing a recorded total of seventy-five dollars.

The pension papers also contain a notation that Chapin died on April 22, 1833, and that payment was calculated through that date.

The certificate’s issuance after his death does not establish that Chapin personally received the certificate or every payment recorded in the administrative calculation.

Lucy Chapin’s Widow’s Application of 1838

Following her husband’s death, Lucy Chapin sought federal benefits based upon his Revolutionary War service.

On October 2, 1838, she submitted a declaration under the Act of July 7, 1838.

Lucy identified herself as a resident of Buckland and stated that her maiden name had been Lucy Ware.

She reported that she and Japhet Chapin were married on December 16, 1784, and that her husband died on April 22, 1833.

Because the marriage occurred after his Revolutionary War service, Lucy’s eligibility depended upon the applicable provisions governing widows whose marriages took place after the war but before the statutory cutoff.

Judge Richard E. Newcomb certified that Lucy was unable to appear in court because of bodily infirmities. He therefore visited her at John Porter’s house in Buckland to receive her declaration.

Proof of Marriage and Death

Lucy’s application was supported by several important documents.

Samuel Taylor produced an extract from the official records kept by his deceased father, Justice of the Peace Samuel Taylor. The record stated that Japhet Chapin and Lucy Ware, both of Buckland, were married on December 16, 1784.

Michael Ware and Jerusha Ware separately testified that they had been present at the marriage and knew the couple.

John Porter testified that he had known Japhet Chapin and attended his funeral. He confirmed that Chapin died on April 22, 1833.

Together, these documents provide stronger evidence of the marriage and death than an unsupported family tradition would provide.

The Widow’s Approved Pension

Lucy Chapin was approved for a widow’s pension of thirty dollars annually.

A certificate issued August 3, 1839, recorded benefits beginning March 4, 1836, under the Act of July 7, 1838.

Another certificate issued December 2, 1843, recorded benefits under the Act of March 3, 1843.

Her later pension certificate, issued December 12, 1848, recorded an annual allowance of thirty dollars beginning March 4, 1848.

The successive records demonstrate that Lucy continued seeking and receiving federal recognition as the widow of a Revolutionary War pensioner.

They do not, by themselves, establish the exact date of her death or the complete history of every pension payment.

From His Account

Japhet Chapin’s 1832 pension declaration preserves his own recollections of military service. The following excerpts are taken from The Yost Post’s archival transcriptions and have not been independently checked against every original manuscript image.

Chapin’s recollection establishes his reported age at enlistment and identifies the beginning of his first period of Revolutionary War service.

This statement identifies a six-month military assignment that was later corroborated by Abijah Hendrick, a fellow soldier in the company.

Chapin’s wording establishes that his reported Dorchester Heights service occurred after the British evacuation of Boston.

The statement records the report that prompted his third enlistment. It does not independently verify that Schoharie had been destroyed or identify the precise military event underlying the alarm.

Chapin’s recollection places his company at Albany rather than at the reported scene of the frontier attack.

The Pension Office accepted nine months as the credited duration of his qualifying military service.

Hendrick’s testimony provides firsthand corroboration of the longest and most precisely dated period of Chapin’s military service.

Military Service Record

The service chronology follows Chapin’s 1832 declaration and the Pension Office examination. His recollections contain uncertainty concerning the dates and officers of his later enlistments. The government credited nine months of service, and no individual battlefield engagement was identified in the examining brief.

Later Life and Burial

Life in Buckland, Massachusetts

Following his Revolutionary War service, Japhet Chapin lived in Buckland, Massachusetts.

By December 1784, he and Lucy Ware were both identified as residents of the town when they married before Justice of the Peace Samuel Taylor.

Buckland was a rural community in western Massachusetts. Its economy during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries was closely associated with agriculture, local crafts, and trade with neighboring settlements.

Chapin’s pension records do not establish his occupation, property holdings, or a continuous account of his activities during the decades after the Revolution.

Marriage to Lucy Ware

On December 16, 1784, Japhet Chapin married Lucy Ware.

The marriage is documented by an extract from the records of Justice of the Peace Samuel Taylor and corroborated by Michael Ware and Jerusha Ware, who stated that they witnessed the ceremony.

The couple remained married until Chapin’s death in April 1833.

Lucy’s later pension declarations demonstrate that she survived him and continued living in Buckland.

His Final Pension Application

On August 14, 1832, Chapin appeared before the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas at Greenfield to apply for a Revolutionary War pension.

He was sixty-nine years old.

His testimony described service that had occurred approximately fifty-five years earlier. Supporting affidavits helped establish his assignments and the duration of his military duty.

The Pension Office approved his claim at thirty dollars annually, but his certificate was not issued until after his death.

Death on April 22, 1833

Japhet Chapin died on April 22, 1833.

The date is established by his widow’s sworn declaration, supporting testimony from John Porter, and administrative notations in the pension file.

Porter testified that he had known Chapin and attended his funeral.

These documents establish the death date but do not identify the exact location of his burial.

Burial

No cemetery or grave has been positively established from the pension transcriptions examined for this biography.

Additional investigation of Buckland cemetery records, church registers, probate documents, and local histories may identify his burial location.

A grave should not be assigned solely on the basis of a matching name or an association with Franklin County.

Original Sources

The following records form the documentary foundation for this biography. The principal source is Japhet Chapin’s Revolutionary War pension application file preserved by the National Archives.

National Archives Pension File

1. National Archives and Records Administration. Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, Japhet Chapin and widow Lucy Chapin, pension W.14458. National Archives Identifier 54191354. View archival record.
2. Japhet Chapin. Original pension declaration, August 14, 1832, Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, Greenfield, Massachusetts. Image 4155915_00516.
3. Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. Court certification and authentication of Chapin’s pension proceedings, August 14, 1832. Image 4155915_00517.
4. Abijah Hendrick. Affidavit concerning service with Japhet Chapin under Captain Morgan at Springfield, August 2, 1832. Image 4155915_00535.
5. John McKinstry. Affidavit concerning Chapin’s military service at Springfield, Boston, and Albany, August 2, 1832. Image 4155915_00530.
6. Pension Office. Examination brief summarizing nine months of Revolutionary War service. Image 4155915_00521.
7. Pension Office. Original pension certificate and payment calculation, issued June 4, 1833. Image 4155915_00509.
8. Lucy Chapin. Widow’s pension declaration, October 2, 1838, and accompanying probate certification. Images 4155915_00512–00513.
9. John Porter. Affidavit confirming Japhet Chapin’s death and funeral, October 26, 1838. Image 4155915_00514.
10. Samuel Taylor. Certified extract from the marriage records of Justice of the Peace Samuel Taylor, documenting the marriage of Japhet Chapin and Lucy Ware, June 11, 1839. Image 4155915_00518.
11. Michael Ware and Jerusha Ware. Affidavit concerning the marriage of Japhet Chapin and Lucy Ware, October 1838. Image 4155915_00528.
12. Pension Office. Widow’s pension certificate under the Act of July 7, 1838, issued August 3, 1839. Image 4155915_00531.
13. Pension Office. Widow’s pension certificate under the Act of March 3, 1843, issued December 2, 1843. Image 4155915_00538.
14. Lucy Chapin. Renewed widow’s pension declaration under the Act of February 2, 1848. Image 4155915_00527.
15. Pension Office. Widow’s pension certificate issued December 12, 1848. Image 4155915_00510.
16. Elizabeth M. Denison. Letter requesting information about Chapin’s Revolutionary War service, June 30, 1904. Image 4155915_00523.

Transcription Collection

The Yost Post research collection, RevWar-Transcriptions-Final.xlsx, records associated with National Archives Identifier 54191354.

The archival transcriptions provide the basis for the biographical details and quotations reproduced here. The original manuscript images should be consulted for final verification of uncertain spellings, dates, officers, and military assignments.

Historical Research Note