Chamberlain: Henry(1) thru Henry(4)

FAMILY LINE AND HISTORY

OUR CHAMBERLAIN/CHAMBERLIN HERITAGE
Chamberlain/Chamberlin: English origin
Literal translation: Attendant to a king, lord or nobleman; chief officer of household; treasurer
Emigrated 1638: from England, Henry Chamberlain and his wife Jane/Jone, along with their six children: Susanna, Henry(2), William, John, Ursula, Faith
Settled: in New England in Hingham, Massachusetts
Removed 1671: to Hull, Massachusetts
Religion: probably Quaker
Occupation: Blacksmith

OUR CHAMBERLAIN/CHAMBERLIN HERITAGE
Chamberlain/Chamberlin: English origin
Literal translation: Attendant to a king, lord or nobleman; chief officer of household; treasurer
Emigrated 1638: from England, Henry Chamberlain and his wife Jane/Jone, along with their six children: Susanna, Henry(2), William, John, Ursula, Faith
Settled: in New England in Hingham, Massachusetts
Removed 1671: to Hull, Massachusetts
Religion: prob Quaker
Occupation: Blacksmith

HENRY CHAMBERLAIN/CHAMBERLIN LINES
(the blacksmith)
HENRY CHAMBERLAIN(1) (abt 1592 – 1674) & JANE/JONE unkn (abt 1595 – 1686)
Six children: Susannah, HENRY CHAMBERLAIN(2), William, John, Ursula “Ursley”, Faith
HENRY CHAMBERLAIN(2) (abt 1618/19 – 1678/1679) & SARAH JONES (abt 1635 – 1710)
Eight children: Sarah, Joseph, HENRY CHAMBERLAIN(3), Benjamin, Mary, Jane, daughter, Joanna
HENRY CHAMBERLAIN(3) (abt 1654 – 1706) & JANE unkn (abt 1859/1660 – aft 1708)
Seven children: Elizabeth, HENRY CHAMBERLAIN(4), John, Ursula, Joseph, James, Jane
HENRY CHAMBERLAIN(4) (1686 – bef 1733) & LYDIA VINTON (abt 1690 – ?)
Two known children: HENRY CHAMBERLAIN(5), Lydia
HENRY CHAMBERLAIN(5) (abt 1716 – aft 1787) & SUSANNAH HINDS (1722 – 1811)
Twelve children: John, Hannah, HENRY CHAMBERLAIN(6), Lydia, Lucinda “Lucy”, Elizabeth “Betsey”, Ebenezer, Giles, Abigail, Elias, Calvin, Hinds
HENRY CHAMBERLAIN(6) (1747 – 1828) & ABIGAIL CHAMBERLAIN (1748 – 1820)
Fourteen children: REUBEN CHAMBERLIN, Rebecca, Robert, Melinda/Mahala, Sabra, infant, John, Orpha, Abigail, Luther, Electa, Henry, Lyman, unknown child
RUEBEN CHAMBERLIN (1769 – 1852) & MARY “POLLY” SUMNER (1773 – 1816)
Seven children: Fanny, Lucina, Luther S., Laurel S., Orson Sumner, Laura, HARRISON CHAMBERLAIN
HARRISON CHAMBERLAIN (1812 – 1890) CAROLINE VAN SURDAM (1823 – 1877)
Five children: FINLEY McCLAREN “FRANK” CHAMBERLIN, Adelaide “Addie” Chamberlain, Grace E.Chamberlain, Adah Melissa Chamberlain, Irene Anna Chamberlain
FINLEY MCLAREN “FRANK” CHAMBERLIN (1845 – 1905) & EMILY S. HOY (1850 – 1940)
Six children: NELLIE BELLE CHAMBERLIN, Frederick Laurence “Fred” Chamberlin, Ada Agnes Chamberlin, Roy Valentine Chamberlin, Mary Agnes “Mamie” Chamberlin, Willard Joseph “Joe” Chamberlin
NELLIE BELLE CHAMBERLIN (1873 – 1956) & CHARLES HENRY CHATFIELD (1870 – 1942)
Ten children: Charles Joseph Chatfield, Leo Willard Chatfield, Howard Francis Chatfield, Roy Elmer Chatfield, Nellie Mary “Nella May” Chatfield, Gordon Gregory Chatfield, Verda Agnes Chatfield, Arden Sherman Chatfield, Jacqueline “Ina” Chatfield, NOREEN ELLEN “BABE” CHATFIELD
NOREEN ELLEN “BABE” CHATFIELD (1915 – 1968) CARL JOHN CLEMENS (1905 – 1986)
Five children: Gordon Lawrence “Larry” Clemens, Carleen Barbara Clemens, Elizabeth Ann “Betty/Liz” Clemens, Claudia Clemens, CATHERINE FRANCES “CATHY” CLEMENS

Note: I have only listed spouses and children who are my direct line, which are in all caps.

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History and Records

Includes following records for:
HENRY CHAMBERLAIN(1) & JANE/JONE unknown
HENRY CHAMBERLAIN(2) & SARAH JONES
HENRY CHAMBERLAIN(3) & JANE unknown
HENRY CHAMBERLAIN(4) & LYDIA VINTON

Note: Researchers and various branches of this family use two different spellings (Chamberlin and Chamberlain), and records often reflect either or both.
A note regarding the spelling of Chamberlin/Chamberlain from James Baldwin Parker, a Chamberlin/Chamberlain historian:
“What we do know was that Chamberlin was generally the preferred spelling in the first several generations, and in the last several generations in your own line, with some confusion in the middle generations, where/when records definitely show both spellings. We also know that other co-lateral branches of this family, in recent generations, used Chamberlin in some lines and Chamberlain in others.” ~Jim Parker, May 23, 2008

The name Chamberlain was brought to England in the wave of migration that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is a name for a person who worked as a chamberlain. A chamberlain was one who was in charge of the private chambers of a noble, and later was a high ranking title having derived from the Anglo-Norman French word, chamberlanc.
Spelling variations of this family name include: Chamberlain, Chamberlayne, Chamberlaine, Chamblayn, Chamberlin, Camberlain, Camberlan, Camblayn and many more. First found in Dorset where they held a family seat from early times, after the Norman Conquest in 1066.
Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Edward Chamberlain who settled in Woburn, Mass. in 1655; Henry Chamberlain settled in Hingham, in 1638; John Chamberlain settled in Charlestown, 1653.
Motto Translated: To do good rather than be conspicuous.
Online source: House of Names, Copyright © 2000 – 2007, Swyrich Corporation, all rights reserved www.houseofnames.com

Hingham, Massachusetts
The history of Hingham, Massachusetts, is the history of America. Settled not many years after the Mayflower reached these shores, Hingham grew through the efforts, faith and determination of a handful of people from Hingham, England, and other towns in the southwest part of that country, looking for a better life than they had left, one free of religious and economic oppression.

Though the exact date a settler first put down roots here isn’t known, it is documented that around 1633 several families, who originally had landed in Charlestown (now part of Greater Boston), moved, after only a few months, down the coast to a settlement called Bare Cove – as Hingham first was known due to the extensive mud flats in the harbor at low tide.

For a couple of years Hingham had no leader because it had no minister. That was rectified in 1635 when Rev. Peter Hobart arrived and established the First Parish of Hingham. Hobart led services in a rude structure that was replaced in 1681 by a handsome Elizabethan Gothic building that still stands and is Hingham’s most recognizable landmark.

Eventually, Hingham became a major port of entry, as well as a thriving fishing port, which gave rise to its major industries – coopering and cordage. Other industries included shoemaking, cabinetmaking, leather working and blacksmithing.

Today, Hingham’s rich history can be savored in the elegant antique homes that line its famous Main Street, once referred to by Eleanor Roosevelt as the most beautiful main street in America; its great swaths of open spaces that remind one of the virgin landscape that greeted the early settlers, and its lovely, protected harbor little changed since the first settlers came here full of dreams and hopes that continue to be realized by those who have followed in their footsteps.
Online source: Hingham Historical Society, www.hinghamhistorical.org

“Of the five well-known Chamberlain immigrants to New England, Henry has probably been that subject of more confusion and misinformation than any. This arose from the fact that for many years it was thought that only one Henry Chamberlin settled in New England when in fact there were two! The better known of the two, a shoemaker whose wife was Grace, arrived on the ship Diligent and eventually returned to England, leaving no descendants in America. The other Henry, a blacksmith whose wife was Jane, left fewer traces in the records but was the progenitor of numerous descendants.”
Online source: Legends: Mark’s Complete Ancestry on the Web, homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com

Hingham Parish Church: Norfolk, England
There were several emigrations of people from Hingham (England) to North America in the first half of the seventeenth century. Edmond Hobart went with a party in 1633 and his son, the Reverend Peter Hobart, led another in 1635. The two groups united and moved to Bare Cove which they renamed Hingham after their home town. Peter Hobart became their pastor. The largest emigration was led by the rector Robert Peck, whose puritanical beliefs led to his being deprived of the benefice, but whose influence must indeed have been very great as of the 133 who went to America with him in 1638, 87 are known to have come from his own parish of Hingham. He returned to England in 1641 and became parson again until his death in 1651. Those who went with him and before remained in the New World to found families were to spread throughout the North American continent.

St. Andrews Church, Hingham, Norfolk, England
Source: Pamphlet of Hingham Parish Church: Norfolk

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THE TWO HENRY CHAMBERLINS OF HINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, 1638 – 1649
by David Conrad Chamberlin, Sr.
The town of Hingham, Massachusetts, was among the very earliest settlements in the Massachusetts Bay Colony—tracing the beginnings to the year 1634 when it was originally called “Bare (or Bear) Cove.” To those familiar with the early history of Hingham, the name of Henry Chamberlin is readily recognized. His name is also well known to a large number of descendents, being the first of the surname to settle in Massachusetts and leave surviving issue. It is generally not known, however, that two men bearing the name Henry Chamberlin, both appeared in Hingham, Massachusetts, within a few months of each other, about 1638. By 28 July 1649, Henry Chamberlin, shoemaker, had returned to England leaving no known surviving issue in the New World; Henry Chamberlin, blacksmith, remained and left numerous descendants.

After the passage of some 250 years, the brief imprint of the shoemaker merged with that of the blacksmith, so that on the surface there appeared to be only one man.

Henry Chamberlin, blacksmith, made his will on 8 December 1673, proved 29 July 1674 (Suffolk County, Mass., Probate Records, 6:54). In this document, he stated (in part): “I Henry Chamberlin sometim of Hingham but now of Hull in the county of Suffolk in New England, black smith, being weake in body….” He named his loveing wife Jane Chamberlin, eldest son Henery Chamberlin,” son William Chamberlin, daughters Susan Cartor, Ursley Cole, and Faith Patterson and grandchild John Chamberlin. His youngest son, John, who was deceased at this time was not named. In the last paragraph of his will, Henry Chamberlin made a point of stating: “It is to be understood that tho I live now in Hull yet my howses and lands be in Hingham.”

From his will and other evidence, we know that Henry Chamberlin, blacksmith, had five children living at the time of his death and a deceased son. Since both of his daughters were married by 1655, it is probable that they were both born before 1638. Thus, the blacksmith had at least six living children at the time of his arrival in New England.

Henry Chamberlin, blacksmith, and his wife Jane lived at Hingham until at least 10 March 1670/1, when he was granted Lot No. 35, of the Third Division of Conahassatt (Cohassett) uplands (Hingham Town Records, 3:182). Probably within a year or so, he and Jane removed to Hull and lived with his son William until his death on 15 July 1674. (His sons Henry and William were both early settlers of the town of Hull about 1654. Hull was a distance of some two or three miles across “Broad Bay” from Hingham.

In conclusion, the evidence presented here well substantiates the claim that two men bearing the name of Henry Chamberlin settled at Hingham, Mass., about the same time, 1638-39. Fortunately, the identification and separation of these two men does not change the subsequent lineage of those who descend from the blacksmith. The paradoxical aspect of the two Henrys is that the shoemaker, whose tenure in the New World was by far the briefest of the two, left the most lasting impression in the early records. Any relationship between the two Henry Chamberlins is entirely unknown as no extant record has been found to suggest or imply any connection. It is hoped that further research may reveal the place in England from which Henry Chamberlin, blacksmith, emigrated.

This surname can appear in a variety of spellings with the most common variations being Chamberlain or Chamberlin. The later spelling is used throughout this article.

Source: The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume CXXXIX, April 1985 (pgs 126-138)
Note: from New England Historical and Genealogical Register: “David C. Chamberlin specializes in the compilation of Chamberlain/Chamberlin family records. For the last seventeen years he has been developing and refining methods of abstracting and computerizing key genealogical data and he is currently writing a book on the use of computer technology in a genealogical environment.”

Update on the orginal work of David Lawrence Chamberlain on East Peckham, by Gene Chamberlain:
As we now know from research conducted by David Lawrence Chamberlain in 2019 and appearing in the 2020 spring edition of the Chamberlain Key published by WCGS (World Chamberlain Genealogical Society) we are now reasonably certain that Henry was born in East Peckam, Kent County England. However, we still don’t know Henry the Blacksmith’s port of departure to the Colonies, nor the ship he sailed on. It is presumed that he lived in or near East Peckham, Kent, and perhaps sailed from Sandwich, Kent, to New England. Numerous authors and researchers have searched old passenger ship lists to attempt to locate a sailing record for Henry and his family, with no record found other than the known record of a different Henry (The Shoemaker). For this reason, we cannot be certain when The Blacksmith arrived in the colonies, nor a reasonably accurate date when he arrived in Hingham, Ma. All we know with any certainty are the facts from Town records, summarized by David Conrad Chamberlin that Henry the Blacksmith first appeared in Hingham, Ma, when he was received as a townsman in February 1638/1639 and that he was made a Freeman by the General Court in March 1639. Without question, he was recognized in town records as a different person than Henry the Shoemaker, who we know arrived in Hingham on the ship Diligent in August of 1638.

It must also be noted that many settlers in Hingham, Mass and the nearby town of Scituate originated from Kent.

This Chamberlain ancestor has the opinion that The Blacksmith actually arrived in Hingham on or before February, 1638, for two reasons: a) When the original Hingham Town Records were later transcribed, the date of his being acknowledged as a Townsman was transcribed as February 17, 1638, not 1638/39. The same entry in the Town Records Book granted Henry a “house lot”. An assumption can be made that the correct year was being identified by the transcriber. b) If the arrival date of The Blacksmith was really February 1639, it is not likely that he would have been granted “Freeman” one month later in March 1639. Given that thought, it is more likely that he arrived in Hingham the previous year, or February, 1638. If this is correct, then the Blacksmith arrived in Hingham approximately 6 months before The Shoemaker arrived on the ship Diligent.

This is an important point, because it means that Henry the Blacksmith might have arrived in the Colonies at any time prior to 1638. Most ships that sailed from England to the New England Colonies sailed in the spring or summer months, so that they would arrive in the summer or fall months to avoid winter sailing. If that were the case for The Blacksmith’s ship, it would have sailed in 1637 (or earlier) to arrive in the colonies by the summer or fall and Henry would have located somewhere else before “removing” to Hingham. He may have removed overland, perhaps a short distance, to arrive in Hingham, or, perhaps he arrived in Hingham in the fall of 1637 but was not recognized or identified in town meeting notes until February 1638.

The fact that Henry the Blacksmith had not been traced to a specific sailing ship is not uncommon. Several other early residents of Bare Cove / Hingham have not been identified with a specific sailing ship passenger list either. What is interesting is that among the first three property grants given to Henry, as documented by David Conrad Chamberlain, there are 10 men who are named as having land adjacent to the properties that were granted to Henry. Most of these men are named in Bare Cove / Hingham history book as among the first settlers there, prior to the arrival of the Diligent.

The fact that Henry’s first three land grants would include these adjacent landowners, who arrived in Hingham between 1634 and 1636 would seem to support the suggestion that the Blacksmith arrived in Hingham before 1638, and before the Shoemaker.

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*Recent research by David Lawrence Chamberlain, as noted in an article the 2020 spring edition of the Chamberlain Key published by WCGS (World Chamberlain Genealogical Society), identified records from East Peckham, Kent County, England that are probably for this Henry Chamberlain (the blacksmith). Henry was the son of Clement Chamberlaine and Rebecca Orwell (the third of their three children). They were definitely the children of Clement Chamberlaine as there are parish records. The real question is: was their child Henry OUR Henry Chamberlain? That has not been proven because birth records have not been located of any of his 6 children named in his will from Hull, Massachusetts.

Parish Records for Frances, William, and Henry, children of Clement Chamberlaine & Rebecca Orwell:

Source: above photos of Baptismal records, courtesy of Gene Chamberlain in collaboration with David Lawrence Chamberlain

HENRY CHAMBERLAIN(1) & JANE unkn
Possible son of Clement Chamberlaine [born abt 1562 – died Feb 7, 1594] & Rebecca Orwell [bp (baptized) Sep 28, 1567 – died: Mar 2, 1605]*
Three children: Frances, William, Henry
1. Frances Chamberlaine, (female), bp (baptized) Sep 3, 1587, East Peckham, Kent County, England
2. William Chamberlaine, bp (baptized) Sep 21, 1589, East Peckham, Kent County, England
3. HENRY CHAMBERLAIN(1), bp (baptized) Sep 10, 1592, East Peckham, Kent County, England

HENRY CHAMBERLAIN(1)
Son of Clement Chamberlaine & Rebecca Orwell*
Born: bp (baptized) Sep 10, 1592, East Peckham, Kent County, England
Died: Jul 15, 1674 (abt age 82), Hull, Massachusetts
Buried: probably in the old burying ground on the hill in Hull
Occupation: Blacksmith
Married: abt 1615, JANE/JONE unkn

JANE/JONE unkn
Born: abt 1595
Died: shortly after Jan 28, 1678/9 (abt age 83)
Buried: probably in the old burying ground on the hill in Hull
Married: abt 1615, HENRY CHAMBERLAIN(1)
Six children: Susanna Chamberlin, Henry Chamberlin, William Chamberlin, John Chamberlin, Ursula Chamberlin, Faith Chamberlin

1. Susanna Chamberlin
Born: circa 1616, England
Died: aft 10 Mar 1696/7 (abt age 80), prob Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Buried: unkn
Married (1): bef 1649, Joseph Carter, prob Hingham, Massachusetts 
Married (2): Jun 4, 1677, Richard Eccles, Charlestown, Massachusetts

2. Henry Chamberlin
Born: circa 1619, England
Died: Dec 3, 1678 (abt age 59), Hull, Suffolk County, Massachusetts; smallpox
Buried: probably in the old burying ground on the hill in Hull
Married: abt 1651, Sarah Jones, prob Hingham, Massachusetts
Note: referred to as his father’s eldest son in the latter’s will

3. William Chamberlin
Born: abt 1623, England
Died: Nov 22, 1678 (abt age 55), prob Hull, Massachusetts; smallpox
Buried: probably in the old burying ground on the hill in Hull
Married: (1) unkn (2) unkn

4. John Chamberlin
Born: circa 1626, England
Died: Apr 1666 (“in his fortieth year”), Newport, Rhode Island
Buried: unkn
Married (1): Boston, Massachusetts, 19 May 1653, Ann Brown
Married (2): prob in Boston, 1663, Catherine Chatham

5. Ursula Chamberlin
Born: abt 1632-34, England
Died: unkn
Buried: unkn
Married: 1655, John Cole, a mariner, prob Hingham, Massachusetts, 
Note: she was living in 1673 when she was called “my daughter Ursley Cole” in her father’s will and bequeathed twenty shillings

6. Faith Chamberlin
Born: abt 1634-36, England
Died: Jan 30, 1710/11 (abt age 75), Shrewsbury, Monmouth County, New Jersey
Buried: unkn
Married (1) abt 1654 or 1655, Edward Patterson, prob Hingham, Massachusetts
Married (2) abt 1674, Thomas Huet, prob Shrewsbury, Monmouth County, New Jersey

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Hull Burying Ground
There is an interesting story about the Hull burying ground, first reported by George Richard Chamberlin. Many of the old gravestones are missing. A local historian provided an explanation to a visiting group of Chamberlin ancestors… “concerning the missing early gravestones for this cemetery. It seems that during the American Revolutionary War, French troops landed on Hull and used the high point of the cemetery for the purposes of viewing the British troop movement at Boston. In garrison the French troops used cemetery headstones to build bakeries to cook bread for the French troops. In course of baking bread many of the headstones were broken and later discarded or used for cornerstones and foundations of barracks and early homes.”

The fact that there was a Chamberlin presence in both Hingham and Hull is undeniable as the Landmarks of “Chamberlains Run” in Hingham is marked with a road sign, and landmarks such as Strawberry Hill are still noted on maps of Hull.
Source: The Chamberlain Genealogical Record, Volume 1, Number 1 dated Sep 30, 2007

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HENRY OF HINGHAM, Massachusetts (BIOGRAPHICAL)
The Henry Chamberlin, of this record, has long been confused with Henry Chamberlin, Shoemaker, who was a member of the company of people who emigrated from Hingham, County Norfolk, Old England, on the ship Diligent from Ipswich, England, and arrived in Charlestown Harbor on 10 Aug 1638. This man appeared a short time later at Hingham, where he was granted property by the proprietors on 3 Sep 1638. (See the record of Henry Chamberlin, Shoemaker [LN 6559] for a description of his family and other known information.) 

Henry Chamberlin, Blacksmith, the man of this record, first appeared in New England in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, at Hingham, where he was received as a townsman on 17 Feb 1638/39 (Hingham Town Records, Vol. I, P. 81), and was granted property by the Proprietors (Town’s Great Book of Records, P. 72). On 13 Mar 1639, he was made a Freeman by the General Court (New England Register, Vol. 3, P. 96).

Henry was granted a number of parcels of land by the Hingham Proprietors. Most of it he retained until his death, but the records show he engaged in additional buying, selling, and trading. The table at the end of this record provides a summary of his land transactions.

As a skilled tradesman, Henry’s services were undoubtedly of the highest importance in the simple community of his day.

Henry and Jane probably lived at Hingham until at least 10 Mar 1670/71, when he was granted Lot No. 35, of the Third Division of Conahassett (Cohassett) uplands (Hingham Town Records, Vol. III, P. 182). Probably within a year or so, he and Jane removed to Hull to live with their son William. Henry’s sons Henry and William were both early settlers of the town of Hull about 1654. Hull, was a distance of some two or three miles across “Broad Bay” from Hingham.

Henry Chamberlin, made his will on December 8, 1673; proved 29 July 1674 (Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Probate Records, Volume 6, Page 54). In his will, he names all the children as listed in this record except John, who was dead. Named in John’s place was Henry’s grandson, John Chamberlin.

The text of Henry’s will reads as follows:
December the 8th, 1673, In the name and feare of God Amen: I Henery Chamberlin sometim of Hingham but now of Hull in the county of Suffolk in New England black smith being weake in body but of perfect memory praised be God: to mack this my last will and testament for the setting of my hous in order acording to the wil of God befor I dye declaring all former wils to be null and voyd: and this to be taken for my last will and testament and no other.

Imprimis: I will that all thos detts and dutys that I owe and am in conscience bound to pay be first discharged and paid in convenient time after my decease by my Executors hearafter menshioned.

Item, I do give and bequeath unto my loveing wife Jane Chamberlin all my howses and lands, goods and cattell for her comfortabell maintanance during her natural life and if it be not ssofisient for her comfortabell maintaance she shall have hearby power to sell sume of the estatt to maintain her but she shall not have power to give or dispose of any of the estatt.

Item, I do give and bequeath all my tools belonging to my trad unto my eldest sonn Henery Chamberlin.
Item, it is my will that what estatt shall be left after my wives deseas either in howses or lands or cattell shall be equally divided between my two sonns Henery Chamberlin and William Chamberlin by an equall devision: they painge the lagasies to be menshioned. 
Item, I do give and bequeath unto my daughter Susan Cartor twenty shillings.
Item, I do give and bequeath unto my daughter Ursley Cole twenty shillings.
Item, I do give and bequeath unto my daughter Faith Patterson twenty shillings.
Item, I do give and bequeath unto my grandchild John Chamberlin my great cettell, a case of bottells and twenty shillings.
Lastly, I do constitute ordain and apoint my sonn Henery Chamberlin and my sonn William Chamberlin joynt executors to se this my last will fulfiled and performed.

In witness hereof, I have hearunto set to my hand and seall the day and year above written. It is to be understood that tho I live now in Hull yet my howses and lands be in Hingham.
Henery Chamberlin his mark and a seale

On 3 Mar 1674/75, “Jane Chamberlin, widow, and Henry Chamberlin, Senior, and William Chamberlin, Senior, sons of the said Jane Chamberlin, of Hull, of the County of Norfolk, of the Massachusetts Colony in New England, Grantors,” ….[etc.], sold Henry’s remaining estate—which at that time consisted of 10 parcels of land, all located in Hingham, to Thomas Sawyer (Sayer), of the same place. This document also contains the statement (in reference to Henry Chamberlin, Blacksmith): “……Henry Chamberlin, deceased, formerly husband to me the said Jane Chamberlin and father to us, the said Henry Chamberlin and William Chamberlin……” This instrument is very valuable in that it conclusively establishes that Jane was the wife of Henry Chamberlin, blacksmith and mother of at least five of their six children, and undoubtedly his only wife.

William Chamberlin, son of Henry and Jane, died of smallpox 22 Nov 1678, a short time before his brother Henry died of the same malady. William’s Inventory was taken and presented to the Suffolk County Court on 28 Jan 1678/79. Sometime after this an addition to the Inventory was filed (no date on record) by William’s Executors, which reads (in part): “More, an estate fallen to us by the death of our grandfather and grandmother who lived and died at our father’s, and whose estate was formerly proved, amounting to £41 and 14 Shillings” (Suffolk Court Records, P. 1027). This record indicates that Jane died shortly after the date of the first Inventory of Henry’s estate on 28 Jan 1678/79.

Though the descendants of Henry Chamberlin have long since removed themselves from Hingham, the name of their progenitor in the New World is perpetuated in that region by Chamberlin’s Run, a small brook flowing into the Wier River, near Rocky Hill, and Chamberlin’s Swamp, beyond Rocky Hill, both in Hingham.

Henry Chamberlin’s date of death, cited in a number of sources, cannot be verified, though it is obvious he died in July 1674. I believe the date of his death was written on his Inventory, the original copy of which has disappeared from the Suffolk Court records. A survey of other inventories in this time period consistently had the deceased’s date of death recorded on their inventories. In any case, Henry’s death date was not recorded in the vital records of either Hingham or Hull. He was probably buried in the old burying ground on the hill in Hull, “but no man knoweth his sepulchre.”

Source: David Conrad Chamberlain, Feb 10, 2004. This record was prepared by the late David C. Chamberlin Sr., using data obtained from various sources as listed. Comments and additional information are welcome and should be sent to the World Chamberlain Genealogical Society.

HENRY CHAMBERLIN, Blacksmith
Henry Chamberlin, blacksmith, first appeared in New England in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, at Hingham, where he was received as a townsman on 17 Feb 1638/39 and granted property by the Proprietors. On 13 Mar 1639, he was made a Freeman by the General Court. All of Henry Chamberlin’s sons were Quakers and he himself was probably sympathetic to the Quaker religion.
Henry was granted a number of parcels of land by the Hingham Proprietors. Most of it he held until his death but the records show he was engaged in 
additional buying, selling, and trading.
On 16 Jan 1649, “Anthony Eames, Joseph Andrews, Joshua Hubbard and Edmond Pitts being chosen by the select men and Henery Chamberlyne to end a difference between them aboute the townes watch house, doe agree that the said watch house shall be recorded in the towne booke to the townes property; and that Henry Chamberlyne shall sett up the sayd house in the place where it now lyeth before the next Court of Assistance at Boston 
and he hath libbertye to make use of it for his trade and other necessary ocations that may not unfitt it for a watch house for the towne”.
As a skilled tradesman, Henry’s services were undoubtedly of the highest importance in the simple community of his day. “For since the birth of time, throughout the ages and nations, has the craft of the smith been held in repute by the people.”
On 1 Jan 1660, Henry Chamberlin and other freemen dissented “from having Captain Hubbard freed from paying his rates to the public charge of the 
town, and for the mayntenance of the ministrye”.
Henry and Jane probably lived at Hingham until at least 10 Mar 1670/71, 
when he was granted Lot No. 35, of the Third Division of Conahassett 
(Cohassett) uplands. Probably within a year or so, he and Jane removed to Hull and lived with their son William until his death. Henry’s sons Henry and William were both early settlers of the town of Hull about 1654. Hull was a distance of 
some two or three miles across “Broad Bay” from Hingham.
Though the descendants of Henry Chamberlin have long since removed themselves 
from Hingham, the name of their progenitor in the New World is perpetuated 
in the region by “Chamberlin’s Run,” a small brook flowing into the Wier
River, near Rocky Hill and “Chamberlin’s Swamp,” beyond Rocky Hill, both in 
Hingham.
He was probably buried in the old burying ground on the hill in Hull, “but no man knoweth his sepulchre.”
Source: Henry Chamberlin, Blacksmith, online notes of David Conrad Chamberlin, Sr., Tigard, Oregon

David Conrad Chamberlin
David Conrad Chamberlin was at the end of the 20th Century and beginning of the 21st Century a member of the Mormon Church and the World Chamberlain Genealogical Society. In 1985 David Conrad authored an article entitled, “The Two Henry Chamberlins of Hingham, Massachusetts: 1638-1649.” This article was first printed in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume CXXXIX, April 1985, pp. 126-138, and also reprinted with permission in Carolyn Wilson Weidner’s Chamberlain Chain, Volume 5, June 1987. This article was based on findings of the former Executive Secretary of the Chamberlain Association of America who in 1924 made the discovery that the blacksmith and the shoemaker were two different persons.
Source: The Chamberlin Genealogical Record, by George Richard Chamberlin, Vol 1, Number 1, Sep 30, 2007, copyright Chamberlin Association of America, Inc., Florida

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CHAMBERLAIN, circa 1592-1844
(1)HENRY CHAMBERLIN was born about 1592 in England, and died 15 July 1674 in Hull, Suffolk County, Massachusetts; married about 1615 Jane in England. Henry, the immigrant, has not yet been linked to any English family.
Of the five well-known Chamberlain immigrants to New England, Henry has probably been the subject of more confusion and misinformation than any, arising from the fact that for many years it was thought that only one Henry Chamberlin settled in New England when, in fact, there were two men of that name in the same general time period. The better known of the two, a shoemaker whose wife was Grace, arrived on the ship Diligent, 1638, with his wife, mother and two children, and he eventually returned to England, leaving no descendants in America. The other Henry, a blacksmith whose wife was Jane, left fewer traces in the records and is the subject of this present study. People who trace their ancestry to Henry should acquaint themselves with the article that finally clarified the understanding of this immigrant entitled “The Two Henry Chamberlins of Hingham, Massachusetts: 1636-1649,” by David Conrad Chamberlin, Sr., published in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, (Vol. 139, Apr. 1985, pp. 126-138). The article explains the manner in which the identity of the two Henrys was discovered and gives essential facts about each family.
Henry, the blacksmith, first appeared in New England in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, at Hingham, where he was received as a townsman on 17 February 1638-39 (Hingham Town Records, vol. 1, p. 81) and made a freeman on 13 March 1639. Henry and Jane probably lived at Hingham until at least 10 March 1670/71, when he was granted a lot, but soon after removed to Hull, Massachusetts. Their sons Henry and William were both early settlers of Hull about 1654. Henry’s will, dated 8 December 1673, was proved 29 July 1674. In it he names his children, except John who was dead. Also named was John’s son John Chamberlin. His estate of 10 parcels of land in Hingham was sold March 3, 1674/75. Henry’s burial place is unknown, but was probably in the old burying ground on the hill in Hull.
Children: Henry, John, Susan, born 1616; married Joseph Carter, William Chamberlain, born 1626, died 1678

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(2)HENRY CHAMBERLIN, born about 1619 in England, died 3 December 1678 in Hull, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. About 1651, Henry married Sarah Jones, probably in Hingham, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, born in 1635 in England, died on 3 December 1710 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts.
Henry was made a freeman in May 1645, at Hingham, Massachusetts. He removed to Hull, Suffolk County, before 1657, when granted 8 lots there. He was a townsman at Hull in 1661. In 1661, Henry and his father presented a petition to the General Court on behalf of his brother John, who had been imprisoned for his Quaker beliefs. Henry and his brother William were named as joint executors of their father will dated 8 December 1673 and proved 29 July 1674, in which Henry was called “eldest son.” Henry dictated his own will the day before he died. The inventory of his estate was dated 6 December 1678. A lawsuit ensued in 1710 between Henry’s widow, Sarah, and her daughter-in-law, Jane, widow of Sarah’s deceased son, Henry, Jr.

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(3)HENRY CHAMBERLIN, born about 1654 in Hull, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, died 6 May 1706 in Hull, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. He married wife Jane, who died after 1708. Henry was a blacksmith in Hull village where he was made a freeholder on 26 May 1690. He was selectman at Hull 1691, 1694, 1695 and 1697, and a fence viewer 1683, 1692, 1701, and 1704. As joint executor of his father’s will, he made oath to the Inventory 14 January 1678/79, receiving as “an overplus” his father’s “Connihasset lott to himselfe for ever and shop Tooles for a Smith.”
In December 1675, Henry served in Capt. Isaac Johnson’s Company of militia in King Philip’s War in the great swamp fight (see George M. Bodge’s, “Soldiers in King Philip’s War”, Boston, 1906).
Henry’s will, dated 6 May 1706, was proved 2 October 1706, with inventory taken 6 May 1706 at Suffolk Probate Court. His will left bequest to wife Jane & children. Suffolk County Deeds show a 1719 conveyance by John, Joseph, James, & Jane Chamberlain of their 4/7ths of 1/2 home to John Binney. John Binney, by separate deed, bought from Richard Stubbs, Jr., 2/7 of 2/3rds part of the estate of Richard Stubbs, Sr.
Children: Henry, Elizabeth born 1683, John born about 1688, Ursula born about 1690, Joseph born 1694 – died about 1726, James born 1697, Jane born 1699 – died 1775; married John Eldridge
Source: LEGENDS: Mark’s Complete Ancestry On The Web – Chamberlain, c. 1592-1844

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1675-1676: King Phillip’s War
THE CAUSES
Colonists’ hunger for land, as well as the heavy-handed treatment of the Wampanoag and other Native People by government officials, led to one of the most disastrous wars in America’s history.
Governor William Bradford died in 1657; Massasoit, the principal leader among the Wampanoag, died in 1660 and was succeeded by his son Wamsutta, called Alexander by the colonists. With the passing of the first generation, which had forged an uneasy alliance, the personal bonds which had helped to create a working peace ended.
The two cultures’ different ways of life and concepts of land use had caused tension for many ears. A continuing problem was the trampling of Native cornfields by colonists’ livestock. While colonists were legally responsible for damage, such laws were difficult to enforce in remote areas such as Rehoboth and Taunton. Increased competition for resources (particularly land for planting, hunting and fishing) caused friction between the two groups. Changes in the regional economy, such as collapse in the fur trade, led many Native People to support themselves by selling their land. With other governments (Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut) all competing to establish their territories, Plymouth wanted exclusive rights to purchase land from the Wampanoags.
THE WAR
In 1662, in an arrogant attempt to exert control, the Plymouth Court summoned Wampanoag leader Wamsutta to Plymouth. Major Josiah Winslow and a small force took Wamsutta at gunpoint. Soon after questioning, Wamsutta sickened and died. His death greatly angered the Wampanoag.
Wamsutta’s brother Metacom (also called Philip) succeeded him. Plymouth’s continued unyielding policy toward Native leaders, as well as the events surrounding the murder of Sassamon, a liaison between the two groups, caused the breakdown in relations that led to war.
In 1675, hostilities broke out in the town of Swansea, and the war spread as far north as New Hampshire, and as far southwest as Connecticut. Not all Native People, however, sided with Philip. Most Natives who had converted to Christianity fought with the English or remained neutral. The English, however, did not always trust these converts and interned many of them in camps on outlying islands. Also, some Native communities on Cape Cod and the Islands did not participate in the war. Native soldiers fighting on the side of the colonists helped turn the tide of the war, which ended in 1676 when Philip was killed by a Wampanoag fighting with Captain Benjamin Church.
THE EFFECTS
King Philip’s War was one of the bloodiest and most costly in the history of America. One in ten soldiers on both sides was injured or killed. It took many years for Plymouth and the other colonies to recover from damage to property.
The outcome of King Philip’s War was devastating to the traditional way of life for Native People in New England. Hundreds of Natives who fought with Philip were sold into slavery abroad. Others, especially women and children, were forced to become servants locally. As the traditional base of existence changed due to the Colonists’ victory, the Wampanoag and other local Native communities had to adapt certain aspects of their culture in order to survive.
Source: www.familyhistory.com

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(4)HENRY CHAMBERLAIN/CHAMBERLIN
1st child of Henry Chamberlain(3) & Jane unkn)
Born: Mar 11, 1686, Hull, Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts
Died: bet 1718 & 1733, prob Hull, Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts
Buried: unkn
Married: May 14, 1714, Lydia Vinton, in Hingham, Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts
Note: in 1706 Henry is bequeathed a double portion of his father’s estate, his shop and his blacksmith tools

LYDIA VINTON
1st child of Blaise Vinton & Lydia Hayden
Born: abt 1692, Hull, Plymouth Colony or Hingham, Essex County, Massachusetts
Died: perhaps abt 1718 (abt age 26), Hull, Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts
Buried: unkn
Married: May 14, 1714, Henry Chamberlain(4), Hingham, Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts
Two children: Henry Chamberlain(5), Lydia Chamberlain

1. Henry Chamberlain/Chamberlin(5)
Born: abt 1718, Bridgewater or Hull, Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts
Died: aft 1787 (abt age 69), prob Leicester, Addison County, Vermont, or in Leicester, Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Buried: Edson Cemetery, Hurricane Road, Westmoreland, Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Married: Dec 7, 1740, Susanna Hinds, Bridgewater, Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts
Ten children: John Chamberlain, Hannah Chamberlain, Henry Chamberlain(6), Lydia Chamberlain, Lucinda “Lucy” Chamberlain, Elizabeth “Betsey” Chamberlain, Ebenezer Chamberlain, Abigail Chamberlain, Giles Chamberlain, Hinds Chamberlain

2. Lydia Chamberlain
Born: abt 1720, Bridgewater, Plymouth Colony Massachusetts
Died: unknown
Buried: unkn
Married (1): Sep 24, 1739, James Lawson, Hingham, Hull, Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts
(James Lawson: son of David Lawson & Eleanor Smith
Born Aug 9, 1718, Hingham, Plymouth County, Massachusetts)
One child: Lucenna Lawson (born 1745, Massachusetts)
Married (2): Jan 12, 1758, Daniel Waters, Hingham, Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts
(Daniel Waters: Born: Oct 10, 1691, Woburn, Massachusetts
Died: Jul 22, 1776 (age 84), Hingham, Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts
Married: Jan 12 1758, at age 66, to Lydia Chamberlain)

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Individual Chamberlin/Chamberlain line posts to follow:
HENRYCHAMBERLAIN/CHAMBERLIN(5) & SUSANNA HINDS
HENRY CHAMBERLAIN(6) & ABIGAIL “ABBIE” CHAMBERLAIN
REUBEN CHAMBERLIN & MARY “POLLY” SUMNER
HARRISON CHAMBERLAIN & CAROLINE VAN SURDAM (5 children: Finley “Frank”, Adelaide “Addie”, Grace, Adah, Irene)
1. FINLEY MCLAREN “FRANK” CHAMBERLIN & EMILY S. HOY (6 children: Nellie, Fred, Ada, Roy, Mamie, Willard “Joe”)
1. Nellie Belle Chamberlin & Charles Henry Chatfield (10 children: Charles, Leo, Howard, Roy, Nella May, Gordon, Verda, Arden, Ina, Noreen)
1. Charles Joseph “Charley” Chatfield
2. Leo Willard Chatfield
3. Howard Francis Chatfield
4. Roy Elmer Chatfield
5. Nellie Mary “Nella Mae” Chatfield
6. Gordon Gregory Chatfield
7. Verda Agnes Chatfield
8. Arden Sherman Chatfield
9. Jacqueline “Ina” Chatfield
10. Noreen Ellen “Babe” Chatfield
2. Frederick L. “Fred” Chamberlin & (m.1) Ida unkn; (m.2) Clara Alice (Stingle) Fenner (no children)
3.1. Ada Agnes Chamberlin & (m.1) William James Chambers (1 child: Howard)
1. Howard James Chambers
3.2. Ada Agnes Chamberlin & (m.2) Edward Lawrence Whitaker (7 children: Vera, Leonard, Zelda, Donald, Melvin, Thelma, Edward)
1. Vera Stanislaus Whitaker
2. Leonard F. “Len” Whitaker
3. Zelda Beatrice Whitaker
4. Donald Edward “Don” Whitaker
5. Melvin Lawrence Whitaker
6. Thelma Marie Whitaker
7. Edward Joseph “Ed” Whitaker
4. Roy Valentine Chamberlin & Mary “Irene” Schaller (1 child: Harold)
1. Harold Valentine Chamberlin
5. Mary Agnes “Mamie” Chamberlin & Thomas Herbert Rosborough (3 children: Mildred, Arlene, Willard)
1. Mildred Emily Rosborough
2. Ada Arlene “Arlene” Rosborough
3. Willard James Rosborough
6. Willard Joseph “Joe” Chamberlin & Frieda Lois Jones (4 children: Hope, Willard, Marcella, Roy)
1. Mary Hope “Hope” Chamberlin
2. Willard Joseph Chamberlin, Jr.
3. Marcella Joan “Jo” Chamberlin
4. Roy Morgan Chamberlin
2. ADELAIDE “ADDIE” CHAMBERLAIN & ELLIOTT B. KINNE (1 child: Harrison “Bert”)
1. Harrison Adelbert “Bert” Kinne
3. GRACE E. CHAMBERLAIN (never married, no children)
4. ADAH MELISSA CHAMBERLAIN & EDSON LEROY CORY (2 children: Seward, Sumner)
1. Seward Edson Cory
2. Sumner Allen Cory
5. IRENE ANNA CHAMBERLAIN & GEORGE A. KINNE (2 children: Grace, Irwin)
1. Grace E. Kinne
2. Irwin Elliott Kinne
George A. Kinne & 2nd wife Bertha Emeline Baker (2 children: Guerney, Rex)
1. Guerney Maxim Kinne
2. Rex Waldo Kinne

GRACE E. CHAMBERLAIN (Chamberlain historian)

This work does not presume to be an authority on our Chamberlin line. It is a guide to follow our history: compilations from experts, other’s work, historical opinion, our own research, information from the internet, interviews with relatives, family pictures, papers, and letters, along with data gleaned from census and military records, birth, death, and marriage certificates, wills, land documents, etc. We are happy to include new information and correct any misinformation herein. With respect, we present to you this line of our family, Catherine Sevenau and Gordon Clemens

2020. Catherine (Clemens) Sevenau and Gordon Clemens.

WCGS (World Chamberlain Genealogical Society)