When we think about the American Revolutionary War, we often picture major battles and famous generals. But in places like Vermont, the Revolution was experienced very differently.
Here, it was not defined by large-scale engagements, but by constant readiness, local defense, and the daily work required to sustain a fragile frontier community.
The Chapman family stands as a powerful example of this reality.
A Family on the Northern Frontier
By the time the Revolution reached its height, the Chapman family was firmly rooted in Vermont, an independent Republic which operated its own government and militia from 1777 to 1791.
They were not isolated.
Through 5th great grandmother Alice Hazen Chapman, the family was closely connected to the Hazen network, including militia leadership such as Joshua Hazen. These kinship ties were essential in a region where survival—and defense—depended on trust and cooperation.
Simon Chapman: Blacksmith and Militiaman
5th great-grandfather Simon Chapman (1723–1792) occupied a dual role that captures the essence of frontier life during the Revolution.
A blacksmith was indispensable. Working at a forge, Simon heated iron and shaped it on an anvil to produce and repair:
- Horseshoes
- Farm tools
- Nails and hardware
- Wagon parts
- Iron fittings for mills and buildings
In a frontier settlement, this work was critical. Without functioning tools, farms failed. Without repairs, transportation broke down. Without ironwork, communities could not grow.
His shop would have been one of the most important—and most frequented—places in Hartford.
Simon also served in the Third (Wood’s) Regiment of the Vermont Militia, contributing directly to the defense of the region.
His role likely involved:
- Responding to militia alarms
- Participating in local defense mobilizations
- Supporting readiness against threats from the north
By the late 1770s, Simon was in his 50s. While younger men carried the burden of long marches, his participation reflects the reality that militia service on the frontier included men of varying ages, all contributing where they were able
The Next Generation: Sons in Service
While Simon balanced his work and militia responsibilities, his sons took on more active field roles.
From his first marriage, the following sons are documented in Revolutionary service:
- Beckett Chapman (1747–1802) — Olcott’s Regiment, Vermont Republic Militia
- Erastus Chapman (1760–1821) — served in Captain Bramble’s Company, Vermont Militia (1781)
- Responding to alarms
- Marching to threatened areas
- Guarding settlements in the upper Connecticut River valley
Alice Hazen Chapman: The Work That Held Everything Together
If the forge was the physical center of the Chapman household, Alice Hazen Chapman was its steady force.
Her contribution to the Revolutionary era cannot be measured in enlistments or rolls, but it was no less essential. As a wife and mother on the Vermont frontier, Alice managed a demanding and often precarious household while the rhythms of war moved in and out of daily life.
Her responsibilities would have included:
- Preparing and preserving food for a large family
- Producing textiles through spinning and sewing
- Managing the household economy
- Caring for children and stepchildren across two marriages
- Maintaining stability during periods of uncertainty
When militia alarms were raised and men left—sometimes with little notice—it was women like Alice who ensured that life did not stop. Farms still needed tending. Meals still needed preparing. Children still needed care and guidance.
Alice’s story is especially striking given her earlier life. Before marrying Simon in 1758, she endured abandonment by her first husband and successfully petitioned for divorce—an uncommon and difficult step in 18th-century New England. That experience speaks to a resilience and independence that she carried into her second marriage and frontier life.
By the time the family settled in Hartford, Vermont, Alice was not simply accompanying the move—she was helping sustain it.
In Hartford, Vermont, the Revolution was not distant—it was immediate and ongoing.
It was heard in hoofbeats announcing an alarm.
It was seen in men gathering to march.
And it was sustained in the steady rhythm of a hammer at the forge.
The Chapman family stood at the center of all three.
- North America, Family Histories, 1500–2000, Lineage Book of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, vol. 144 (1919).
- Tracy Elliot Hazen, The Hazen Family in America: A Genealogy, ed. Donald Lines Jacobus.
- U.S., Compiled Revolutionary War Military Service Records, 1775–1783, National Archives, database, Ancestry.com.
- U.S., Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775–1783, database, Ancestry.com.
- U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889–1970
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