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Appendix C
The Missing 200 Years
Dr. Douglas Camp Chaffey
Various attempts have been made--and are still being made--to trace the lineage of this
particular branch of the Chaffey family farther back in time than the Richard(d.1795) who begins
generation #1 of this compilation. While incomplete records make the effort problematic, the most
promising effort we have seen thus far is the work of Dr. Douglas Camp Chaffey. Dr. Chaffey
states:
“I have set out below a possible Chaffey descendancy from Richard Chaffie(d.Dec. 6,
1631) to Benjamin Chaffey(d.1806). My sources are records of baptisms, marriages, burials, and
monument inscriptions, St. Mary’s, Stoke under Hamdon, Somerset [England], The Old Meeting
House, South Petherton(Baptisms and Burials, 1694 to 1837), and from the Round Well Street
Chapel, South Petherton(Births and Baptisms 1777 to 1834). The Round Well Street Chapel
became South Petherton Independent in about 1785.
The records from St. Mary’s are incomplete. Baptisms recorded are from 1558 -1672, and
1721-onward, with most of those between 1801 and 1812 missing. Marriages are from 1599 to
1699 and 1754 onward. Unfortunately, some critical events took place in our family during the
missing years. The assumption here is that there was a consistent line of Richards until our 4-great
grandfather’s older brother broke the line by not marrying. The complication is that other male
descendants of one or more Richards also had sons named Richard.”
From what Dr. Chaffey’s research indicates, church records from St. Mary’s were
interrupted and the immediate family we are tracing had changed its place of worship from St.
Mary’s to The Old Meeting House by 1749 when Benjamin was baptized. According to Dr.
Chaffey the Old Meeting House was the first “Independent” or “Nonconforming” chapel in the
immediate area. Further strengthening Dr. Chaffey’s hypothesis is the fact that there are five
Richards buried in one plot in the St. Mary’s Cemetery in Stoke.
To confirm Dr. Chaffey’s work, we checked, where possible, census records, Bible entries,
plot maps, wills and tax records sent to us by other sources. The following is the possible
descendancy of Richards which Dr. Chaffey suggests.
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