1878
In the winter of 1877/1878, Dennis Chapin Sr.’s two surviving brothers Bela and Seth both passed away. This tragedy placed the management of their estate into the hands of the younger generation of the Chapin family. It was concerning the division of this estate that George Chapin wrote to his cousin Hannah Daggett for the first time.
According to George Chapin, their Uncle Bela had left his estate to be divided among all of his nephews, nieces, and children. George’s concern is that Bela’s son Edward will be dedicated to ensuring that the bulk of the inheritance be bestowed upon himself and his siblings. To counter this perceived threat, George decided to contact all of his cousins, spread out across the country, to see if they would be willing to contribute to funding legal representation for the interests of Bela Chapin’s nephews and nieces.
How this letter which was sent to Maine ended up in the collection of Lucinda Chapin’s letters is a bit of a mystery. Perhaps Hannah forwarded this letter to Illinois to inform her siblings of the pressing financial matter.
Coincidentally, on the same day George sent a letter to Hannah, Edward Chapin dispatched a letter to another one of Dorcas’ children concerning the matter of Bela’s estate. Writing to Marcia Christy, who seems to have enquired previously about the matter, Edward recounts the history of Dennis Chapin’s share in the family estate. He states that Dennis long ago gave up his stake in the property. Edward seems aware that a number of his cousins may not be inclined to trust him, but is grateful for Marcia’s confidence stating: “I dont expect to manage so as to suit everybody it aint humane nature to be satisfied and I expect to be blamed for all I do and all I dont do: So I am Glad that you feel as if you could trust me.”
This year also saw another major relocation for a member of the Chapin family. Marcia Christy and her husband Robert joined Oscar and Katie Chapin in Minneapolis, Kansas. In a letter from August of that year, she recounts her journey to her family in Illinois and discusses her hopes for her life in Kansas while her husband and brother search for a suitable tract of land.