Reuben Chase, Revolutionary War Pensioner and His Connection to the Indigenous People at Yarmouth

 REUBEN CHASE, REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSIONER
AND HIS CONNECTION TO THE INDIGENOUS TRIBE AT YARMOUTH, MA

A revolutionary war grave marker juts from the barren southeast corner of the Ancient Cemetery in Yarmouth.  This section of the cemetery was infamously set aside in 1826 when the  town ordered Thomas Greenough, a leader of the indigenous tribe at Yarmouth, to disinter and move his wife Jane from her existing burial plot to this area of the yard. The Town ordered all future burials of people of color to be directed to this corner.  Several gravestones frame the blank space including those for little Thacher Baker, and my ancestors George Washington Chase and his wife Nancy J. of whom I have written previously.  An old map thankfully provided by the Friends of the Ancient Cemetery* on their website clearly indicates that this veteran marker determines the resting place of a Reuben Chase.  Newspaper accounts acknowledge and include Reuben’s war service.  His pension application, and wife’s widow application, provide useful information on the circumstances of Reuben’s life. 

BACKGROUND

At first glance, one would naturally assume that Reuben was somehow related to George W. Chase. In fact, Reuben and George W.  are more closely related through their wives.  Nancy J. (Brooks) Chase was the daughter of Thomas Greenough’s grandson, Thomas Greenough Brooks, and his wife Nancy Nickerson.  Reuben Chase was married to Polly Nickerson, sister to Nancy Nickerson.  Nancy and Polly Nickerson were the daughters of John and Deborah Nickerson.  I have posted a separate report on John Nickerson who also was a revolutionary war patriot.  John’s place of burial is currently not known.  (Note that the unmarked but identified grave of James K. Arey separates the graves of Reuben Chase and George Washington Chase.  James Arey died in Yarmouth 10 April 1864 “non compos.”) It appears that this area of the Ancient Cemetery is also the final resting place of poor and indigent of Yarmouth.

In the last years of his life, Reuben Chase had been appointed guardians to assist him with his affairs, sell his real estate to pay debts, handle his pension, etc.  Reuben was called “insane” in those related documents. It is unknown whether “insane” is another way of describing what we now call dementia or alzheimers as Reuben was close to 88 years of age when he died. One guardian, Thacher Clark of Dennis, was responsible for the final distribution of Reuben’s pension payments and assisted in Polly’s application for a widow’s pension at the time of Reuben’s death.

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Yarmouth records show that Reuben Chase died on 19 February 1847 at the age of 88 years, one month and nine days.

Not long after Reuben's death, John Milton Earle was conducting research for his report to the Massachusetts Senate on the circumstances of the Massachusetts Indigenous population.  Reuben’s wife Polly was still alive and may have been a source of information Earle used in compiling his report.  In correspondence with Earle, the Dennis Town Clerk (Solomon Chase) advised Earle to contact Reuben and Polly Chase as possible knowledgeable residents of “Indian Town” in Yarmouth.  Reuben Chase was probably not of indigenous descent but he had lived in “Indian Town" with his wife Polly, the daughter of John and Deborah (Studley) Nickerson.  John and Deborah are of currently undocumented but possible indigenous ancestry themselves. A number of John Nickerson’s children married into the known Greenough family – the children of Thomas Greenough and his wife Jane Freeman.

Polly is enumerated with her son Reuben (Jr.) in the 1850 census at Yarmouth but with the surname of Marchant.  My current research has found no record of Polly remarrying; the Nickerson Family Genealogy mentions the possibility of remarriage given this 1850 census record. Note that Polly’s grandfather was Samuel Marchant. Near neighbors to Polly “Marchant” and Reuben Chase in this census are several other families connected to the Greenoughs --  Brooks, Ellis, Cash, Bakers and Longs. Currently I have found no death record for Polly Chase, but she was alive in 1858 when she spent much time and effort in her widow’s pension claim wherein she claimed she remained Reuben’s widow and had not remarried.

Findings of Fact

 

Reuben Chase was born 8 June 1761 in Dennis (probably part of Yarmouth that became Dennis), the son of Barnabus and Lydia (Ryder) Chase.  As stated above, he died 19 February 1847 at Yarmouthport. His death record identifies him as a revolutionary war veteran; the death notice in the local newspaper also makes this note.

Further research is ongoing on Reuben’s ancestry and may be the subject of a future report.  Reuben Chase married Polly Nickerson of Yarmouth on 22 December 1816. (Yarmouth, Births, Marriages, Deaths, 1657-1823, Ancestry.com).  Marriage Intentions were published on 30 November 1816.

Polly was born 17 June 1785 clearly some twenty years younger than her husband. 

Reuben and Polly had two children.  Their daughter Sukey Blossom was born 12 April 1817, she died in 1819.  Their son Reuben was born 3 July 1819.  He later married Sarah Nickerson.

Pension Applications

The Schedule of Property in Reuben’s pension application 9 August 1820 estimates his property’s worth at $25.00 and consisting of a 12 foot square house, two chairs and a table, one chest, one hoe, and one axe. His debts equaled $10.50.  Reuben was a laborer who supported his wife who was twenty years younger than he was; his wife was noted as being aged 33 years and a son of thirteen months.

Reuben Chase’s pension application contains his personal affidavit of service as well as confirmation of his service from his wife Polly and numerous other neighbors and acquaintances in the Town of Yarmouth. Reuben was young at the time of his service – approximately 16 years of age.  Additionally, newspaper accounts do imply that Reuben Chase’s military service was known and acknowledged in local veteran celebrations. His gravesite was one of a group of veterans’ graves decorated with flowers by local school children on Memorial Day. 

Reuben Chase did successfully apply for and receive a pension, as did his widow Polly.  Her application confirms marriage and death information in the Yarmouth Vital Records. 

Earle Papers

In the Earle Papers at the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester (I viewed microfilm of this collection) there is a somewhat factually contradicting response letter from the Dennis Town Clerk dated 1859 to John Milton Earle's attempt to gather information for the Senate Report on the Condition of Indians and their Descendants ultimately published in 1861. In it the Dennis Town Clerk informs Earle that Reuben and Polly Chase may be possible individuals in Yarmouth’s “Indian Town” able to assist Earle in his information gathering.  While it is mentioned that Reuben was dead, his wife Polly was still alive.

(There is another Reuben Chase of profound note during the revolutionary war being a Reuben Chase of Nantucket.)  Additional research needs to be done on Revolutionary bound land in the name of Reuben Chase of Yarmouth. Additionally, Reuben and Polly Chase were involved in several Yarmouth land transactions with members and descendants of the Greenough family subject to further research.  

*Friends of the Ancient Cemetery of Yarmouth, https://www.friendsofancientcemetery.org

Sources: 

Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, Yarmouth and Dennis Vital Records, images online, Ancestry.com.

US, Revolutionary War Pensions, 1800-1900, Massachusetts, Mass. R. 1889, Reuben Chase and Polley, 24 pages, Fold3.com.

Massachusetts Revolutionary War Bounty Land Applications, 1805-1845, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-893N-D94K-Y?cc=1881492&wc=QDRZ-BZ8%3A1589692506 : 7 October 2016), Caesar, Jerusha-Fuller, Stephen Box 2 > image 80 of 473; citing Maine State Archives, Augusta.

Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915, database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FC3M-613 : 15 January 2020), Reuben Chase, 1819.

Earle, John Milton, Papers Related to Commissioners of the Indian Reports for Massachusetts, American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, MA, microfilm viewed at NEHGS.

Massachusetts Secretary of State, Registry of Deeds, Barnstable County Deeds, Registry of Deeds, https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/registry-of-deeds/registry-of-deeds.htm

Barnstable, Guardian Bonds, 1826-1860, Massachusetts, Wills and Probate records

Land grant application, Reuben Chase (Yarmouth, MA) digital Maine revolutionary war 

Chase, Reuben, "Land Grant Application- Chase, Reuben (Yarmouth)" (2017). Massachusetts. 78. http://digitalmaine.com/revolutionary_war_mass/78 

Derick, Pauline Wixon, The Nickerson Family, The Descendants of William Nickerson, First Settler of Chatham, The Nickerson Family Association, Inc., 1981.