![]() | This article possibly contains original research. (May 2019) |
Chase family | |
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Current region | New England, New York, Midwestern United States, California, New Zealand, France |
Place of origin | Massachusetts and New Hampshire, originally England |
Traditions | Congregational churches, Episcopal Church, Presbyterianism |
The Chase family is an American family whose members included early American pioneers and those involved in politics, the clergy, business and the military. Originating in Chesham, England, brothers Aquila Chase II and Thomas Chase journeyed to New England.[1] In June, 1640 the brothers received land grants in Hampton, now a part of the State of New Hampshire.[2] Most of the notable members of the family were descendants of Aquila Chase, whose children settled in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, members of the Chase family, who had previously been wealthy but not particularly influential, began involving themselves in law, politics, and religion. Lawyers such as Scott Lord (whose mother was a Chase) and Salmon Portland Chase, Chief Justice of the United States, were produced. Chase politicians included Dudley Chase, Champion S. Chase, Dudley Chase Denison, and Margaret Chase Smith. Though the Chase politicians were perhaps best known, the family produced several notable clergymen as well, including Episcopal bishop and educator Philander Chase and the Presbyterian theologian John Chase Lord, who were at the forefronts of their respective churches in their prime.