33: Phebe Maria Van Tassel Chase

Grave of Phebe Maria (Van Tassel) Chase

I suspect that Hannah, whose grave sits behind that of Phebe Maria Van Tassel Chase, is a relative of hers, but I've yet to identify the exact link.

Born in 1835, Phebe Maria Van Tassel was the daughter of Gilbert Van Tassel and Ann Maria Hewlett, both of whom are buried in the cemetery, as is Phebe's sister, Ardelia C. Van Tassel. Gilbert was a shoemaker. In 1850, he and his wife had four daughters living with them.

1850 US Federal Census

In 1860, Phebe was living with her sister Sarah, Sarah's husband George Jackson, and Phebe's future husband Edwin V. Chase. I would love it if anyone could decipher the occupation given for Phebe in the census below. Milliner, maybe? In any case, Edwin was born in Connecticut and was a tin smith. He and Phebe married one year later. Shortly after that, Edwin enlisted in the 7th Regiment, Connecticut Infantry, Company D.

1860 US Federal Census

In 1860, Phebe's sister Ardelia was living at the New-York Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb in Manhattan. Sadly, Ardelia would die in 1862.

1860 US Federal Census

Ten years later, and we arrive at the Sexist Census of 1870. Seriously, I call it the Sexist Census because every woman is simply listed by her husband's name. Here, Phebe is "Mrs. E. V. Chase." If I didn't have later censuses, I wouldn't be able to identify this as Phebe. Edwin and Phebe are listed with their two sons, Edwin and Freddie. The name of a third son, John, is crossed out. Was this a mistake, or did the child die?

1870 US Federal Census

Ten years after that, Edwin and Phebe were living in the same place with their two sons.

1880 US Federal Census

After the 1880 census, twenty years elapse before we get another glimpse into the Chase family. By that time, Phebe, age 65, was living with her son Frederick, his wife Mary (who was the daughter of Irish immigrants), and their two-year-old daughter Catherine in Brooklyn. This census identifies Phebe as the mother of three children, one of whom was living. Her son Edwin Chase had died in 1895 and is buried in the cemetery.

1900 US Federal Census

Meanwhile, Edwin Chase the Elder, age 65, was living in Fitch's Home for Soldiers and Orphans in Darien, Connecticut. I haven't been able to determine when he died or where he was buried.

1900 US Federal Census

Phebe, however, died in 1905 and is buried in the cemetery. Her sole surviving child and his wife had five children by 1925. Frederick worked as an electrician, and two of his children worked as typists. His youngest child seems to have been named after Phebe's father.

1925 New York State Census

By 1930, only three children were left in the house.

1930 US Federal Census

1. Gilbert Van Tassel (1798-1874) m. Ann Maria Hewlett (1798-1870)
1. Sarah A. Van Tassel (1833-) m. George W. Jackson (1829-)
2. Phebe Maria Van Tassel (1835-1905) m. Edwin V. Chase (1835-after 1900) in 1861
1. Edwin L. Chase (1864-1895)
2. Stephen Chase (1870-before 1900)
3. Frederick E. Chase (1867-) m. Mary E. (1871-) in 1896
1. Catherine Chase (1898-)
2. James F. Chase (1907-)
3. Mary C. Chase (1908-)
4. John F. Chase (1912-)
5. Gilbert A. Chase (1914-)
3. Ardelia C. Van Tassel (1837-1862)
4. Susan Van Tassel (1840-)