born : February 19, 1796
Meigs Twp., Adams, Ohio
died : April 3, 1848
Vera Cruz, Mexico
buried : April, 184
Unmarked grave on the road between Vera Cruz & Mexico City
married : #1
Jane Curry
November 23, 1821
Gospel of the Christen Church
Rush Co., Indiana
children :
Van Dexter
Nancy b. 1822
Sarah Jane b. 1824
Simon Bolvier b. 1825
John A. b. 1826/
Rebecca Derexie b. 1831
married : #2
Mrs. Matilda Agnes Egan Chapman (widow of Elisha Chapman)
January 15, 1832
children : Egan b. 1833
Marin Van Buren b. 1836
Watson W. b. 1838
Endora b. 1840
Children of Elisha & Matilda Egan Chapman
m. November 21, 1820, Franklin CO., Indiana
Samuel
Richard
Eliza Jane
Susan F.
It's not clear to me at this point of my research, how or if Elisha is related to Joseph, but it is my belief that they are cousins.
During the course of his life, besides being a farmer, he held many positions, county clerk in 1832, county represenitive in the lower house of the Legislator in 1837, 1839, 1841, 1842 and 1843, and died in the service of his country, on foriegn soil, in the Mexican War. He sleeps to this day, in a soldiers grave, in the plains of Mexico, between Vera Cruz and Mexico City. His comarades laid him to rest and sent the following message of notification to his home and family in Greenfield, Indiana; " Crowing Joe Chapman fell today in his last campaign." His death was caused by what was then called intermitent fever, possibly malari
You will find Joe's birthplace listed as either Kentucky or Ohio. The confussion may be due to the timing of Ohio being taken from the Kentucky Wildrness to grant lands to General Washington's troops. So it comes down to the month and date of each event, as to which place he was born. My own belief is that it was in Mason Co., Kentucky, with the family moving to Ohio soon after his birth.
Joseph left Ohio about 1820 and it is known he was in Rush County, Indiana by 1821, when he married his first wife, Jane Curry. The family lived there until moving to Hancock County in 1829. Jane Curry Chapman is buried in the old cemetary in Greenfield
One of the most prominent men in early Hancock County, he was a farmer and held various county offices, and was popular and prominent in the Legistature, where he was heralded as " Crowing Joe Chapman of Hancock " .
In his politics, he was a Democrate and considered a man of the people. He is credited with the Rooster being adopted as the National Emblem for the Democrates and their battle cry of " Crow, Rooster, Crow. In 1840 the Whigs choose William Harrison known as the " Log Cabin and Hard Cider Candidate " and this phrase became their battle cry. Of course the Democrates wanted a battle cry of their own, and adopted Joe's phrase " Crow, Chapman, Crow ". This honor was due to the fact that he was known to be able to go into a Whig ruled community and come out with 100% of the vote. At this time the Rooster was chosen as the National Emblem for the Democratic Party and soon the slogan " Crow, Rooster, Crow" was heard throughout the land. Some say that he could imitated a rooster perfectly, but his son, Martin, descredited this notion.
