The Chalfant Family

Taken from An Addington/Chalfant Family History by David Vern Addington, published 1992.

The Chalfant Family

Alma Marguerite Chalfant was born on 9 Jun 1905, the seventh
child and fourth daughter of Finley Ellsworth and Emma Alice
(Fitzpatrick) Chalfant. She married Harry Vern Addington on 30
Sep 1922 in Randolph County, Indiana. They had three sons, Leo
Vern, Joseph Elsworth and Murrie Alexander. Harry Vern
Addington died in a farm accident in 1930 and Marguerite was
left to raise the family alone. She married a second time on 12 Oct
1932 to Clarence Mason and they moved to a farm in White River
Township about two miles southeast of Maxville. Marguerite
divorced Clarence Mason in the late 1940s and later married a
third time on 10 May 1956 to Harry Puckett, a widower. Harry
Puckett died in 1965 and was buried in Buena Vista Cemetery.
Marguerite (Chalfant) Addington died on 18 Aug 1979 and was
buried beside her first husband in the Maxville Cemetery.

Marguerite's parents, Finley Ellsworth and Emma Alice
(Fitzpatrick) Chalfant, were married in Randolph County on 25
Jul 1884 and had eight children
(1) Pearl Maude Chalfant, b. 25 Jan 1886, d. 19 May 1958
m. 3 Sep 1904, Tessie Dudley
(2) Shirl Milford Chalfant, b. 26 Mar 1888, d. 25 Mar 1956
m. 7 Aug 1909, Elsie Effie Gable
(3) Earle Melvin Chalfant, b. 22 Dec 1894, d. 10 Jan 1947
m. 21 Sep 1912, Lola Gunkle
(4) Mabel Meryl Chalfant, b. 22 Dec 1894, d. 1982
m. 28 Dec 1912, William Clevenger
(5) Verle Murtle Chalfant, b. 12 Oct 1897, d. 20 Apr 1970
m. 27 Apr 1914, Earl James
(6) Marvin Hurley Chalfant, b. 3 Apr 1901, d. 29 Jul 1974
m. 11 Jun 1921, Mary Winget
(7) Alma Marguerite Chalfant*, b. 9 Jun 1905, d. 18 Aug 1979
m. 30 Sep 1922, Harry Vern Addington
(8) Harry Marshall Chalfant, b. 14 Jan 1911, d. 5 Aug 1922

The youngest son, Harry Marshall Chalfant, was killed at the age
of 11 in an early automobile accident in the city of Parker. His
obituary says he was a newscarrier for the Muncie Press and died
5 Aug 1922 as a result of injuries he received when he was run
over by the automobile of C. A. Wood of Winchester, who was on
his way to Muncie hospital with his wife who was ill. The
accident occurred that Tuesday evening at the west Parker
crossing, when the boy who had waited until the interurban car
had passed, rode from the side street into the Hub highway when
he was hit by the auto. The passing car obstructed the view of
both parties so that neither saw the other until it was too late to
avoid the accident. The funeral was held the following Thursday
with interment in Union Cemetery.

The Chalfant family had migrated to Delaware County, Indiana
in 1840 and lived in Perry Township and later around the city of
Windsor in Randolph County. Finley Ellsworth Chalfant was the
son of Alexander and Elizabeth (Templin) Chalfant. Alexander
Chalfant was born 14 Jan 1840 in Ohio according to the 1850
census but in Indiana according to the 1860 and 1880 census. He
married Elizabeth Templin (born 24 May 1843), daughter of Terah
and Rachael (Johnson) Templin on 27 Jun 1858 in Delaware
County. Elizabeth (Templin) Chalfant died 1 Apr 1870 and is
buried in the Blountsville Cemetery in northern Henry County.

Alexander Chalfant served for a short time in the Civil War in
Company E of the 147th Infantry of Indiana Volunteers. The
regiment was mustered in on March 13, 1865 at Indianapolis
under the command of Col. Milton Peden. It first went to
Harper's Ferry, Virginia and was later assigned to the Army of
Shenandoah. It was delegated to guard and garrison duty at
several points and was mustered out on August 4, 1865. Records
show Alexander Chalfant was mustered out on May 7, 1865 so he
may have come down with some illness and been discharged
early.

The 1860 Indiana Census shows Alexander Chalfant in Perry
Township of Delaware County with wife Elizabeth Templin (age
19) and one daughter Ora (age 6 months). The children of
Alexander and Elizabeth (Templin) Chalfant were
(1) Ora Chalfant, b. 1859
(2) Alice Melissa Chalfant, b. 5 Aug 1862, Randolph Co., IN
m. 4 May 1881, Adolph Hill
(3) Finley Ellsworth Chalfant*, b. 18 Aug 1866, Randolph County,
Indiana, d. 9 Feb 1940
m. 25 Jul 1888, Emma Alice Fitzpatrick
(4) Charles Chalfant, b. c1869, d. 24 Aug 1911

After the death of his first wife, Alexander Chalfant married a
second time on 25 Oct 1870 in Jay County, Indiana to Susannah
Puckett and they had the following children
(5) Ethel Chalfant, b. 1873
(6) Leroy Chalfant, b. 1875
(7) Edna Chalfant, b. 1877
Susannah evidently died about 1880. It has been difficult to find
records on Alexander's children so several of them may have died
young. Some of Alexander's children were brought up by other
families since he could not care for all of them after the death of
his second wife.

Alexander Chalfant was the son of Jesse Chalfant, Jr. and
Elizabeth Winders. The 1860 census shows Alexander's father
Jesse, Jr., age 64, born in Pennsylvania and wife Elizabeth, age 59,
born Ohio. Jesse had married Elizabeth Winders on 21 Sep 1826
in Highland County, Ohio. The History of Delaware County says
that Jesse Chalfant came to Perry Township in 1833 along with
many other settlers. The census data, based on the birth locations
of his children, would indicate he came sometime in 1839. He is
listed in the 1830 census as residing in Adelphia Township, Ross
County, Ohio. The 1840 census lists him as Jessee Chaffer in
Delaware County, Indiana.

Jesse Chalfant, Jr. and Elizabeth Winders had the following
children
(1) Albert Chalfant, b. c1827, Ohio
m. Rachel Beamer, b. c1829
m. 2nd 1878, Rebecca Ellen Clevenger
(2) Joel Chalfant, b. 1827, Ohio, d. 11 Feb 1899
m. 30 Jan 1849, Cynthia Jackson, b. c1833
m. 2nd 17 Oct 1872, Nancy J. Gibson
(3) Robert Chalfant, b. 5 May 1830, Ohio, d. 15 Feb 1855
m. 3 Sep 1851, Priscilla Weir
(4) George Chalfant, b. 28 Oct 1832, Ohio, d. 25 Mar 1909
m. 7 Sep 1854, Julia Hutchings
m. 2nd Zerilda Jackson
(5) John Chalfant, b. 22 Sep 1835, Ohio, d. 14 Feb 1896
m. 13 Dec 1853, Sarah Thackara, b. 1837, d. 14 Jul 1911
(6) Rachel Chalfant, b. 1837, Ohio
m. 16 Aug 1855, Thomas Thornburg
(7) Phoebe Jane Chalfant, b. 8 Feb 1839, Ohio
m. 10 Sep 1870, Riley Felton
(8) Alexander Chalfant*, b. 14 Jan 1840, Indiana, d. 29 May 1930
m. 27 Jun 1858, Delaware Co., Indiana, Elizabeth Templin
m. 2nd 25 Oct 1870, Jay County, Indiana, Susannah Puckett
(9) Lavina Chalfant, b. 18 Apr 1842, Indiana
m. 8 Mar 1860, Thomas W. Newcomb
(10) Elizabeth Chalfant, b. 12 Mar 1842, Indiana, d. 1914
m. 15 Dec 1859, Samuel Hutchings
(11) Jesse Bailey Chalfant, b. c1846, Indiana, d. 17 Dec 1932
m. 1866, Pauline Benbow
(12) Levi Chalfant, b. 18 Apr 1848, Indiana
m. 8 Nov 1866, Sarah A. Felton
m. 2nd 1911, Nellie Essa Morris
(13) John B. Chalfant, b. c1853, Indiana
m. 19 Jan 1872, Ellen Stanford
Jesse Chalfant, Jr. died on 16 Sep 1873. Elizabeth (Winders)
Chalfant died in 1896.

Jesse's son, Joel Chalfant, was a widely known and well respected
farmer in Delaware County. He married Cynthia Jackson and
had children
(1) Martha Chalfant, b. 1853
(2) Emma Chalfant, b. 1856
(3) Finley Hanaway Chalfant, b. 1859
(4) Olive Chalfant, b. 1862
(5) Viola Chalfant, b. 1866
(6) Serena Chalfant, b. 1869
After Cynthia died, Joel married Nancy J. Gibson on 17 Oct 1872
in Delaware County and had children
(7) Chadd B. Chalfant, b. c1875
(8) Jesse G. Chalfant, b. c1879
(9) Cynthia Chalfant, b. 1881
(10) Glennie C. Chalfant, b. 8 Mar 1886
(11) Marshall H. Chalfant

Finley H. Chalfant, son of Joel Chalfant, married Phebe B. Shaw on 13 Jun 1878 in Delaware County. They had two children and son Memphis Chalfant,
born c1879, married Fromin M. Campbell on 27 Jan 1906 in Delaware County. They had at least two children Bernice, born 1907 and Dorothy, born 1909.
A majority of the descendents of Jesse Chalfant, Jr. have remained in the Delaware and Randolph County area.

A Jesse Chalfant, presumed to be the son of Jesse Chalfant, Jr.
served in Company G of the 121th (Ninth Cavalry) Indiana
Regiment during the Civil War. This regiment was mustered into
federal service in March 1864 at Indianapolis. It proceeded first
to Nashville and then to Pulaski, Tenn. It participated in the
Forrest and Wheeler campaigns and fought at Sulpher Branch
Trestle in Alabama on Sep 25, 1864 where the regiment suffered
heavy losses. It then spent some time in Alabama before being
sent to New Orleans and then later garrison duty at Vicksburg.
Jesse Chalfant was mustered out on August 28, 1865 with his
regiment. Several of the members of this regiment were lost on
the steamer Sultana when a boiler blew up on April 17, 1865.

The 1840 Indiana census lists the Jesse Chalfant family as 1M<5,
3M5-10, 2M 10-15, 1M40-50, 2F<5, 1F30-40. The 1830 Ohio census
shows Jesse Chalfant to be in Adelphia Township of Ross County
where he had married Elizabeth Winders on 21 Sep 1826. There
is also a marriage record of a Jesse Chalfant to Ann Webster on 26
Jun 1822 in Belmont County, Ohio in the Stillwater MM records.
This may have been a first marriage for our Jesse or perhaps this
is a cousin also named Jesse. There were also two other
Chalfants, James and Robert, in Belmont County.

The 1820 Ohio census shows Jesse Chalfant, Sr. in Goshen
Township of Belmont County (3M16-26 (Jesse, Jr. age 24), 1M45+,
1F16-26 and 1F45+). James and Robert Chalfant were also listed
in Belmont County. This James Chalfant was born about 1770/5
and this Robert Chalfant was born about 1775/80. They may be
cousins or nephews of Jesse Chalfant, Sr.

Jesse Chalfant, Sr. was born in 1747 (some places listed as 1744) in
Pennsylvania, the son of James Chalfant. Jesse married late in life
to Rachel Ann Bailey in or about 1790. Rachel Ann Bailey was the
daughter of Joel and Hannah (Wickersham) Bailey. Joel Bailey
was born in Pennsylvania about 1734 and married Hannah
Wickersham on 24 Nov 1757. Joel Bailey was the son of Josiah
and Sarah (Marsh) Bailey. Josiah Bailey was the son of Joel and
Ann (Short) Bailey. This Joel Bailey was born in England where
he was baptized on 29 Jan 1658. He immigrated to America
sometime before 1687 when he married Ann Short in
Pennsylvania. Joel's father was Daniel Bailey who was born in
1601 in Westbrook in the Parish of Bromham. Daniel's father was
Thomas Bayley and his father was named William Bayley. Rachel
Ann Bailey's mother was Hannah Wickersham who was a
daughter of William and Rachel (Haynes) Wickersham. Rachel
Haynes was the daughter of Henry (born 1667, Oxfordshire,
England) and Isabella Haynes. William Wickersham was born on
3 Feb 1706 in Chester County, Pennsylvania, the son of Thomas
and Alice (Hogge) Wickersham. Thomas Wickersham was born
about 1660 in Bolney, Sussex, England and married on 27 Jun
1799 at Cowford, Sussex to Alice Hogge before they immigrated
to America. Alice Hogge was the daughter of Richard and Alice
(Pannell) Hogge.

Jesse and Rachel Ann (Bailey) Chalfant had the following known
children
(1) Jesse Chalfant, Jr.*, b. 1794, d. 16 Sep 1873
(2) Ezekial Chalfant, b. 1800, d. Dec 1881, m. Mary ?

The 1790 Pennsylvania census shows two Jesse Chalfants in Chester County. No James Chalfant is listed but a James Chaffin is listed in Chester County so
his name was evidently misspelled. Family records say James died in 1808 so this is probably the correct James. The 1800 Pennsylvania census lists a Jesse
Chalfant in Chester County with 3M<10, 1M26-45 and 1F 26-45. If this is correct this would indicate that Jesse Sr. may have been born later than first
thought. The 1810 Pennsylvania census again shows Jesse in Chester County.

Jesse Chalfant's father, James Chalfant was born in 1717 in
Pennsylvania and married Hannah Harris about 1744. It appears
he lived his entire life in Chester County. James and Hannah
(Harris) Chalfant had the following children
(1) Lydia Chalfant, m. ? Bentley
(2) Phebe Chalfant
(3) Hannah Chalfant
(4) James Chalfant
(5) John Chalfant
(6) Elizabeth Chalfant, m. ? Crawford
(7) Jesse Chalfant*, b. c1744
m. c1790, Rachel Ann Bailey
Hannah (Harris) Chalfant died sometime before 1770 when James
Chalfant married second to Elizabeth Martin.

James died on 1 Jan 1808 and his will in Chester County listed
him as living in East Fallowfield Township. Paul S. Chalfant of
Colorado Springs, Colorado did extensive work on the ancestry
of this Chalfant line and says that James Chalfant's father was
John Chalfant, born 1690 in England. John Chalfant emigrated on
the ship "Canterbury", arriving in the Port of Philadelphia on 30
Nov 1699 with his uncle John Chalfant and cousins John Chalfant,
born 1689, and Robert Chalfant, born 1688. John settled with his
uncle John on the Brandywine near Birmingham, in Chester
County, Pennsylvania. They named this land "Rockland Manor".
John Chalfant, born 14 Apr 1690, is often identified as John
Chalfant of West Marborough where he settled. John and his
wife, name unknown, had sons
(1) Joseph Chalfant
(2) Isaac Chalfant
(3) Henry Chalfant
m. 15 Aug 1742, Elizabeth Jackson
(4) James Chalfant*, b. 20 Feb 1717, d. 1 Jan 1808
m. Hannah Harris
(5) William Chalfant
(6) John Chalfant

John Chalfant's father was Henry Chalfant, born 13 May 1663,
who married in 1687 in England to Elizabeth Chandler, a
daughter of Thomas Chandler. Thomas Chandler immigrated to
Chester County, Pennsylvania where he appears on the tax rolls
in 1715. Henry Chalfant and his family apparently stayed in
England but his son John immigrated to America with his Uncle
John. Henry and Elizabeth (Chandler) Chalfant had children
(1) Robert Chalfant, b. 26 Sep 1688, d. 13 May 1693
(2) Henry Chalfant, b. 3 Jul 1689, d. 7 Sep 1728
(3) John Chalfant*, b. 14 Apr 1690, d. 7 Sep 1729, Pennsylvania
(4) Elizabeth Chalfant, b. 12 Mar 1691
m. 4 Jul 1712, Caleb Swayne
(5) Ruth Chalfant, b. 28 Jun 1692, died young.

Henry Chalfant's father was Robert Chalfant who was born 24
Feb 1626 in England. Robert Chalfant married Lydia Barnard on
9 Jun 1658. Lydia was the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth
(Bayes) Barnard of St. James, London. Elizabeth Bayes was the
daughter of John and Perryn (Ralphe) Bayes. This Robert
Chalfant is the ancestor of apparently all the Chalfants in
America. Robert and Lydia Chalfant has three children of record
(1) John Chalfant, b. 8 May 1660, England, d. Aug 1725, Chester
Co., Pennsylvania
m. Ruth Chandler
son Robert Chalfant, b. 12 May 1688, England, d. 6 Apr
1767, Chester Co., Pennsylvania
son John Chalfant, b. 7 Mar 1689, England
(2) Henry Chalfant*, b. 13 May 1663
m. Elizabeth Chandler
(3) Margaret Chalfant, b. 8 Apr 1665
m. Jonathan Compton
Robert Chalfant died on 15 May 1684.

Robert Chalfant's father was Christopher Chalfont who was born
4 Nov 1574 and married on 3 May 1625 to Elizabeth (Paynter)
Chilton, widow of Edward Chilton. In the license he is described
as a "schoolmaster about 50" and she a "widow about 40". The
marriage was at St Mary, Sandwich where Christopher taught
school. They had two children Robert* and William Chalfant.
Elizabeth died on 11 Jan 1628 shortly after the birth of her second
son and the two infants were left with Samuel Paynter,
Elizabeth's brother, by whom they were raised. Christopher
returned to Aylesbury, Bucks and remarried in 1632 to Margaret
(Harris) Alcock, widow of Thomas Alcock. It was about this
generation that the spelling of the family changed from Chalfont
to Chalfant.

Christopher Chalfont's father was Thomas Chalfont who was
born on 5 May 1520 and married on 28 Jun 1570 Margaret
(Bennett) Cornwallis, the widow of Francis Cornwallis.
They had five known children
(1) William Chalfont, b. 19 Jun 1571, of Love-end, Oxford County,
d. 9 Mar 1629.
(2) Christopher Chalfont*, b. 4 Nov 1574
m. 3 May 1625, Elizabeth (Paynter) Chilton
(3) Margaret Chalfont, b. 2 Sep 1575
(4) John Chalfont, b. 14 Jan 1577
m. 23 Dec 1602, Elizabeth Burrell
(5) Richard Chalfont, b. 27 Mar 1578

Thomas Chalfont's father was William Chalfont who was born
sometime before 1500 and married Margaret Artbroke, daughter
of Robert Artbroke of High Wycombe. William Chalfont had been
appointed Mayor of Wycombe in the 6th, 8th and 12th years of
Henry VIII (1515, 1517, 1521) and was still apparently mayor in
1533. He owned property in Bemynster, Dorsset County and
died 7 Feb 1543 and is buried at High Wycombe. Wycombe is
situated a few miles west of Chalfonte-St. Giles. William's father
was also named William and is the first recorded Chalfant that
can be traced.

This William Chalfont, the patriarch of the family, is first
mentioned in English records on 5 Jun 1485. William Chalfont
was born about 1460 and was associated with the town of
Aylesbury and the manor of Chalfonte-St. Giles. He had at least
two sons, William* and Christopher. Christopher was the VICAR
of Upton cum Chalvey, Bucks as recorded in Oct 1548. William
Chalfont was also the last Master of the Hospital of St. John the
Baptist at the date of its suppression by Henry VIII in 1541.

There are no records of this first William Chalfont's father but a hundred years earlier in the same area was a Henry deChalfunte born around 1360.
Henry's father was a Thomas deChalfunte born about 1335 and died in 1374. Thomas' father was Sir Henry deChalfunte who married Maude Garound in
1333 and was Sheriff of Buckinghamshire. Sir Henry's father was a John deChalfunte born about 1290 and his father was William deChalfunte born about
1265 and in 1288 was living near Chalfonte-St. Giles.

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