Sylvanus Chase ca 1732 to 1815 and his with Charity of Yarmouth, Harwich and Dennis, Mass.

Sylvanus Chase was born about 1732 in Yarmouth, Barnstable Co., Mass., the son of William Chase and his wife Dorcas Baker. Although his birth isn’t recorded, he is mentioned in his father’s 27 September 1771 will. His name is spelled in a variety of ways including Silvanus. He is my 6^th great-grandfather on my grandmother Milly (Booth) Rollins’ side.

The marriage intentions of Silvanus Chase of Harwich and Charity Chase of Yarmouth were published in Harwich and Yarmouth on 31 December 1756 (Harwich and Yarmouth Vital Records). Charity was Sylvanus’ first cousin. She was born in Yarmouth on 15 July 1736, the daughter of Isaac Chase and Charity Pease.

Harwich Vital Records gives births of his children by wife Charity: Dorcas, Mehitable and Silvanus. The NEHGR article on William Chase’s descendants gives them six more children, all believed to be born Harwich:

Charity, Lydia, Desire, Gamaliel, Jason, Jerusha.

I have lines of descent from Dorcas who married Patrick whom I wrote about here as well as Desire who married Job Wixon whom I wrote about here.

Sylvanus died in Dennis, Massachusetts, on 4 April 1815, at age 83.

Charity died 7 January 1819. Her gravestone says she was 87 but she would have been 82. They are buried in South Dennis Cemetery (also called the Ancient or Town Hall Cemetery):

Charity, widow of Silvanus, died 7 January 1819, age 87

Charity's gravestone

Sylvanus, died 4 April 1815, age 83

Sylvanus's gravestone

Source Not Listed Above:

Some of the Descendants of William Chase of Roxbury and Yarmouth, Mass., contributed by John Carroll Chase, compiled for him by George Walter Chamberlain, NEHGR, January 1933