Ernest Barrett Chamberlain (1883 - 1972): Our Family History

1883 - 1972 (89 years)

Name	Ernest Barrett Chamberlain
Birth	22 Jan 1883	Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States [3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
Gender	Male
Ω Census son	1 Jun 1900	Cicero, Cook, Illinois, United States [8]
	Witness Role: Principal: [I807] William Benton CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: head of household: [I807] William Benton CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: wife: [I806] Emily Elizabeth PECK Witness Role: son: [I801] Ernest Barrett CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: son: [I823] Albert Edward CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: son: [I824] Harold Fisher Peck CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: daughter: [I825] Mary Elizabeth CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: sister: [I2519] Ellen Maria CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: servant: Name: Florence E. Bardill Witness Role: 36 year old single female from England
Education	From 1903 to 1906	Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States [9, 10, 11, 12]
	Oberlin College
	He earned his BA in 1904, Masters in 1906, and Doctorate in 1910.
	$education_records\chamberlain_ernest_oberlin1903_basketball$	education_records\chamberlain_ernest_oberlin1903_basketball Keywords: Picture
	$education_records\chamberlain_ernest_oberlin1904_basketball$	education_records\chamberlain_ernest_oberlin1904_basketball Keywords: Picture
	$education_records\chamberlain_ernest_oberlin1905_basketball$	education_records\chamberlain_ernest_oberlin1905_basketball Keywords: Picture
	$education_records\chamberlain_ernest_oberlin1905_officers$	education_records\chamberlain_ernest_oberlin1905_officers Keywords: Picture
Ω Census son	15 Apr 1910	221 North Professor St., Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States [13]
	Witness Role: Principal: [I806] Emily Elizabeth PECK Witness Role: head of household: [I806] Emily Elizabeth PECK Witness Role: son: [I801] Ernest Barrett CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: daughter: [I825] Mary Elizabeth CHAMBERLAIN
Travel	1914 [14]
	Trip to England with his wife, son, and sister-in-law
	It is uncertain when Ernest, Gladys, Tom and Jessie went to England, what towns and countries they may have visited, or even if this was a work or pleasure trip. What is documented is their effort to return from England to New York. They had been scheduled to return from England in September of 1914, aboard the SS New York, but for some reason changed their plans. They returned instead in October, aboard the SS St. Paul, sailing from Liverpool to New York City. Later, in 1918, when Ernest needed to go abroad again, he applied for a replacement passport, noting that the one he had in 1914 had been lost or destroyed. Likely there is some connection between the lost passport and the delayed return. Recall that 1914 was the beginning of The Great War. Transports from England to the US would have been in flux as regards the exodus of US Citizens. Witness Role: Child: [I762] Thomas Taber CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: Spouse: [I800] Gladys TABER Witness Role: Companion: [I841] Jessie TABER
	$travel_records\ship_st_paul_1895-1923$	travel_records\ship_st_paul_1895-1923
	$travel_records\arrival_manifest_ssnewyork_new_york_3sep1914$	travel_records\arrival_manifest_ssnewyork_new_york_3sep1914
	$travel_records\arrival_manifest_st_paul_new_york_11oct1914$	travel_records\arrival_manifest_st_paul_new_york_11oct1914
Military Service	From 1917 to 1919 [15]
	The Great War, YMCA Service Corps
	Ernest served with the YMCA during WW1, no WW1 Draft Registration has been found, I guess this was an alternative to registration and military service. He was paid to be a song leader, first at Camp Sherman, then over in France. Sherman on that form seems likely to be Camp Sherman - There were German POWs there. Did you know that we brought German POWs back to America? I didn’t know that. Note that on Ernest’s YMCA form, he was paid for work at Sherman in June 1918. Then look at the website talking about Camp Sherman – the Spanish flu hit the camp summer and fall of that year and was locked down in quarantine. But it seems by then, Ernest was over in France – guessing of course based on the France pay in July. So…how relieved would he have been that he was in France CLOSER to the war rather than at home stuck in the camp with the Spanish flu?
	$military_records\chamberlain_ernest-ww1-ywca$	military_records\chamberlain_ernest-ww1-ywca
Residence	1918	Madison, Dane, Wisconsin, United States [6]
	By 1918, he was living in Madison, Wisconsin, and had been named a secretary to the National War Work Council of the YMCA. The YMCA sent him abroad, to England and France, to work with American soldiers.
Census	1 Jan 1920	Richmond, Henrico, Virginia, United States [16]
	Ernest was working as a secretary at the YMCA. Witness Role: head of household: [I801] Ernest Barrett CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: wife: [I800] Gladys TABER Witness Role: son: [I762] Thomas Taber CHAMBERLAIN
Census	1 Apr 1930	301 E. 38th St., Manhattan, New York, New York, United States [17]
	Ernest was a campaigner for philanthropy. He and Gladys were divorced. Witness Role: head of household: [I801] Ernest Barrett CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: son: [I762] Thomas Taber CHAMBERLAIN
Travel	From 7 Dec 1932 to 30 Dec 1932 [14]
	cruised from New York to St. Thomas British West Indies and back
	Aboard the Fort St. George. Leaving New York 07-Dec-1932 Arriving St. Thomas, Virgin Islands 12-Dec-1932 Leaving Grenada, British West Indies 21-Dec 1932 Arriving New York 30-Dec-1932
	$travel_records\ship_fort-st-george_1932$	travel_records\ship_fort-st-george_1932 Keywords: Picture
	$travel_records\arrival_manifest_fort_st_george_st_thomas_dec_1932$	travel_records\arrival_manifest_fort_st_george_st_thomas_dec_1932 Caption Note: [not actually an arrival at new york, so should probably have its own source created, maybe later] Keywords: Picture
	$travel_records\arrival_manifest_fort_st_george_new_york_30dec1932$	travel_records\arrival_manifest_fort_st_george_new_york_30dec1932
Census	1 Apr 1940	Union Township, Marshall, Indiana, United States [18]
	Ernest was an instructor at a "private school" which seems to have been Culver Military Academy. He and Kitty had lived in New York City 5 years prior. Witness Role: head of household: [I801] Ernest Barrett CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: wife: [I750] Katherine Butler KANE
Military Draft Registration	1942	New York, New York, United States [19]
Residence	1942	New York, New York, United States [4]
Employment	From 1954 to 1972 [5]
	Oberlin Alumni Association
	Served the Oberlin Alumni Association as the president of his 1904 graduating class. The obituary written for him in the Oberlin Alumni Magazine spells out the many connections between the Chamberlain family and Oberlin college. His parents and grandparents attended Oberlin as did 3 brothers and a sister.
Family Search ID	LHD3-64Y
Misc	1959 [20]
	Published Chamberlain family tree, highlighting Oberlin College connections
	Ernest created a large format Chamberlain descendancy chart of Joshua Chamberlain and Deacon Samuel Cowles, which shows the many connections of their progeny to Oberlin College.
	$fam_records\chamberlain-some_branches_and_the_oberlin_roots_pg1of2$	fam_records\chamberlain-some_branches_and_the_oberlin_roots_pg1of2
	$fam_records\chamberlain-some_branches_and_the_oberlin_roots_pg2of2$	fam_records\chamberlain-some_branches_and_the_oberlin_roots_pg2of2
Photos	Go to Photo Gallery for Ernest Barett Chamberlain
Residence	Galesburg, Knox, Illinois, United States [6]
_UID	43D9A63717E340F4819787AA3E0DA855B818
Death	21 Jun 1972	St. Francis Village, Crowley, Tarrant, Texas, United States [3, 5, 7, 21]
	Cause: sudden coronary occlusion
Burial	24 Jun 1972	Westwood Cemetery, Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States [22, 23]
	from Find a Grave entry: from Oberlin Heritage Center, Westwood Cemetery Inventory database date of burial 6/24/1972. A graduate of Oberlin College (A.B. 1904; A.M. 1906; B.D. 1910). He was an author, teacher, philanthropist, fundraiser, educational consultant, and an ordained minister. He married 1) Gladys Tabor in 1912 and they had a son, Thomas Tabor Chamberlain, born in 1913. They were divorced the following year. He married 2) Katherine Kane in New York in 1935. The couple retired to Crowley, Texas in 1969.
Person ID	I801	My Genealogy
Last Modified	27 Apr 2025

Father	William Benton Chamberlain, b. 1 Sep 1847, Gustavus, Trumbull, Ohio, United States d. 7 Mar 1903, Oak Park, Cook, Illinois, United States (Age 55 years)
Mother	Emily Elizabeth Peck, b. 19 Jan 1848, West Bloomfield, Ontario, New York, United States d. 10 Aug 1929, Dallas, Dallas, Texas, United States (Age 81 years)
Marriage	6 Aug 1875	Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States [24, 25]
Family ID	F276	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Wife 1 Gladys Taber, b. 14 Oct 1891, Argos, Marshall, Indiana, United States d. 15 Apr 1977, Cuernevaca, Morelos, Mexico (Age 85 years)

Marriage 26 Jun 1912 Argos, Marshall, Indiana, United States [1]

Divorce Abt 1925

Notes

Marriage Status: Divorced

Children

+	1. Thomas Taber Chamberlain, Sr., b. 18 Aug 1913, Galesburg, Knox, Illinois, United States d. 2 Oct 1980, Greenbrier Hotel, White Sulphur Springs, Greenbrier, West Virginia, United States (Age 67 years)

Family ID F258 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Last Modified 26 Aug 2023

Wife 2	Katherine Butler "Kitty" Kane, b. 15 Aug 1894 d. 3 Jan 1989, Crowley, Tarrant, Texas, United States (Age 94 years)
Marriage	1 Feb 1935	New York, United States [2]
Family ID	F251	Group Sheet \| Family Chart
Last Modified	31 May 2023

Event Map

	Birth - 22 Jan 1883 - Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States
	Ω Census son - 1 Jun 1900 - Cicero, Cook, Illinois, United States
	Education - Oberlin College - From 1903 to 1906 - Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States
	Ω Census son - 15 Apr 1910 - 221 North Professor St., Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States
	Marriage - 26 Jun 1912 - Argos, Marshall, Indiana, United States
	Residence - 1918 - Madison, Dane, Wisconsin, United States
	Census - 1 Jan 1920 - Richmond, Henrico, Virginia, United States
	Census - 1 Apr 1930 - 301 E. 38th St., Manhattan, New York, New York, United States
	Marriage - 1 Feb 1935 - New York, United States
	Census - 1 Apr 1940 - Union Township, Marshall, Indiana, United States
	Military Draft Registration - 1942 - New York, New York, United States
	Residence - 1942 - New York, New York, United States
	Residence - - Galesburg, Knox, Illinois, United States
	Death - Cause: sudden coronary occlusion - 21 Jun 1972 - St. Francis Village, Crowley, Tarrant, Texas, United States
	Burial - 24 Jun 1972 - Westwood Cemetery, Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States

= Link to Google Earth

Photos
$headshots\CHAMBERLAIN Ernest Barrett$ headshots\CHAMBERLAIN Ernest Barrett

Sources

[S73] Letter - Listenberger Rosemary to Brown Barbara 1993, Handwritten family group sheets, unknown original source.
[S72] Debbie Price's Collection.
[S194] Social Security Death Index, Number: 091-07-5213; Issue State: New York; Issue Date: Before 1951.
Birth date: 22 Jan 1883Birth place: Death date: Jun 1972Death place: Crowley, Tarrant, Texas, United States of America
[S205] U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942, Roll: ; Local board: New York City , .
Birth date: 22 Jan 1883Birth place: Oberlin, OhioResidence date: Residence place: New York City
[S748] Obit - Chamberlain Ernest Barrett.
[S798] PassportApp - Chamberlain Ernest Barrett.
[S1348] DeathCert - Chamberlain Ernest Barrett.
[S772] Cens1900 - IL Cook Cicero p17b.
[S1308] Bio - Chamberlain Ernest B, Oberlin College.
[S1364] Yearbook - Oberlin 1903.
[S1365] Yearbook - Oberlin 1904.
[S1366] Yearbook - Oberlin 1905.
[S771] Cens1910 - OH Lorain Oberlin ed125 p3a.
[S799] Travel - Passenger Lists New York 1820-1957.
[S503] WWI Service Cards - YMCA Chamberlain Ernest Barrett.
[S768] Cens1920 - VA Henrico Richmond p14b.
[S769] Cens1930 - NY NewYork Manhattan ed1233 p1a.
[S770] Cens1940 - IN Marshall Union p19a.
[S502] Ernest Barrett Chamberlain, "United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942".
[S820] FamilyRecord - Chamberlain, Ernest.
[S193] Texas Death Index, 1903-2000.
Death date: 21 Jun 1972Death place: Tarrant, Texas
[S1178] Oberlin Westwood: Ernest Chamberlain.
[S1179] Find a Grave: Ernest Barrett Chamberlain.
[S846] Bio - Cowles Mary Ann.
[S1408] DAR - Waite, Mary E. Chamberlain to Samuel Cowles.

Ernest Barrett Chamberlain[1, 2]

Ernest Barrett Chamberlain^{[1, 2]}