Re: JUDY CHASTAIN CHAMBERLAIN
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In reply to:
Re: JUDY CHASTAIN CHAMBERLAIN
Joy Vinson Phillips 8/23/02
Joy,
Thank you so very much for your kindness in posting the sources and answers to my questions. I will pull the Cherokee Ancestry Claims 1906-1910 and follow-up. I am fascinated by the "juggling" of this surname at times between CHAMBERLAIN and CHAMLEE/CHAMBLEE.
For the masses reading this I submit the following information.
The name is not "Chamberlain" on the (1) various census studies (1850, 1860, 1880, 1900), (2) Judy's 1812 War pension app., and the (3) death certificate of Judy's daughter, Nancy Chamlee Underwood. Jacob CHAMLEE (4) is also listed as a child in the bible of Jacob Chamlee Sr. who was born in 1752.
As I said before, occasionally for some fascinating reason, record keepers, clerks and the like would translate the pronunciation of this name onto paper as "CHAMBERLAIN". I am sure this is because of the known English name CHOMONDELEY (almost pronounced the same as CHAMBLEE)and the way some people with heavy dialects lilt over the name. However, if anyone reading this as a student of linguistics would like to edify me further, I would love to know more.
Jared Chamblee, my 6th great grand was listed numerous times in the tax records in the Johnston/Wake Co NC area as CHAMBERLAIN when he was definitely beyond doubt, CHAMBLEE.
The 1820 census in SC has JACOB, BENJAMIN, ZADOCK and others as CHAMBERLAIN instead of CHAMBLEE on that one particular census year. Benjamin, Zadock, et al came from the Wake Co NC area into SC and their lines are well known. Estate, land, and other arcane records in the very same area thereafter used the spelling CHAMBLEE, CHAMBLY, CHAMLEE, SHAMBLY, etc.
From the preponderance of the evidence and experience in researching this family, I am sure the name for Jacob's husband is CHAMLEE and not CHAMBERLAIN. I weigh this against the two pieces of evidence used, (1) the newspaper entry for the Jacob/Judy marriage, as newspapers are notoriously secondary sources and full of errors, and the (2)Cherokee Claims app.
The name "Chamlee" and "Chamblee" flipflopped within the same family groups migrating to SC. These families spread into Cherokee Co GA and branched out further. Some families kept CHAMLEE, others CHAMBLEE. One family who left Wake Co NC as CHAMBLEE traveling through Indiana leaving a paper trail, and settled into Michigan and ended up with the SHAMBLY spelling.
All these families spring from the same very early VA family. The docked in the usual early colonial ports, migrated through Virginia into NC, and then followed the known wagon roads into other states looking for land.
The earlier NC group generally kept CHAMBLEE, but some early estate and land show CHAMLEE. VERY early NC records (before 1750) indicate CHOMLEY. Literacy, dialect, lack of preciseness, all compliment the "surname spelling" fluctuations.
If any would like to discuss this fascinating "Jacob" fella further, please e-mail me.
--D'Ann Stoddard, [email protected]