Greetings all!
Been on the list for a while but haven't had time to post or check
out everything coming in. I'm looking for descendants of Oscar Chapman,
the following article was sent to me by Peter Palmquist, photogapher &
publisher of book, "A Directory of Women in California Photography 1900-
1920" He couldn't remember what book he had gotten it out of:
CHAPMAN, Oscar, came to California as a young man in 1870 from
Kansas. Upon his arrival, he purchased a small farm in the Salt River
area about midway between Ferndale and Fernbridge. In 1878, he married
Abigail Dean of pioneer Dean family of Grizzly Bluff. It was a
family-arranged marriage, as he was ten years Abbies senior, and Abbie
used to recount that she hardly knew him before their wedding day. Oscar
brought his young bride to his farm, and later, in 1888, built a fine
home. There they raised three daughters. For a few years, circa 1887,
Oscar operated the Singleys Ferry. His little girl, Myrtle, almost
drowned near Singleys Ferry in May of 1887, being swept down the river.
However, Oscar was a first-class swimmer and was able to rescue her.
Abbie and Oscar were divorced in the early 1890s and Abbie married Mr.
Cardoza. They divorced in 1895, and Abbie opened a photo gallery in
Ferndale to support her family. They continued living in the family
home, and the three young girls had many parties and fun times. Della,
the oldest daughter, married James Slingsby and spent her entire life in
the Waddington and Howe Creek areas. When she was only thirteen, she
studied oil painting, and in later life became quite well known for her
paintings of the Redwoods. Belle, second daughter, married Walter
Bartlett in 1902 and they lived their entire life in the home they built
in Ferndale. Walter, Chief of the Ferndale Fire Dept. for many years,
was responsible for planning and decorating Ferndales first living
Christmas tree which has since become a tradition. Myrtle, the youngest
daughter, married Jack Clancy and lived in Eureka and then in Oakland in
later years. Oscar, after his divorce, left Humboldt County, remarried,
and raised a second family. (Aileen Brown)
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There are two much larger articles on Abbie which are much longer and
more involved. In them we learn that Oscar was "murdered by gunshot in
1906". In an article on his mother in "Kansas & Kansans" it states
that
he "lost his life by violence in California in 1909" and his father's
will, dated the 6th of Dec 1807 still has Oscar listed as living.
Oscar's sister's bible states, "Oscar Leroy Chapman, was murdered on the
16 day of December, 1908 near three o'clock p.m., near his store on the
Klamath River. He was shot through the body, just below the heart on the
left side, the ball coming out near (the) pit of (his) stomach, center
of the body."
In Oscar's mother's will there is also a Charles Chapman listed as
another child of Oscar's, I assume that this was from his second
marriage, there had also been an Oscar Jr that died March 29, 1919.
I would really like to locate descendants of Oscar's as that I have
located descendants of almost all the other lines and we had our first
reunion last year......Leann