Chappell family researchers, over many years, have been greatly frustrated trying to prove the name of John P. Chappell's father. Fortunately, this branch of the Chappell family frequently used family names. See the Find A Grave memorials dedicated to his parents, Wilkes E. Chappell and Mary (Heath) Chappell, for presentation of circumstantial evidence proving the parental/son relationship.
The 1830 US Census of Walton County, Georgia enumerated the household of Wilks (sic) E. Chappell (1801-1839). He was one of two white males recorded in the age range of 20 thru 29 Y/O. I determined he was born about 1801 using the probable birth dates of other children of Obadiah Chappell (1781-1839). A white female recorded in the age range of 20 thru 29 Y/O would have been his wife, Mary (Heath) Chappell, who was born about 1806 (determined by the 1850, 1860 and 1870 US Censuses). Also living in the household were four white persons under 20 Y/O including two males under 5 Y/O, one male 5 thru 9 Y/O and one female under 5 Y/O. The male recorded in the 5 thru 9 Y/O range was probably Simeon Chappell (born about 1826), and one of the males enumerated under 5 Y/O was most probably John P. Chappell (1830-1862). The 09 Nov 1850 US Census of District 19, Chambers Co., AL, recorded below, confirms that Simeon Chappell was born about 1826 and his brother, John P. Chappell, was born about 1830, both in Georgia.
Mary (Heath) Chappell's son, John P. Chappell (1830-1862), was born in Walton Co., GA circa 1830 (Confirmed by 09 Nov 1850 US Census of District 19, Chambers Co., GA recorded below). Circumstantial evidence proves his father was Wilkes E. Chappell (1801-1839) who was enumerated in the 1830 US Census of Walton Co., GA (see above). The Wilkes E. Chappell family moved from Walton County to Harris Co., GA prior to 1837 as John P. Chappell's brother, Cicero Heath Chappell (1837-1924), was born there in 1837 (noted in his 1917 Civil War pension application). NOTE: Of great interest is that a Charles Cicero Heath (1808-1890) was born in Georgia in 1808 and moved to Chambers Co., AL in 1836. This furthers the evidence of the closeness of the Chappell/Heath families and their use of family names. I strongly suspect that Charles Cicero Heath was a brother of Mary (Heath) Chappell, wife of Wilkes E. Chappell and mother of John P. Chappell. Cicero Heath Chappell's (1837-1924) full name was recorded as "Charles Cicero Heath Chappell" on page 208 in "The Heritage of Chambers County, Alabama", 1999). It appears that Mary (Heath) Chappell named her son, Charles Cicero Heath Chappell, after her brother, Charles Cicero Heath . The Wilkes E. Chappell of the 1830 Walton Co., GA census was most probably the son of Obadiah Chappell (see FAG memorial #199364617) who, according to "The Georgia Black Book", was murdered by Wiley Hunt near Goodwin's Crossroads (close to Whitesville, GA near the AL/GA border), in Harris Co., GA on 21 Sep 1839
John P. Chappell's father, Wilkes E. Chappell (1801-1839) died prior to 1840 in Harris County, Georgia; confirmed by him not being enumerated there in the 1840 US Census. No other record has been found of Wilkes E. Chappell after 1839. His widow, Mary Chappell, was enumerated in the 1840 US Census of Huey's District, Harris County, GA as head of household. There were nine (9) white persons enumerated in the 1840 household of Mary Chappell: 1 male under 5 Y/O; 2 males 10 thru 14 Y/O; 1 male 15 thru 19 Y/O; 1 female under 5 Y/O; 2 females 5 thru 9 Y/O; 1 female 10 thru 14; 1 female 30-39 Y/O (This older female would have been Mary (Heath) Chappell whose actual age in 1840 was 34 Y/O. NOTE: The 09 Nov 1850 US Census of Chambers County, Alabama, see below, recorded that the last child of Wilkes E. and Mary (Heath) Chappell was Mary A. Chappell who was born about 1840, which helps to establish her father's, Wilkes E. Chappell's, death date as about 1839. NOTE: The one male under 5 Y/O was Cicero Heath Chappell (1837-1924), born in 1837 (noted in his 1917 Civil War pension application). The two males recorded in age range 10 thru 14 were: Simeon Chappell born in 1826 at Walton Co., GA; and John P. Chappell, who was born in Walton Co., GA circa 1830 (See the 09 Nov 1850 US Census of District 19, Chambers Co., GA below). It wasn't a coincidence that Cicero Heath Chappell (1837-1924), son of Wilkes E. and Mary (Heath) Chappell, named his son, James WILKES Chappell (1878-1949). It was to honor his father, Wilkes E. Chappell. James Wilkes Chappell was born on 21 Dec 1878 at Chambers Co., AL. This is good circumstantial evidence that Wilkes E. Chappell was John P. Chappell's father, as Cicero Heath Chappell and John P. Chappell are proven brothers.
In 1848/9, Mary (Heath) Chappell, widow of Wilkes E. Chappell (1801-1839), and her oldest son, Simeon Chappell, purchased several tracts of land in Chambers Co., AL and moved to Penton, Chambers Co., Alabama. Their choice of moving to Chambers Co., AL could very well have been influenced by the fact that the Heaths, in particular Mary's brother, Charles Cicero Heath , had been living there since 1836 as noted above.
John P. Chappell married Mary Megginson on 20 Jan 1850 in Chambers Co., AL. (See attached copy of marriage record; NOTE: Mary's father, Samuel Megginson, Jr., signed the marriage document giving his permission for her to marry as she was underage.)
The 09 Nov 1850 US Census of District 19, Chambers Co., AL enumerated the household of 46 Y/O Mary (Heath) Chappell (the widow of Wilkes E. Chappell (1801-1839)]). She was born in North Carolina. Also living in the household were: her 24 Y/O son, Simeon Chappell (1826-1864), a farmer, born in GA; her 20 Y/O son, John P. Chappell (1830-1862), born in GA, and John's 19 Y/O wife, Mary (Megginson) Chappell, born in N. C.; also living in the household were Mary (Heath) Chappell's other children; 17 Y/O daughter, Susan Chappell (1833 Walton Co., GA-1910 Chambers Co. AL); her 15 Y/O daughter, Sidney (Sydney) Chappell, born in GA; her 12 Y/O son, Cicero Heath Chappell (1837-1924), born in GA; and her 10 Y/O daughter, Mary A. Chappell, born in GA. Fortunately, this branch of the Chappell family frequently used family names. It wasn't a coincidence that Cicero Heath Chappell, son of Wilkes E. and Mary (Heath) Chappell, named his son, James Wilkes Chappell (1878-1949). It was to honor his father, Wilkes E. Chappell. James Wilkes Chappell was born on 21 Dec 1878 at Chambers Co., AL. This is good circumstantial evidence that Wilkes E. Chappell was the father of Cicero Heath Chappell and his brother, John P. Chappell. NOTE: The last child of Wilkes E. and Mary (Heath) Chappell was Mary A. Chappell who was born about 1840, which helps to establish her father's, Wilkes E. Chappell's, death date as about 1839. NOTE2: James Wilkes Chappell (1878-1949), mentioned above, has an error on his tombstone. His middle name "Wilkes" is misspelled as "Wilks". He signed his WWI Registration Card as James "Wilkes" Chappell. See a copy on his memorial, #144708056.
.The 16 August 1860 US Census of the Milltown Post Office, Northern Division of Chambers Co., AL enumerated the household of 30 Y/O John P. Chappell, a farmer, born in GA, and his 30 Y/O wife, Mary (Megginson) Chappell, born in N.C. Also living in the household were their children: 10 Y/O William Edward Chappell; 8 Y/O Mary "Mollie" Chappell; 6 Y/O Margaret Chappell; and 4 Y/O son, Maxie (Maxey) Thomas Chappell (mis-enumerated as a female). All children born in Alabama.
The 17 August 1860 US Agricultural Survey of Milltown, Northern Division, Chambers Co., AL recorded that John P. Chappell owned 25 acres of land valued at $200.00. Four doors away was the land owned by his brother, Simeon Chappell; 100 acres valued at $500.00. (See attached copy of this 1860 document)
The attached photo of John P. Chappell was taken in 1861 at Chambers Co., AL just before he went off to war. The original photo shows both he and his wife, Mary, side by side with him wearing his Confederate uniform.
John P. Chappell was residing in Chambers County, AL when the Civil War began and he enlisted at Auburn, Macon Co., AL on 26 July 1861. He was a private in Company "D" of the 14th Alabama Infantry Regiment and was listed in his regiment's records as MIA at the Civil War Battle of Antietam at Sharpsburg, MD on 17 Sep 1862, the bloodiest day of the Civil War. (In fact, it is the bloodiest single-day battle in American military history, with a combined tally of 22,717 dead, wounded, or missing.) He probably was buried anonymously in a mass grave as his wife was never informed as to the location of his body. (See attached page from John P. Chappell's Civil War record confirming his MIA status at the Battle of Antietam. Also attached is a 2 page comprehensive Civil War record of John P. Chappell compiled by the Birmingham Public Library.)
Family tradition states that in the 1980s, the now deceased Mr. Jack Still, a neighbor with no kinship to the Chappells, confided that Cicero Heath Chappell (1837-1924), told him that John P. Chappell, his brother, had died in his arms on the battlefield on 17 Sep 1862 at Sharpsburg, Maryland (Battle of Antietam). It could very well have happened as both of their regiments were there and in the thick of the battle. Cicero served in Company "I" of the 47th Alabama Infantry Regiment and is buried with a Confederate tombstone in the Chappell Family Cemetery at Penton, Chambers Co., AL.
John's wife, Mary (Megginson) Chappell, never knew the exact fate of his body. She applied for a pension on 30 Nov 1863 which was later approved.
The children of John P. and Mary (Megginson) Chappell were:
1) William Edward Chappell, b. 07 Oct 1850 Penton, Chambers Co., AL, d. 22 Nov 1920 Turkeytown, Etowah Co., AL, m. 1) Nancy C. McDonald in 1872 at Turkeytown, Etowah Co., AL, m. 2) Julia Simpson on 24 Dec 1896 at Etowah Co., AL, bur. White's Chapel Cemetery near Gadsden-Leesburg, AL.
2) Mary (Mollie) Chappell, b. 11 Jan 1852 Penton, Chambers Co., AL, d. 15 Jun 1924 Cherokee Co., AL, m. Chambers Co., AL on 14 Feb 1871 to John McDaniel Smith of Ephesus/New Site, Tallapoosa Co., AL, bur. Smith Chapel Cemetery Leesburg Cherokee Co., AL. (This family moved to Leesburg, Cherokee Co., AL in the 1870s and operated a ferry on the Coosa River).
3) Margaret Chappell, b. 02 Dec 1854 Penton, Chambers Co., AL, d. 08 Jul 1921 Camp Co., TX, m. Francis Marion Reeves in Chambers Co., AL, bur. Reeves Chapel Cemetery near Pittsburg, Camp Co, TX.
4) Maxey (Maxie) Thomas Chappell, b. 12 Feb 1857 Chambers Co., Alabama (See below).
5) Johnnie Martha Chappell, b. 1861 Chambers Co., Alabama (Born just before her father left for Civil War duty, never to return, m. She married Paul J. Pollard from Pollard's Bend, AL and is buried in the Smith Chapel Cemetery near Leesburg, AL.
Source:
"The Heritage of Chambers County, Alabama", 1999, pp208-209.
Bio by Gresham Farrar.
The 1830 US Census of Walton County, Georgia enumerated the household of Wilks (sic) E. Chappell (1801-1839). He was one of two white males recorded in the age range of 20 thru 29 Y/O. I determined he was born about 1801 using the probable birth dates of other children of Obadiah Chappell (1781-1839). A white female recorded in the age range of 20 thru 29 Y/O would have been his wife, Mary (Heath) Chappell, who was born about 1806 (determined by the 1850, 1860 and 1870 US Censuses). Also living in the household were four white persons under 20 Y/O including two males under 5 Y/O, one male 5 thru 9 Y/O and one female under 5 Y/O. The male recorded in the 5 thru 9 Y/O range was probably Simeon Chappell (born about 1826), and one of the males enumerated under 5 Y/O was most probably John P. Chappell (1830-1862). The 09 Nov 1850 US Census of District 19, Chambers Co., AL, recorded below, confirms that Simeon Chappell was born about 1826 and his brother, John P. Chappell, was born about 1830, both in Georgia.
Mary (Heath) Chappell's son, John P. Chappell (1830-1862), was born in Walton Co., GA circa 1830 (Confirmed by 09 Nov 1850 US Census of District 19, Chambers Co., GA recorded below). Circumstantial evidence proves his father was Wilkes E. Chappell (1801-1839) who was enumerated in the 1830 US Census of Walton Co., GA (see above). The Wilkes E. Chappell family moved from Walton County to Harris Co., GA prior to 1837 as John P. Chappell's brother, Cicero Heath Chappell (1837-1924), was born there in 1837 (noted in his 1917 Civil War pension application). NOTE: Of great interest is that a Charles Cicero Heath (1808-1890) was born in Georgia in 1808 and moved to Chambers Co., AL in 1836. This furthers the evidence of the closeness of the Chappell/Heath families and their use of family names. I strongly suspect that Charles Cicero Heath was a brother of Mary (Heath) Chappell, wife of Wilkes E. Chappell and mother of John P. Chappell. Cicero Heath Chappell's (1837-1924) full name was recorded as "Charles Cicero Heath Chappell" on page 208 in "The Heritage of Chambers County, Alabama", 1999). It appears that Mary (Heath) Chappell named her son, Charles Cicero Heath Chappell, after her brother, Charles Cicero Heath . The Wilkes E. Chappell of the 1830 Walton Co., GA census was most probably the son of Obadiah Chappell (see FAG memorial #199364617) who, according to "The Georgia Black Book", was murdered by Wiley Hunt near Goodwin's Crossroads (close to Whitesville, GA near the AL/GA border), in Harris Co., GA on 21 Sep 1839
John P. Chappell's father, Wilkes E. Chappell (1801-1839) died prior to 1840 in Harris County, Georgia; confirmed by him not being enumerated there in the 1840 US Census. No other record has been found of Wilkes E. Chappell after 1839. His widow, Mary Chappell, was enumerated in the 1840 US Census of Huey's District, Harris County, GA as head of household. There were nine (9) white persons enumerated in the 1840 household of Mary Chappell: 1 male under 5 Y/O; 2 males 10 thru 14 Y/O; 1 male 15 thru 19 Y/O; 1 female under 5 Y/O; 2 females 5 thru 9 Y/O; 1 female 10 thru 14; 1 female 30-39 Y/O (This older female would have been Mary (Heath) Chappell whose actual age in 1840 was 34 Y/O. NOTE: The 09 Nov 1850 US Census of Chambers County, Alabama, see below, recorded that the last child of Wilkes E. and Mary (Heath) Chappell was Mary A. Chappell who was born about 1840, which helps to establish her father's, Wilkes E. Chappell's, death date as about 1839. NOTE: The one male under 5 Y/O was Cicero Heath Chappell (1837-1924), born in 1837 (noted in his 1917 Civil War pension application). The two males recorded in age range 10 thru 14 were: Simeon Chappell born in 1826 at Walton Co., GA; and John P. Chappell, who was born in Walton Co., GA circa 1830 (See the 09 Nov 1850 US Census of District 19, Chambers Co., GA below). It wasn't a coincidence that Cicero Heath Chappell (1837-1924), son of Wilkes E. and Mary (Heath) Chappell, named his son, James WILKES Chappell (1878-1949). It was to honor his father, Wilkes E. Chappell. James Wilkes Chappell was born on 21 Dec 1878 at Chambers Co., AL. This is good circumstantial evidence that Wilkes E. Chappell was John P. Chappell's father, as Cicero Heath Chappell and John P. Chappell are proven brothers.
In 1848/9, Mary (Heath) Chappell, widow of Wilkes E. Chappell (1801-1839), and her oldest son, Simeon Chappell, purchased several tracts of land in Chambers Co., AL and moved to Penton, Chambers Co., Alabama. Their choice of moving to Chambers Co., AL could very well have been influenced by the fact that the Heaths, in particular Mary's brother, Charles Cicero Heath , had been living there since 1836 as noted above.
John P. Chappell married Mary Megginson on 20 Jan 1850 in Chambers Co., AL. (See attached copy of marriage record; NOTE: Mary's father, Samuel Megginson, Jr., signed the marriage document giving his permission for her to marry as she was underage.)
The 09 Nov 1850 US Census of District 19, Chambers Co., AL enumerated the household of 46 Y/O Mary (Heath) Chappell (the widow of Wilkes E. Chappell (1801-1839)]). She was born in North Carolina. Also living in the household were: her 24 Y/O son, Simeon Chappell (1826-1864), a farmer, born in GA; her 20 Y/O son, John P. Chappell (1830-1862), born in GA, and John's 19 Y/O wife, Mary (Megginson) Chappell, born in N. C.; also living in the household were Mary (Heath) Chappell's other children; 17 Y/O daughter, Susan Chappell (1833 Walton Co., GA-1910 Chambers Co. AL); her 15 Y/O daughter, Sidney (Sydney) Chappell, born in GA; her 12 Y/O son, Cicero Heath Chappell (1837-1924), born in GA; and her 10 Y/O daughter, Mary A. Chappell, born in GA. Fortunately, this branch of the Chappell family frequently used family names. It wasn't a coincidence that Cicero Heath Chappell, son of Wilkes E. and Mary (Heath) Chappell, named his son, James Wilkes Chappell (1878-1949). It was to honor his father, Wilkes E. Chappell. James Wilkes Chappell was born on 21 Dec 1878 at Chambers Co., AL. This is good circumstantial evidence that Wilkes E. Chappell was the father of Cicero Heath Chappell and his brother, John P. Chappell. NOTE: The last child of Wilkes E. and Mary (Heath) Chappell was Mary A. Chappell who was born about 1840, which helps to establish her father's, Wilkes E. Chappell's, death date as about 1839. NOTE2: James Wilkes Chappell (1878-1949), mentioned above, has an error on his tombstone. His middle name "Wilkes" is misspelled as "Wilks". He signed his WWI Registration Card as James "Wilkes" Chappell. See a copy on his memorial, #144708056.
.The 16 August 1860 US Census of the Milltown Post Office, Northern Division of Chambers Co., AL enumerated the household of 30 Y/O John P. Chappell, a farmer, born in GA, and his 30 Y/O wife, Mary (Megginson) Chappell, born in N.C. Also living in the household were their children: 10 Y/O William Edward Chappell; 8 Y/O Mary "Mollie" Chappell; 6 Y/O Margaret Chappell; and 4 Y/O son, Maxie (Maxey) Thomas Chappell (mis-enumerated as a female). All children born in Alabama.
The 17 August 1860 US Agricultural Survey of Milltown, Northern Division, Chambers Co., AL recorded that John P. Chappell owned 25 acres of land valued at $200.00. Four doors away was the land owned by his brother, Simeon Chappell; 100 acres valued at $500.00. (See attached copy of this 1860 document)
The attached photo of John P. Chappell was taken in 1861 at Chambers Co., AL just before he went off to war. The original photo shows both he and his wife, Mary, side by side with him wearing his Confederate uniform.
John P. Chappell was residing in Chambers County, AL when the Civil War began and he enlisted at Auburn, Macon Co., AL on 26 July 1861. He was a private in Company "D" of the 14th Alabama Infantry Regiment and was listed in his regiment's records as MIA at the Civil War Battle of Antietam at Sharpsburg, MD on 17 Sep 1862, the bloodiest day of the Civil War. (In fact, it is the bloodiest single-day battle in American military history, with a combined tally of 22,717 dead, wounded, or missing.) He probably was buried anonymously in a mass grave as his wife was never informed as to the location of his body. (See attached page from John P. Chappell's Civil War record confirming his MIA status at the Battle of Antietam. Also attached is a 2 page comprehensive Civil War record of John P. Chappell compiled by the Birmingham Public Library.)
Family tradition states that in the 1980s, the now deceased Mr. Jack Still, a neighbor with no kinship to the Chappells, confided that Cicero Heath Chappell (1837-1924), told him that John P. Chappell, his brother, had died in his arms on the battlefield on 17 Sep 1862 at Sharpsburg, Maryland (Battle of Antietam). It could very well have happened as both of their regiments were there and in the thick of the battle. Cicero served in Company "I" of the 47th Alabama Infantry Regiment and is buried with a Confederate tombstone in the Chappell Family Cemetery at Penton, Chambers Co., AL.
John's wife, Mary (Megginson) Chappell, never knew the exact fate of his body. She applied for a pension on 30 Nov 1863 which was later approved.
The children of John P. and Mary (Megginson) Chappell were:
1) William Edward Chappell, b. 07 Oct 1850 Penton, Chambers Co., AL, d. 22 Nov 1920 Turkeytown, Etowah Co., AL, m. 1) Nancy C. McDonald in 1872 at Turkeytown, Etowah Co., AL, m. 2) Julia Simpson on 24 Dec 1896 at Etowah Co., AL, bur. White's Chapel Cemetery near Gadsden-Leesburg, AL.
2) Mary (Mollie) Chappell, b. 11 Jan 1852 Penton, Chambers Co., AL, d. 15 Jun 1924 Cherokee Co., AL, m. Chambers Co., AL on 14 Feb 1871 to John McDaniel Smith of Ephesus/New Site, Tallapoosa Co., AL, bur. Smith Chapel Cemetery Leesburg Cherokee Co., AL. (This family moved to Leesburg, Cherokee Co., AL in the 1870s and operated a ferry on the Coosa River).
3) Margaret Chappell, b. 02 Dec 1854 Penton, Chambers Co., AL, d. 08 Jul 1921 Camp Co., TX, m. Francis Marion Reeves in Chambers Co., AL, bur. Reeves Chapel Cemetery near Pittsburg, Camp Co, TX.
4) Maxey (Maxie) Thomas Chappell, b. 12 Feb 1857 Chambers Co., Alabama (See below).
5) Johnnie Martha Chappell, b. 1861 Chambers Co., Alabama (Born just before her father left for Civil War duty, never to return, m. She married Paul J. Pollard from Pollard's Bend, AL and is buried in the Smith Chapel Cemetery near Leesburg, AL.
Source:
"The Heritage of Chambers County, Alabama", 1999, pp208-209.
Bio by Gresham Farrar.
Chappell family researchers, over many years, have been greatly frustrated trying to prove the name of John P. Chappell's father. Fortunately, this branch of the Chappell family frequently used family names. See the Find A Grave memorials dedicated to his parents, Wilkes E. Chappell and Mary (Heath) Chappell, for presentation of circumstantial evidence proving the parental/son relationship.
The 1830 US Census of Walton County, Georgia enumerated the household of Wilks (sic) E. Chappell (1801-1839). He was one of two white males recorded in the age range of 20 thru 29 Y/O. I determined he was born about 1801 using the probable birth dates of other children of Obadiah Chappell (1781-1839). A white female recorded in the age range of 20 thru 29 Y/O would have been his wife, Mary (Heath) Chappell, who was born about 1806 (determined by the 1850, 1860 and 1870 US Censuses). Also living in the household were four white persons under 20 Y/O including two males under 5 Y/O, one male 5 thru 9 Y/O and one female under 5 Y/O. The male recorded in the 5 thru 9 Y/O range was probably Simeon Chappell (born about 1826), and one of the males enumerated under 5 Y/O was most probably John P. Chappell (1830-1862). The 09 Nov 1850 US Census of District 19, Chambers Co., AL, recorded below, confirms that Simeon Chappell was born about 1826 and his brother, John P. Chappell, was born about 1830, both in Georgia.
Mary (Heath) Chappell's son, John P. Chappell (1830-1862), was born in Walton Co., GA circa 1830 (Confirmed by 09 Nov 1850 US Census of District 19, Chambers Co., GA recorded below). Circumstantial evidence proves his father was Wilkes E. Chappell (1801-1839) who was enumerated in the 1830 US Census of Walton Co., GA (see above). The Wilkes E. Chappell family moved from Walton County to Harris Co., GA prior to 1837 as John P. Chappell's brother, Cicero Heath Chappell (1837-1924), was born there in 1837 (noted in his 1917 Civil War pension application). NOTE: Of great interest is that a Charles Cicero Heath (1808-1890) was born in Georgia in 1808 and moved to Chambers Co., AL in 1836. This furthers the evidence of the closeness of the Chappell/Heath families and their use of family names. I strongly suspect that Charles Cicero Heath was a brother of Mary (Heath) Chappell, wife of Wilkes E. Chappell and mother of John P. Chappell. Cicero Heath Chappell's (1837-1924) full name was recorded as "Charles Cicero Heath Chappell" on page 208 in "The Heritage of Chambers County, Alabama", 1999). It appears that Mary (Heath) Chappell named her son, Charles Cicero Heath Chappell, after her brother, Charles Cicero Heath . The Wilkes E. Chappell of the 1830 Walton Co., GA census was most probably the son of Obadiah Chappell (see FAG memorial #199364617) who, according to "The Georgia Black Book", was murdered by Wiley Hunt near Goodwin's Crossroads (close to Whitesville, GA near the AL/GA border), in Harris Co., GA on 21 Sep 1839
John P. Chappell's father, Wilkes E. Chappell (1801-1839) died prior to 1840 in Harris County, Georgia; confirmed by him not being enumerated there in the 1840 US Census. No other record has been found of Wilkes E. Chappell after 1839. His widow, Mary Chappell, was enumerated in the 1840 US Census of Huey's District, Harris County, GA as head of household. There were nine (9) white persons enumerated in the 1840 household of Mary Chappell: 1 male under 5 Y/O; 2 males 10 thru 14 Y/O; 1 male 15 thru 19 Y/O; 1 female under 5 Y/O; 2 females 5 thru 9 Y/O; 1 female 10 thru 14; 1 female 30-39 Y/O (This older female would have been Mary (Heath) Chappell whose actual age in 1840 was 34 Y/O. NOTE: The 09 Nov 1850 US Census of Chambers County, Alabama, see below, recorded that the last child of Wilkes E. and Mary (Heath) Chappell was Mary A. Chappell who was born about 1840, which helps to establish her father's, Wilkes E. Chappell's, death date as about 1839. NOTE: The one male under 5 Y/O was Cicero Heath Chappell (1837-1924), born in 1837 (noted in his 1917 Civil War pension application). The two males recorded in age range 10 thru 14 were: Simeon Chappell born in 1826 at Walton Co., GA; and John P. Chappell, who was born in Walton Co., GA circa 1830 (See the 09 Nov 1850 US Census of District 19, Chambers Co., GA below). It wasn't a coincidence that Cicero Heath Chappell (1837-1924), son of Wilkes E. and Mary (Heath) Chappell, named his son, James WILKES Chappell (1878-1949). It was to honor his father, Wilkes E. Chappell. James Wilkes Chappell was born on 21 Dec 1878 at Chambers Co., AL. This is good circumstantial evidence that Wilkes E. Chappell was John P. Chappell's father, as Cicero Heath Chappell and John P. Chappell are proven brothers.
In 1848/9, Mary (Heath) Chappell, widow of Wilkes E. Chappell (1801-1839), and her oldest son, Simeon Chappell, purchased several tracts of land in Chambers Co., AL and moved to Penton, Chambers Co., Alabama. Their choice of moving to Chambers Co., AL could very well have been influenced by the fact that the Heaths, in particular Mary's brother, Charles Cicero Heath , had been living there since 1836 as noted above.
John P. Chappell married Mary Megginson on 20 Jan 1850 in Chambers Co., AL. (See attached copy of marriage record; NOTE: Mary's father, Samuel Megginson, Jr., signed the marriage document giving his permission for her to marry as she was underage.)
The 09 Nov 1850 US Census of District 19, Chambers Co., AL enumerated the household of 46 Y/O Mary (Heath) Chappell (the widow of Wilkes E. Chappell (1801-1839)]). She was born in North Carolina. Also living in the household were: her 24 Y/O son, Simeon Chappell (1826-1864), a farmer, born in GA; her 20 Y/O son, John P. Chappell (1830-1862), born in GA, and John's 19 Y/O wife, Mary (Megginson) Chappell, born in N. C.; also living in the household were Mary (Heath) Chappell's other children; 17 Y/O daughter, Susan Chappell (1833 Walton Co., GA-1910 Chambers Co. AL); her 15 Y/O daughter, Sidney (Sydney) Chappell, born in GA; her 12 Y/O son, Cicero Heath Chappell (1837-1924), born in GA; and her 10 Y/O daughter, Mary A. Chappell, born in GA. Fortunately, this branch of the Chappell family frequently used family names. It wasn't a coincidence that Cicero Heath Chappell, son of Wilkes E. and Mary (Heath) Chappell, named his son, James Wilkes Chappell (1878-1949). It was to honor his father, Wilkes E. Chappell. James Wilkes Chappell was born on 21 Dec 1878 at Chambers Co., AL. This is good circumstantial evidence that Wilkes E. Chappell was the father of Cicero Heath Chappell and his brother, John P. Chappell. NOTE: The last child of Wilkes E. and Mary (Heath) Chappell was Mary A. Chappell who was born about 1840, which helps to establish her father's, Wilkes E. Chappell's, death date as about 1839. NOTE2: James Wilkes Chappell (1878-1949), mentioned above, has an error on his tombstone. His middle name "Wilkes" is misspelled as "Wilks". He signed his WWI Registration Card as James "Wilkes" Chappell. See a copy on his memorial, #144708056.
.The 16 August 1860 US Census of the Milltown Post Office, Northern Division of Chambers Co., AL enumerated the household of 30 Y/O John P. Chappell, a farmer, born in GA, and his 30 Y/O wife, Mary (Megginson) Chappell, born in N.C. Also living in the household were their children: 10 Y/O William Edward Chappell; 8 Y/O Mary "Mollie" Chappell; 6 Y/O Margaret Chappell; and 4 Y/O son, Maxie (Maxey) Thomas Chappell (mis-enumerated as a female). All children born in Alabama.
The 17 August 1860 US Agricultural Survey of Milltown, Northern Division, Chambers Co., AL recorded that John P. Chappell owned 25 acres of land valued at $200.00. Four doors away was the land owned by his brother, Simeon Chappell; 100 acres valued at $500.00. (See attached copy of this 1860 document)
The attached photo of John P. Chappell was taken in 1861 at Chambers Co., AL just before he went off to war. The original photo shows both he and his wife, Mary, side by side with him wearing his Confederate uniform.
John P. Chappell was residing in Chambers County, AL when the Civil War began and he enlisted at Auburn, Macon Co., AL on 26 July 1861. He was a private in Company "D" of the 14th Alabama Infantry Regiment and was listed in his regiment's records as MIA at the Civil War Battle of Antietam at Sharpsburg, MD on 17 Sep 1862, the bloodiest day of the Civil War. (In fact, it is the bloodiest single-day battle in American military history, with a combined tally of 22,717 dead, wounded, or missing.) He probably was buried anonymously in a mass grave as his wife was never informed as to the location of his body. (See attached page from John P. Chappell's Civil War record confirming his MIA status at the Battle of Antietam. Also attached is a 2 page comprehensive Civil War record of John P. Chappell compiled by the Birmingham Public Library.)
Family tradition states that in the 1980s, the now deceased Mr. Jack Still, a neighbor with no kinship to the Chappells, confided that Cicero Heath Chappell (1837-1924), told him that John P. Chappell, his brother, had died in his arms on the battlefield on 17 Sep 1862 at Sharpsburg, Maryland (Battle of Antietam). It could very well have happened as both of their regiments were there and in the thick of the battle. Cicero served in Company "I" of the 47th Alabama Infantry Regiment and is buried with a Confederate tombstone in the Chappell Family Cemetery at Penton, Chambers Co., AL.
John's wife, Mary (Megginson) Chappell, never knew the exact fate of his body. She applied for a pension on 30 Nov 1863 which was later approved.
The children of John P. and Mary (Megginson) Chappell were:
1) William Edward Chappell, b. 07 Oct 1850 Penton, Chambers Co., AL, d. 22 Nov 1920 Turkeytown, Etowah Co., AL, m. 1) Nancy C. McDonald in 1872 at Turkeytown, Etowah Co., AL, m. 2) Julia Simpson on 24 Dec 1896 at Etowah Co., AL, bur. White's Chapel Cemetery near Gadsden-Leesburg, AL.
2) Mary (Mollie) Chappell, b. 11 Jan 1852 Penton, Chambers Co., AL, d. 15 Jun 1924 Cherokee Co., AL, m. Chambers Co., AL on 14 Feb 1871 to John McDaniel Smith of Ephesus/New Site, Tallapoosa Co., AL, bur. Smith Chapel Cemetery Leesburg Cherokee Co., AL. (This family moved to Leesburg, Cherokee Co., AL in the 1870s and operated a ferry on the Coosa River).
3) Margaret Chappell, b. 02 Dec 1854 Penton, Chambers Co., AL, d. 08 Jul 1921 Camp Co., TX, m. Francis Marion Reeves in Chambers Co., AL, bur. Reeves Chapel Cemetery near Pittsburg, Camp Co, TX.
4) Maxey (Maxie) Thomas Chappell, b. 12 Feb 1857 Chambers Co., Alabama (See below).
5) Johnnie Martha Chappell, b. 1861 Chambers Co., Alabama (Born just before her father left for Civil War duty, never to return, m. She married Paul J. Pollard from Pollard's Bend, AL and is buried in the Smith Chapel Cemetery near Leesburg, AL.
Source:
"The Heritage of Chambers County, Alabama", 1999, pp208-209.
Bio by Gresham Farrar.
The 1830 US Census of Walton County, Georgia enumerated the household of Wilks (sic) E. Chappell (1801-1839). He was one of two white males recorded in the age range of 20 thru 29 Y/O. I determined he was born about 1801 using the probable birth dates of other children of Obadiah Chappell (1781-1839). A white female recorded in the age range of 20 thru 29 Y/O would have been his wife, Mary (Heath) Chappell, who was born about 1806 (determined by the 1850, 1860 and 1870 US Censuses). Also living in the household were four white persons under 20 Y/O including two males under 5 Y/O, one male 5 thru 9 Y/O and one female under 5 Y/O. The male recorded in the 5 thru 9 Y/O range was probably Simeon Chappell (born about 1826), and one of the males enumerated under 5 Y/O was most probably John P. Chappell (1830-1862). The 09 Nov 1850 US Census of District 19, Chambers Co., AL, recorded below, confirms that Simeon Chappell was born about 1826 and his brother, John P. Chappell, was born about 1830, both in Georgia.
Mary (Heath) Chappell's son, John P. Chappell (1830-1862), was born in Walton Co., GA circa 1830 (Confirmed by 09 Nov 1850 US Census of District 19, Chambers Co., GA recorded below). Circumstantial evidence proves his father was Wilkes E. Chappell (1801-1839) who was enumerated in the 1830 US Census of Walton Co., GA (see above). The Wilkes E. Chappell family moved from Walton County to Harris Co., GA prior to 1837 as John P. Chappell's brother, Cicero Heath Chappell (1837-1924), was born there in 1837 (noted in his 1917 Civil War pension application). NOTE: Of great interest is that a Charles Cicero Heath (1808-1890) was born in Georgia in 1808 and moved to Chambers Co., AL in 1836. This furthers the evidence of the closeness of the Chappell/Heath families and their use of family names. I strongly suspect that Charles Cicero Heath was a brother of Mary (Heath) Chappell, wife of Wilkes E. Chappell and mother of John P. Chappell. Cicero Heath Chappell's (1837-1924) full name was recorded as "Charles Cicero Heath Chappell" on page 208 in "The Heritage of Chambers County, Alabama", 1999). It appears that Mary (Heath) Chappell named her son, Charles Cicero Heath Chappell, after her brother, Charles Cicero Heath . The Wilkes E. Chappell of the 1830 Walton Co., GA census was most probably the son of Obadiah Chappell (see FAG memorial #199364617) who, according to "The Georgia Black Book", was murdered by Wiley Hunt near Goodwin's Crossroads (close to Whitesville, GA near the AL/GA border), in Harris Co., GA on 21 Sep 1839
John P. Chappell's father, Wilkes E. Chappell (1801-1839) died prior to 1840 in Harris County, Georgia; confirmed by him not being enumerated there in the 1840 US Census. No other record has been found of Wilkes E. Chappell after 1839. His widow, Mary Chappell, was enumerated in the 1840 US Census of Huey's District, Harris County, GA as head of household. There were nine (9) white persons enumerated in the 1840 household of Mary Chappell: 1 male under 5 Y/O; 2 males 10 thru 14 Y/O; 1 male 15 thru 19 Y/O; 1 female under 5 Y/O; 2 females 5 thru 9 Y/O; 1 female 10 thru 14; 1 female 30-39 Y/O (This older female would have been Mary (Heath) Chappell whose actual age in 1840 was 34 Y/O. NOTE: The 09 Nov 1850 US Census of Chambers County, Alabama, see below, recorded that the last child of Wilkes E. and Mary (Heath) Chappell was Mary A. Chappell who was born about 1840, which helps to establish her father's, Wilkes E. Chappell's, death date as about 1839. NOTE: The one male under 5 Y/O was Cicero Heath Chappell (1837-1924), born in 1837 (noted in his 1917 Civil War pension application). The two males recorded in age range 10 thru 14 were: Simeon Chappell born in 1826 at Walton Co., GA; and John P. Chappell, who was born in Walton Co., GA circa 1830 (See the 09 Nov 1850 US Census of District 19, Chambers Co., GA below). It wasn't a coincidence that Cicero Heath Chappell (1837-1924), son of Wilkes E. and Mary (Heath) Chappell, named his son, James WILKES Chappell (1878-1949). It was to honor his father, Wilkes E. Chappell. James Wilkes Chappell was born on 21 Dec 1878 at Chambers Co., AL. This is good circumstantial evidence that Wilkes E. Chappell was John P. Chappell's father, as Cicero Heath Chappell and John P. Chappell are proven brothers.
In 1848/9, Mary (Heath) Chappell, widow of Wilkes E. Chappell (1801-1839), and her oldest son, Simeon Chappell, purchased several tracts of land in Chambers Co., AL and moved to Penton, Chambers Co., Alabama. Their choice of moving to Chambers Co., AL could very well have been influenced by the fact that the Heaths, in particular Mary's brother, Charles Cicero Heath , had been living there since 1836 as noted above.
John P. Chappell married Mary Megginson on 20 Jan 1850 in Chambers Co., AL. (See attached copy of marriage record; NOTE: Mary's father, Samuel Megginson, Jr., signed the marriage document giving his permission for her to marry as she was underage.)
The 09 Nov 1850 US Census of District 19, Chambers Co., AL enumerated the household of 46 Y/O Mary (Heath) Chappell (the widow of Wilkes E. Chappell (1801-1839)]). She was born in North Carolina. Also living in the household were: her 24 Y/O son, Simeon Chappell (1826-1864), a farmer, born in GA; her 20 Y/O son, John P. Chappell (1830-1862), born in GA, and John's 19 Y/O wife, Mary (Megginson) Chappell, born in N. C.; also living in the household were Mary (Heath) Chappell's other children; 17 Y/O daughter, Susan Chappell (1833 Walton Co., GA-1910 Chambers Co. AL); her 15 Y/O daughter, Sidney (Sydney) Chappell, born in GA; her 12 Y/O son, Cicero Heath Chappell (1837-1924), born in GA; and her 10 Y/O daughter, Mary A. Chappell, born in GA. Fortunately, this branch of the Chappell family frequently used family names. It wasn't a coincidence that Cicero Heath Chappell, son of Wilkes E. and Mary (Heath) Chappell, named his son, James Wilkes Chappell (1878-1949). It was to honor his father, Wilkes E. Chappell. James Wilkes Chappell was born on 21 Dec 1878 at Chambers Co., AL. This is good circumstantial evidence that Wilkes E. Chappell was the father of Cicero Heath Chappell and his brother, John P. Chappell. NOTE: The last child of Wilkes E. and Mary (Heath) Chappell was Mary A. Chappell who was born about 1840, which helps to establish her father's, Wilkes E. Chappell's, death date as about 1839. NOTE2: James Wilkes Chappell (1878-1949), mentioned above, has an error on his tombstone. His middle name "Wilkes" is misspelled as "Wilks". He signed his WWI Registration Card as James "Wilkes" Chappell. See a copy on his memorial, #144708056.
.The 16 August 1860 US Census of the Milltown Post Office, Northern Division of Chambers Co., AL enumerated the household of 30 Y/O John P. Chappell, a farmer, born in GA, and his 30 Y/O wife, Mary (Megginson) Chappell, born in N.C. Also living in the household were their children: 10 Y/O William Edward Chappell; 8 Y/O Mary "Mollie" Chappell; 6 Y/O Margaret Chappell; and 4 Y/O son, Maxie (Maxey) Thomas Chappell (mis-enumerated as a female). All children born in Alabama.
The 17 August 1860 US Agricultural Survey of Milltown, Northern Division, Chambers Co., AL recorded that John P. Chappell owned 25 acres of land valued at $200.00. Four doors away was the land owned by his brother, Simeon Chappell; 100 acres valued at $500.00. (See attached copy of this 1860 document)
The attached photo of John P. Chappell was taken in 1861 at Chambers Co., AL just before he went off to war. The original photo shows both he and his wife, Mary, side by side with him wearing his Confederate uniform.
John P. Chappell was residing in Chambers County, AL when the Civil War began and he enlisted at Auburn, Macon Co., AL on 26 July 1861. He was a private in Company "D" of the 14th Alabama Infantry Regiment and was listed in his regiment's records as MIA at the Civil War Battle of Antietam at Sharpsburg, MD on 17 Sep 1862, the bloodiest day of the Civil War. (In fact, it is the bloodiest single-day battle in American military history, with a combined tally of 22,717 dead, wounded, or missing.) He probably was buried anonymously in a mass grave as his wife was never informed as to the location of his body. (See attached page from John P. Chappell's Civil War record confirming his MIA status at the Battle of Antietam. Also attached is a 2 page comprehensive Civil War record of John P. Chappell compiled by the Birmingham Public Library.)
Family tradition states that in the 1980s, the now deceased Mr. Jack Still, a neighbor with no kinship to the Chappells, confided that Cicero Heath Chappell (1837-1924), told him that John P. Chappell, his brother, had died in his arms on the battlefield on 17 Sep 1862 at Sharpsburg, Maryland (Battle of Antietam). It could very well have happened as both of their regiments were there and in the thick of the battle. Cicero served in Company "I" of the 47th Alabama Infantry Regiment and is buried with a Confederate tombstone in the Chappell Family Cemetery at Penton, Chambers Co., AL.
John's wife, Mary (Megginson) Chappell, never knew the exact fate of his body. She applied for a pension on 30 Nov 1863 which was later approved.
The children of John P. and Mary (Megginson) Chappell were:
1) William Edward Chappell, b. 07 Oct 1850 Penton, Chambers Co., AL, d. 22 Nov 1920 Turkeytown, Etowah Co., AL, m. 1) Nancy C. McDonald in 1872 at Turkeytown, Etowah Co., AL, m. 2) Julia Simpson on 24 Dec 1896 at Etowah Co., AL, bur. White's Chapel Cemetery near Gadsden-Leesburg, AL.
2) Mary (Mollie) Chappell, b. 11 Jan 1852 Penton, Chambers Co., AL, d. 15 Jun 1924 Cherokee Co., AL, m. Chambers Co., AL on 14 Feb 1871 to John McDaniel Smith of Ephesus/New Site, Tallapoosa Co., AL, bur. Smith Chapel Cemetery Leesburg Cherokee Co., AL. (This family moved to Leesburg, Cherokee Co., AL in the 1870s and operated a ferry on the Coosa River).
3) Margaret Chappell, b. 02 Dec 1854 Penton, Chambers Co., AL, d. 08 Jul 1921 Camp Co., TX, m. Francis Marion Reeves in Chambers Co., AL, bur. Reeves Chapel Cemetery near Pittsburg, Camp Co, TX.
4) Maxey (Maxie) Thomas Chappell, b. 12 Feb 1857 Chambers Co., Alabama (See below).
5) Johnnie Martha Chappell, b. 1861 Chambers Co., Alabama (Born just before her father left for Civil War duty, never to return, m. She married Paul J. Pollard from Pollard's Bend, AL and is buried in the Smith Chapel Cemetery near Leesburg, AL.
Source:
"The Heritage of Chambers County, Alabama", 1999, pp208-209.
Bio by Gresham Farrar.
