Lavinia Gates Chapman

I thought I'd post a little family history. I will start with the lady in my past that sparked my curiosity enough to get serious about doing genealogy. In the picture and diagram above that lady would be Lavinia (Gates) Chapmin, middle left. To show you how I am related I direct your attention to the 2nd little girl, front row, left, Lola Long. Lola was my grandmother, my mother's mother. Lola's mother was Nellie (Wickham) Long, middle left, her mother was Rosetta (Chapman) Jewitt Emery, over Nellie's right shoulder, and she was a daughter of Lavinia. That makes Lavinia my Great-Great-Great-Grandmother. Rosetta published a little book titled "Pioneer Short Stories" that told all about the pioneer life of Lavinia. Her journey with her husband and children from Wisconsin to Kansas in the 1859. They homesteaded near Baldwin KS till the fall of 1863 when Lavinia declared that she'd rather face the Indians on the plains than deal with Raiders. They had witnessed the aftermath of Quantrill sacking Lawrence. The family then settled in the Solomon River Valley down river from Minneapolis KS.

One thing that I find very interesting in my research of Lavinia is that her husband always seems to be in the background of all the stories, even ones about him. He is always referred to as Mr. Chapman. She appears to have been very controlling and very outspoken. From what I've seen in family recorded history and public recorded history it leaves me to believe that she must have stepped on a few toes. It never says that, but lack of mention in certain events would lead me to this conclusion.

There are many tales of Lavinia's adventures and I'll add one from time to time as well as extend the family history, for it goes back to the Elder William Brewster and the Gates family in England.