History of Swansea, Massachusetts, 1667-1917; - citizen hylbom blog

Personal Sketches 219
His boyhood days were passed in that town. Providence, Somerset,
and Swansea. His father went west when he was two years old, and the
boy's schooHng amounted to three months in a " Lancasterian " institution
on Nantucket. It was called the Coflin school, suggestive, as it happened,
of one of Mr. Chase's occupations in later life. It was founded and endowed
by Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin, who married a Nantucket woman, a maternal
ancestor of Mr. Chase. Since learning the three R's there he secured most
of the rest of his education on board ship.
His parents went to Providence to live and left him with a prominent
Nantucket man. The gentleman was later chosen representative in congress,
and removed to Washington with his wife. Elijah was Uving with
the man's son, when the latter was married, and so Mr. Chase "enlisted to
go whaling."
At the age of 19, in August, 1841, he "shipped" on board the good
craft Navigator, of Nantucket, brand-new, bound for a four years' voyage
sperm-whaling in the South Pacific. Captain Elihu Fisher of Falmouth was
master. Three other Nantucket boys embarked at the same time.
Three months out in the Atlantic, Mr. Chase remembers distinctly
when they crossed the line at 27.30 west longitude, that lessons in navigation
began.
"When I was thirteen months out I took charge of the navigation of
the ship and navigated her the rest of the voyage and then went out and
navigated the next voyage. I was also steward on both voyages.
His first voyage Mr. Chase kept only records necessary for reference
on the second, as to whaUng-grounds, etc. About 50 whales besides 15
blackfish were captured the first time out.
He says he saw some rough times, and went around Cape Horn both
voyages, but never lost a spar or a sail.
Returning from the first quest of the whale in 1845, he remained eight
weeks, long enough to "recruit" or lay in provisions for the ship. Then he
set sail July 3 of that year for another four years on the trail of the blubber.
He came to Swansea in the spring of '57, bought the house where he
lived for many years, and set up a grocery store. He had several orderroutes,
and one of them he called the California route on account of its
length.
A few years before came the romance of his life when he first saw his
future wife. Miss Jane Edson, as passenger on a boat. He met her and
was married by Rev. Mr. Cady, of the South Somerset M. E. Church, in
Elmer D. Young's house at Swansea village, December 8, 1851. They
celebrated their golden wedding, but Mrs. Chase died Jan. 9, 1903.
Besides his grocery business, he was undertaker and for a number of
years had charge of two or three funerals a week, and Elder Waterman was
usually the officiating clergyman.
Captain Chase has held nearly all the different town offices, being
selectman, overseer of the poor and assessor of taxes from 1865 to 1869, and
tax collector in 1879. He has held the office of constable for many years,
was often elected moderator of town meetings, and in one hot three-cornered
contest, was chosen by one vote. Besides being chairman of the Republican
town committee for 22 years, he was for many successive elections a
delegate to the State convention.
Nathan Montgomery Wood
The first of the Wood family who came to America of whom there is
any authentic record was (1) William Wood, who came from England, and
after spending some time in the new colonies returned to England. In
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