Letter from Doris And Larry Wills
History – April 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine
Editors:
On a whim, I typed “Oscar Chapin” into an Internet search engine and what happened, but the article on the Yellow House in Maysville showed up, from your October 1997 edition!
Ebenezer Chapin was my husband’s great-great- great grandfather — his great grandfather being a brother of Oscar Chapin who built the “Yellow House.” We first saw the house about 20 years ago when it was abandoned and beautiful in its neglect.
Then about four years ago we returned to Maysville and found a refurbished house and were given a tour!
We have lots of history of the family Chapin and we, too, have talked to Mrs. Wylie and Fred Freeland. In Erik Moore’s article, he mentions Ebenezer Chapin as having been a Civil War veteran. We have no record or knowledge of that — don’t believe so!
But, Oscar was! He was a member of a Kansas militia unit. You see, the family lived in Kansas from about 1856 until 1879-80 . They left here for Colorado Springs and then Maysville. Ebenezer was one of the very early settlers of Topeka, Kansas. The family came here from New York State. We have no idea what prompted Ebenezer and part of his family to go to Colorado Springs and then on to Maysville, but it was in Maysville that Ebenezer and his wife Maria died and are buried.
We would be very interested in having the ability to access copies of the South Arkansas Miner and the Maysville Chronicle.
Is there some place that these papers are available for research? Enjoyed the two articles about the “Yellow House” and would love to read more about Maysville.
Thanks,
Doris and Larry Wills
Educator2@aol.com
