Thirteenth Generation

1939. Nathan Stoddard Chatfield was born on 3 October 1815 in Seymour, New Haven Co., Connecticut, USA. He appeared in the census in 1880 in Precinct 5, Jefferson Co., Colorado, USA. He died on 22 August 1885 at the age of 69 in Littleton, Arapahoe Co., Colorado, USA. Nathan was buried in Littleton Cmtry., Littleton, Arapahoe Co., Colorado, USA. He appeared in the census 1860/1870 in Pilot, Kankakee Co., Illinois, USA. Nathan had met Margaret Prudentia Herrick in nearby Twinsburg, her family having arrived from Worthington, Massachusetts. Smitten by her charm—a mixture of intellect, compassion, resilience, and beauty—Nathan asked David Herrick, Margaret’s father, for her hand in matrimony. The couple exchanged vows in Middlefield’s Episcopal Church on August 19, 1841, and began their wedded life together on farmland gifted by Isaac. Nathan was 25 and Margaret, 23. A year would pass before the young couple would welcome their first baby.

The Chatfields moved from Middlefield to Kankakee in 1858. The land was affordable and the growing season was nearly 30 days longer: more sunshine, less snow, and ample rain. They would construct their new home and tend their new farm in a place called Kankakee--Potawatomi for "Beautiful River." Nathan and Margaret may have learned about Kankakee from their cousin, William A. Chatfield, who had settled in Momence Township in 1844.

Nathan Stoddard Chatfield, uncle of Isaac, moved to Colorado in 1879 and eventually settled in the Littleton area. Nathan died in August 1885 and was buried in the Littleton cemetery. He and his wife, Margaret Herrick had seven children. All accompanied their parents to Colorado, except for David, who died in the Civil War.

Long before the appearance of white settlers, the Potawatomi had made the Kankakee region their home, a rolling, largely treeless prairie landscape with a beautiful river thickly bordered with groves of oak, hickory, maple, cedar and black walnut. Fertile soil sloped gently to the water's edge in some areas, giving way to sheer limestone bluffs in others, abundant wildlife nearly everywhere. By 1858, Kankakee--60 miles south of downtown Chicago--had blossomed into an exceptionally large county of 16 townships, a population exceeding 13,000, and the site of a depot on the Illinois Central Railroad. Nathan had found what he had been looking for.

http://www.littletongov.org/history/biographies/chatfield.asp
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United States Census, 1860
Name Nathan Chatfield
Event Place Pilot, Kankakee, Illinois
Gender Male
Age 43
Race White
Birth Year (Estimated) 1817
Birthplace Conn
Page 93
Nathan Chatfield M 43 Conn
Margaret P Chatfield F 41 Mass
Edward L Chatfield M 17 Ohio
David A Chatfield M 14 Ohio
William Chatfield M 12 Ohio
Isaac N Chatfield M 10 Ohio
James H Chatfield M 8 Ohio
Charles H Chatfield M 4 Ohio
Mary M Chatfield F 1 Ohio
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USA Census, 1870
Name Mathew Chatfield [Should be Nathan]
Event Place Illinois
Gender Male
Age 57
Race White
Birth Year (Estimated) 1812-1813
Birthplace Connecticut
Page Number 1
Household
Mathew Chatfield M 57 Connecticut
Margaret Chatfield F 53 Massachusetts
Edward Chatfield M 27 Ohio
Newton Chatfield M 20 Ohio
James H Chatfield M 18 Ohio
Charles Chatfield M 14 Ohio
Mary Chatfield F 11 Ohio
Mary M Dabie F 15 Canada
Fred Bourt M 16 Canada
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USA Census, 1880
Name Nathan S Chatfield
Event Place Precinct 5, Jefferson, Colorado
Gender Male
Age 63
Marital Status Married
Race White
Occupation Farmer
Relationship to Head of Household Self
Birth Year (Estimated) 1817
Birthplace Massachusetts, USA
Father's Birthplace Massachusetts, USA
Mother's Birthplace Connecticut, USA
Sheet Letter C
Sheet Number 292
Person Number 0
Volume 1
Nathan S Chatfield Self M 63 Massachusetts, USA
Margret P Chatfield Wife F 61 Ohio, USA
Charles H Chatfield Other M 24 Ohio, USA
Mary M Chatfield Other F 21 Ohio, USA
Jos Gentry Other M 31 Indiana

Nathan Stoddard Chatfield and Margaret Prudentia Herrick were married on 19 August 1841 in Episcopal Church, Middlefield, Geauga Co., Ohio, USA. Margaret Prudentia Herrick, daughter of David Herrick and Zipporah Avery, was born on 19 May 1818 in Worthington, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts, USA. She appeared in the census in 1880 in Precinct 5, Jefferson Co., Colorado, USA. She died on 10 October 1887 at the age of 69 in Littleton, Arapahoe Co., Colorado, USA. Margaret was buried in Littleton Cmtry., Littleton, Arapahoe Co., Colorado, USA. She appeared in the census 1860/1870 in Pilot, Kankakee Co., Illinois, USA. "[Obituary, 1887] Mrs. Margaret P. Chatfield was born May 19th, 1818 at Worthington, Mass. Hers was a christian home and the scenes of the family altar were familiar from the earliest years. Like so many others the family left the old New England hive in her childhood and located in what was then known as the "West." At the age of 18 years she was brought under deep religious convictions with which she wrestled for something like a year. At length in a state bordering on despair she yielded full submission to the terms of Divine Mercy and salvation and gave her heart to God. From that time her christian life was ever steadfast and onward. In August 1841 she was married to Nathan G. Chatfield who died about two years since. In her husband, Mrs. Chatfield found a reliable and earnest follower of Christ with whom she could fully sympathize and together they reared a family of seven children, six of whom survive them. For the improvement of her health, the family moved to Colorado and located on a farm a few miles from Littleton. Here they made many friends by their kindness of heart and their exemplary walk and life. And here, after a long illness attended with much suffering, Mrs. Margaret P. Chatfield departed this life Oct. 10th, 1887, in the 70th year of her age. At her funeral her pastor, Rev Dr. Bliss preached from the text "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord." The selection of such a text was fully justified by her long and faithful christian life. Those who were best acquainted with Mrs. Chatfield observed many marked qualities of christian character. She was a devoted wife, a faithful mother, and an earnest christian. We need say no more for "of such are the kingdom of heaven." It is such who train up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. When they are gone, as in this instance, their children rise up and call them blessed. Her last words were "farewell all of you, I am going home to my rest." (Unidentified newspaper clipping in James Herrick Chatfield family Bible)"

Nathan Stoddard Chatfield and Margaret Prudentia Herrick had the following children:

+3439	i.	Edward Livingston Chatfield.
3440	ii.	David Avery Chatfield was born on 13 November 1845 in Middlefield, Geauga Co., Ohio, USA. He appeared in the census in 1860 in Pilot, Kankakee Co., Illinois, USA. He died on 18 September 1864 at the age of 18 in USA. Died in Civil War.
+3441	iii.	William Stoddard Chatfield.
+3442	iv.	Isaac Newton Chatfield.
+3443	v.	James Herrick "Sugar Jim" Chatfield.
+3444	vi.	Charles Henry Chatfield.
+3445	vii.	Mary Margaret "Peg" Chatfield.