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Note from the Chase Chronicles - Jan. 1915
SIMON P. CHASE AND FAMILY.
"The lineal descent of this branch of the family in America is as
follows: Aquila, Moses, Daniel, Samuel, Samuel, Peter, Peter, Simon
Peter. Simon P. Chase was the son of Peter Chase and Martha Stevens
his wife; he was born in Cornish, N.H., January 28, 1812; married at
Orange, N.H., April 1, 1838, to Ann Houston, daughter of John
Houston and Ann Moore his wife, of Temple, N.H.
Mr. and Mrs. Chase and little daughter Martha, in company with Mr. and
Mrs. William Houston, removed to Illinois in 1842, and shortly after
bought land two and one-half miles east of Princeville and built a
cabin home.
Three children were born, two daughters and a son. The daughters are
Mrs. Martha A. Harbaugh of Red Oak, Iowa, and Mrs. Sarah C. Eldred of
Roseville, Illinois. The son, Mr. Philander H. Chase, a well known
citizen of this community, resided during his life on the farm where
he was born. He died March 5, 1899. Mr. Simon Chase died January 9,
1870; his wife five years later, all of whom are buried in the
Princeville cemetery.
Mr. and Mrs. Chase early united with the Presbyterian Church of
Princeville, which at that time worshipped in the old log school
house. They helped according to their ability in the building of the
first, and also of the present church edifice. They were faithful in
church attendance, Mr. Chase being elected to the office of Ruling
Elder "ever used said office well," Mrs. Chase, who possessed a good
voice for singing and had received training under the best teachers of
New England in that day in harmony and sight-reading, used her voice
in the service of song in the church, and taught the young people,
sometimes meeting them in the "Singing School" held in the Morrow
School house and sometimes in her home. A few years later a musical
society was formed and "Sings" or in modern phrase "Musicals" were
held in the homes of music-loving families, which were a source of
culture as well as social pleasure to the young people.
In 1852, Mr. Chase bought a piece of land, adjoining what he already
owned on which was a more commodious house; into this the family moved
from the cabin home, and in the vacated cabin the first public school
in District No. 5, Akron Township, was held in the winter of 1852-3,
Miss Sarah Farwell being the teacher.
The privations and difficulties incident to pioneer life of that day,
such as failure of crops, prairie fires, bad roads, distance from
markets, lack of legal currency or coin (most of the marketing being
in the form of barter, a farmer with his produce might supply his
family with sugar and shoes, but found it a poor medium with which to
pay taxes or postage on letters); all these Mr. Chase encountered with
manful courage and patience, saying often in facing them, "Well, well,
it will be better bye and bye."
These early settlers saw many rewards for their privations and arduous
toil, in the advancement and development of the country, and may we
not say they, under God's guiding hand, helped to "make the wilderness
and solitary place glad for them, and the desert to blossom as the
rose, and to rejoice with joy and singing."
Mrs. S.G. Eldred
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