William Benton Chamberlain (1847 - 1903): Our Family History

1847 - 1903 (55 years)

Name	William Benton Chamberlain
Birth	1 Sep 1847	Gustavus, Trumbull, Ohio, United States [1, 2, 3, 4]
Gender	Male
Ω Census son	1 Jun 1850	Seymour, New Haven, Connecticut, United States [5]
	James E Fisher family listed on same page, with Charlotte P, Mary E, Frances, and Frank - may not be related at all. Witness Role: Principal: [I812] Ebenezer Benton CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: head of household: [I812] Ebenezer Benton CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: wife: [I811] Mary Ann COWLES Witness Role: son: [I2517] Henry Cowles CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: son: [I2518] Albert Barnes CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: daughter: [I2519] Ellen Maria CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: son: [I807] William Benton CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: servant: Name: Mary Ryan Witness Role: Servant status is assumed. Young woman born in Ireland in the Connecticut home of a clergyman, his wife, and their 4 young children.
Ω Census son	1 Jun 1860	Wayne, Ashtabula, Ohio, United States [1, 6]
	The Oberlin Catalog of 1860 gives his residence as Williamsfield, a small township in Ashtabula county, not Wayne Township as on the Census. Witness Role: Principal: [I812] Ebenezer Benton CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: head of household: [I812] Ebenezer Benton CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: wife: [I811] Mary Ann COWLES Witness Role: son: [I2518] Albert Barnes CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: daughter: [I2519] Ellen Maria CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: son: [I807] William Benton CHAMBERLAIN
Ω Census nephew	1 Jun 1870	Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States [7]
	No street address on the census page. 10 year old Mary Penfield is likely Minerva's grandchild. She, the 2nd wife of Henry Cowles, was herself the widow of Anson Penfield. Witness Role: Principal: [I1021] Henry COWLES Witness Role: head of household: [I1021] Henry COWLES Witness Role: wife: [I5926] Minerva DAYTON Witness Role: nephew: [I807] William Benton CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: resident: Name: Mary Penfield Witness Role: 10 year old female, attending school, unknown relationship Witness Role: servant: Name: Mary Craghan Witness Role: 23 year old female servant, Irish, could not read or write.
Occupation	From 1875 to 1894	Oberlin College, Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States [2, 8, 9]
	professor
	Photo is of the William Chamberlain home, probably on Lorain Street, based on old census records. That area seems to be a park now. He studied and taught in Oberin 1875-6, taught in Oberlin Conservatory 1878-1883, graduated from Oberlin Theological Seminary 1881 and was appointed Instructor in Elocution Oberlin College and Seminary. Became Professor of Elocution and Associate Professor of Rhetoric 1884. Published a textbook entitled "Rhetoric of Vocal Expression" in 1892.
	$places\oh-oberlin-wlorainstreet-williamchamberlainhome$	places\oh-oberlin-wlorainstreet-williamchamberlainhome
	$education_records\chamberlain_wb_oberlin1894bio$	education_records\chamberlain_wb_oberlin1894bio Keywords: Picture
Ω Census son-in-law	1 Jun 1880	Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States [10]
	John Peck was a widowed farmer, his two unmarried children, Anna and Edward lived with him. Edward was 23 and a student. Also living here, John Peck's 31 year old daughter Emily with her husband William Chamberlain, then a professional musician, and Emily and William's two children. Witness Role: Principal: [I804] John Sears PECK Witness Role: head of household: [I804] John Sears PECK Witness Role: daughter: [I826] Mary Anna PECK Witness Role: son: [I828] Edward Watrous PECK Witness Role: son-in-law: [I807] William Benton CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: daughter: [I806] Emily Elizabeth PECK Witness Role: grandson: [I821] Frederick William CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: grandson: [I822] John Fisher CHAMBERLAIN Witness Role: Unknown: Name: Arthur Burt Witness Role: 25 year old single male, student - probably a boarder Witness Role: Unknown: Name: Alice E. Burt Witness Role: 23 year old single female, listed as sister to Arthur Burt
Misc	24 Dec 1887 [11]
	wrote a poem
	The poem was an expression of his thoughts on a Bible verse, Isaiah 30:15 "For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength"
	$letters\chamberlain_wb_poem$	letters\chamberlain_wb_poem Keywords: Picture
Physical Description	14 Jun 1899 [3]
	on his passport application
	The description of applicant stated: Age: 51 years Stature: 5 feet, 4 inches Forehead: Bald Eyes: Blueish gray Nose: straight Mouth: small Chin: not very prominent hair: gray complexion: light face: rather thin
Travel	From 21 Jun 1899 to 30 Aug 1899	New York City, New York, United States [3]
	aboard the steamship "New York" of the American Line.
	Steamship said to set sail Wed, 21 Jun 1899 at 10am, stated return to the US on 30 Aug 1899. Sailing from Pier 14 on the North River, New York City. Destination unknown
Occupation	1900	Cicero, Cook, Illinois, United States [12]
	teacher
Census	1 Jun 1900	Cicero, Cook, Illinois, United States [12]
	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
Family Search ID	L7PQ-ZCT
_UID	E58D3C622AAE495C88D477FC86F3A855D2B5
Death	7 Mar 1903	Oak Park, Cook, Illinois, United States [2, 4, 8, 13, 14]
	$education_records\chamberlain_wb_oberlin1904_inmemoriam$	education_records\chamberlain_wb_oberlin1904_inmemoriam Keywords: Picture
Burial	11 Mar 1903	Westwood Cemetery, Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States [15, 16]
	$gravestones\CHAMBERLAIN William Benton d1903$	gravestones\CHAMBERLAIN William Benton d1903
Person ID	I807	My Genealogy
Last Modified	28 Aug 2024

Father	Ebenezer Benton Chamberlain, b. 13 Jul 1810, Richmond, Richmond, New York, United States d. 3 Jun 1882, East Vincent Township, Chester, Pennsylvania, United States (Age 71 years)
Mother	Mary Ann Cowles, b. 25 Mar 1817, Colebrook, Litchfield, Connecticut, United States d. 14 Jul 1874, Springfield, Delaware, Pennsylvania, United States (Age 57 years)
Marriage	2 Nov 1838	Austinburg, Ashtabula, Ohio, United States [2, 4]
Family ID	F279	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Wife 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 [2, 4]

Children

+	1. Frederick William Chamberlain, b. 2 Sep 1876, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States d. 1 May 1948, Tryon, Gaston, North Carolina, United States (Age 71 years)
	2. John Fisher Chamberlain, b. 1880, Ohio, United States d. 1881 (Age 1 year)
+	3. Ernest Barrett Chamberlain, b. 22 Jan 1883, Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States d. 21 Jun 1972, St. Francis Village, Crowley, Tarrant, Texas, United States (Age 89 years)
+	4. Albert Edward Chamberlain, b. 26 Feb 1886, Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States d. Mar 1965, New York, United States (Age 79 years)
+	5. Harold Fisher Peck Chamberlain, b. 4 May 1889, Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States d. 29 Aug 1964, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States (Age 75 years)
+	6. Mary Elizabeth Chamberlain, b. 30 Jun 1891, Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States d. 2 Apr 1987, Dallas, Dallas, Texas, United States (Age 95 years)

Family ID F276 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Last Modified 31 May 2023

Event Map

	Birth - 1 Sep 1847 - Gustavus, Trumbull, Ohio, United States
	Ω Census son - 1 Jun 1850 - Seymour, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
	Ω Census son - 1 Jun 1860 - Wayne, Ashtabula, Ohio, United States
	Ω Census nephew - 1 Jun 1870 - Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States
	Occupation - professor - From 1875 to 1894 - Oberlin College, Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States
	Marriage - 6 Aug 1875 - Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States
	Ω Census son-in-law - 1 Jun 1880 - Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States
	Travel - aboard the steamship "New York" of the American Line. - From 21 Jun 1899 to 30 Aug 1899 - New York City, New York, United States
	Occupation - teacher - 1900 - Cicero, Cook, Illinois, United States
	Census - 1 Jun 1900 - Cicero, Cook, Illinois, United States
	Death - 7 Mar 1903 - Oak Park, Cook, Illinois, United States
	Burial - 11 Mar 1903 - Westwood Cemetery, Oberlin, Lorain, Ohio, United States

= Link to Google Earth

Photos
$headshots\CHAMBERLAIN William Benton$ headshots\CHAMBERLAIN William Benton

Documents
$education_records\chamberlain_wb_oberlin1894bio$ education_records\chamberlain_wb_oberlin1894bio
Keywords: Picture

Sources

[S254] Cens1860 - OH Ashtabula Wayne p196.
[S846] Bio - Cowles Mary Ann.
[S1325] PassportApp - Chamberlain William Benton.
[S1408] DAR - Waite, Mary E. Chamberlain to Samuel Cowles.
[S253] Cens1850 - CT New Haven Seymour p345.
[S1360] Catalog - Oberlin 1860.
[S1472] Cens1870 - OH Lorain Oberlin p.11.
[S1329] Book - CAA Annual Mtg 1903, 1904, 1905, pp.16-18.
Necrology
William Benton Chamberlain, 1847 —March 7, 1903.
In the death of William Benton Chamberlain a remarkable life was suddenly ended. His character was moulded by his early struggles in acquiring a collegiate education, and in the crystallization of his musical talents, especially in its relation to religion. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1875, and completed his course in the Theological Seminary in 1884, when he became Professor of Rhetoric in the college. " Oberlin remembers him as a student, instructor, leader in song, minister, neighbor and friend for twenty-five years." In 1894 he accepted the call to the Chair of Oratory and Sacred Music in Chicago Theological Seminary, and became the Dean of the School of Church Music. He was appointed Director of Music for the World's Sunday School Convention in Jerusalem, 1904. He possessed a rare personality, and "was magnetic, forceful, loveable, gentle, good, and aimed to lift up Christ through the medium of teaching and preaching." Thousands of students and hearers bear testimony to his spiritual influence, and hundreds of loving tributes were received by his family.
[S1363] Yearbook - Oberlin 1894.
[S787] Cens1880 - OH Lorain Oberlin p10.
[S1356] Letter - Waite Mary to Debbie Price poem by WB.
[S772] Cens1900 - IL Cook Cicero p17b.
[S352] Ohio Obituary Index, 1830s-2009, Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center.
[S1365] Yearbook - Oberlin 1904.
[S1180] Oberlin Westwood: William B. Chamberlain.
[S1181] Find a Grave: William Benton Chamberlain.